"Hello!" Raiza enters excitedly with a basket of fruits she brought for my mother.
"Hi, I wasn't expecting you today," I reply as I take what she has in her hands, and we enter the kitchen where my mother is. I was going to cook because I don't like her exerting unnecessary effort, but she insisted that it's a special occasion and if I wanted to help, I could only be her assistant.
"Yes, I know you're an ungrateful person who hasn't called me to tell me how it went, but your mother is a sweetheart and she told me the job is yours."
"Regarding that..." I can't tell her the truth because my mother is watching us as we enter the kitchen. Raiza comes closer and hugs her, leaving a kiss on her cheek.
The three of us set the table and serve dinner. The first bite I take feels like a rock that refuses to reach my stomach; stress has taken away my appetite. My cellphone rings and I decide not to answer, but they keep calling persistently.
"Answer, it could be to confirm the job, dear," my mother says.
"Yes, I'm sure," I feign a smile and look at the screen, it's an unknown number. With little enthusiasm, I answer.
"Hello."
"Good evening, Miss Walker, sorry to disturb you at this hour. I'm calling from Ford Industries. My name is Katty and I'm from the hiring department. Since you didn't respond to our email, I'm calling to confirm if you're still interested in the position and if you can start tomorrow." My eyes widen at how surprising the call is.
"Miss, are you still there?"
"Yes, of course, you can count on me being there tomorrow bright and early."
"Miss Walker, you'll need to be here at seven sharp, please be punctual."
"Six if necessary, thank you."
"We'll be expecting you. Welcome." The woman hangs up and I jump out of my seat, still unable to believe it.
"Yes, yes, yes! The job is mine, all mine!" I scream as I do small jumps around the table. My mother and Raiza join in the celebration, and it fills my soul to see my mother's excitement despite her increasingly downcast expression.
It is 6:55 in the morning and I am already at the facilities of Ford Industries. Who would have thought that I would be working in the oil industry? Life takes unexpected turns. The security guard allows me to enter, but I am not able to go up as I am new and the staff starts at 8:00 in the morning.
I glance at the time on my cellphone and then play with my feet, clearly displaying my impatience. At 8:00 in the morning, the staff starts to arrive. Once the CEO's secretary enters, she smiles at me with a hint of pity on her face.
"Good morning, Chanel. My name is Lidia. We didn't get a chance to meet yesterday, but I want you to know that from now on, I will help you with whatever you need while you adapt to your position."
"Thank you, Lidia. It's good to have you by my side."
We take the elevator together, but she tells me to get off on the third floor, go to the human resources area, and sign the contract. I do as she says, and after forty minutes of finishing the paperwork, I am told that the CEO is waiting for me.
I take the elevator and immediately head to the top floor, where only my new boss's enormous office is located.
"Hello, Lidia."
"Hurry, there's no time to talk. He's not in the best mood today!" she rushes to say in a low voice.
Without saying another word, I approach and knock on the door.
"Come in."
I adjust my clothes, which were loaned to me by Raiza.
"Good morning, sir," I say, but he doesn't reply and continues typing on his laptop. I stand and watch him, unsure of what to do since I haven't received any induction yet. After ten endless minutes, he finally decides to speak.
"Are you planning on standing there and just watching me? Is that how you justify your salary?" he speaks without taking his eyes off the screen.
"No, sir. It's just that I haven't been explained what my duties are yet."
"Your main duty is to obey. Do whatever I tell you to do. And the first thing I asked for was punctuality, yet look at the time you arrived."
"I'm sorry, sir. It's just that I was..."
"I don't care where the hell you were. I don't like excuses. From now on, what I want comes before anything else. Everything else can wait, except me. Understood?" He lifts his gaze, one that is truly threatening, and locks it with my eyes. Internally, I bite my cheeks, and my hands clench into fists as I try to control the anger I feel at this very moment. If it weren't for my mother, I swear I would tell him to go to hell. "Don't you have anything to say? I'm waiting for your response."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
"That's much better," he smiles as if he enjoys seeing me submitted to his will. "From now on, you will be nothing more than my shadow. Now go tell Lidia to quickly explain your duties, apart from obeying me in all aspects." I sigh in frustration.
"Yes, sir." Damn him, a thousand times damn him. Is it possible to hate someone you've only seen twice in your life? Because I just confirmed that it is.
As I open the door to leave the office, I stumble upon a muscular body. I lift my gaze to meet the eyes of the owner, a man around 27 years old. His height, like my boss's, may be around 1.80 or 1.85 meters, but unlike him, who has light brown hair and green eyes, this handsome man has black eyes and black hair. Nothing like the insipid arrogant one who just made it clear where I stand. Who am I kidding? Although he's a jerk, he's undoubtedly the most handsome man I've ever seen. But, yeah, what he lacked in common decency, he made up for in arrogance.
"Don't you dare lay your eyes on her, she's mine. She owes me and she's going to pay dearly."
Author's Note:
Sorry for the late hour, as compensation I'll give you a picture of our protagonists.
Please comment, I enjoy reading them. 🙂🙃
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