Chapter 464

There were other colleagues in the office. But she had only started yesterday. She didn’t know anyone yet. Asking to borrow money now felt way too forward. She thought about it. The walk wasn’t that far. Aria gritted her teeth and decided to walk home. Looking a bit down, she turned and headed for the elevator. The doors slid open. She stepped inside. She didn’t pay attention to the other person already in there. She just pressed the button for the first floor and the close button. Then she stood to the side, waiting to go down. The elevator descended for a while. Suddenly, it jolted violently. The lights flickered. Aria screamed in terror. Her hand instinctively grabbed whatever was next to her. It was someone’s arm. The other person quickly reached out and pressed several floor buttons from bottom to top. The elevator stopped falling after a few seconds. But all the lights went out. Aria felt like her heart had stopped. She heard the person next to her communicating with someone outside using a walkie-talkie. Aria breathed a sigh of relief. She realized she was still gripping his arm. She awkwardly let go and felt for the handrail, holding it tightly. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked after finishing the call. “I’m... I’m fine. No injuries,” Aria stammered, her voice shaky from fear. “It’ll be okay. Don’t worry,” he comforted her. He nodded, but she couldn’t see it in the dark. The voice on the walkie-talkie reassured them. They had contacted the elevator maintenance team. They would be rescued soon. Don’t worry. Aria couldn’t help muttering to herself. How could she not worry? She was scared to death! But there was nothing to do except wait. Then the man next to her took out his phone. He switched on the flashlight. He pointed it at the elevator wall. Seeing the light, Aria felt a little less afraid. But she was still too tense to move. “Which department are you from?” he asked. “I’m from the administration department at Sterling Group. I’m new. My name is Aria Brooks,” she replied nervously. “What about you?” “I work upstairs,” he answered. “Oh,” she said. She didn’t know what company was upstairs. And right now, she didn’t care. She just wanted to get out of this elevator. “Are you sure you’re okay?” “I... I have a bit of claustrophobia,” Aria swallowed and admitted. When she was a child, she had been trapped in a dark box. She had been traumatized ever since. “Take a deep breath. It’ll be fine. The elevators in this building use advanced lifting technology. They’re very safe. This is just a minor glitch. It’ll be fixed soon,” he continued to reassure her. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re here. If I were stuck here alone, I’d probably lose it,” Aria said, finally able to speak normally. The next second, she realized how that sounded. She quickly explained. “I mean... it’s bad luck for you, getting stuck in the elevator with me.” “It seems like I’m cursed when it comes to this company. I’ve had nothing but bad luck since I started working here.” “I was late on my first day yesterday. Then I bumped into someone in the lobby.” “Then today, I worked overtime and forgot the time. My bag got locked in the office.” “Now I have to walk home, but the elevator breaks down,” Aria rambled, not realizing she was talking too much. When he didn’t respond, she realized she had been babbling. She was just so nervous. She was talking to distract herself. “Maybe it’s fate,” he finally said. “Huh?” Aria was stunned. She turned her head to look at him. She could barely make out his silhouette. “To have so many things happen in just two days at work. That’s a kind of fate, isn’t it?” he said. Aria immediately laughed. “Yeah, a twisted kind of fate is still fate.” They chatted like that. Aria gradually felt less nervous. She was glad she had met a nice person to help her. Otherwise, she would have been trapped in the elevator all alone. “Hi, I’m Aria Brooks. I work in the administration department at Sterling Group. Thank you so much for today. I don’t know what I would have done alone. If you don’t mind, I’d like to treat you to dinner tomorrow as a thank you,” she introduced herself and offered. “You’re welcome. It was nothing. Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “Well, thank you anyway,” Aria said, not insisting further. Just then, the maintenance worker’s voice came through the walkie-talkie. He asked how many people were inside and if anyone was injured. Then he said they were working on the emergency repair. They would be able to get out soon. Don’t worry. Hearing that she could leave soon, Aria felt much more relaxed. A moment later, the lights in the elevator came back on. Aria let out a huge sigh of relief. She turned to look at him. She was about to say something. Then she froze. Light pink shirt. Tall. Handsome features. It was Evan Sterling. Aria screamed inside her head. She wanted to disappear. She instinctively closed her eyes. As if not seeing him would make him go away. “Aria?” “Ah?” Aria’s eyes flew open. Meeting his gaze, she felt like her soul had left her body. “Are you okay?” Evan looked down at the girl who seemed scared out of her wits. “I... I’m fine,” Aria shook her head, starting to stutter again. “We’ll be out soon,” Evan comforted her. “Okay,” Aria replied. “What would you like to eat later?” “Huh?” Aria didn’t understand. “I haven’t eaten yet.” Aria shook her head, confused. “You were going to invite me to dinner tomorrow, right? How about tonight instead?” “Huh? Oh, sure,” Aria replied a beat later. Then she remembered she had no bag and no money. She immediately felt embarrassed. “But I don’t have any money on me.” “I’ll lend you some,” Evan smiled. “Oh, okay,” Aria nodded. As soon as she said that, the elevator doors clanked and slid open. Aria felt like she was seeing the light of day again. She felt reborn. She stepped out of the elevator. Her feet touched the ground. She almost cried from relief. She was safe. She was okay. Otherwise, she hadn’t served her country yet. She hadn’t been filial to her parents. She hadn’t created any value for the company. Okay, she was thinking too much.