Chapter 3

Emma had only been at the company for a few days, but she was already noticing something odd.

There were whispers.

Small conversations around the office, hushed voices near the coffee machine, and employees sharing wide-eyed looks before shaking their heads. She caught bits and pieces.

“Did you hear? Another gift delivery…”

“Who’s funding this?”

“I swear, someone’s got a secret agenda.”

“Maybe it’s an undercover billionaire.”

Emma frowned as she walked to the break room. She had no idea what they were talking about, but judging by the way everyone was reacting, something unusual was happening.

Then came the incident with the gaming consoles.

Emma had just settled at her desk when an email notification popped up in the company-wide chat:

“Congratulations to this month’s top performers! Your rewards will be delivered shortly.”

A few minutes later, a delivery guy walked into the office carrying three massive boxes, each labeled with the name of an employee. The recipients opened them, only to reveal…

Gaming consoles.

Not just any gaming consoles, but the limited-edition ones that had sold out instantly upon release.

Emma watched as the office erupted into shocked murmurs. Even Karen, her manager, looked baffled.

“Who authorized this?” someone asked.

“No idea,” another replied.

A programmer from the tech department leaned in, lowering his voice dramatically. “I heard it’s someone high up in the company.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. Someone high up?

She thought back to the woman from the elevator—Lena, the confident yet oddly familiar-looking employee. Could it be her?

She shook her head. No way. The Lena she met was too casual, too… normal.

Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something weird was going on.

And she was determined to find out what.

The "Secret VIP" Investigation

Emma had never been the type to poke her nose into company gossip, but the rumors were getting out of hand. The gaming consoles were just the start. Over the next few days, more unusual things kept happening:

Someone anonymously ordered high-end ergonomic chairs for certain departments.

A popular café suddenly gave all company employees a 50% discount—no one knew who arranged it.

A delivery of gourmet chocolates mysteriously appeared in the finance department.

The theories were getting wilder.

“I bet it’s the CEO,” someone whispered.

“No way. Maybe it’s a secret investor?”

“What if it’s a billionaire undercover?”

Emma didn’t know what to believe anymore, but she was sure of one thing—this was weird.

Then, one morning, she accidentally got herself into trouble.

It started with an email mix-up. Emma received a message about a private meeting in one of the upper-floor conference rooms. It wasn’t meant for her—she was sure of it—but curiosity got the best of her.

What if it’s connected to all these weird gifts?

She arrived at the meeting room early, looking around nervously. There was only one other person inside—a woman standing near the window, looking at her phone.

Emma cleared her throat. “Uh, hi?”

The woman turned. Emma immediately recognized her.

Lena?

The same Lena from the elevator. The same Lena who casually chatted with her a few days ago.

“Oh,” Lena said, slipping her phone into her pocket. “You’re early.”

Emma’s heart pounded. What was she doing here? Did Lena know about the rumors too?

The other man in the meeting blurted out. “Why are you here?”

Emma froze. “Uh—”

Lena tilted her head. “Wait… was she not supposed to be?”

Oliver hesitated before lowering her voice. “This is a private discussion.”

Now both were staring at her. Emma felt her face heat up.

Oh god. I may have just crashed a VIP meeting.

She panicked. “I—I thought this was for new employees!”

Lena blinked. “New employees?”

Oliver groaned. “This is a department budget discussion.”

A long silence.

Emma wished the floor would swallow her whole.

“…Oh,” she said weakly.

Lena, to her credit, looked highly amused.

“Well,” Lena said, grinning, “since you’re here, any thoughts on how we should spend the budget?”

Emma awkwardly laughed. “Uh… maybe more gaming consoles?”

Lena snorted, and buried her face in her hands.

Chapter 3.5: The Mysterious Gifts Keep Coming

Emma thought the gaming consoles were strange, but things only got weirder.

First, there were the chairs.

One morning, the HR department walked in to find that every single desk had been upgraded with high-end ergonomic chairs. The kind with lumbar support, cooling gel cushions, and armrests that adjusted in more ways than a human shoulder should allow.

“Who approved this?” Karen asked, poking one of the chairs suspiciously.

No one knew.

“I heard they just arrived this morning,” someone whispered.

“The CEO must really care about employee comfort…” another speculated.

Emma frowned. Again with the CEO rumors?

But before she could dwell on it, the coffee incident happened.

The Cafeteria Discount Mystery

Emma had gotten used to buying her morning coffee from the company’s cafeteria. It was overpriced, but she needed caffeine to survive.

So when she tapped her employee card at the register, she was stunned to see the price.

50% OFF.

“Huh?” She looked at the cashier. “Is this a mistake?”

The cashier shook his head. “Nope. New company benefit. Someone arranged a discount for employees.”

“Who?”

The cashier shrugged. “Dunno. Just got an email about it this morning.”

The office gossip machine went into overdrive.

“Maybe it’s a new policy?”

“No way. The higher-ups don’t give things.”

“It’s the mystery benefactor again.”

Emma was beginning to think she had joined a company with a ghost patron.

The Gourmet Chocolate Conundrum

By the time the chocolate incident happened, Emma was done trying to understand.

She was walking past the finance department when she saw a small crowd gathered around a table. Curious, she peeked inside.

Sitting there was a massive box of gourmet chocolates, arranged like an expensive jewelry set.

“I found it on my desk this morning,” one of the accountants said, bewildered.

Emma glanced at the attached note.

“To Finance: Because working with numbers all day is hard. Enjoy.”

No name. No signature.

At this point, she wasn’t even surprised.

But what did surprise her was what she saw next—down the hall, in the recreational area, workers were gathered around something new.

A brand-new table tennis setup.

Emma’s jaw dropped.

“Where did this come from?” she asked.

No one had an answer.

But someone whispered, “Whoever’s doing this, they think practically. First chairs, now coffee, then chocolates, and now this?”

Emma crossed her arms. This was no longer just gossip. This was a full-blown mystery.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***