"So first, you open this—our accounting software. Looks boring, right?" Venu grinned. "But it’s like a treasure hunt. Every receipt, every number—it’s all pieces of a money story. Like, ’The Mystery of the Missing Invoice...’ or ’Who Took the Extra thingy from Budget?’"
"Okay, now look here—this button? That’s how you add a new entry. This one? It’s the magic button that shows you if the money’s missing. I call it the panic button."
Adrian watched closely, absorbing each step.
"Now here’s where it gets fun—if you accidentally delete something, the program gives you one chance to say sorry. ONE. It’s like a strict aunt. No second chances. She’s like ’You deleted it? Okay, now suffer.’"
Adrian let out a soft huff of air that almost counted as a chuckle.
"And this..." Venu clicked something, then pointed at a blinking red error message, "This is the thing that ruins my weekends. But don’t worry. We’ll make her your friend too. It’s like taming a willd beasts with spreadsheets."
Venu showed him how to check reports, enter daily expenses, cross-check the tally sheet, and back up data. He even made little mnemonics for shortcuts. "CTRL+S is Save... which stands for ’Save me from boss’s scary stare if we lose data.’"
By the time the clock hit noon, Adrian had not only learned most of the basics, but also been gifted with a doodled post-it from Venu that read: ’Welcome to the number club – May your decimals align forever!’
Adrian placed it quietly at the corner of his new desk, eyes soft.
He had never thought an office space could feel .
Then Ruby walked in, holding a small steel tiffin box in one hand and her usual calm in the other. Her eyes scanned the space briefly before they landed on Adrian, who was seated beside Venu.
She approached, her heels tapping lightly against the floor. "How’s it going?" she asked, her voice light as she stopped beside their desk. "You understanding everything?"
Before Adrian could open his mouth, Venu sat up straight like a proud mother duck. "Miss Boss, he’s very smart!" he declared with sparkles in his eyes. "He learned all the basic stuff super fast—like whoosh! He even found a mistake I didn’t notice!"
Ruby raised an amused brow, glancing at Adrian. "Is that so?" she said with a knowing smile. "I see you’ve already made friends on your first day."
Adrian didn’t say anything, but his ears went visibly pink. He looked down at his keyboard and pretended to scroll something, the corner of his mouth twitching ever so slightly.
Ruby chuckled gently. "I brought you tiffin," she added, lifting the box and placing it on his desk. "Don’t forget to eat."
Then, just like that, she turned and left, her steps light and graceful as always.
Venu stared after her for a second and then turned to Adrian, his eyes sparkling. "Did she just... bring you lunch? That’s so cool."
When lunch break finally came, Adrian and Venu took their tiffins and sat together near the back window where soft breeze drifted in. The partitioned room fell quieter as most workers relaxed, and Venu—ever the chatterbox—grinned at Adrian as he unwrapped his lunch.
"You know," he said between bites of lemon rice, "there’s a running joke around here that half the ghosts in Village had a crush on Miss Ruby at some point."
Adrian paused mid-chew and raised an eyebrow.
Venu nodded seriously, still grinning. "I’m not even kidding! I heard this from someone who works at the packing supplies—apparently three ghost tried to woo her.
One sent roses to her office every day for a week. Another wrote poems—bad ones too. And one ghost... tried to get her attention by pretending to faint in front of her sewing center!"
Adrian stared. "Did it work?"
"Nope! She just stepped over him and told him to go faint somewhere else," Venu laughed. "Miss boss is legendary. She doesn’t entertain anyone. If someone tries to overstep, she fires them on the spot. Even if they’re super talented."
Adrian gave a slow nod. That sounded exactly like her.
Venu leaned closer whispering, "But even so, people admire her. If you say you work for Ruby, you get respect in the whole village. Like, real respect. Shopkeepers give you discounts, local ghosts uncles salute you when you pass by—it’s wild."
Adrian looked thoughtful. "All because of salary?"
Venu giggled. "That, and because she’s fair. Strict, but fair, if you do your work properly and follow the rules, she’ll treat you like family."
Adrian quietly looked down at the neat tiffin Ruby brought for him and gave a small nod.
When it was time to leave, Ruby stood near the gate, leaning against her car with her arms lightly folded, the evening sun casting a reddish glow over her shoulders. Her eyes scanned the crowd of workers leaving one by one—until they finally curved into a smile the moment she spotted Adrian stepping out.
He walked beside Venu, who was talking nonstop as usual. The cheerful ghost waved his arms dramatically, probably still gossiping about something.
Ruby chuckled softly to herself.
Adrian, on the other hand, paused the moment he saw her waiting. His footsteps slowed, a flicker of surprise in his dark eyes. He didn’t expect her to be there.
Venu grinned at Ruby and then elbowed Adrian with a playful wink. "Boss’s here for you. Romantic ride home, huh?"
Adrian gave him a light glare, but his ears turned pink.
"Bye, Miss boss!" Venu waved cheerfully and left by himself.
Adrian walked over, and Ruby opened the passenger side of the car, slipping into the driver’s seat as he got in beside her.
As the car began to move, a gentle silence settled between them — the kind that didn’t feel awkward, just comfortable.
Ruby glanced at him briefly. "So?" she asked, her tone light. "How was your first day?"
Adrian looked at her for just a second, his gaze briefly resting on her profile.
His expression softened. "Very good," he replied simply, two quiet words, but filled with something warmer than he expected.
Ruby’s lips twitched at the corner, just a little smile.
To be continued... 🪄