Jarvis Li looked at her briefly then focused his eyes on the road again.
Bernice Wang silently gulped as the car began to accelerate. This job is going to give her a heart attack sooner or later.
"You can drive, right?" Jarvis Li casually asked. He did not bother to look at the resumé of his new assistant, but he will surely fire the head of human resources if this one makes a huge mistake.
Bernice Wang cleared her throat. "Yes, Sir."
Before they declared bankruptcy, she had her own car to go to work, so she had to learn how to drive.
"Good. You'll drive back so remember the route."
"Yes, Sir." She tried to focus her attention on the road. She might get fired if she made a wrong turn later and cost her boss his precious time.
She needed the job, plus she will not take it lightly if this man tells her to 'get lost' for the second time.
After forty more minutes of silent car rides, they arrived at a construction site overlooking the sea.
"Leave those." He eyed the document she was constantly holding during the ride.
Bernice Wang complied and left the documents on her seat as she got off the car the same time her boss did.
"Mr. Li!" A man in a hard hat came forward to greet them and and shook hands with Jarvis Li.
"Mr. Qiao. How are things going?" Jarvis Li had a diplomatic smile.
"Well, we are currently giving the second floor its finishing. The windows are being placed as of the moment. Would you like to take a look around?" Mr. Qiao gestured towards the building and started to move forward to show them around after Jarvis Li nodded in approval.
Bernice Wang strode just behind her boss as they entered the building with glass walls still under construction.
"So, Mr. Li...this side will be secluded with glass walls for the manager in charge of this branch office..." Mr. Qiao explained the plan as he walked around the second floor.
Suddenly, due to his jitters in facing his boss, he bumped onto a worktable, causing several screws to fall down and roll against the tiled floor.
Being the assistant, Bernice Wang bent down to help pick them up. It would be bad if someone stepped on them and tripped.
Jarvis Li looked at the bent figure for a moment, then looked over at where Mr. Qiao was showing him.
Bernice Wang was about to reach out towards the last piece she was going to pick up when an angry voice startled her.
"Hey! Get out of the way!" A bearded man carrying a long metal rod shouted to drive her away from his way.
She instinctively stood up and made way, standing parallel the glass walls which were yet to be completed.
Ironically, the man carrying the metal rod stepped on the piece he had prevented her to pick up.
He lost balance, and before he fell down, he swung the long metal rod around and accidentally hit someone.
Bernice Wang saw her life flashed before her eyes as she fell from the space of the undone glass wall, a dull pain on her abdomen which was hit by a metal rod.
'Great, just great.' she thought, 'I will die on my first day of work. I did not even get to touch my first salary. Well at least my dad and uncle might get a reasonable compensation with my life. Then again...maybe not. My boss is that monster after all.'
The accident happened in a flash. She was so shocked to the point that she did not even scream.
Her eyes were wide and blank, and her mouth was gaping. Since she could not let any syllable out, she tried to reach out with her hand, hoping to hold onto something. Feeling nothing, she closed her eyes.
Then it hit her, she stopped falling. There was a burning sensation on her arm.
She tried hard to open her eyes. She squinted against the strong sunlight.
Someone was holding onto her arm, and his grip was hurting her skin.
She forced herself to look up to find out who it was.
Seeing her shocked, Jarvis Li tried to snap her out of it. "Bernard Wang! Stop daydreaming and help pull yourself up!" he was practically shouting.
He saw blood trickling from her arm which was abraded against the still rough cement surface of the second floor.
He tried harder to pull her back up.
Bernice Wang was in panic.
She thought, 'I did not die...but I have injuries. That monster will find out the real me!"
She remembered the animated movie wherein a woman who was pretending to be a man was found out when the doctors treated her injuries.
When her own blood dripped against her face, she snapped out of it. 'No way am I gonna die now! My dad and my uncle still needs me! To hell with him finding out that I'm a woman! I need to live!"
She swung her body a little and reached out her other hand to grab his wrist.
"About time, da** it!" Jarvis Li was relieved when she reached out her other hand.
It was easier to pull her up.
As she was successfully returned on the second floor, she landed on top of her boss, her nose a few millimeters away from his.
Jarvis Li had the chance to stare at her eyes, and he found it very familiar.
"Mr. Li! Are you alright?!" The worried voice of Mr. Qiao interrupted their almost staring contest.
Bernice Wang felt the pain on her arm as she immediately pushed herself away from her boss.
Jarvis Li saw her frown and looked where she was looking. He saw her bleeding arm.
"Call an ambulance!" he ordered.
"I am really sorry, Mr. Li...I...what?" Mr. Qiao was in panic and was apologizing when the order was made. "Ah! Yes, Sir! Right away!" He took out his mobile phone and dialled the emergency number.
Jarvis Li turned to stare back at his injured assistant.
He was frightened when he saw the metal rod hitting 'him' and dashed as if it was his instinct to save 'him'.
He impatiently looked back on Mr. Qiao. "Well?!"
"Ah! Sir, they said that they will arrive within an hour." Mr. Qiao almost dropped his phone in fright.
"What?! That'll be too long. Da** it!"
He went towards her and supported her by taking her arm over his shoulder while his other arm grabbed her waist.
'He's so thin...' he thought. Actually, when he was trying to save her, he had already thought that she was light for a man. However, he needed her to cooperate so that he will not break her arm.
Bernice Wang was shocked once again. She was led to the car like a mannequin.
When Jarvis Li sat on the driver seat beside her, he noticed that she was too shocked to move.
She was frightened when his face came really close to hers.
'Jarvis Li, you jerk! Don't you dare kiss me!' she was screaming in her thoughts.
Just before she blurted out what was on her mind, she saw him fastening her seatbelt.
Then he started the engine and backed out the car.
As the car was maneuvered to turn back onto the man road, he looked at her and said, "Hold on tight."