Kosmos 1

Stellar took a deep breath as she entered the lobby of Kosmos's headquarters. She knew the building like the back of her hand. Her distant memory was running around the hallways whenever Aster brought her here.

She could still smell a faint hint of paint from the newly decorated office. White granite floors and white walls gave the illusion of a bigger space, while brass and steel were used mostly as decor and furniture.

It amused Stellar that no matter how many times the interior of the building changed, Kosmos's unique charm always stood out—ever timeless and dazzling—like a piece of heirloom jewelry that was passed down from one generation to the next.

Meanwhile, while waiting for the elevator car going up to the floor where the meeting rooms and top management offices were, employees started arriving and greeting everyone a happy new year.

The spirit of the holidays could be seen and felt in everyone's jolly and positive energies.

As usual, Stellar stepped aside, blending into the wall while occasionally nodding to the employees who greeted her.

Ding!

The elevator door opened, and heads snapped towards the parting double doors and heads bowed upon seeing most of the board of directors standing inside.

Seeing it was almost full, Stellar decided to wait for the next lift to arrive, however, she was startled when some men inside started scrambling to exit as if someone exploded a fart inside.

"Stellar, our lovely Stellar. Go ahead. I can take the next one," Mr. Singh, a board member offered.

Stellar just bowed her head and thanked the man. That was weird, she thought. Those old geezers often ignored her because it was evident how Aster never favored Stellar. Their mom had a knack for flaunting Cassy's achievements every chance she got.

Then why would they suddenly be smiling at her? Even gave her a spot on the lift?

Before Stellar could go on overdrive for thinking of possible reasons why, the elevator dinged. She awkwardly stepped outside and traversed towards the board meeting room where the meeting would be held that day.

Passing by meeting room after meeting room, Stellar smiled. This part of the building was her favorite. Each room was divided by a glass wall, and the interior was patterned to a precious stone.

There's the Aquamarine room with blue chairs, the Emerald room with, yep, green chairs. And of course, Stellar's personal favorite, the Amethyst room with purple chairs.

Reaching the biggest room of all, the Pearl room with pearl-colored seats, Stellar paused and took a deep breath.

She stepped aside and held the door open for the rest of the board members, never forgetting her manners to let the elderly walk ahead of her.

Everyone was all smiling at her, and the unusual attention made Stellar feel on edge until relief flooded her at the sight of Aster. However, her relief soon turned into petrification when Aster's seething glare landed on her.

"Good morning, Chairwoman," Stellar greeted, but Aster just held her breath when she passed by her as if breathing Stellar in was poisonous to her health. Stellar let it slide, used to her mother's dismissal of her existence unless she needed something from Stellar.

Once everyone was seated, an assistant turned the glass walls opaque, giving the board of directors the privacy they needed.

The meeting went on for an hour, a presentation flashed on the screen. It showed graphs of trends and forecasts for the year.

An hour later, Stellar closed the book in her hand. Everyone stood in their seats and started shaking hands with each other for starting the year on a positive note.

Suddenly, all eyes were back on Stellar. Why are these men circling her like hungry hyenas, each bearing gifts… or bribes?

Standing in front of her was Mr. Singh, the board member who got off the lift so Stellar could go up first. Looking at the youngest member of the Cross Family, it was obvious how sheltered she was.

Yes, she made the High Society headlines with her drinking sprees, but that could be attributed to probably witnessing Orion's alcoholic tendencies when she was younger.

But Stellar was never rumored to have dated anyone growing up, and would either be seen at work or at home.

Mr. Singh guessed maybe it was the reason how she hooked one of the eligible bachelors in town.

He felt lucky to have seen the photo before it was taken down. Mr. Singh saw it as his chance to rub elbows with a rumored girlfriend of an heir of the Knight family.

Nothing wrong with using any available lifeline to the elusive family. "Stellar! I heard you spent your new year and birthday yesterday in Hong Kong. Happy Birthday!"

Taking a deep breath, Stellar took a step back to maintain some distance. Nope. Yesterday wasn't her birthday, but thanks for remembering. Instead of calling him out, she just smiled at him. "Thank you."

The rest followed suit and gave her presents, which was the first time that happened since she started walking the halls of the company. She definitely found it suspicious, but she didn't turn down the shower of gifts.

"So," Mr. Singh trailed off, "that trip sounds exciting." They were walking towards the door to exit the meeting room.

"Yes, it was. I went with a friend and met his family who was there as well."

Everyone halted in their steps, and Stellar's head snapped left and right to study her surroundings. Out of nowhere, the board members burst into laughter so sinister it dotted Stellar's skin with goosebumps.

"If you can excuse me…" Stellar pursed her lips. She was dying to extract herself from the unwelcomed attention they were giving her. Luckily, they let her pass and didn't stop her from sprinting away from themselves.

Walking down the hallway, she heard that distinct thud of stilettos on the granite floor.

"My. Office. Now," Aster barked.

Stellar followed her mother without a word. Once they got inside her office, Stellar closed the door behind her. Just as she turned to face her mother, a desk calendar was hurled at her, hitting the door with a thud.