As Morgan gazed down at her, his blue eyes lit up with a cool iciness as he said, "I need you to arrive at eight o'clock sharp, every morning. Time is of the essence, thus better early than later."
Yesterday, while he was seated in that icy metal chair, Melody hadn't been able to fully measure his height. Now he towered over her by at least one foot, and...
"You'll be given a compensation and benefits in addition to full medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as a retirement savings plan." His firm lips twisted into what she thought was a smile but was actually simply a baring of teeth, which he probably thought was charming. He leaned in closer, saying, "After you get that all set up."
With that, he turned away, leaving her alone in the strangely empty room while she struggled to process his words.
The jerk didn't even wait for her to react before he stepped into the hallway while talking. "I have contracted a subcontractor for interior renovation of my office room, but it's your responsibility to oversee their work. I'll be working from my home office and making regular visits to make sure things are moving along. Until this office is ready, you'll be working at the office and must keep me updated on your progress."
As he turned to face her, Melody realized that she was still standing in the doorway. "Are you ready?"
Terrific! That is not what she told him, though. "Yes, sir," she replied as she drew back her shoulders instinctively.
Her curiosity was piqued by the question of what he saw in her as his piercing stare drilled into her. Was he really going to give her a job? But… why? Despite her slow typing speed, lack of dictation experience, and extreme candor throughout the interview, he still wanted to hire her.
He stood there for a long time and stared at her, his expressionless face seemingly piercing her soul. There's no way he could have seen her anxiety.
"Alright. Follow me!" Morgan gestured for her to follow him. Melody quickly followed after him as he turned and continued walking to his office. He kept talking, describing some tasks. For lack of a notebook, Melody whipped out her cell phone and jotted down some notes in the journal app.
"Got all that?" He questioned and walked through a doorway as she stepped in the vast office with a window overlooking the outline of land and buildings defined against the vast sky. She cast a quick glance but not really paying attention.
"Yes. Got it, sir." She typed down the words, then looked up at him. "And what else?"
He curled his lip and there was something lovely and comforting about his contemptuous grin. She couldn't stop to analyze it since he immediately gave some new directions.
"That will be my office and yours is in here," he said, walking through another door she hadn't realized was there. "It'll be your job to protect me from whoever tries to get through to me without an appointment and the annoying swarms that will try and get 'just few minutes' of my time."
And then he mentioned a salary that almost caused her to shriek in surprise.
Morgan then assured her, "Trust me, you'll earn every bit of it. And it'll rise as you show me you're worth it."
Despite how badly she wanted to squeal in excitement, she pressed her lip tightly and gave a courteous grin instead. "Thank you, sir."
"I have included a list of your tasks for your reference. I'm clearly over my head here and need some help." Morgan gave the folder he prepared to her.
"Show me where to start, sir," Melody said, pointing to the stacks of papers on his desk.
"Unfortunately, my former assistant wasn't very efficient. I hope you can also manage with the files."
"Then it's settled, sir. I'll start in two weeks. I need to give notice at my…"
She could tell that he restrained himself from rolling his eyes at her response. "Ms. Brynleigh, you worked at a small office. You can hardly owe anything to your employer because he is not the upstanding sort of man you would owe respect to. Either you begin right now or never."
His abrupt, impatient responses made her worry that she had already made a mistake after only a short time on the job. She looked at her watch and was surprised to see that he'd given her enough work for the next twelve months, and she'd only been there for five minutes.
She couldn't lose this job! That much salary may rescue her from her terrible financial situation.
"Yes, sir. I'll manage it." Melody was frustrated and annoyed. It was really exhausting to talk with such inconsiderate and impatient man, but over the coming years, she would have to get used to it. She hoped she can stay here for that long.
"Good! Mason will show you around and get you on the system."
"Thank you so much. I appreciate this opportunity, Mr. Blodwyn."
With that, he then picked up a jacket that had been laying on a metal chair and walked out, leaving Melody in disbelief.
Not only did he not say goodbye or anything, but he also failed to instruct her on how to begin. Just what was she expected to do, anyway?
When she looked over, she saw the folder sitting on the other metal chair in the corner. She hadn't seen it...or much of anything, because Morgan was such a commanding presence while he was there.
Now that she was by herself, though, she felt like she could finally take a deep breath. Among the papers in the folder, there was a credit card... with her name on it. Both her name and the name of his company were in there.
Xicorra Corporation. Huh! She turned it over to see if there was a maximum purchase amount she could make with it. In addition to the job contract, the tax return, and whatever that was, there was also a legal document in the folder. She soon realized that it was not a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) after reading it but real contract. It looked very thick and frightening!
Granted, as an executive assistant to the CEO, but still. She would put up her absolute maximum effort, absorb as much information as possible from Morgan Blowdyn, and achieve her master's degree. One day she'll prove that she was worthy of being the company's most trusted executive assistant.
So, exactly what did he expect her to spill the beans on? She looked around the room, shook her head, and laughed. "Who am I going to tell about this good news?" she chuckled.