Chapter five.

As much as Lisa didn't want to do it, she really needed the money.

And that's how she found herself in front of the big K-Tech company.

Dressed in a black skirt and blue long-sleeved blouse, she was very meticulous about her appearance.

Walking into the building, she greeted the receptionist. "Hello, I am here to see Mr. Axel."

The lady looked up from her laptop and asked. "Hello. Did you book an appointment with him?" 

"No, but I do have this card. I am actually here for an interview." She quickly brought out the business card Axel had given to her.

The receptionist checked it, then gave a slight nod. "7th floor; take the elevator to the left."

"Thank you." Lisa released a sigh.

'That was easy.'

When she arrived on the 7th floor, she was directed to Axel's secretary.

The lady took one look at her, then frowned. "You're late."

"Sorry?" Lisa was puzzled.

"You are the new girl, right? Your resume is at 9. Please keep to that."

'Isn't this supposed to be an interview?' She thought while giving a nod.

"Dahlia." Secretary Carol called, and a girl in her late 20s walked over.

"Show Miss Lisa around with you." She then turned to Lisa. "She will explain everything to you. If there is anything you feel you are uncomfortable with or unable to cope with, then speak up. The whole week will be a trial for you. If you are not able to meet my expectations, then you won't be deserving of the job."

"I will try my best." Lisa said, feeling extremely grateful.

"I will be the judge of that." Carol said with a raised brow and walked away.

"Hey, I am Dahlia, the assistant HR."

"I am Lisa. Nice to meet you." Lisa smiled at her.

"Let me show you around. As you can see, the company is very big. So we will just take a look at some important places. You will be able to figure out the rest yourself in time."

"Ah, yes, thanks." Lisa followed after the shorter girl.

"I will introduce you to everyone first." In the office, there were several cubicles, and going down to the break room on the side, there were two men discussing while drinking coffee.

"Manager Hans, Jamie, this is Lisa, the new assistant of Secretary Carol."

"Secretary Carol got an assistant?" Manager Hans blurted out in surprise. He then coughed and said to Lisa: "Sorry. You can call me Han."

"I am Jamie, an intern." Jamie said it happily. "Finally, a newcomer."

"We can't say that yet." Dahlia said.

Lisa pursed her lips, kicking her shoes on the ground. "I am on trial for the week." 

"I see." The two men nodded in understanding, and Hans flashed a handsome smile. "I wish you good luck then."

"Yes, it would sure be nice to add another lady to the team." Dahlia pointed it out. "By the way, where are Lee and M.s Sarah?" 

"They went to give a presentation for a meeting on the second floor." Jamie said, snacking on some brown cookies. "Want some?" 

"No, thanks." Dahlia turned him down, and he gave a light shrug.

"You can meet them later." Dahlia said to Lisa. "This is the break room. You can use a coffee machine, right?"

"I am quite familiar with them." Lisa admitted.

"What else?" Dahlia spun around thoughtfully.

"You should introduce her to the other teams too." Hans suggested.

"Right." Dahlia agreed, turning to Lisa. "Let's go."

___________________________

By the time Dahlia was done, it was past noon. Lisa relaxed into her chair, taking a deep breath.

It felt like a dream. She actually got the job. Even if it was just a trial, it was still something.

Her eyes browsed through the office. She was sharing the table with Carol, and was acting as her assistant.

She had her own desktop and an office phone on the side. Looking through the drawers, one contained post-its, pens, pencils, and other work tools. The second and third ones were empty.

Right in front was the CEO's office, separated by a glass wall and obstructed by black blinds.

He wasn't in right now, but Lisa knew she would be meeting him soon.

'I don't know what he wants, but I do know one thing. I really need this job.'

Secretary Carol walked in just in time to see the determination in her eyes.

Improving her impression of this new assistant.

When Axel first informed her of his impulsive decision to hire someone of unknown educational background for the spot, she strongly argued against it.

Unfortunately, he was the boss and had the final say.

"Here." Lisa looked up at the heap of files placed in front of her, her eyes turning wide when Carol said.

"Look through all this before next week."

"What? All of this?" Lisa couldn't help but ask.

"Why? You can't?"

"No—I mean—yes. I will do it." Lisa quickly shook her head, biting down on her bottom lip.

It really was very many.

"Also—" Carol added a thick binder to the load. "This is all you have to know about Mr. Axel. His likes, dislikes, and everything else you need to take note of. Please look at it carefully and make sure not to miss anything."

"Yes, I will do that." Lisa's insides churned as she received the new work, yet the smile never left her lips.

"I will be here if you have any questions." Carol said it generously. She took her seat, switched her laptop on, and entered work mode.

"Haa." Lisa collapsed on her desk, trying not to look too obvious.

'All this in a week?'

If it had been just an hour ago, Lisa would have given up, but... She already ran through the contract with Dahlia, and the salary was just too much for her to be able to part with.

'Okay, Lisa. Snap out of this. If we make use of every second from now on, we might actually be able to pull this off. Stay positive.' She cheered herself on, deciding to start with the big binder.

There was a lot she had to learn about her new boss. Like that he always had his coffee by nine every morning; it could never be late.

His coffee should neither be too sweet nor too plain. But in between. Lisa had experience working in a cafe, so it didn't pose much of a problem to her.

Mr Axel hates mistakes, especially miscalculations, or die-minute plans. He could be eccentric sometimes and should never be crossed.

Lisa saw the word, which was underlined in a sharp red color, and couldn't help but be disturbed by the warning behind it. 

When it was time to go home, Lisa had almost gone through half of the binder. Yet she couldn't feel the achievement, with the load of work still remaining.

With dead-beat eyes, she bid farewell to Jaime and Dahlia, who were the only two still remaining.

Heading to the elevator, the double door slid open, and she came face-to-face with the last person she had wanted to see.

"You came." He gave a jubilant smile, as if he had been expecting it.

Lisa hated the feeling she got from him, like everything was under his control.