Dialing a private extension, Selina asked, "Antonio, are you ready to give me your reports? There are some delays for the finance department. I could review yours first whenever you are ready."
"I will come up in a few minutes. See you then." Antonio replied as he sent the PDF file from his computer to the printer.
"Alright. See you then." Selina hung up the call and continually evaluating the project in her hand.
In fifteen minutes, Lia thoroughly reviewed the reports on her desk and made sure there weren't any mistakes in them. Once she confirmed the reports were ready to be distributed to the appropriate departments, she stood up from her chair and headed to the elevator. Pressing the down arrow button between two elevators, she started sinking deep in thought again.
'What are the chances....' As soon as her thought drifted, the elevator doors pulled open.
She took a step forward, only to halt in her steps as her eyes laid upon the familiar figure inside the elevator. "A..Antonio..." She called out to him accidentally while he was on his phone. In the middle of replying to a coworker's inquiry, he looked up when he heard someone call his name.
His eyes widened in astonishment when he saw Lia standing in front of the elevator. Then, he noticed the floor number he was on. "What are you doing here?" He gritted his teeth defensively.
She held the reports in her arms tightly when he questioned her. "Don't you think you've asked this same question too many times? This morning, you asked me what I was doing in my own apartment. And now, you are asking me what I'm doing at the company where I work as. Antonio, do you have to be like this when you see me?"
"You.. You work here? Who do you work for? Which department???" Antonio stepped out of the office, closing the distance between him and Lia. His sudden movement startled her, forcing her to take a few steps backward.
"Antonio, I thought I heard your voice. Do you and Lia know each other? She is my new personal assistant for the next few months." Selina leaned against her office door. Earlier, she heard Antonio's voice from inside her office. She thought she was hearing things, but when she heard him a second time, she decided to take a look at what was happening outside.
Lia looked at Antonio as if she was waiting for him to answer Selina's inquiry.
Antonio turned around to face Selina. He lied and smiled at her. "No, I was just having a casual conversation with her because I never saw her face in the company. You know me. I know almost everyone who works in this building. I was just surprised to learn that you hired a temporary assistant without me knowing."
"Oh! It was a sudden decision. I only told the Human Resources department about hiring a personal assistant. You were probably too busy with clients for the past week. Anyway, are you ready? If you want to grab a drink first before discussing your quarterly report with me, then you can go now." Pushing her back against the office door, Selina stretched her arm into her office to welcome him.
"I'm ready. Nice meeting you, Lia." Antonio forced a smile when he welcomed Lia to the company.
"It was a pleasure meeting you too, Antonio. Then, I will drop these documents to the departments now." Lia pressed the down arrow button once again. In the meantime, Antonio already made his way into Selina's office without giving her another glance.
"En. Okay. While you're running errands, remember to familiarize yourself with other staff and the departments on different floors." Selina answered before closing the door.
A sigh of relief escaped Lia's mouth. 'My damn crow's mouth really jinxed myself. This is probably what people mean by whatever you daydream about will come true. I don't see myself getting what I want, yet all the bad timing daydreams occur. Great.'
As soon as Selina closed the office door, Antonio addressed his concern to her. "Selina! Have you really chosen Lia as your assistant? Are you sure she is the best fit for this position? There may be better options out there."
"Huh? What's wrong with Lia? Yes, she may have lacking experience, but this is good for her resume. She didn't have relatable experience, but she was the most enthusiastic one throughout the dull process of interviewing applicants. Everyone had the same answers, but she applied with no prior experience. Not only was she courageous, but she was also willing to try."
Selina carried her cup to the couch area of the room. She listened to his concerns and felt something was weird about his words. However, Antonio had never interacted with Lia before. Hence, she could not pinpoint where this odd sensation is coming from.
"If it is the experience you are concerned about, I have the confidence of training her to become a very good assistant. If it is anything personal, then you should understand by now that I separate personal and business opinions. Experience comes from opportunities and I am willing to give her this opportunity. It will be a great experience for her." Selina stirred her milk tea using a rose gold spoon as she spoke with Antonio.
"That's not the problem. As your personal assistant, she is not only lacking in many perspectives. you could get a better assistant who deserver the pay." Antonio couldn't tell her the real reason behind his worries. He tried his best to convince her to change Lia with someone else.
However....
Selina stopped stirring her milk tea and sucked the residues of milk tea from the spoon. "Antonio. What do you have against her? It doesn't seem like you are targeting her professional experience. So, what is making you try so hard to make me give her up?"
Awaiting his response, she continued stopping mini scoops of milk tea to her mouth. The sweetness dissolved in her mouth, satisfying her sweet tooth.