5

Ollie

A year later...

"Good morning, my darlings, how are you this morning?" Victoria's lively voice makes me smile, and leaning against the door frame, I bring the steaming cup of coffee to my lips, watching her play with my children while changing diapers.

I couldn't imagine that a chance encounter with a stranger would change my life so radically. In a year, a lot has happened in my life, but the best of all was bringing Liam and Levi into this world. However, not being able to talk to my sister over these months is troubling me a lot.

"You're going to spoil them this way," I decide to alert her to my presence in the room and enter the space I share with my children.

"Well, what can I do if they're so adorable? Isn't that right, my loves?" She scolds directly to them, making me smile, and I approach the crib, receiving smiles from my babies.

"Mama," Levi grumbles, reaching out his little arms to me, and I can't resist the urge to fulfill his wish, holding him in my arms and kissing him afterward.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ollie?" Victoria asks, taking Liam out of the crib, and we soon leave the room.

"You know I have to, Victoria."

"Actually, you don't have to. You have everyone's support, especially your Aunt Julian."

"I can't live forever in your shadow, Victoria, or my aunt's. That's not what I worked so hard for, and that's not who I am. I want to work and carve out my own space. I want to bring Kim closer to me. That's always been my goal, and nothing has changed."

"Alright, dear, Anne and I will always be here for you."

"I know that, and I'm very grateful for it."

"There's no need to thank us, dear. I helped bring these beauties into the world, and I'll love taking care of them while you're working."

"Thank you, Victoria!"

"The car is here, shall we?" Anne announces at the entrance of the house, and before putting Levi into the stroller, I kiss his chubby cheek lingeringly, and do the same with his brother before leaving afterward.

When Anne told me about the possibility of working at the Mazza Group, I didn't hesitate to accept her proposal. However, I'm not definitively in this company yet. I need to interview with the CEO, and from what I've heard, this man is not easy to deal with. Grumpy, intolerant, uncompromising, obsessed with perfection and punctuality.

I sigh in anticipation.

I've never worked in my life, and the thought of having to deal with a strict boss in my first job is making me quite anxious.

"You've got this, dear!" Anne says sweetly, holding my hand that's on my lap and giving me an encouraging smile.

I'm not so sure about that, but I need to try, right? So, I return her smile and take a deep breath.

It doesn't take long for the car to stop in front of a grand building, and after Anne exits the vehicle, I force myself to do the same. "Okay, now take a deep breath and keep positive. Do your best, girl. See you in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Anne!"

The next few minutes seem to happen in slow motion before my eyes. We enter the elevator, but my friend gets off a floor before mine, and when the doors open for me, I find a huge hall filled with several desks and a vast number of people working diligently on their computers or buried in documents. Not knowing exactly where to go, I stop right in the middle of this chaos and get lost in observations.

"You must be Olivia," a female voice says, catching my attention. "I'm Barbara, and I'm Mr. Mazza's assistant."

"Ah, nice to meet you, Barbara!" I say, shaking her hand. "When will I have the interview with Mr. Mazza?"

"Definitely not today, Olivia."

"Oh, so did I come here for nothing?"

"Not exactly. You said you speak English, right?"

"Yes, and Spanish too. I'm also studying French."

"That's great! I have a task for you. Actually, it's more of a test that Mr. Mazza himself will evaluate soon. So, give it your best shot, dear."

"Alright, I will."

Immediately, Barbara leads me to a separate room and places some folders on a table. The details of the small room, which looks more like a transparent glass box, catch my attention for its refinement and good taste.

"These are the contracts you need to translate, Olivia. Each of them has a total of five pages, and you have two hours to translate them."

"Two hours, understood."

"As soon as you finish, I'll come to pick up the files for evaluation, okay? If you manage to pass this stage, then you'll have your interview. If not..."

"I understand."

"Great, and good luck!"

I really didn't expect this, and although my course was so disorganized, translating the documents isn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Two hours with minimal breaks to drink some water or a cup of coffee. Some time later, the door of the room opens again, and Deborah stops by my desk.

"Ready?"

"Just a moment, I'm on the last sentence," I ask and type as fast as I can. "There, all done!" I press the enter button, and the printer starts its work.

Barbara helps me arrange the pages and then organizes everything into a few folders before leaving.

"Mr. Mazza, here are the translated contracts you asked for," she says, as a tall man in an extremely expensive suit exits his office. Curious, I try to see this Mazza, but the CEO has his back to me, and the only thing I can visualize are the few curls of dark, full hair adorning his head, along with his broad shoulders clad in an expensive suit.

"Great, Barbara! Put them on my desk; I'm heading out for a meeting now," he says, and quickly leaves, leaving a trail of employees vying for his attention, but they are blatantly ignored.

***

Hours later...

"You should have seen it, the people there seemed apprehensive all the time, and no one said a word to each other unless it was work-related," I say as I settle into a chair at the dining table.

"I heard that this Mr. Mazza guy is a demon, that he yells and crushes people with his harsh words," Victoria says.

"Please don't exaggerate, Mom!" Anne reprimands her. However, she gives me a serious look. "Olivia, Athos Mazza is a very powerful and demanding man, that's all. If you do everything right, I'm sure you'll get that position."

"I'm just saying," Victoria insists, shrugging.

"Mom, please! You're scaring Olivia," Anne says.

"Okay, Anne, let her speak. Anyway, I'll give it a try, and if it doesn't work out, I'll leave," I say.

"That's the spirit, girl!"

***

The next day...

"Good morning, Olivia! It's good to see you here again!" Barbara says as soon as I enter the Mazza Law & Order office. Curious, I look around for my possible boss, but I don't see him anywhere.

"Good morning, Barbara! Will Mr. Mazza see me now?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Mazza had to take an urgent trip, Olivia, but I have new tests for you here."

"Oh!"

"Come with me. These are new files that need to be translated. They are ongoing cases, so please pay close attention to the details. Since these are large files, I'll give you five hours to complete them."

"Five?"

"Unfortunately, I need efficiency as well, so I can't extend this time for you. Do you think you can handle it?" I take a deep breath, but then nod.

"I'll do my best."

"Great, dear!" She says, leaving me alone, and I try to focus on my daunting task. At some point, exhaustion seems to want to shake me, and I decide to go get a cup of coffee.

"You must be the girl competing for Mr. Mazza's secretary position," a girl says as I enter the pantry.

"Yes, my name is Olivia," I extend my hand to her. However, the girl only looks at my outstretched hand and turns her back to me to mess with the coffee maker.

"I wish you good luck. The last girl who tried for this position left here very devastated."

I don't know what to say. Then she turns to face me and sips her coffee.

"He's not easy," she huffs, seeming irritated, but then leaves shortly afterward.