Chapter 7: Talk of the Town

I looked up at Alfred, waiting for his reply, but his phone rang again. Surprisingly, he didn't answer the call and switched it off instead. Then, he turned to me.

"What were you saying?" He asked.

"You canceled your meeting?" I rephrase my question. If I heard it correctly, he canceled his meeting.

"Y-Yeah. I was supposed to meet a friend today. However, it has been canceled earlier. Now, she called me and asked if I was still free. So, I said to cancel it and reschedule to another day."

I nodded in understanding. "I see, but if it's important, you can go. I can manage myself." I grinned as I tried to shoo him off. It's better so I could freely choose the brand of clothes that I would buy.

"No, it's really not important, that's why I asked to reschedule it. Otherwise, I would really meet her. By the way, why are you here? You're supposed to be trying on the dresses."

 "Oh, yeah." I moved closer to Alfred and whispered. "Can we go to another clothing store? I mean, the dresses here are so expensive. I couldn't afford to buy it, you know."

Alfred placed his hand on my shoulder. "I think you misunderstood. It is charged to the company. Every employee is entitled to a uniform allowance. So, you don't have to pay anything."

My eyes sparkled. If only I knew about it, I would not have hesitated to try on all the dresses here.

I beamed. "Oh, is it? That was awesome. You didn't tell me earlier about that. Anyway, I'll go and try on the dresses now."

----

The weekends passed by so quickly. It's now Monday, my first day as the Secretary of the Vice President of the Prime Group of Companies.

It's been my ambition to work there since I was in college. Until now, I couldn't believe that it's now happening. I felt like I was dreaming, and if so, I don't want to wake up anymore. 

I gazed at myself in the mirror. I love my attire. It's a gray sleeveless v-neck dress, perfect for my fair skin and slim body. It's my most favorite among all the dresses I bought, that's why I chose to wear it on this day. Then, I matched it with black shoes and a slim leather belt.

Then, I brushed my hair into a simple ponytail and put on a light lipstick. I simpered as I felt satisfied with my look.

I took a deep breath before I came out of my room. Alfred was already waiting for me in the living room. I was thankful that he offered to send me to the office today.

"Let's go," I mumbled as I let out a sweet smile, but I felt uneasy the way his steely blue eyes gazed at me.

Sigh. When could I get used to the stare of those steely blue eyes? Nonetheless, I managed to keep the smile on my lips as I walked near him.

"Alright," Alfred stood up from his seat. Then, we went out together.

On the way, I was feeling anxious and excited at the same time. I clasped my hands that had become as cold as ice.

"Are you nervous?" I heard Alfred ask.

"Yeah, a little," I admitted as I smiled thinly.

I was startled when Alfred suddenly held my hands. I could feel that my face turned crimson as my heart had increased its rate. It was embarrassing that he touched my cold hands.

"A little? But your palms are cold and wet."

I quickly withdrew my hands as I explained. "I-It's normal. My hands are sweating every time I feel nervous, even a little."

I heard him chuckle, but he didn't comment anymore.

After a while, we reached the office. Alfred dropped me right in front of the main entrance. He told me to take the elevator on the right side of the lobby to go to the 107th floor, the second-highest floor in the building. It was being occupied by the Vice President, while the 108th floor was the President's exclusive floor. It was called exclusive as not everyone could go there, only the staff who work closely for him.

As I entered the well-designed spacious lobby, I was amazed. It looked classy and pleasing to the eyes from the decor, color schemes, and furnishings.

I let out a deep breath as I entered the lift. This is it. I need to calm myself to impress my bosses. Alfred also told me that I would meet a woman named Lisa. She's the former Secretary of the Vice President, who would train me for my first few days.

Ding! I arrived on the 107th floor. Then, a delicate woman in her thirties welcomed me.

I smiled as I greeted her. "Hi, I'm looking for Ms. Lisa Meyer."

She smiled back at me. "Hello, I'm Lisa. You must be Hannah Simons."

"Yes. I'm pleased to meet you, Ms. Lisa."

"I'm glad to meet you too, Hannah. You'll be working here as my replacement. Let's go. I'll introduce you to Mr. David Scott, the Vice President of Prime Group. He's waiting for you."

"Alright."

Lisa knocked on the door. Then, I heard a husky voice say, come in. As we entered the room, I saw a good-looking man, in his late twenties, sitting in his executive chair. He looked cool in his Italian-made suit.

"Good morning, Mr. Scott. This is Hannah Simons, your new Secretary."

I smiled gently as Lisa introduced me to the Vice President.

Mr. Scott grinned as he extended his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Simons. Alexander was right. You're indeed beautiful."

We shook hands, but my forehead creased as I was confused by his remarks. "Alexander? He has already seen me?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, did I say Alexander? I mean, Alexander's friend. He referred you to us. Hahahaha!" He clarified.

"I see. Nice to meet you too, Mr. Scott." I mumbled and smiled at him.

Afterward, we came out of the room. Then, Lisa started to teach me everything that I need to learn.

On the third day, it was our last day of training, so Lisa let me do all the tasks alone. I was fortunate that she was kind and patient. She taught me everything she knows and gave me some tips on how to work effectively as the VP's Secretary. I also learned that she was promoted to another department. That's why they hired a new Secretary.

Moreover, Mr. Scott was really cool. He was not the typical scary Vice President. He was considerate enough to give his staff a work-life balance.

The following day, I was a little nervous as this was my first day to work without Lisa. Sigh. You can do it, Hannah. I told myself. However, when I was in the elevator, I heard the two women babbling about me.

"She's the woman I was telling you. All other Secretaries have been talking about her. She's probably a mistress of one of the bosses as she didn't go through the normal hiring process." The older woman whispered.

"Really? Tsk. Tsk. People are really different now. They would do everything for money."

"I agree." I heard the woman say before they stepped out of the elevator.

I was left dejected. I was not aware that my employment had been the talk of the town. Nonetheless, I tried to ignore what I heard earlier. I need to focus on doing my job.

Fortunately, I took down notes during the training. I was able to check it every time I forgot something. I was able to do my daily tasks well.

In the afternoon, I was drinking coffee when Mr. James approached me. He's the Corporate Sales Manager. Lisa told me to be careful in dealing with him because he's known as the bully in the office. When he didn't like the person, he would surely do everything to make that person's life miserable.

I anxiously greeted Mr. James, but he didn't greet me back. Does it mean that he didn't like me? Oh, Lord.

"Ms. Simons, these are the documents for Mr. Scott's signature. We need it tomorrow morning." He said grimly.

"Noted, Mr. James." I acknowledged as he placed the documents on my desk.

"Ahh!" I screamed as the coffee spilled exactly at the documents that Mr. James laid on my desk.

"What the heck, Ms. Simons? These documents are very important." Mr. James yelled as he grabbed the documents from my desk.

I was shocked. My eyes blinked with incredulity. Did I see it right? He intentionally hit the cup of coffee on my desk?