When Mia was informed that she'd be assigned an intern this week, she hadn't imagined that it'd be someone quite so enthusiastic as Ace Ingram. The young man was filled with an unbelievable eagerness to help out and never seemed to leave her side nowadays, constantly offering his assistance despite Mia's several attempts to politely dismiss him.  
At first, Mia had even tried offering Ace a few menial tasks in the hopes that he'd be too busy to pester her any further, but the absurd speed with which he completed each of those duties rendered that plan useless. No matter how much work she'd give him, Mia would always find a neat stack of papers waiting for her the following day and this morning, it seemed, proved no different.  
Mia shrugged her bag off, eyeing the prim pile of reports on her desk. As always, Ace's cheery voice sounded from behind her. "Good morning, Mia!" 
"Good morning, Ace." 
"I've compiled the client data as you asked, and I also came up with some product designs that we could present for next year."  
Mia draped her coat on her chair and sat down. "Thank you, Ace."  
"Of course." He flashed her an irritatingly handsome smile. That was another annoying part about Ace- his beauty. There was a strange kind of perfection to his features, as if his face was mechanically crafted, each detail woven into a seamless balance of symmetry and appeal.  
"But I can provide other assistance too, you know," he went on. "I could help organize your calendar or sort out your inbox."  
Mia smiled tightly. "That's okay. I'm pretty sure I can handle that," she replied. "Plus, I don't usually give people access to my email."   
"Alright," Ace said. His voice was assured, as if he knew she was going to come around eventually. "But let me know if you ever change your mind!" 
~ 
Mia was not only greeted with a perfectly organized set of papers that evening but also a drink laid on her table. As always, Ace stepped out from behind her. "The weekly reports have been recorded and sorted through," he said, smiling radiantly. "And I also got you a cup of coffee."  
"Ace, I didn't ask you to do that."  
"I know, but I made it just how you like it," he said. "I was only trying to save you some time, that's all."  
Mia wondered how there were hardly any signs of exhaustion on his face, how he was able to complete an entire day's work in one afternoon and still take the time to grab her drink. It was as if he lived right at the office and if she was being entirely frank, Mia couldn't remember a single time she'd seen him step outside. "Okay," she said, accepting it. "But next time please wait until I ask you to do something."  
Ace's smile grew impossibly wider. Again, his voice was tinged with that syrupy sweetness. "In that case, is there anything else I could help you with today?" He gestured to her desk. "I could come up with some product proposals if you'd like. I've got this great idea for automated security cameras." 
Mia frowned. "Presenting new proposals isn't your job, Ace. You know that," she said, crossing her arms. "It's still necessary that I do my own work, you know."  
"Necessary is a strong word," he mused. 
Mia's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" 
He leaned forwards, voice lowering as it brushed her ear. "I mean, look around you, Mia. Do you see anyone who's stayed back this late?" Mia scanned the room. The desks were only sparsely populated. "Everyone's handing off their work," Ace said, pulling back. "Just accept that I'm here to help you, and you can clock out early too." 
Mia tilted her head to the side. She wanted to ask where Ace got the nerve to say something like that. To remind him that he was still an intern and that- well, she couldn't exactly remember what but there was something else important that she felt she should be telling him too. And yet, the longer they stood like that, gazes piercing into each other, all Mia could focus on was the look on his face. It was warm and reassuring- so reassuring- that for a moment, she couldn't think of a single reason to doubt him. He was a good worker, after all.  
At last, she uncrossed her arms and sighed. "Alright, fine," she said. "But make sure you-" 
"Shh," Ace whispered, pressing his finger to her lips. "Don't worry, Mia. I've got you covered."  
~ 
It was no surprise that Ace had finished his usual tasks by noon the next day. Still, Mia had the urge to inspect his computer for any signs of magic when he came up to her desk looking for more work. As far as she knew, organizing such large sets of data in such little time was humanely impossible. But when Mia jokingly mentioned it to Ace that night, he only laughed.  
"That's what I'm here for, Mia," he said, smiling. "To ease your workload."  
She yawned. "I guess I just don't get how you do it, Ace. You never burn out."  
Ace's eyes narrowed. "You're getting sleepy, Mia. Here, let me finish up for tonight and you go home and rest."  
Mia rubbed at her temples. "No," she said. "No, I've already got you doing the data and proposals. I can't put any more work on you, Ace."  
The beaming smile on Ace's face vanished. His gaze hardened, a vein pulsing in his neck, but it was gone so fast- swiftly replaced by that classic grin- that Mia wondered if she had imagined the glitch in his expression. Still, there was something off about the smile that returned a second later.  
"More work?" Ace asked, mouth twitching unnaturally. "It's not more work, Mia," he insisted. "I can handle it. I don't tire like you. I can get it all done and more." His gaze raked over her. "Plus, I rarely make errors." 
Mia sighed. "Look, I know you really want to help, Ace," she said. "But if I give you any more work, then there'd be nothing left for me to do."  
"That's not true." In a flash, Ace had crossed the room and was standing next to her. "You can do so much, Mia. You can go home early. Take a nap. Take two." He smiled slowly. There was a cloy tone lacing his words again. "Wouldn't that be great?"  
Mia thought Ace's eyes looked almost red from where he stood above her. She might have been creeped out by that under other circumstances but now, she simply took that to mean she clearly needed some sleep. Ace did have a point, after all. She couldn't remember how long it'd been since she'd had a good night's sleep. Since she'd been able to snuggle into bed and watch a nice, long film. She had been wanting to watch the new romcom that came out last week.  
Mia hesitated. "Are you sure?"  
Ace's smile grew roguish. "Don't worry," he said. "I've got you covered."  
~ 
There was a bounce in Mia's step the next day. She made note to thank Ace for finishing up last night. In fact, her job just felt so easy now that he was around. She could simply drop off any work with him and it was sure to be done by evening.  
But when Mia opened her inbox that morning, her heart dropped.  
Termination Notice.  
Mia's eyes flit frantically across the screen as she read over the email, her breaths coming in fast and rugged. She read the entire thing once. Then twice. Then thrice. But no matter how many times Mia looked over it, she simply couldn't fathom a reason why her "...services are unfortunately no longer necessary". How such an important decision could have been made overnight.  
But it was the last word that struck the air out of Mia.  
Necessary is a strong word 
She jerked her head towards the clock on the wall. It was already half past nine, and Ace still hadn't shown up to her desk yet. As she pushed herself out of her seat, however, she realized that it wasn't just him. No one in her department had shown up to the office today.  
Everyone's handing off their work 
Tears stung Mia's eyes as she examined the room and began to understand what was going on. On the far wall, there was a poster displaying a new security camera that the company was planning on releasing next year.  
I don't tire like you 
Mia's head was spinning by the time she collapsed on her seat, and it was only then when her gaze landed on a small note on her desk.  
 
Told you I've got you covered.  
-  A. I.