In the afternoon, when Austin stepped out of his office, Joy's desk was already vacant.
Usually, to make her early departures less noticeable, she'd leave an old tote bag on her desk, creating the illusion that she hadn't left at all.
But she must've thought everyone else was on her wavelength because that tote hadn't moved an inch in three months.
Austin glanced at his watch; it was just hitting 5 PM. Joy sure had a knack for making a swift exit.
Mia happened to walk by and let out a surprised, "Oh, Mr. Austin, looking for Joy? She clocked out early. Some hunky guy picked her up, tall and trim, a real catch!"
The team leader was too late to cover for Joy, and Mia added, "If you need anything, Mr. Austin, I'm always here to help!"
Austin responded, "I was going to offer her a ride home. Fancy bringing her back?"
Mia paused, "Ah? You were going to..."
Before she could finish, Austin had already turned away. He had planned on playing chauffeur again, even though Joy's knee injury was so minor it was hardly worth mentioning. She only limped when entering his office, fishing for sympathy.
With Joy gone, and no evening plans, Austin agreed to join Frank for some drinks.
Sitting in the colorful glow of the bar, he found little amusement.
For a man past thirty, desires for wealth, power, and romance seemed to plummet straight down. Life gradually settled into a monotonous rhythm, as still and dull as stagnant water.
When Austin shared his thoughts, Frank's gaze immediately darted down to his lap.
"No way, you're not saying you've gone limp already? Man, I'm still full of life."
Amidst the booming bar music, Austin tossed a lime peel at Frank's face, "Trying to have a serious conversation here, and you're bringing up nonsense."
Just then, in a lull between the loud drumbeats, he heard a mischievous female voice: "Show me your abs?"
Turning around, by some coincidence, Joy was there in a booth not too far away.
The man beside her looked about twenty, wearing a gray hoodie, tall and slim with that unique collegiate air. Joy was giving him a leering look, and the young man blushed under her gaze, "Maybe not here?"
The allure of a man's abs and being over six feet tall seemed almost universal.
Joy, sensing his hesitation yet teasing, adopted an almost roguish demeanor, "What's the harm? Just a peek."
Frank, with sharp eyes, noted, "Hey, isn't that your employee?"
Austin didn't respond but pulled out his phone to send a message.
After a few moments of playful
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Her boss's voice came through, stern and urgent, "The project you're in charge needs to be on my desk first thing tomorrow morning. This is top priority. Get back here now!"
The timing couldn't have been better.
Joy, frustrated, said goodbye to the would-be abs show and stormed off back to work, grumbling all the way.
Austin pocketed his phone, and Frank watched him with a knowing look.
"Dull as stagnant water?" Frank chuckled, "I don't think so."
Austin ignored him, standing up, "I'm off."
"Hey, where to?"
"Overtime."
Austin also returned to work, a fact that made Joy feel somewhat better.
After rushing through the project, she collapsed onto her bed at home, caught between maintaining her cleanliness and giving into her exhaustion. Eventually, she decided to scroll through social media first, postponing the inevitable decision.
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