A day earlier
With an agitated restlessness consuming her, Emily paced back and forth to her living room, the weight of her thoughts weighing heavily upon her, the small confined space closing in on her, each step she took echoing with an air of anticipation and uncertainty.
It's been two weeks since the interview, and she's yet to get a call back from the company. Two weeks of waiting, two weeks of hoping, two weeks of anticipating, and now she was beginning to doubt she'd get a callback.
But she needed the money desperately, she had the people her father owed on her neck, her student loans were fully amassed to the brim, but more importantly, the people her father owed. And she was on the point of losing it all if she didn't pay them fast.
She had faced a lot from her father's debtors, and she knew better than to take their threats lightly. She had managed to pay them off a little, while she looked for other means to get money and this job was her last resort.
She had barely settled her student loan, and now she was trapped with the huge debt she inherited from her father and sometimes,she felt like disappearing from the face of the earth.
"Ring" "ring", the noise of her phone startling her and jolting her back to reality.
As she started for the phone, she prayed silently that it was the company calling her.
" Hi, I'm Carrie Adams from The Rashford's, am I speaking with Miss Emily Jones", a high-pitched voice echoed from the other end as she picked up the phone.
"Yes you are", Emily said, trying to conceal the nervousness in her tone.
"I'm pleased to inform you that you've gotten the job, and you're to resume on Monday. It's a great pleasure to have you at Rashford's, Miss Emily".
"Oh, oh, that's great! Thanks, Miss Carrie. I'll be there on Monday".
As the line went off, Emily let out a joyful shriek. She couldn't contain her excitement as she let out a high-pitched, ear-splitting squeal of pure joy that echoed through the room, filling the air with infectious happiness.
8 hours earlier.
It was a perfect Monday morning, as Emily stepped out of her shabby-looking apartment, she found the apartment repulsive and was irritated to her bones as she scanned through the little space she called her home.
After downing a whole cup of black coffee and excited for what will become of her new life, she started her day with a light heart.
There were a lot of rumors regarding the boss of the company she was going to work for, some of the stories were he was a powerful and ruthless billionaire who had no compassion for people, and others said he was an arrogant spoilt playboy who inherited his Father's company, but Emily didn't give a hoot about who and how her boss was going to be, all she cared about was the money she was going to be paid. She wasn't going to let some shitty stories from the papers deter her. Heck, her boss could be the devil, but she didn't care, she was going to work herself shitty and get her money.
Money that was going to get her out of the mess she found herself in and get a decent life at least.
"Hi, I'm Emily; Emily Jones," she said, strutting into the big hall of the high-rise building. She said to the stern-looking woman, whose hair was packed in the tightest ponytail she had ever seen, as she got to the front desk.
"Oh hi, Emily? you're the boss's new secretary?" the receptionist asked, smiling a little, which eased Emily's tensed self a little bit. She recognized the voice from the phone call.
" Yes, I am".
"It's a pleasure to have you here; I'm Carrie Adams".
"Enough with the introductions, you'll get acquainted with the rest of the staff as time goes on".
"Alright then, let's get you to work"
"The first thing to know about Mr. Rashford is, that he can be frustrating to work with; you have to be up and about on your feet, or else he'll find you incompetent". Do not let him catch you slacking, or else you're out. The stern-looking woman began.
"Oh, and Emily, a little advice, try your best at your job. I know it's really hard to work with Mr Rashford; I've had to fire three secretaries in the past month. I hope you make an exception. Have a great day!
Emily sighed, as she sat on her new desk, her eyes scanning the office, it was a really beautiful space, with large windows that let in abundant natural light, creating an illuminating space, the walls painted a soothing shade of pastel blue, creating a calm ambiance, a soft plush sofa was sprawled across the room, and she resisted the urge to lie on it and forget all her worries. Her desk looked very chic, and she knew it would cost a fortune, and she wondered how much the furniture would cost.
"This place looks too cozy for a secretary's office", she said loudly without even realizing it.
The cost of the furniture alone would pay off her debts and get her a nice and cozy apartment in the Uptown part of New York.
" When I've made enough money to pay off my debts, I will get a new apartment and furnish it with the finest furniture just like this one and get the silkiest curtains there is," She thought….
Letting her mind wander for a little while, she wondered what her boss would be like.
"Would he be that ruthless?
" Or was he an old stuck-up billionaire who thought so highly of himself that everyone presumed him to be?
Determined to keep her job and make her boss contended with her because she needed the money badly, she snapped out of her thoughts and set out to work.
She started by arranging the mixed-up files, sorting them out date by date, on her first day, there was already a heap of files arranged neatly on her desk and she was to sort it by dates, Emily already saw a file containing the meetings she was going to schedule for that morning, the list of phone calls she was going to make, and the information she was going to convey to the company's business partner.
Glancing at her watch, "Oh shoot; it's almost 8" as she hurriedly rushed to the front desk.
"Where's the coffee machine?" she asked as her eyes searched through the room, in search of the coffee machine.
"Oh, there it is".
"He loves his coffee black Emily, no cream, no sugar". The stern-looking woman said.
"Got it", as she poured the steaming hot coffee into the cup.
Setting it down carefully on Mr Lyon's desk, Emily was prompted to look around, and that was the most Masculine office she had ever seen! The room had a Musky scent and the air was filled with a woody smell, and the walls were painted a deep shade of Grey, the desk and the other furniture were made of oak wood screaming expensive, and the grey curtains made the room look dark, bringing a sense of calmness she could only imagine, she touched it and it was the finest silkiest curtain she had touched in her life. Closing her eyes, she let herself feel everything in the moment.
"Who are you"? A deep Husky voice said.