3. Working with the Dragon

Victory gingerly paced her steps and walked towards the far end of the room, pausing in front of Arthur's large desk.

Her Jimmy Choo stilettos made soft click-clacking sounds on the office floor. Her straight brown hair swished softly as she swayed forward, closing the gap between herself and Arthur.

When she was standing about two feet from where Arthur was seated, she gave him a polite smile. Her green eyes were bright and her face was warm and friendly.

"Hi, Boss." Victory greeted casually, her voice sounding soft and breathless to her ears.

To be honest, Victory was very nervous. Her hands were clammy and her heart was thundering in her chest. She tried to hide it behind her wobbly smile.

She wasn't sure if she should treat him as she treats Aaron, but she also felt that it would not be suitable for a new assistant to be addressing the famously reclusive CEO too informally. 

"Remember me from dinner last week?" she then asked in a teasing manner.

She tried to assess the person who was seated in front of her, studying his features carefully.

Arthur Knight, the CEO of A. K. Media, has a strong angular face and his dark hair was swept carelessly, parting at the sides. Long dark lashes hid pale blue eyes, the shape and colour were a familiar sight to her. The Knight siblings were all blessed with almond shaped and light blue eyes which were similar to Abigail's. He has strong broad shoulders, probably broader than Aaron's and if he worked out as hard as his womanising brother, a sculpted and lithe body should be hidden underneath that white and pristine Ralph Lauren shirt.

Victory continued her light banter, "I had accessorised with raw chicken eggs to complement my outfit. And if I remember correctly, according to your brother I also resemble your mom's roast turkey." She reminded him of their first meeting last week and trying to see if her joke would break the ice between them.

His blue eyes lit up with amusement at what she said, though his lips were still sealed, saying nothing. 

Waiting for a couple of seconds and finding Arthur still staring expectantly at her, she bent her knees and leaned her body forward into the white Eames chair placed across Arthur's desk.

She then whispered conspiratorially to Arthur, "Is this where you start breathing fire? Because I promise you, I do have a fire extinguisher in my bag. I haven't tried it yet, so give me a smoke signal from your nose or something before fire comes spewing out of your mouth."

Despite her apprehension at meeting Arthur, Victory loves to tease and she couldn't resist taking a jab at Arthur.

A faint smile ghosted Arthur's lips, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

This girl definitely has some spunk, he thought to himself. She was wearing yellow, a colour that he wouldn't be caught dead in and five-inch stilettos adorned her feet.

By next week, her stilettos would be replaced by comfortable pumps or Mary Janes, similar to what all his assistants have done so in the past. The post as assistant to the CEO is not something to be taken lightly, the workload is tough as he expects them to be able to keep up with his pace. The job would also require her to move from one meeting to another, as well as meeting with clients at various locations and checking out venues for the events that they will be hosting.

Those stilettos that she's currently wearing would literally kill her feet.

Pressed for time, he quickly motioned his hands in front of her, signalling for her to sit on the Eames chair which she was leaning on.

So far, this man has not uttered a single word to me. I don't suppose he expects us to converse in sign language, she muses. That would be difficult and she might truly turn into a turkey if she needs to flap her hands to get her message across to him. She tries to think of her options if that were to happen.

She mentally face-palmed herself at her ridiculous thoughts. 

"Have human resources briefed you of your duties?" Arthur asked calmly, unaware of the bizarre thoughts that were floating in Victory's mind.

The voice coming out of his mouth had a deep timber, sounding smooth and pleasant to her ears.

So the man can talk, she noted to herself smugly.

Long, agile fingers were absently holding a black fountain pen. The document he was reading seemed to be forgotten by him, at least for the moment, as it fell to the surface of the desk. His gaze towards her appeared to be alert and stern, but welcoming. His shoulders seemed to be relaxed and his dark thick hair was slightly tussled, as if having recently run through by his fingers.

Heaving a small sigh of relief to herself, she noted that there appears to be no fire spewing from his mouth, at least for now.

She nodded and then answered. "Yes. And I have also signed the six months employment contract and non-disclosure agreement, as well." 

"Very well," he replied curtly. "Is there anything you need to ask me before you start?"

She looked at him, holding what she thinks as a firm gaze. With her heart thumping wildly under her chest and one hand secretly clutching the hidden small fire extinguisher in her bag, she bravely asked, "Can you let me know a little bit about your normal working day so that I am able to align my performance to your expectations?" 

He was pleasantly surprised at the question. Despite her cheeky persona, she appears to have a good head over her shoulders.

Perhaps Aaron has not been that bad of an influence on her, he mused. There is hope for humanity after all, he chuckled silently to himself, echoing her words to him during the dinner. 

"I check my emails between 5.30 am to 6 am in the morning. This means that you can email me anything the night before and I'll be sure to read it after I wake up in the morning." His voice was impassive as he recited his schedule to her.

Arthur continues. "I usually arrive at the office by 7.30 am and I expect a cup of hot coffee, black with one teaspoon of sugar at my desk within five minutes after I arrive. I also expect to be briefed on the day's meeting at 8 am and my meetings usually start from 9 am and finish by 4 pm. After 4 pm, I will usually catch up with whatever paperwork or get ready for the next day's meeting."

"Is that clear or is there anything else that you wanted to ask me, Victory?" He paused, waiting expectantly for her answer.

"What time do you leave work, Mr. Knight?" Victory quickly asked, her eyebrows scrunched in concentration as she tried take in the information given by Arthur.

"That depends on whether I have any media engagements or events at night. If I do, then I will leave before 5 pm." Arthur paused for a second before he continued.

"If I don't have any engagements, I usually leave by 7 pm. Oh another thing, sometimes you might have to accompany me to some of the media events at night or during the weekend. We are a media company after all, so it is expected for me to attend some of events which we host on our client's behalf. Besides, I need to make sure our events are up to par." He reminded her.

When Arthur first established A. K. Media, he capitalised on the success of the social media account which he created for an assignment in the university. 

The account grew from covering only university events to tech events and product launches in Palo Alto, where Silicon Valley is located. As he shifted back to New York, he started covering events that were happening in the Big Apple.

Naturally his first paying client came in the form of Knight Enterprises and its related entities and businesses. Since then, A. K. Media have expanded its client base to include not only businesses and corporations, but also high profile individuals and celebrities who needed a professional to handle their various social media accounts and engagements. 

Victory was nodding her head while furiously tapping notes on her tablet.

Once she was done, she then moved her gaze to look at the white, leather watch that rested on her right hand. Noting the time, she said, "Thank you, Mr. Knight. That is all the questions that I have for now."

Cautiously, Victory readied herself, preparing to leave the room.

Before she stood up, she inserted formality into her tone and announced coolly, knowing that her job at A. K. Media has already started.

"Mr. Knight, you have a meeting in half an hour in Meeting Room 2. I'll prepare the room and items that are needed for the meeting. I'll send you a reminder 5 minutes before the meeting is about to start."

She looked up at him expectantly, breathing out a small sigh of relief to herself, having done with the formalities of meeting her new boss at A. K. Media.

Arthur is definitely unlike Aaron, she realised.

The man's posture, although seemingly relaxed, had a serious vibe to it. He looked like he is ready for battle and he doesn't seem to appreciate a light banter, unlike what she and Aaron would do whenever they meet with each other.

With her right hand slowly unclasping from the fire extinguisher in her bag, Victory asked, "Would you like anything else from me, Mr. Knight?"

A small smile was already curling across her face, looking eager while waiting for Arthur to instruct her on any additional duties.

Arthur's lips curved upwards, almost resembling a smile. His blue eyes were glittering as they assessed her carefully.

He answered softly, "Though I have not breathed fire in front of you just yet, be rest assured, I will. Do not let go of that fire extinguisher yet, Victory."

His tone sounded like a warning to her ears.

Did he see my fire extinguisher? She wildly thought.

Or did he not believe that I have one?

She had half her mind to wave the palm-sized, cherry red fire extinguisher in front of his face. However, afraid that he might truly breathe fire, she decided against it.

She quickly left the CEO's office and rushed to her workstation, which was conveniently located outside his door. 

If he is a dragon, she thought, then what does that make her?

Dragon guard?

Dragon assistant?

Oh well, since I look cute, might as well call myself the Dragon's cutie pie.

She inwardly cringed at her bad pun and shook her head to get rid of the outlandish thoughts swimming in her head and focused on her duties. 

The day passed by quickly and sure enough, by the end of the day she had heard and witnessed a few occasions where Arthur spewed fire. Fortunately for her, the fire was not directed to her and it was not a pretty sight.

His anger was loud, unfiltered and came with an unpunishable gaze, which she swore that even the zit on her face would pop itself out of fear.

She shuddered at the very appalling thought.