Chapter 7

I woke up because of the knocking on the door. I got up and checked the time and it was already 5pm. I started to doze off and heard the knocking again. I somehow got up and went towards the door and opened it. It was Jade and she was early. 

“Hello babe. How are you? How did the interview go today? Did you pass?”, she started firing me with so many questions. I was taken aback with her sudden questions for me. I went towards my room and freshened up and came outside. I saw that Jade was not there and understood that she might have gone her way to the room. 

I went and sat on the couch. I was waiting for Jade and she came out of her room in pajama shorts and tank top. Her hair was tied into a messy bun and she came to me holding her mobile. 

“Okay, spill”, is all she said, and I narrated everything that happened from the morning till I reached our apartment. She just sat there nodding and listening to everything that I had to say to her. I don’t know what was going on in her mind, as I waited for her to say something. She just sat there without any words. Her expression was also not revealing anything. Something is going on in her mind. 

“So, as far as I understand you, he wants you for another night and is ready to pay for you, because he thinks he is like some God on earth. So, he wants you and is even ready to pay you as well”, she asked me. I just sighed and sat there leaning my head against the headrest of the couch. She was also thinking deeply and sat there with me holding my hand. 

“Lily, let us see how the results of this job turns out to be. If it is a fruitful one, then we need to think further about how to deal with that perv. If the result is a negative one, then you can always look for another opportunity. Just chill and forget about everything girl. Don’t worry”, she said to me and I leaned against her shoulder. 

Days passed and I started applying for every available opportunity. I started attending the interview and all resulted with telling me that they will get back to me. I was very much disappointed, and was walking my way back home with a sunken expression. I reached my apartment and went towards my room. 

I freshened up and saw that the time was already 4pm. I just changed into something comfortable and laid on my bed and closed my eyes. My mobile started ringing and I was in no mood to speak to anyone at the moment. Continuous ringing of my mobile yanked me from my phase and I checked the caller ID, and it showed an unknown number. 

“Hello”, I answered the call with a questioning tone. 

“Hi, may I speak to miss Lilian Johnson please”, asked a female voice from the other end. 

“Yes it is her speaking. May I know who is on the other end?”, I asked the lady. 

“Hi, I am Brenda Bolt, calling from Matthews Corporation. Ma’am can you please come down to the office tomorrow and collect your appointment letter? You have been selected as the Personal Assistant to Ms Clara Dawson. You have passed the interview rounds and you can join us from tomorrow”, she told me. 

I froze in my place and didn’t know what to do or say. She kept calling my name from the other end and I didn’t know how to respond to it. I had got the job to work as the assistant to that perv. What shall I do? Accepting it means seeing him daily and getting hit on. If I reject this job, then I might end up with nothing. 

I have to get a job as I cannot just rely on Jade. I have to come up with a way of meeting my needs. So, the only solution is accepting this job. Fine, let us see how it goes. Who knows, I might be overthinking here. 

“Yeah hi. I am here. Thank you Ms Bolt for informing me about it. I will come down to the office and start my work from tomorrow only. Thank you so much once again”, and with that I heard the woman in the other end speak. 

“Yeah sure, no problem. I will meet you tomorrow then. Be in the office at 9am sharp. You need to be present on the same floor, where the interview took place. I will be waiting for you tomorrow morning. Have a great day ma’am”, and with that she disconnected the call. 

I was in a mixed feeling situation. On one side, I was happy that everything worked well and I passed the interview, and on the other hand, I was in a state of confusion. My question was just based on only one thought. Did that perv have anything to do with this result? He is the boss and yet he was there, when Ms Dawson interviewed us. 

Anyways, I might be wrong at this stage. He might not have anything to do with the interview results. He might have expressed his urge to spend a night with me, because I have already slept with him. It's been many days since then and I am sure that he might have found new sex interest now. 

I shouldn’t be bothered by him. I must keep it to myself and work on my targets and goals. I just have to stick to Ms Dawson and follow her and learn about how she handles her works and I am all good to go. The more I keep myself away from the spotlight, the more safe I will be in this new working environment. 

I thought and decided to do some more research about how to handle the work. I browsed through many websites and started making notes in my book. I was busy with my studies and didn’t check the time. I heard the door unlock and that was when I realised that it is already time for Jade to return home. 

She returned as tired as usual and fell on the couch. I went outside my room to give her the good news. I went and joined her on the couch and she got up and made some space for me to sit next to her. 

“Babe, I have good news”, I said with a smile on my face. 

“Hold that thought girl. Let me freshen up and in my full spirit, when I hear that news”, and with that she ran towards her room to freshen up. 

I waited for 15 to 20 minutes and she got back to the couch in pajama shorts and loose shirt. Her hair was tied into a messy ponytail and she was looking fresh and alive. 

“Okay, tell me now”, she said to me. 

“I got the job in Matthews Corporation. I got a call an hour ago and the female working there told me to meet her tomorrow at 9am sharp and collect my appointment order. She said that I can start my work from tomorrow only”, I said to her and waited for her to say or express something. 

She had a straight face and I knew what was going on in her mind. She was concerned with the same things as me. I had already experienced the sexual harassment in my previous job and that was why I had lost my job. She was afraid that I might go through it again, as the boss showed his interest in me. 

I held onto her hand and took it onto my lap. 

“Jade, I know about your concerns. You are thinking about whether or not I can survive another sexual harassment problem right? Don’t worry, I can handle myself and if at all I go through the same issue again, then I will surely give him a piece of mind without hesitation. You know me right”, I said to her with a consoling smile. She smiled and hugged me. 

“I know babe. I know that you can take care of yourself, when time comes. What I am concerned about is that you will be facing him more times throughout the day. I mean, you have applied for an assistant’s assistant position right. Anyways, do the good work, and if that sick bas*tard bothers you, then call me and we can together show him his place.”, she responded to me with a wrist near her face. 

I laughed and so did she. So, as usual, it was the time to celebrate my new job. We decided to stay in and order pizza. We both were in no condition to go out, and so we decided to order our favourite food and binge watch some series on Netflix. So, now that the dinner plan is set, we had to think about the ways to help me be prepared to work from tomorrow in a multinational company. 

We enjoyed our night with boxes of pizza and juice and binge watching some random series on Netflix. I had office tomorrow and I had to wake up early, so we shrugged the idea of having beer with the pizza. Anyways, our night ended at around 11pm and we went to our respective rooms to sleep, after cleaning the living area that was filled with the pizza boxes. 

The morning came of my day, when I will be officially becoming the assistant to the business tycoon, playboy and handsome and a PERVERT, Mr Richard Matthews. Yup, from now on, it will be me, him and Ms Dawson. No no, scratch that. It will be him and Ms Dawsone making my life a living hell. 

I groaned when my alarm started buzzing at 6am. I checked the time and got up from the bed. I went towards the bathroom and completed my morning chores. The time was already 6.30am and I went towards the kitchen to find Jade baking some pancakes and squeezing a glass of orange juice for me. 

I went towards the kitchen counter and sat looking at her. She looked at me and came around the counter and made me stand and scanned me from head to toe. I was wearing a knee length green colored casual dress that had full armed sleeves and not-so-much deep square cut neckline. She twirled me around and checked me from head to toe and gave me a thumbs up. 

She served me some pancakes and maple syrup and placed a glass of fresh juice for me. I had my delicious breakfast and drank my juice and went towards the dishwasher to place the plate and glass. She came and hugged me and wished me good luck on my first day of work. 

“My baby is all grown up. Go and knock them down girl. You can do this”, she cheers me like I am off to fight some battle with the enemy nation. I mentally facepalmed myself and looked at her with a “duh” look. 

“I know I know that I am being silly. Enjoy your first day at the office. Have fun, not too much though”, she said to me and let me go. I had my hair down so as to let it dry after the shower. I tied up into a neat ponytail and checked myself in the mirror one last time and left my way towards the office. 

I reached the building and parked my car and left towards the front office. The time was 8.30am and I had 15 to 20 minutes to spare. I reached the front desk and saw that Emmett had not yet reached the office. Since it was my first day, I thought of taking the stairs and made my way towards the staircase area. 

On second thought, I decided to take the elevator because I was wearing 3 inch stilettos. Well, I don’t wish to start my first day with a sore leg syndrome. I waited for the elevator and it finally dinged open. I made my way inside the elevator and just as I was about to close the door, a hand stopped the elevator door. 

I just stood there and in came an adonis. He was wearing a baby pink colored shirt tucked inside a brown trouser. He was wearing a black formal shoe and had his hair messed up and set in a sexy way. He had an employer ID hung around his neck and overall, he was a sight to die for. 

I just stood there scanning him and didn’t realise that he was also checking me out. Our eyes met and we both gave each other an awkward smile. He rubbed the back of his neck and brought forth his right hand for me to shake. 

“Hi, I am Liam. Liam Greene”, he said to me. 

It was my turn to speak and I couldn’t form any words. “Hi. . .  Hi I . . . I am Lilian. Lilian Johnson”, I said and shook his hand. 

“Oh, Hi Ms Lilian Johnson. You are new here I guess, as you do not have an employer ID. So, are you the new assistant who will be working under Clara, I mean Ms Dawson?”, he asked me and he was bang on, and came straight to the point. 

“Yes, I am her new assistant. I am sorry, may I know what your department is?”, I asked him. 

“You will see”, is all he said and exited the elevator with me. I made my way towards the corridor, and he called me. 

“Ms Johnson. I hope to see you around very soon”, and with that he gave me a smile, that could melt anyone. Is this office filled with only Greek Gods? Wow, it will be very difficult to work when there will be walking and talking adonis all around the office. 

I reached my destination and checked the time. It was 8.45am and I saw Brenda pacing around in front of the door to the room where our interview took place. As usual, she was acting like a cat whose tail was on fire. She looked at me and came towards me. 

“Hi, you must be Lilian Johnson. I can see that you are quite punctual and have reached the place before the suggested time. That is a very good start. Come with me now. Let me show you around”, and with that she gestured to me to follow her towards an elevator door that was found on the other end of the hall. 

I followed her and we reached the elevator door. It opened and we entered it. Now she pressed the 10th floor and the elevator started ascending from the 4th floor to the 10th floor. She had my employer’s appointment letterhead in her hand and we just stood there silent. After a few minutes, the door opened and we exited the elevator. 

“Come now Ms Johnson. Let me take you towards the cabin of Ms Dawson. As you already know, you will be working under her and sharing some of her burdens. She will guide you about what to do and work to handle on her behalf. As the personal assistants, your work is to make the life of Mr Matthews easier and also a tension free one”, she said to me and opened a door to a cabin. 

To call it a cabin was an understatement. The room was bigger than the living area and the rooms combined in my apartment. To my right, I saw a door to another cabin within this cabin. I guess that will be my office from today. 

Before me stood a long stretched office with a coffee table and couches placed on either side of the coffee table. At the end of the side facing couch stood a table with a swirling table opposite to me. Overall, the cabin was just so beautiful and screamed CEO in the ambiance. 

“Come Ms Johnson. The cabin that you are seeing to your right is the cabin of Ms Dawson, when she has urgent files to segregate for Mr Matthews. This is Mr Matthews’ cabin. I brought you here to get acquainted with the boss and his cabin and things, you will be handling all the work in the cabin, including the cleaning and dusting work done from today”, she said to me. 

Okay, so that was the CEO’s cabin, meaning the perv’s cabin. I guess he might have made the same requests to Ms Dawson as well and they will go at it when they get some time to spare. Wait a minute!! What the hell am I thinking? I mental slapped myself and followed Brenda. 

“This is Ms Dawson’s cabin”, Brenda said and opened a door that was located a few steps away from the CEO’s cabin. This cabin was almost the half of the cabin that I just saw. It was empty except for some file holders and book racks arranged at the end of the room. There was a table placed at the centre of the room and it had an office chair at one end and two chairs for the visitors on the other end. 

I turned my eyes towards the left of the place where I was standing and saw a table and chair placed at the far end of the room. I guess it will be my working area, placed very close to Ms Dawson and I am very sure about it this time. Looking at my line of view, Brenda sighed and replied to me. 

“Yes, this will be your work desk Ms Johnson. Your work desk is placed very close to Ms Dawson’s because you will be shadowing her from now on. You can take your seat and go through these clauses mentioned here”, she said to me and gave me a folder with some sheets in it. I opened it and saw that the title said “WORK RULES AND ETHICS OF AN EMPLOYEE IN MATTHEWS CORPORATION”. 

I saw that Brenda bid her goodbye and left her way. Before closing the door, she stopped and turned towards me. “Ms Dawson will be arriving anytime now. She is very punctual and does not like it if her employees are late. So, make sure to be in the cabin before she arrives”. She came towards me and handed me the appointment letter and with that she left her way. 

I placed my handbag inside the available desk drawer and opened the file, after making myself comfortable on the chair. The file had many clauses and rules for the employees and it was nothing new to me. I was just going through them thoroughly when I heard the door to the office open and in came Miss Dawson. 

“Hello, Good morning ma’am. I am Lilian Johnson. I will be working under you from today”, I got up and greeted her. 

“Go to the cafeteria and get me an american cappuccino. Make it fast, as I do not like drinking cold coffee in the morning”, is all she said. 

I replied “yes ma’am”, and I went from there. 

Okay, firstly I had to reach the cafeteria and order an american cappuccino. Thank god that I had taken extra care and saved the number of the canteen personnel the last time I was here to have my lunch, during my interview. I will be working as an assistant and knowing the contact information of the cafeteria people was one of the basic things that I should be knowing here. 

I called the number of the canteen personnel and she picked the call after a few rings. 

“Hello, can you please keep a cup of american cappuccino ready. I will come and collect it within a few minutes. It is for Ms Dawson”, I said. 

“Oh hello, oh yes sure. I know how Ms Dawson likes her coffee to be in the morning. Don’t worry. I will prepare it right now and you can collect it as soon as you reach here. May I know who is on the other end of the line?”, a female's voice asked me. 

“Yeah, hi. I am Lilian and I will be working as the Personal Assistant of Ms Dawson from today”, I replied. 

“Oh great then. I will save your number and you can make requests in the future by just calling me or even texting me”, she said and I smiled at her friendliness. 

“Oh that will be great. Thank you. I will meet you within a few minutes then”, and with that I disconnected the call. 

Great, that went well. I sighed.

Day started with not much things and everything went smoothly. Ms Dawson started guiding me in my work and she told me how to handle the work such as assigning the meetings, setting the conference room for the upcoming meetings, taking care of the delivery of snacks and drinks for the meetings, and many other such things were handed over to me. 

She handed me some files and told me to study them thoroughly, so that I will get acquainted with my other works. We were working when she got a call from the CEO. I could tell because of her tone and also because of her body language, when she received the call. 

She looked at me and gestured to me to get up and go towards her. She said some “yes sir, no sir, okay sir, I will get them done sir”, etc., and got up from her seat. She piled up some files in her elbow and gestured to me to take the rest of the files and to follow her. Yup, we will be meeting him now with some files and works. 

I followed her and she went and stood before the CEO’s cabin. She knocked the door and then came the voice from the inside, “come in”. She gently opened the door knob and entered the office and turned towards me and told me to follow her. I took a deep breath and followed her inside the cabin. 

“Good morning Mr Matthews”, she greeted him and I followed her. 

He didn’t look up when she greeted him, but stopped what he was doing and looked at me, when I greeted him. Yup, there it is. His look as if he wants to devour me whole. Ms Dawson started explaining to him about the files that were placed before him and as she was done with her explanations, she turned towards me and gestured to me to come forward. 

“Mr Matthews, this is our new appointment as my assistant, Ms Lilian Johnson. She starts her work today and I am here to help her with her work till she can manage everything on her own”, she said to him and I went and stood next to her. 

“Good morning Mr Matthews. I am Lilian Johnson. I will be working under Ms Dawson from today”, I said and I saw a smirk on his face. 

“Oh, hi Ms Johnson. Welcome to our company. I hope Brenda and Ms Dawson have already briefed you about the works that you will be handling from today”, he said to me and I was really shocked by the way he conversed with me. 

“Yes Mr Matthews, they have already briefed me about the works that I will be handling from today”, I said with a straight face. I saw a small smile on his face. 

“Alright then Mr Matthews, we will get back to our work”, and with that we bid our goodbye to him and left towards our cabin.