Chapter 5
Marcus.
Anything for my son. That was exactly what I told Ian when he asked for a job for his girlfriend.
The unrelenting rain pouring down in great torrents made for a very unamusing morning, as everything about today's operations depended on me getting to the office early.
There's no way I am driving out, or allowing myself to be driven in this downpour. So I waited for a while and asked my fill-in secretary to move up everything by 2 hours. I will start 2 hours late and finish 2 hours late.
After about an hour, I heard my driver pull up, and I decided that the weather must have lightened up, so I stepped out into the light drizzle and into the waiting car.
"Good morning Marcus. The weather seems your friend this morning," Thomas in his humourous nature, commented.
"Hmm, A very treacherous friend it is. Can only hope I make it early to the office, despite its vile antics," I say as I step into the car and shove out my phone to start my morning calls.
The first one would have been my secretary, but ever since she got married and moved away, I haven't been able to find anyone as willing, or as talented as her, to take care of my daily needs.
Of all the replacements I have had on trial, only 2 lasted more than a week. The rest could only keep up for a day or two, and then fell dangerously behind, before bolting out the door. The last one left in tears, calling me a slave master.
I have been without a proper secretary for about 3 months now, and I am getting really strained having to do all the work myself.
But Ian''s call last night had gotten my hopes up— something about needing a job for his girlfriend.
The kid always gets what he asks for and this time, I hope whoever he is bringing will be worth the talk he has put in for her. Of course, I was employing her as a favor to him, but a part of me wanted the lack of secretary nightmare to end.
Traffic hadn't built up, so I got to the office pretty soon after I left home. Straight into the elevator, and straight up into my office. No time to waste. I asked the Secretary to call up whoever was available, so I could start tending to work. And the first order of the day was my new secretary.
The door pushed open and her open mouth heel connected to the floor. I saw her legs first, a black-washed skirt paired with a chiffon top.
Not the exact way I expected my new secretary to be dressed yet she walked in with so much confidence. My eyes roam up to catch the smile on her face.
It's her.
The very girl I found drunk in a bar the other day.
I looked at her while she looked at me, wondering if this day wasn't created with me in mind. Only that, she wasn't too shocked to see me. In fact, she was glaring at me knowingly.
"Are you the girl Ian said will fill the position?"
"What position?" She asked and her eyes lit up. She looked brighter and more beautiful.
All these admirations, but I still kept a straight face."You don't know why you are here."
"I do," she responded hastily as if trying to give off a good first impression. Only that, this would be the second impression after she tried to have me sleep over at her place.
"Then?"
"I am," she said, with a nervous smile.
"Look at me," I said, finally ready to acknowledge the elephant in the room. "What happened that night will not affect the outcome of this interview, as long as you don't let it. We can discuss that later, but right now, I want to know why you will be the best secretary I ever had."
She seemed to relax a little. She is confident, and I guess I just poked the tiger.
"Two reasons, Mr Hills," She started "Both are the values upon which you have built this company; loyalty and hard work. Both values are the same upon which I have built my life and everyday living."
"And how do I validate that?"
"First, I have been an orphan all my life, and yet I am in college, sponsoring my education."
"Hmmmmn."
She paused to think. "—and I haven't told Ian of our encounter."
"There was barely an encounter."
"I came home, completely drunk, in your car. It's anyone's guess what a possessive man like Ian would think."
She is quite smart, I will give her that. But why would Ian be jealous?
Looking at her from her knees to her face, I immediately figured out why.
"So you are his girlfriend, aren't you?"
"Yes."
And my son once again has evidence of his tightfistedness plastered over the outlook of another girl.
"You don't ask him to get you clothes?" I didn't mean to sound daunt but it's only proper to know this.
"I prefer to be independent, sir."
Inexperienced.
That's what she sounded like and even though Ian tries to act like he's a grown-ass, it's sad what their relationship would look like inwardly.
"You won't be my secretary in such shabby dressing. I have a reputation to uphold."
I asked my fill-in secretary to cancel out the rest of my morning and her brows arched.
"Can I ask why, sir?"
"Because we need to get you better clothes. You will start working tomorrow, and you will dress properly."
I stood a few miles behind her, watching her look at the rack with a wide smile. It was obvious that she wasn't used to this. I was in silent wonderment; numerous questions drifted through my mind. If she's in a relationship with Ian then why was she at the club? And not just that— drunk enough to flirt around.
As if sensing that eyes were on her, she lifted her gaze from the rack and turned to me. "Uh—this."
I gave a small nod.
As she walked closer to me; the unending urge to know what happened filled me and I couldn't stop it. "What made you devasted enough to end up in a club that drunk?"
She stared at me. "Uh— nothing serious. Just school work and uh— I was stressed and needed a burst."
I can tell when a person is lying and this girl who I am fifteen years older than just blinked ten times in eight seconds.
"Was it him?" I asked and paused to catch a glimpse of her face. "I can help teach him a lesson."