Secrets [Past]

Alric stared at his own reflection in the mirror. He had a handsome face, just like his father's. However, the contours were softer, almost feminine. Even the muscles on his body seemed merely toned and not bulky, much to the chagrin of the angel. How many hours did he spend building an appealing physique? Yet he always looked like he only put in half the effort he was actually doing.

Sighing, he combed through his hair with his fingertips, ensuring the strands fell the way he wanted them to. He then plucked a few stray feathers from his wings to finish his morning routine.

Today, he chose to wear a dark grey shirt and a pinstripe necktie that matched his dress pants. His polished shoes reflected the sunlight coming through the window blinds of his apartment. Having an excellent mood, Alric hummed a tune and went on his way.

Which meant traveling merely two floors downstairs. As the designated CEO, he lived and worked in the same building. To some, it was a blessing, to others, a curse. For Alric, it was definitely the latter. Not being able to escape the office building made him feel trapped like a rat in a cage. And it didn't help that he still felt like he didn't belong in this world, despite his father's reassurance.

When he arrived in his office, Samael was already there, focused on the hovering screen before him. Alric smiled. They had gotten off to a good start. Samael did his job and let Alric handle the work he was supposed to. No meddling, no tutoring. If he failed, it was only he to blame. And Alric was perfectly fine with that. After all, if there was no failure, to begin with, then how would he learn?

"Good morning, fair hair," he said to his assistant, passing him by. He loved Samael's soft brown hair that was either neatly braided or tied to a ponytail. How often did he find himself wanting to touch them?

As he always did, Samael briefly looked up before returning to working on his tasks. But just as Alric was about to enter his own office, there was an audible "oh". When he turned around, he noticed that Samael had gotten up.

"Sir."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I... wanted to propose an idea."

Alric's smile immediately froze. For a moment, he pondered whether that was a good thing or not. Wanting to give his assistant a chance, he decided to trust him.

"Alright then, let's hear of this idea." He beckoned his assistant into his office. Alric swung over to his chair, facing the glass facade. With a short high squeak, he turned around to look at Samael. "Go on."

"I was thinking, if you could let me handle all appointments, we would have less friction. Right now, we sometimes book each other on days we're already busy."

"So essentially, you're telling me I'm causing issues when I accept meetings without checking the schedule," Alric summarized. "That's quite unfortunate." He began to cross his arms, thinking of a solution. His gaze drifted to the tablet lying on his desk. It was switched on, presumably by Samael.

"Ah, no, Uhm..." Samael stuttered, feeling insecure. Had Alric implied he was blaming him? "I meant that it would alleviate your burden, and you can focus on other things."

Alric stared blankly into the void. The silence permeating the air felt heavy. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally exhaled loudly and said, "very well. If you insist." There was a kind of disappointment in his voice, something Samael did not comprehend.

Instead, he happily nodded, saying, "thank you, Sir! You will not regret it." Bowing briefly, the angel hurried back to his desk, leaving Alric alone.

So the turning point had come, Alric thought to himself. He had wished Samael would merely point out the issue so he could work to improve himself. Instead, his assistant immediately grabbed the opportunity to take over the task himself. Trying not to feel too disappointed, he started doing his work, checking emails, and calling contacts to network.

Meanwhile, unaware of the landmine he had just triggered, Samael happily began planning away when he received an anonymous call on his smartphone.

"H-hello?" It was unusual to receive unsolicited calls in the first place, but using a hidden number was all the more baffling.

"Why so timid?" The hoarse voice on the other side sounded quite familiar. It took Samael only a moment to realize who it was.

"H-how did you get my number?"

"I have my ways."

"I told you before, I do not require your assistance." Samael was annoyed. Why was this archangel so interested in him?

The man laughed. It sounded slightly maniacal.

"Alright, alright. I won't keep you from your precious work. I just thought I'd check up on you to see if everything's alright. Things and opinions can change, after all."

"Well, it hasn't so far."

"That is nice to hear." There was a pause. "Oh, before I take my leave, just bear in mind that not everything is as it seems at Gabriel Corporation."

Samael huffed. "What do you mean?"

"Mhm, I'll leave that to you. If you snoop around admin files, I'm sure you'll find one thing or the other."

And just like that, the archangel hung upon him. Samael stared at his phone for a long moment, unsure what to make of it.

Knock, knock.

The noise startled the assistant so much that he nearly dropped the phone out of his hand.

"Are you alright?" It was Alric. He had slung a jacket over his shoulder, signaling he was about to leave the building.

"Yes, uh, no problems," Samael hastily replied, nearly tossing his phone on the desk as if he had been handling hot coal. Alric looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "No, no," the angel insisted. "I'm fine, I just jump easily."

"Well, if there's nothing to worry about, I'll be out for today. I don't know when I'll return, so make sure to eat your dinner. In a bit."

And with that, Alric left the office, heading for the elevator. Samael watched him until he was entirely out of sight. Then he heaved a heavy sigh and continued to work.

It was getting late. Samael's phone beeped, reminding him to eat. He looked at it and smiled. Alric had snatched his phone a few weeks ago and had programmed the alarm to make sure he ate.

"I won't always be around to feed you, so better rely on this," his boss said back then.

Samael switched it off and headed downstairs to the first floor where the building's canteen was. Since it was late at night, all the lights were out except in the hallway. Three vending machines emitted a faint glow, giving fake promises of a tasty, nutritious meal. The angel looked at the meager options and quickly decided to get cup noodles. As the machine whizzed away, he was reminded of the archangel's words.

"Not everything is as it seems," Samael repeated them. They had been nagging at him all day like a headache that refused to go away.

An unpleasant beep signaled his meal was ready. Samael took out the cup noodle and grabbed a fork from the cutlery section before the canteen. He then took the elevator all the way up to the rose garden.

Tonight, clouds had obscured the beautiful starry sky. The breeze was stiff and cold. Samael hurried to finish his dinner before it got too cold and decided to return to his desk one last time before calling it a night.

As he sat there in the barely lit office, temptation overcame him. Surely, his boss' tablet was still switched on? He probably wouldn't notice if Samael accessed it. And judging by the words he had said earlier, he did not need to fear his return anytime soon either.

"No," Samael called out loudly. He got up abruptly, pushing his office chair away so hard that it hit the glass facade behind him with a loud clack. What kind of assistant would he be if he snooped around? After inhaling and exhaling a few times deeply, Samael calmed down. He placed his chair back where it belonged and decided to take in the fresh air at the rose garden once more.

Armed with a coat, the angel braved the winds atop the Gabriel Corporation building once more. The scent of the flowers blew right into his face. What usually would be something pleasant, however, quickly became overwhelming. Just a few minutes later, Samael found himself back at his office.

Not able to focus, he decided to shut down his devices and call it a day. Jacket draped across his left arm and his messenger bag around his shoulder, Samael was about to switch off the light when curiosity hit him hard again. Eventually, he gave in, tiptoeing into Alric's office.

"What am I doing?" He quietly said to himself, yet he could not stop himself from approaching his boss's tablet, emitting a cold blue glow in the darkness. Like a moth to the flame, Samael looked at the screen.

Perfect. Alric had not even bothered to lock it. Placing his belongings aside, Samael began to use the tablet, randomly searching for files he personally had no access to.

"I should stop," he whispered to himself. He put the tablet down, hoping he had returned it to its original state. Then, a popup message appeared on Alric's screen. It was a summary of the monthly finances. Something only he and probably his father had direct access to. Intrigued, the angel opened the report. Most of it was uninteresting. Transactions he already knew of.

Except for one entry. It was a rather large sum, paid anonymously onto a bank account with no name. Samael reread the details, hoping he had just missed something. Desperate for answers, he began skimming through previous summaries. There it was. And there again. The same sum. The same anonymous transaction.

What was Gabriel Corporation hiding?