1:50
I finally arrived at the king's estates in time. Thanks to God, there was no traffic. Calming my nerves, I walked in in a poised manner, my bag hanging from my right arm and the letter secured safely in the envelope I was holding.
Or strangling it, if it were alive.
I reached the reception desk and introduced myself to the lady sitting there.
"How can I help you?". She asked with a huge smile and that kind of robotic voice used by customer service. When deep inside they wished to tell or snob you aside.
Fake
"I have an appointment, an application for the post of secretary". I replied, explaining as if expecting a light bulb to glow on top of her head signaling a reminder.
But instead, she looked down at her monitor, typed God knows what on the keyboard.
1:55, I'm not gonna make it
Beginning to get restless I tapped on her desk; she raised her head in my direction and muttered 'a minute please' before she continued staring at the computer screen again.
1:57
God please, help me out here.
"Here" she said, handing me a pass card. "For the elevator," she explained. "Fifth floor, first door on your right…."
Without waiting for more explanation, I dashed straight to the open elevator from which two men In expensive suits just stepped out. I was already late, but if I could get to the fifth floor before 2:00, I might still be considered… right?
Fingers crossed
'Ding' the elevator door opened and I stepped out and into the fifth floor, following the receptionist's instruction, I walked to the first door on my right and knocked.
Out of a hurry, I failed to notice the hallway and the desk stationed at the left side of the hall with a sign and the word Secretary boldly written on it.
Or the plastic plate on the door with the initials R.K CEO written on it.
1:59
God help me!
From the other side of the room a deep, masculine voice shouted a 'come in' and without delay I opened the door and stepped in.
2:00
Inside, the office was a beauty. With cream colored wallpaper, a black couch by the left side of the door. Hanging above the couch was an abstract painting of a face looking like it was in pain. In front of me was a dark brown desk and behind it was the owner. But he hasn't taken notice of me.
His back was facing me and he was scribbling on some paperwork. A minute of standing without him making any attempt to address me made me realize that he'd forgotten about me.
Seriously
In order to notify him of my presence I cleared my throat, and if not for the fact that I wasn't employed yet or the fact that I froze immediately after I saw who he was, I would have laughed at how startled he was hearing me clear my throat.
Staring back at me, startled, was the man I've always seen on TV or business magazines. The man whom everyone feared, the man who wouldn't think twice before he fired you, the dark aura around him while he stares blankly at me with a frown etched on his handsome face. This man, I was not expecting to meet, This man, RICHARD KING.
Frozen in place, I stared back at him, half of my mind paralyzed by fear and the other half by awe.
He's so handsome.
His thick brows almost touched each other from the frowning, his beautiful big blue eyes fixed on my face condescendingly, his lips….
Wait, why am I thinking of his lips
Seated in his office chair, wearing a navy-blue jacket, he looked like one of those young handsome Mafia bosses you read in novels, who end up falling in love with the simple innocent girl.
What am I doing?
I've never met anyone from the King's family but I have heard stories about them and how they deal with business. And if there's one thing I know about them—it's that if I don't say something now, I'll be kicked out immediately.
Say something.
"Go... good morning, sir" my voice came out a little more pitched than I had wanted.
Get. It. Together.
He was still staring at me and I felt urged to continue " my name is Lily Morgan; I applied for the post of secretary and was told…."
"You are late" I was cut short before I could finish my introduction/explanation. His eyes back on the paperwork.
Without thinking straight, I replied. "I am not"
Slowly, he looked up at me again—this time, not with a frown, but an amused expression.
Not knowing which had amused him, the guts to speak or the stupidity of protesting knowing that it was a lost course.
"Your deadline was by 2pm, and you are 15 minutes late" he finished the last sentence pointing to the wall clock I failed to notice on the right side of the wall.
"I arrived here earlier, 1: 50 to be precise, and if your receptionist hadn't wasted a lot of time I'd have been here on time" not sure where I was getting the guts to speak from, I pushed on.
He dropped the paperwork on the table, all his focus on me.
"Miss Lily," he called, pointing to the chair in front of me, offering me a seat.
Of course, I had been standing
"You were sent a mail a week ago to submit your recommendation letter, which you failed to do. And 2pm today being the deadline for the submission, you come to my office and claim not to be late. It makes me wonder if my time is reading differently from yours"
just like a teacher explaining math to a child, he explained my situation to me in a tone that makes me feel stupid.
No wonder he was looking at me like that. Amused by my stupidity.
Of course it was stupid, but it wasn't entirely my fault. If anyone had told me that I needed a recommendation letter to get a job, I would have requested it immediately after graduation. And if the school had not delayed in sending the letter, I would have been employed right now sitting on my own desk and attending to clients.
Stupid
For a second, I was tempted to leave the office and head home in defeat. But the thought of how mom and Vy had stayed up late at night checking my mails for the letter and how I'd wake up to Ethan on my computer, refreshing the page hoping to see a new mail pop up.
I couldn't go back home without reaching out for this job, at least for their sake. And if he, Richard King thought I was stupid, then my next line of action would be no surprise to him.
Without saying a word, I dipped my hand into the envelope, brought out the recommendation letter and placed it in front of him. Not sure of exactly what I wanted him to see.
"I admit that I was late. I was unaware of the need for a recommendation letter to qualify for a job here in King's Estates. Which was why I had requested it from my school but was unlucky to have received it late this afternoon." I explained, my voice calm and collected. Surprising myself because never have I ever spoken to anyone like that.
Nice PR skill
Not minding the little lie I had added, at least we all need to take blame. And if I can't blame the admin personally, then I might as well do so here in King's Estates.
He picked up the letter the same way he'd handled the paperwork—calm and calculated. I had read the letter myself and there was nothing special to it. Just a few points of how actively I'd performed in given tasks. Which is why I'm wondering what exactly am I expecting him to see.
He finished reading and dropped the letter on the table. And looked at me with all seriousness and a little bit of curiosity. Without saying a word, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.
He's calling security
I was beginning to get tensed up, if he wasn't going to employ me, he could ask me to leave and I would. Why would he have to call security to walk me out? But then again, what if I was just being paranoid, he might be calling one of his staff to come show me my corner or discuss my employment. I hope it was the latter.
"Come to my office right now" he spoke to the person on the phone.
Any hope I had was gone, he was going to throw me out of his office and company. Why did I even think that I'd qualify to work in the first place? This isn't a place for me. If it were a broker's company, I might stand a chance. But here in King's Estates, I was way below in social status.
But instead of being thrown out like a piece of garbage, I might as well take my leave.
" I under…". I had begun to say as I picked my bag from the floor beside me when I heard a knock on the door.
They are here, the securities.
Before I could react, he permitted whoever it was that was knocking to enter. And to my surprise, it was no security but instead a woman in her mid-thirties, blond hair, gray eyes in a green colored suit which seemed expensive and a name tag on which the words 'Mary Owen' was printed on it.
As she approached the table, I turned back to look at the man in front of me only to Meet his curious gaze upon me.
How long had he been watching me?
Did he see how tense I was?
"You were saying?" He asked. Reminding me of how I'd almost asked to leave.
"It was nothing," I replied. The frown back on his face as he turned to face the woman, Mary.
"This is Lily Morgan, the applicant for the secretary post, here is her recommendation letter. Add it to her file, work on the appointment letter and bring the file I gave you last week, the one titled 'secretary' " he commanded while handing my recommendation letter to her.
She nodded politely, collected the letter from him and headed towards the door. But before she could leave, without looking at her direction he called. " Tell Brad, I want to see him"
"Yes, sir" she replied, leaving the office and shutting the door behind her. Once again leaving me behind in the Lion's den, scratch that, the King's den.