The next morning, Mind Entertainment was buzzing. Not because of any scandal. Not because a top actor had fainted during a shoot. Not even because Jack had spilled coffee on an expensive rug (again).
No.
It was because of that photo.
Aran's smirk had broken the internet.
And the mystery woman gripping his collar from the back had become a nationwide obsession.
"WHO IS SHE?" was trending on Twitter. Fan accounts had already zoomed in, lightened the shadows, and enhanced the photo like they were on an episode of CSI Bangkok.
"Is she a model?" "An actress?" "A secret fiancée he's been hiding?"
Kanya scrolled through the posts from her office with a murderous glare. Opposite her, Jack was trying not to laugh, failing miserably. Korn looked like he wanted to crawl under the table. June had made popcorn. Literally. He brought in a bag and sat cross-legged on the couch.
"This is wild" He said, scrolling through comments. "Someone just did a tarot reading on the photo and predicted that you're going to marry him by next October."
"I'm going to murder him by next Tuesday" Kanya muttered.
Jack choked on laughter. "Please do. But let me film it. We can release it as a revenge thriller."
"I hate you all."
"No, you don't" June said cheerfully. "You just hate that the entire country thinks Aran has a secret girlfriend and it's you."
"I'm not even visible!"
Korn, meekly, raised his hand. "Your ears are. People are matching ears now. One account posted an entire comparison thread."
Kanya froze. "They're... matching ears?"
"Oh yeah" Jack said, showing his phone. "This one said, 'The curvature of the cartilage is identical. Case closed.'"
"I'm going to need new ears."
Meanwhile, Aran? He was having the time of his life. Sitting in his CEO throne upstairs, sipping espresso like it was champagne, looking like the human equivalent of a satisfied cat. He hadn't posted anything new but had mysteriously liked two random tweets about the woman being his secret muse.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
And that made Kanya want to throw her office chair at him.
Just as she was plotting a dramatic walk up to his office to throw hands (or furniture), her phone buzzed. It was a company-wide announcement:
"All departments report to Conference Room A for an emergency creative briefing. 10 minutes."
"Oh what now?" she groaned.
_
_
Everyone was gathered. From marketing to legal. Even the poor intern who just joined last week and still carried a notepad like his life depended on it.
Aran strolled in last. Of course. Wearing a black turtleneck like he was about to drop a diss track or sell a new line of perfume.
He stood at the front.
"Everyone" he began. "As you all know, an image of me has gone viral."
Everyone nodded.
He gestured to the massive projector screen.
THE PHOTO appeared.
Collective gasps. Some sighed. One woman clutched her chest.
"It has come to our attention" Aran continued smoothly, "that there is widespread speculation about the identity of the woman in this photo."
Whispers. Giggling. One guy raised his hand. "Sir, is it true she's a model from New York?"
"No comment" Aran said, with a very deliberate smirk.
Jack whispered to Kanya, "He's enjoying this way too much."
"I can tell" she hissed.
"However" Aran said, raising a hand, "we are not here to speculate. We are here to turn this into an opportunity."
A hand shot up.
"Yes?" Aran asked.
The intern stood up. "Um. Should we... make merch?"
Aran paused. Then nodded. "Absolutely. I want pitches by end of day."
Kanya slammed her forehead on the table.
_
_
_
The entire company was buzzing with creative chaos. The marketing team had already mocked up hoodies with "WHO IS SHE?" printed in bold. The design team was working on a mug that said "Grabbed by Love."
Someone made a ringtone out of the sound of Aran's laugh. It went viral in the building.
Meanwhile, Kanya hid in her office. Or tried to.
June barged in wearing the first hoodie prototype.
"It's comfy! You want one?"
Kanya threw a stapler at him.
Downstairs, Korn was trying to handle a very dramatic photoshoot where they used a mannequin with a wig to recreate the parking lot photo for social media. Tried to.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The mannequin's head fell off.
Jack screamed, "THE MUSE IS DEAD!"
Korn nearly cried.
_
_
_
Kanya finally marched up to Aran's office, ready to confront him.
"Enough" she said, slamming the door shut.
Aran looked up. "Problem?"
"'Grabbed by Love?' Really? You're turning a blurry photo into a brand?"
He sipped his coffee. "Not just a brand. A movement."
"You're impossible."
"I'm effective."
"I will burn this building down."
"It's insured."
She stared at him.
He stared back, smile calm and infuriating.
And then she sighed. Loudly. "I hate that you look good in that damn photo."
Aran raised a brow. "So you admit it's a good photo."
She turned on her heel. "I'm leaving before I end up on CCTV committing a crime."
As she walked out, Aran called after her. "Don't forget your 'WHO IS SHE?'.hoodie. They're limited edition."
She flipped him off without turning around.
Jack appeared behind her and whispered, "You should model for the next shoot."
"I will push you down the stairs, Jack."
_
_
_
If one more person was seen wearing "I Slammed the CEO" shirt in the hallway, Kanya was going to commit crimes. Plural. Multiple counts. No jury would convict her.
It had been 6 days since the photo went viral.
Three days since the merch dropped.
And exactly zero seconds since her peace of mind had last existed.
The limited-edition "Mystery Slammer" line sold out in five minutes. Hoodies, mugs, keychains, tote bags—even mousepads. She'd walked past the marketing team's floor this morning only to hear someone say, "I ship them so hard. She's like... a ghost. A sexy, powerful ghost."
Her eye twitched. June snorted beside her.
"Still denying your mystery woman identity, I see" June muttered.
Kanya rubbed her temples. "My face isn't even visible. I have deniability."
"But you're the only one in the entire company who gets called into Aran's office like five times a day and walks out looking like you've either fought or flirted."
"That's because we fight, not flirt."
June grinned. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, slammer girl."
At precisely 10:07 a.m., her phone pinged.
[Aran: Join me for the investor meet. Conference Room B. Bring the Q3 reports.]
No "please." No "are you free?" Just commands.
Kanya rolled her eyes and marched toward the conference room, reports in hand, heels echoing against the marble floor. Aran was already there, seated with all the grace of a man who could ruin reputations with a single raised brow.
To the investors, he was all ice: crisp suit, calm voice, flawless posture.
But when Kanya entered and stood by his side to pass him the papers, he leaned just a little too close and muttered under his breath:
"You missed the new mug."
She blinked. "What mug?"
He nodded toward his desk. "Limited edition. Has the slam photo on one side, and the caption 'She's got a grip' on the other."
"I hate you."
"I know" he said smoothly, flipping the report. "You're very vocal about it. It's charming."
Back at her desk, Kanya sat in numb silence.
Until Jack burst in like a caffeine-powered tornado.
"Hey, hey, I found a knockoff version of the hoodie on Shopee! Guess what the caption says?"
"No."
"It says 'I Slammed My Boss and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt.' Genius."
"I am going to move to the mountains and live with goats."
Korn wandered in next, holding his phone. "Did you see someone made an edit of the photo with fire in the background and labeled it 'The Slam That Shook A Nation'?"
June peeked over his shoulder. "They gave Aran a six-pack in that edit."
"He already has one" Jack muttered.
Kanya threw a stapler at him.
_
_
_
She tried to focus. Really. Emails. Meetings. Strategy notes.
But then Aran decided that it was not good for her to be this Peacefull.
" We're going to the board dinner tomorrow. Wear the red blazer."
Her reply was instant.
"No"
"Yes. It looks good when you're angry."
She leaned close again, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I swear I will—"
He didn't even blink. "Wear the red blazer tomorrow?"
Her eye twitched. "I will burn it."
"That would be unfortunate. It matches the company logo. Very on-brand."
Kanya looked around as if trying to locate a weapon. Maybe a pen. Maybe a chair.
Before she could act on any of those very real urges, Aran added smoothly, "Also, I told the PR team to prepare a tagline for the next drop."
She froze.
"…What tagline."
His eyes gleamed. "'Still gripping. Coming soon.'"
She made an inhuman noise.
"Aran—!"
But before she could threaten to set his desk on fire, Jack piped up from behind her. "I vote we get matching hoodies. We could be Team Slam."
June clapped. "Ooh! Or like, The Slam Fam!"
Korn added, "We can make badges! Like 'Witnessed the Slam, 2025 Edition.'"
Aran looked thoughtfully at them. "Not a bad idea."
Kanya spun around, pointing at all of them like a sleep-deprived, rage-powered CEO Exorcist. "You're all banned. From marketing. From life."
Jack raised a hand. "Can I at least be your best man at the wedding?"
"I'm not even dating him!"
"You're halfway to a prenup with that collar grab."
Aran sipped his coffee. "I actually do have a lawyer on standby."
She turned to glare at him. "I hope you choke on that coffee."
He raised his mug, with the caption 'Grip Goals' printed on the side, and took a slow, obnoxious sip.
Kanya stared at the mug. Then at the man.
Then she turned to leave, muttering under her breath, "I need a new job. And maybe a flamethrower."
Behind her, Aran called out, completely unfazed, "Don't forget to check the intranet later. There's a voting poll for the next merch drop name!"
Jack cheered. "Please let 'Slammed & Unbothered' win!"
Kanya's scream could be heard three floors down.