The light shines in the dark and the darkness comprehends it not.

Buried deep underneath a supposed perceived perfection could be unfathomable rottenness and decay, one invisible to the physical eye, one that can only be seen with a spiritual lense...

Death is not only when you close your eyes for the last time and the earth becomes your abode. Death is when you're breathing without actually living.

There is physical death and there is spiritual death.

We ought to fear the latter the most.

Love is the key, love is the answer.

Why?

Because God is love.

So be still and know that he is God.

Beeeeeep, beeeeeeep, beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

The heart meter went off, and soon enough, there was a flat line which signalled the death of someone.

Unfortunately, that person was Sarah's mom.

"Mom? Mom!" She didn't want to believe her eyes.

"Somebody help her!" Sarah screamed to the nurses that were already by her side.

The doctor soon entered the room, he quickly examined her mom but the solemn look on his face said it all.

He turned to her and shook his head gravely.

'It can't be.' She thought.

"No..." She ran towards her mom's unmoving figure on the bed

The nurses tried to stop her but she evaded them effortlessly.

"Mom. Mom, please wake up." She shook her unmoving body violently.

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare leave." The tears flowed freely down her cheeks unhindered.

Her older sister could only look on in the corner in pain as tears too flowed down her cheeks.

The pain she felt, there was no words to describe it.

"Mom! Mommy!" She sobbed uncontrollably.

The nurses tried to escort her out but she wouldn't budge so they had to drag her out.

Her heart broke into a million pieces as she watched them cover up her body.

With all her might, with every fibre of her being, she screamed.

"Mom!!"

Sarah woke up with a start. She was drenched in sweat, her breathing ragged as she sat up. She hadn't dreamt about her mother in over two years.

Her mom's death had really done a number on her, seeing how she was the only parent she had and now she too was gone. Her dad died a few years before her mom's untimely demise.

He'd died in a plane crash, including all the other passengers.

It wasn't easy without her parents but God got her through it. Her elder sis was an hairstylist and she was very good at it.

Sarah sighed.

Her sister's always very busy and hardly had spare time to come visit.

Having just graduated college, she had set out in search of a job, applying at different countless companies but unfortunately, they'd all turned her down and she couldn't help but wonder why.

She got off her bed dragging her feet lazily, she was quite still groggy. She had a job interview by 8am and the time was 6:21, she really had to hurry, even though she still had time.

She always liked being punctual, but if she was really being honest with herself, she wasn't looking forward to the interview, after being turned down countless times, she wasn't too enthusiastic.

But she knew everything happens for a reason and she's trusting God for a breakthrough soon because she didn't think she could handle any more disappointment.

She got to the bathroom, halfway brushing her teeth she stopped dead in her track. She only just realised, she hadn't had her quiet time.

She ran straight back to her bedroom sitting on her bed, covering her head with a scarf, she took her bible which was placed right beside her bed on the bedside table and placed it on her laps.

She scolded herself for almost leaving the house without praying and spending some time with God.

"I'm so sorry Dad."

Dad.

That was what she called God, well, ever since her dad died.

She's 21 almost 22 but when she's in the presence of God, she feels like a little child and she's always so relaxed and happy.

After she concluded the praise, she picked up her bible, not rushing but taking her time.

She opened her bible, just at random. She does that sometimes, well, most times.

"Holy Spirit lead me."

Where she opened to was the book of Deuteronomy. The Holy Spirit led her to chapter 31 verse 8 and immediately she smiled at what was written.

"For the Lord himself will go before you, he will be with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged."

She looked up and thanked the Lord for such comforting words and now she didn't feel so down anymore and she felt more enthusiastic about her job interview because now she knew everything's going to be alright, she trusted God completely.

"It's in your hands, Lord."

She prayed, first giving thanks and then asking for forgiveness.

She prayed for herself, the poor and the less privileged and then finally, she committed the day into God's hands.

She opened her eyes and removed her scarf and placed her bible back in its place right beside her pillow.

She looked at the wall clock, it was 6:40.

She still had time.

The interview wasn't far from where she lived, well actually it was. It was a 30 minutes bus ride.

She went straight to the bathroom timing herself to only use 20 minutes. She dressed up in formal attire—a black pencil skirt that reached her knees. It was perfect because it wasn't tight or loose, it just fitted her nicely.

She complimented it with a simple white shirt and black heels that fitted her little legs perfectly.

She put on little heart-shaped earrings then she proceeded to her hair. She brushed it carefully and packed it neatly into a bun.

She quickly put on her necklace, the one her mom had given her on her 18th birthday. She didn't go anywhere without it.

She applied a little lip balm on her lips because it was pale.

She quickly wore her wristwatch and then carried her black handbag which contained everything she needed.

She didn't even bother eating as she bolted for the door and walked to the bus stop.

She got to the bus stop in record time, the bus was already half full by the time she got there. As expected the bus ride took about 30 minutes.

It didn't drop her in front of the company, just a few meters away from it so she easily walked the rest.

She looked at her wristwatch, the time was 7:35, meaning she had 25 more minutes.

As she stood in front of the company all she could think of was how massive it was. Roughly, it'll be about 80 storeys.

As she was about entering she made a quick prayer.

She took a deep breath and made her way into the building. If she thought the exterior was magnificent then the interior was absolutely jaw-dropping, eye-widening worthy.

She walked towards the receptionist, all the while trying to build her confidence with each step.

She stopped in front of the receptionist and gave her a small smile.

"Hello, good morning." She said trying to be polite.

The receptionist smiled warmly back, her eyes glowing. She had very beautiful forest green eyes.

"Good morning Miss...?"

"Oh, you can call me Sarah please." Her smile widened at that.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sarah. How may I be of service?"

"Um, I'm here for the job interview, um, for the accountant position."

"Oh right. Go straight up to the fourth floor, you'll meet with the receptionist there, she'll attend to you."

"Oh, thank you so much." She quickly made her way to the elevator but stopped when she heard her name.

She turned to see the receptionist smiling brightly at her.

"I really hope you get the job."

Sarah smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you." Then she turned and made her way towards the elevator much more confident than when she walked into the building.

She pressed the button to the fourth floor and inhaled deeply as the doors closed.

She was still nervous but not as much as she thought she would be and she guessed it had a lot to do with the kind gesture she got from the receptionist.

She had turned in her résumé and CV and other important documents they had asked her for, she hoped it impressed them.

She heard a ding which signified she had reached the fourth floor.

She quickly smoothened the nonexistent creases on her blouse and skirt and raised her head high so she could look confident.

The elevator door opened, she saw a beautiful blond woman standing behind a desk.

She walked to the desk and gave her a small nervous smile.

The receptionist smiled politely back exposing her beautiful sets of teeth.

"How may I help you miss?"

She was so grateful the people who worked here were so polite, she didn't know how she would have faired if they were otherwise.

"Um, I'm here for the job interview for the accountant position?"

"Right this way miss."

She was led to a room which happened to be the waiting room.

Her eyes widened at the number of people she saw, they were those who applied for the job as well, there were at least twenty people in the waiting room. Her heart sank a little at that, this kinda reduced her chances of getting the job.

"Please, sit down, we'll get back to you shortly." With that she left the room, leaving her to ponder.

Her eyes roamed the large room, it was quite beautiful, there was a water dispenser to her left near the wall, a flat-screen was fixed on the wall for entertainment.

The room also contained quite a number of chairs which were almost completely occupied.

She saw an empty seat and quickly sat on it. Her eyes wandered to the other job applicants, they were all dressed so corporately, professionally even.

In fact, they dressed so well she was almost intimidated—almost.

After scanning the waiting room, she was surprised to find that she was the only one in the room without a blazer.

Well, tough luck.

She was also surprised when she received disgusted looks from a few of the ladies but some actually smiled politely at her and went back to whatever it is they were doing.

She was a brilliant student back in college and she graduated at the top of her department but she guessed that didn't really matter in a society where how far you'll go in your career largely depended on how good your connections were.

It was the sad, but also very real truth.

Seeing how she had been turned down by several companies, too many to count, even with her exceptionally good academic record.

She couldn't help but feel jittery and anxious. She really needed the money.

She recalled the verse the holy spirit lead her to that morning.

What was it, what was it?

Yes, she remembered.

"Deuteronomy 31:8; for the Lord himself will go before you, he will be with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged."

She quietly muttered the verse to herself and all of a sudden she felt a sort of calmness, a feeling of assurance.

She knew then that everything was going to be just fine. A small smile found its way to her lips, she trusted God completely.

She was lost in her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head to her right and saw a guy with dark hair and stunning baby blue eyes staring at her. She hadn't noticed him there when she sat earlier.

"I've been trying to get your attention but you seem to be lost in a world of your own." He gave her an easy smile.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry about that." She stuttered completely caught off guard.

"It's OK."

"My name's Noah and you are...?"

"I'm Sarah. It's nice to meet you, Noah." She said easily.

"Likewise." His gaze never faltered.

To Sarah, he seemed like a nice guy, he was calm and collected, handsome even but in life, she's learnt never to judge a book by its cover.

She could tell he was about to continue their conversation when a lady, different from the one who brought her in walked into the room holding a tablet in her hands, she was immaculately dressed.

"Noah Malik." Noah looked up at the lady.

"Yes, this is he."

"Come with me, sir." She quickly left the room certain he would follow.

He stood and glanced down at Sarah and then without a word he left the room.

Sarah's eyes trailed after him as he left the waiting room.

There was something quite different about him and she was curious as to what that is, but not enough to find out though.

What could have possibly prompted him to talk to her? She had no idea, probably just being nice....or he was just bored.

Anyhow, she didn't let herself dwell much on it.

So, that was how it went, the lady holding the tab would come in and call names and they would follow.

The process continued until she was the last one in the room. At that point, she was a bit nervous but she shook it off easily.

Right then, the lady entered and called her name.

She hastily stood up and was led to another room, it was a much larger one.

In it was a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was sitting behind his overly large desk.

He was well dressed in a suit that fitted him just perfectly.

He had blonde hair with grey eyes, his eyes were probably the first thing you'd notice about him.

He had on a very expensive looking wristwatch and an expensive-looking tie.

"Please, take a seat, Miss Anderson." She quickly obliged, his voice was deep and quite intimidating but not so much as his eyes, no, they were ice cold.

She gulped.

"Miss Anderson, indeed you have an impressive CV but we don't think you're the person for this job." He began in the same levelled tone. He didn't even bother beating around the bush.

She was sure the disappointment must have been evident on her face.

She knew her résumé wasn't the best, mainly in the employment experience.

She's only been able to work in a few restaurants but that was because it was so hard for her to get a job with her degree, she knew good jobs were scarce these days.

"We're looking for someone who is more...befitting for the job." Her eyes widened.

This wasn't looking good.

"Sir please, take another look at my..." At this point, she was already in a panicked state.

"I don't need to." He said matter-of-factly.

"You may be smart but you have absolutely no experience in this field. We need people who are actually capable." She swallowed hard.

She desperately needed this job and she just couldn't afford to remain jobless. She needed to pay rent, buy food and other necessities.

Things changed drastically when her parents died and believe her, it wasn't all for the best.

"Please sir, reconsider."

"I'm sorry, but you're just not who we're looking for." He said not looking the least bit sorry.

"Sir, you didn't even..." Her voice shook a little.

"That will be all Miss Anderson. You may leave." He said, with a note of dismissal.

At that particular moment, she didn't know what to feel. All she knew was that she was hollow inside.

She didn't even know when she got into the elevator and went straight down. She felt...she didn't how she felt.

She had hoped she would get the job, the holy spirit had assured her, so what went wrong?

As the elevator stopped at the ground floor, she walked straight to the door but stopped when she heard her name. She turned to see the receptionist from earlier.

"Oh, hi." She managed to give the receptionist a small smile. She had been nice to her and Sarah sorta liked her.

"So, did you get the job?" She was beaming with excitement but her excitement deflated almost immediately when she saw the solemn countenance of Sarah.

"You didn't get the job." She said all too obviously.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sweetheart." Sarah looked at her and she was shocked by the sincerity in her eyes.

"It's fine, thank you. I really appreciate it. She gave her a small genuine smile.

"I hope we meet again someday, you're really nice." And she didn't meet nice people often.

The receptionist could only look on at her sadly.

"Bye." Sarah said in a small voice.

She made her way towards the exit door at a steady pace, a few minutes later she was outside the building.

The urge to breakdown in tears was so overwhelming but she didn't want to do that outside in public, she'd have to wait till she got home. She felt exceedingly crushed. She raised her head towards the sky.

'Oh Jesus, what am I gonna do? I'm so confused. Please, show me the way.' Without her realizing it a tear dropped unto her cheek. She hadn't even realized she was crying.

She quickly wiped the tear with the back of her hand.

She continued walking. She was already a good distance away from the building, almost at the bus stop ready to get a bus back home when she heard her name being called, more like screamed.

The voice was faint but it sounded familiar.

She turned around to see the receptionist making a mad dash towards her.

She was sure her eyes were the size of saucers by the time she got to her.

"W-what...?"

"Hurry, come with me." She said as she dragged her back towards the company building.

"Why? What happened?" She said completely caught off guard.

They entered back into the building, the air con doing nothing to calm her nerves.

"I think you may have a chance at a job, but it may not exactly be the one you applied for."

For a second, all she heard was static, she didn't quite fully understand what she was hearing.

"W-what are you saying?"

"I happen to know the CEO's secretary, so I quickly called in about you and thankfully she was able to get across to the CEO. It turns out the P.A of our CEO just resigned about a week ago and he's been in need of a new one ever since." Her eyes were hopeful that Sarah would at least give it a chance.

"It's a chance."

Sarah just stood there gaping like a fish, completely stunned, she was completely at a loss for words.

Seeming to recover from her initial shock, she replied.

"I'll take that chance." Her smile was blinding. Although things didn't go exactly as planned, the day wasn't over yet.

"Good! He requests you see him immediately."

"Who?"

"The CEO." She looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Wait, what, now?!" She was nervous again, this was the CEO they were talking about. What if he doesn't like her, what if he wants someone else?

"Don't worry, you'll be fine."

"His office is on the last floor. Go, hurry! He doesn't like tardiness."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She made her way hurriedly towards the elevator when suddenly she stopped having realized something. She turned around and faced her.

"I don't even know your name." She said almost teary-eyed, her voice shook with emotion.

She was beyond amazed that someone she barely knew could do something like this for her.

'Do people like that actually exist?'

With certainty, she believed they did, albeit very rare.

This was nothing other than the grace and favour of God.

With a giggle she replied.

"We'll sort that out later, but now you seriously need to go."

She didn't need any more coaxing as she went straight to the top floor, her heart all the while beating hard against her ribcage.

When she got out of the elevator, her nervousness was a hundred fold.

She gasped in awe at the view in front of her.

What she saw was beyond amazing. This floor looked completely different from the one she's been. It was very beautiful, everything she saw sparkled, it was extremely modernized not that the other floors weren't, but you could tell extra attention was given to it.

She saw a woman dressed in a nice grey suit walking towards her, she was very beautiful.

Even the employees on this floor seemed to dress even more stunningly. She looked extremely elegant, even in her work clothes.

"Welcome, ma'am. Do you have an appointment with Mr Snow?" She knew she was referring to her new boss...she hoped anyway, that is if he's impressed by her.

She could only assume that was his name.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Sarah Anderson."

She smiled sweetly at Sarah.

"Oh, Miss Anderson, Mr Snow is expecting you. Right, this way."

She was led past some offices. After a few minutes walk, they stopped in front of a very large double door with the engraving A.S on the handles.

Those were the initials of the owner of the company who happens to be the CEO.

The lady Sarah suspected to be his secretary, the one whom the sweet receptionist had been referring to, opened the large doors and let herself in.

She introduced Sarah.

"Mr Snow, Miss Anderson is here to see you as you requested sir." She said in a very professional manner.

"Let her in." The voice she heard was barely audible.

Sarah took a deep breath as she was ushered in by the secretary, she was a bit on edge she'll have to admit.

Immediately, the door slammed shut behind her which signified the secretary's departure.

Her eyes stared at the marbled floor, an act of sheer nervousness but she didn't want to come across as rude so she quickly looked up.

Bottle green eyes met her dark brown ones.

Her eyes widened in pure surprise at the man sitting right in front of her.

The sound of his voice brought her out of her shock.

"Miss Anderson, please take a seat."

...

"Miss Anderson, please take a seat."

She did as she was told.

The office was very large with an extremely wide window which gave a breathtaking view of the city.

His desk was pretty wide as well and it sparkled. His office furniture was mostly a mixture of ash and white.

There were a couch and a fairly large table situated in the centre of the office and on top of it was a bowl filled with candy.

She was sited on the couch and her eyes stared longingly at the sweet looking candies but she managed to control herself.

She brought her attention back to the man seated behind the enormous desk...her new boss—well she hoped she got the job.

He was definitely much younger than she thought he would be. He was immaculately dressed in a very expensive-looking black suit, which made him look intimidating.

He had chin-length dark hair which framed his face so perfectly. His hair was trimmed slightly shorter at the back.

As she stared at him, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

She felt even more so when he didn't say anything but seemed to just observe her with his expressionless face, but all too striking bottle-green eyes.

Finally, after a few seconds, which seemed like minutes, he spoke.

"It came to my knowledge that you applied for a job here." His voice was low, his eyes boring into hers.

"Yes, sir." She managed to quickly say.

"And due to your lack of experience, you weren't given the job." His face was stoic but not hard as he addressed her.

"Yes, sir." This time she replied weakly in a quiet voice.

He was silent for a while before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry Miss Anderson that vacancy has been filled. But there is something I can do for you." His voice calm as he spoke.

"Recently, my personal assistant resigned and I've been in need of one ever since." He paused, it seemed almost deliberate as if to set her on edge even more.

"Are you interested?"

His gaze on her never for once faltered.

It was as if her tongue had glued to the roof of her mouth because she found herself opening her mouth but it would seem instead of words coming out, only air came out. But, thank God her brain decided to boot start then.

"Yes sir, I would very much like that sir." She managed to say.

"You're a very intelligent woman Miss Anderson and I look forward to working with you."

'Oh.God.'

Sarah wanted to cry right then, but she couldn't bring herself to make a mess of herself in front of her new employer.

She reminded herself that good first impression was very crucial.

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before speaking.

"Thank you, sir." A treacherous tear got through past one of her eyes. She quickly wiped it discretely before he could see it.

He stood up and walked towards her. He held out his hand for a handshake and she quickly stood up and they shook hands.

"Thank you, sir, you won't regret this."

Their hands parted.

"I want to believe so. You may leave. I expect you to be here tomorrow at 8 am sharp. The rest we'll discuss tomorrow." He instructed, his tone firm.

"Yes, sir."

"My secretary will show you out."

She made to move towards the door but stopped when she heard her name.

"And Miss Anderson..."

She turned back towards her new boss, ears attentive.

"Yes, sir?"

"I don't appreciate tardiness from my employees. Be on time."

"Yes, sir." With that, he walked back to his desk and continued his work without another word.

She walked out of his office feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

She just couldn't believe it, she had a job now.

Oh, God! She had a job!

She looked up and muttered a quick prayer of thanks.

The Lord indeed is good all the time...

....and all the time the Lord is good.

She met the secretary and she was escorted to the ground floor. The secretary wasn't exactly chatty, she was very formal but Sarah didn't mind, she really liked her outfit and she also made sure to thank her.

In record time they got to the ground floor, it was bustling with people.

Sarah was eager to see the receptionist, whom she now knew as Miss Cartwright, she really wanted to thank her for all she did for her.

Having sighted her, she walked briskly, almost jumping as she neared her.

"Oh my gosh. How'd it go?" She sincerely looked nervous.

She thought her overly large grin would have given her away.

Sarah nodded her head vigorously as if nodding once wouldn't have conveyed her message fast enough.

"I'm happy you got the job, Sarah, you deserved it."

"I wasn't about to let them kick you out. I know it's not much but it's something, right?"

Honestly, she wanted to hug her but that would be unprofessional. She had to remind herself that Miss Cartwright was still at work and was expected to be 'working'.

"I can't thank you enough Miss Cartwright. I'm greatly indebted to you." She said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Don't worry, the secretary and I are buddies."

"But Miss Cartwright makes me sound old." She said the 'old' in a comical way while scrunching up her nose as if she smelt something foul. The gesture made Sarah smile.

"You can call me Judy." Finally, she knew her name.

"And don't be silly Sarah, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'll see you tomorrow, and maybe we can get our gist on during lunch break." She smiled again at her sense of humour.

She then shooed Sarah off.

Sarah complied although reluctantly. She said goodbye to Judy but not before thanking her again and again.

She walked out of the building with a smile. This was her second time coming out from the building that day but this time, this time

she felt elated and extremely happy.

She inclined her head to the sky, looking at the clouds moving lazily overhead. She couldn't help but feel things are going to be just fine from that moment on.

"Thank you, Jesus."

|||••|||

This is it. She was now a PA, she needed to act like one. She woke up 5:30 am just to make sure she got to work very early.

She packed her cellphone, a notebook and a pen and a few dollars into her black handbag.

She wore black flats today, she never really liked heels, she could do with them, fine, but they always hurt her ankle.

After her quiet time she had had her bath and this time she wasn't in a hurry so she had time to whip herself a fairly decent breakfast.

She quickly checked the mirror to see if her bun was well done. When she was satisfied with it, she checked her wristwatch, it was 7:00am on the dot.

She quickly made her way to the bus stop, the bus was to leave by 7:05. When she got there, it was almost full.

'Thank God she made it.'

She got to work by 7:37am.

She stood by the door staring at the building for a moment.

'From that day onward, she would be working here.'

She smiled at the thought.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the building, the air-con hitting her full force.

Her eyes immediately sought out Judy at the reception. She found her there looking as beautiful as ever but she hadn't noticed her.

She seemed to be deep in thought, her eyes had a faraway look in them. She hoped she was fine.

"Hi, Judy."

"Oh, hello Sarah. You're quite early."

"How do you feel on your first day at work?"

The deep frown lodged on her face had long vanished, she was now beaming at her with a huge smile.

Sarah made a mental note to ask her what's bothering her during lunch break.

"I feel ecstatic, although a little apprehensive." Sarah admitted.

"Oh, don't worry, Mr Snow's really easy to work with. You just have to be diligent, he appreciates hard work. He's really nice, working with him will be a piece of cake. And you're early, that's a good start."

"Thanks, Judy, you really know how to make a person feel better." Judy grinned at that.

Sarah wished she could do the same for her, it's the least she could do.

"I best be going, I'll see you at lunch break?"

"Sure."

"Bye."

"Good luck Sarah." Judy gave her a thumbs up.

Sarah quickly made her way to the top floor, taking steady breaths on her way.

Soon enough, she reached the top floor. She was led to her office by the secretary. It was a really beautiful office, she could see herself liking it here.

She had a fairly large desk, on top of it was a Dell laptop. There were file cabinets by the corner. The office was perfect.

She noticed two other doors in the room and asked the secretary about them. She told her the one by her left led to Mr Snow's office while the other led to the washroom.

"Mr Snow got held up in a meeting, he'll be here shortly." She was told.

"Okay. Thank you, ma'am." The secretary smiled at her use of 'ma'am'.

"Please call me Kate." Sarah smiled at her.

"Thank you, Kate."

"In the meantime, you can get yourself familiar with your office." She nodded.

Soon enough, she was alone, in HER office, her very own office. She quickly sat down and placed her bag on the desk and removed her cellphone, her notebook and pen. She set them up neatly on her desk.

She quickly bowed her head and prayed for a few minutes.

"Lord, let this be a good experience for me."

She wasn't given much time to settle when she heard a knock on her door.

She quickly stood up and placed her bible carefully in her drawer, she'll meditate over it when she got home.

"Come in please."

The door opened, it was Kate.

"Mr Snow's in his office now. He requests you see him immediately." She nodded her head.

"Thank you, I'll be right there."

Kate left.

She quickly moved to the door by her left, the one which led to his office.

She knocked softly, but loud enough for him to hear.

One heartbeat...

Two...

"You may come in Miss Anderson." Came his voice from the other side of the door.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

She walked towards him with measured steps and stood in front of his desk.

"Good morning sir." She greeted politely.

He was concentrated on some paperwork he was signing. When he heard her voice, he dropped his pen and looked up at her, he was wearing reading glasses.

He removed them and placed them gently on the desk.

"How are you, Miss Anderson?"

"Excellent sir." She replied.

"Good. My secretary informed me that you've been here for quite a while. She told me you were early."

She nodded her head in confirmation.

"My apologies, I was held up at an important meeting."

Her eyes widened a fraction, why was he apologizing? He is the CEO.

As if hearing her silent mental question, he added.

"I like setting good examples for my employees, and one way to do that is by keeping to time." He placed his elbows on his desk and rested his chin on his entwined hands, his eyes serious.

"I assure you, it won't happen again and if it does, you'll be noticed prior."

"Yes, sir."

"Do you have your notebook with you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I need you to take down my schedules for the next two weeks. But first, let's discuss your monthly payment."

She nodded.

"For your first month, you'll be under close observation. If I'm impressed with your work, then you'll get your salary at the end of the month but if you're finding it difficult to do the work properly, I'll give you another two weeks."

"If by then you haven't gotten a grip on the job, without any regrets, we'll have to ask you to leave."

She swallowed hard.

"I understand sir."

"If you successfully carry out your tasks effectively, at the end of each month you'll be paid."

When she heard the amount, she was literally stunned.

Her salary was unbelievable.

It was much more than she thought it would be.

Moreover, she had prayed about it and committed it into his hands and this was His answer to her prayers.

God was definitely involved.

'Ask and it shall be given unto you'

That is if you don't doubt in your heart.

She stared into his bottle-green eyes like she really looked at them.

They looked...empty.

Empty.

That was the best word she could use to describe them.

"I understand sir." She quickly swallowed the lump in her throat.

He unclasped his hands and brought out a file from his drawer.

He put his reading glasses back on.

"These are my schedules for the next two weeks, please write them down."

He began the lists. Her hand moved quickly trying to get all the dates, meetings, events and other important things down.

Not once did he pause.

She was glad when he stopped. She looked at what she had written and was happy to see that she managed to get all the schedules down.

"Did you get all that?" He asked her as he skimmed a large amount of neatly arranged files and document on his desk for something. Then he stopped as if remembering something.

"Take down my office number." So she did.

"I have yours. Keep your phone with you at all times, I can call you anytime and ensure you respond to the messages on time.

"Yes, sir."

"I appreciate orderliness Miss Anderson, please ensure I'm informed about my schedules in record time, I don't like being late...to anything."

"Duly noted sir."

"Good." The word came out in an exhausted breath. He removed his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

He looked exhausted.

Before she had the chance to think over her words, they came blurting out.

"Have you eaten sir?" The words came tumbling out before she could stop them.

There was silence for a few minutes and she got nervous at his lack of response.

Suddenly, the window seemed more interesting.

She wasn't going to let her apprehension show though.

Since she wasn't looking directly at him, she couldn't quite see his expression.

She wondered if her question was too informal?

Finally, he spoke.

"You need not worry about that Miss Anderson." Since he was speaking to her now, she had to look at him.

So, reluctantly, she did, but he wasn't looking at her, his head was turned away from her and he had a faraway look in his eyes.

Sheepishly, she gave a small 'Yes, sir.' Although she felt sheepish, she didn't regret asking.

She was just naturally a caring person.

Her mom had warned her about it; some people took advantage of that and many times, the care is never reciprocated.

But she didn't show care to people to receive it back in return but because it's the right thing to do.

"Your lunch break will be by 1:30. You can order anything you want from the cafeteria, it's free for you."

"That will be all for now Miss Anderson."

"Yes, sir and thank you for the kind gesture, sir." She said.

She turned and walked back to her office.

...