His name was Nathaniel

91

Nathaniel had spent the entire day at the café, his laptop open, his fingers typing away as he tried to make a dent in his never-ending workload.

At first, he had just needed a change of scenery. Working from home was suffocating, and the silence of his penthouse made his thoughts too loud.

So he walked into a café, ordered a black coffee, and sat in the farthest corner with his laptop, drowning himself in numbers and reports.

Hours passed.

Meetings were taken over calls, emails were sent, and yet the work never seemed to end.

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, most of the customers had left. The café was winding down, chairs flipped onto tables, the scent of freshly cleaned floors filling the air.

Nathaniel barely noticed.

His eyes were glued to his screen, one hand rubbing his temple as he reviewed yet another unimpressive candidate for the apprenticeship position.

"Man, that's a terrible choice."

Nathaniel blinked.

He looked up—only to find a café employee standing nearby, arms crossed, looking at his screen without a care in the world.

The young man—probably a year or two younger than Nathaniel—wore a café apron and an expression that was decidedly unimpressed.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

The employee shrugged. "I've been lowkey watching you work all day—don't worry, not in a creepy way, just in a dude-hasn't-moved-for-hours-should-we-call-someone kind of way."

Nathaniel let out a slow exhale, closing his laptop slightly. "And?"

"And I just saw you scrolling through that guy's résumé." The employee gestured vaguely at the screen. "That dude is so obviously just looking for a high-paying position to slap on his portfolio before he jumps to another big-name company."

Nathaniel tilted his head, intrigued despite himself. "And what makes you say that?"

"The wording," the employee said simply. "He wrote the exact same thing on three different sections, just reworded it. No personality, no actual passion for the job, just a guy who's good at making himself look good on paper."

Nathaniel leaned back slightly, studying him. "You seem... oddly opinionated about this."

The employee smirked. "I have a habit of calling out nonsense when I see it."

Nathaniel hummed. "And yet, you don't even know what position I'm hiring for."

The employee shrugged. "Doesn't matter. If you're looking for someone serious about working with you, maybe stop looking at people who only care about the paycheck."

Nathaniel stared at him for a long moment, something unexpectedly amused flickering in his gaze.

Then, he smirked. "Interesting take."

The employee grinned sheepishly. "I do have those sometimes."

Just then, he seemed to actually process who he was talking to.

His eyes widened slightly. His posture stiffened.

"...Wait a minute."

Nathaniel chuckled. "Figured it out?"

The employee gulped. "You're—you're Nathaniel Donovan."

Nathaniel smirked. "Took you long enough."

The employee immediately took a step back, looking mortified. "Oh, shit. I—uh—I didn't mean—I mean, I meant what I said, but I didn't realize I was saying it to you—"

Nathaniel waved a hand, stopping him. "Relax. I'm not going to have you fired for having an opinion."

The employee let out a breath. "Good, because I really need this job."

Nathaniel studied him for a moment, his mind turning.

Then, before he could second-guess himself, he spoke.

"How would you feel about a different job?"

The employee blinked. "Huh?"

Nathaniel leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "You clearly have a brain. You're observant, unfiltered, and not afraid to call out bullshit." He tilted his head. "How do you feel about working for me?"

The employee froze.

"You mean... like an actual job? With you?"

"As my apprentice."

Silence.

Then—

The employee laughed.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "Something funny?"

The employee shook his head, still grinning. "Nah, just—man, if you told me this morning that I'd be getting a job offer from Nathaniel Donovan just because I ran my mouth, I'd have called you insane."

"And yet, here we are."

The employee exhaled, his amusement settling into something thoughtful.

"...Are you serious about this?"

"Dead serious."

The employee studied him, clearly debating.

Then, finally—

He grinned.

"Alright, Mr. Donovan. You've got yourself an apprentice."

Nathaniel extended his hand. The employee shook it firmly, both of them smirking slightly.

Maybe this was the exact kind of apprentice Nathaniel had been looking for.

And for the first time since he started this search, he felt like he had actually made the right choice.

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