The next day at work, Hilary and Stanley met up in a secret huddle away from the other employees to continue discussing their plans from last night. During the break, they prepared to think up strategies on how to tackle the situation. Neither of them had seen or heard from Jordan at all today so far, so they wondered if he had gotten sick or if he had other plans.

"Do you think Jordan will show up?" Stanley whispered.

"Who knows?" Hilary shrugged in protest. "But we need to stay on our toes just in case."

"Affirmative. Perhaps if I go get help from another source?"

"Huh? Are you sure we could ask someone else about this? I don't think anyone would believe us." Hilary protested.

"Well, whatever the case, we need to keep our eyes peeled." Stanley reminded her.

Hilary checked her watch and gasped. "Uh oh, break time's over."

They waved goodbye, promising to meet up again later.

After more time had passed, the doors swung open, and Jordan showed up, perfectly fine. He walked up to Hilary to greet her, paying no mind to the boss, who wondered what took him so long. Stanley hid behind a wall and peeked his head out, watching the display unfold.

"I thought you were sick." Hilary pondered.

"I got better, and when I saw that there was time left, I came by," Jordan explained. "So, I'm doing good now. Do you have any plans?"

"Why... do you ask?" Hilary asked, her eyebrows creased.

"Well, I was wondering if, after today, we could go hang out for a while..."

"You mean like a date?"

"Yeah, something like that. What do you say?"

Stanley's heart dropped upon hearing that, but Hilary didn't seem to react as wildly. "That's pretty sudden for you to just—"

"You can take your time if you have trouble deciding..." Jordan insisted.

"Look, I'm flattered? But I'm not looking for a relationship right now." Hilary replied.

She waited for Jordan's face to register and let those words sink in. A short amount of time passed, and Jordan finally responded.

"I see." He murmured. "Sorry to bother you then." He bowed and then walked away.

Stanley sighed in relief as his heartbeat steadied. He scratched his chin and thought up an idea before going back to work. Just as Stanley thought about it, the phone in his pocket rang once more. He rested his hand on his phone and placed it beside his ear and listened.

"Hello again, Nana, it's nice to hear from you again." Stanley began. "You mean you called me beforehand? Sorry, I didn't hear it, and I thought you were busy with— Ok, my bad. Look, I have no idea what I want to do with my life, but I swear I'll make you proud. Yes, I know. Can I call you back? I need to contact—"

"Hey, who are you talking to?" Jordan asked, startling Stanley in the process.

"None of your business!" Stanley retorted.

Jordan yanked the phone away from his hands and placed it beside his ears, but no sound came out from it. "I hear nothing; did you hang up on them or—?"

"Well, that only works for the person it belongs to." Stanley defended.

"You mean only you can hear from the other side of the phone?" Jordan inquired, unsure if he said it right or not.

"Yes, now will you give me back my phone?" Stanley demanded, thrusting his arm outward to get Jordan's attention.

Jordan groaned. "Fine, but on one condition." His voice grew serious. "This is your last warning: Either leave Hilary alone or else."

"A-Are you threatening me?" Stanley asked, feeling somewhat offended by his tone.

Jordan didn't reply; he let out a small smile as he handed over the phone back.

"Before I go, let me ask you this. Do you know anyone by the name of Melody?"

"Uh... no? Why do you ask?"

"That's all I need to know.

Jordan turned and walked away. Stanley stood there as he clenched his fists as blood continued to boil.

You’re not getting away with this, whatever it is you’re planning.

Later, when the coast was clear, Stanley stormed over to Hilary, who worked on more cans to apply, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Stanley, what's the matter?" Hilary turned to face him.

"H-Hey, how's it going?" Stanley asked, stammering.

"Um, shouldn't we talk about this after work or during a break?" Hilary reminded him in a whisper.

"No, I need to tell you this now. Jordan caught me and is getting suspicious. He told me not to hang out with you anymore."

"Say what?" Hilary asked, being careful not to yell to get any unwanted attention. She placed the can away on top of a shelf and pondered. "Maybe I should talk to him again."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"Why not?" Hilary shrugged as her shoulders slumped down. "I think it's worth a shot. Meanwhile, you can investigate further without me."

“Alright, in the meantime, I could just watch over him…”

After work, Jordan cleaned the floor all around him with the mop. He sighed sadly, pondering over how to win Hilary's heart. Jordan looked up at the clock on the walls, seeing how much time had gone by in a flash, although he hadn't seen Hilary or Stanley in a while.

He put the broom away and searched for the boss. Upon entering the office, he noticed a note with scribbles in front of him. Jordan took it and read it carefully, then squished the paper into a ball and threw it away in the trash. When unable to find the boss anywhere in the area, Jordan left for today.