Her eyes narrowed slightly, not entirely convinced, but she pressed on regardless.

"You will not touch clients like that unless they explicitly ask for it," she said firmly, each word deliberate, "and I mean explicitly. You will not make assumptions and make no improvisation whatsoever. You follow boundaries, or you’re out. Immediately!"

There was no hesitation in that last part.

Roy scratched the back of his head slightly, a sheepish grin tugging at his lips. "Right... yeah, that makes sense."

Penelope exhaled softly through her nose, as if steadying herself, and then, after a brief pause that stretched just long enough to feel intentional, she spoke again.

But... did that mean?

"You’re hired."

The words hung in the air for a moment.

Roy blinked.

Then his entire face lit up.

"Wait—really?" he asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

Penelope frowned slightly, as if annoyed by his reaction. "Did I stutter?"

"No, no!" he said quickly, his grin widening, and before she could react, before she could even brace herself, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a sudden, impulsive hug.

For a split second, Penelope froze completely.

Her eyes widened, her body going rigid as if she had short-circuited entirely, and then—

"Hey—what are you doing?!" she snapped, her voice rising as she pushed against his chest, trying to shove him away, but Roy, caught up in the moment, didn’t immediately let go, and for a brief, awkward few seconds, the two of them remained like that, her pushing, him holding on just a little too long.

"Thank you!" he said, genuinely, his voice bright with relief.

"I said let go!" she huffed, her cheeks now tinged with a noticeable blush, and this time, with a bit more force, she managed to push him back a step.

Roy finally released her, still smiling, and completely unbothered by the deep glare she gave him.

If anything, it made her green eyes appear even more beautiful than they already were.

Penelope adjusted her posture immediately, smoothing her clothes as if trying to erase what had just happened, though the faint redness on her face stubbornly remained.

"Tch... honestly," she muttered under her breath, though there was no real heat behind it anymore.

She cleared her throat, straightening once more.

"Like I said," she continued, regaining some of that authoritative tone, though it was softer now, less rigid, "your skills are... good."

Another reluctant admission.

"But if you ever cross that line again without permission," she added, her gaze sharpening once more, "I will personally throw you out. Understood?"

Roy chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck again. "Yes, Ma’am, loud and clear."

As he looked at her, something about her demeanor struck him, the way she carried herself, the way she spoke like she was always on the verge of snapping, yet there was something else beneath it, something softer, something that didn’t quite match the sharpness she tried so hard to project.

She looked strict and stern.

But she was... endearing.

It was almost like she was forcing herself to be this imposing boss figure, raising her voice and keeping her tone firm, yet beneath it all, she was just... young and human like everyone else.

He found himself wondering, idly, how long it would take before that tough exterior would vanish, and how much longer it would take him to get into her pants?

’Well, now wouldn’t that be quite a sight?’ He smirked inwardly as his eyes wandered to the voluptuous curve of her ass and those milkers that would probably suffocate him.

Penelope, oblivious to the exact direction of his thoughts but somehow still sensing something, narrowed her eyes slightly at him before turning away.

"I’m going to inform Vivian to stop taking in any more applicants for today," she said, already moving toward the exit, "we’ve found what we needed."

She paused briefly, glancing over her shoulder at Irene.

"Irene, show him around the establishment, and then take him to his quarters."

Roy’s eyes lit up again.

Quarters?

’I get a place to stay?’ Right here?

His smile grew wider, though this time he kept it to himself.

That meant no more sleeping on the streets for him. That was a huge weight off his shoulders.

"Yes, boss," Irene replied softly, still not quite looking at Roy.

Penelope gave one last look between the two of them, her expression unreadable for a moment, and then she pushed the curtain aside and stepped out, leaving the room noticeably quieter in her absence.

And just like that, it was only the two of them.

Thick and heavy silence settled almost immediately, and it got awkward rather quickly.

Irene shifted slightly, her fingers tightening around the towel she was holding as she stared at literally anything that wasn’t him, the wall, the floor, the table, anywhere but Roy.

And Roy...

Roy stood there with his hands in his pockets, rocking slightly on his heels as he glanced at her, then away, then back again.

Neither of them spoke, and neither of them seemed willing to be the first to address the elephant in the room.

The air between them practically buzzed with tension.

Irene’s body betrayed her first, a small, involuntary squirm that she quickly tried to suppress, her lips pressing together as if she could physically hold back the memory of it.

Roy noticed.

Of course, he did, but he said nothing.

And so, the silence stretched.

The silence lingered, stretching thin and fragile between them as if one wrong word would shatter whatever unspoken understanding they had both just settled into, and for a few long moments neither of them moved, neither of them looked at the other, and yet both of them were acutely aware of the other’s presence.

In the end, Irene let out a small breath, almost like she was steadying herself, and forced her voice to come out calm.

"...Congratulations," she said, her tone soft and shy, her eyes still not quite meeting his as she adjusted the edge of her towel with careful fingers, "and... welcome to the team, Roy."

There was a brief pause before she added, a little more firmly this time, "I look forward to working with you."