CHAPTER 10: FIRST DAY AT WORK.
Mr John looked sternly at Kane, awaiting the answer to his question. Kane on the other hand, trembled, afraid as he knew he was in some deep trouble.
"I uh- I- I said- I was just wondering what's taking the boss so long to get here."
Kane closed his eyes after answering, hoping somehow that the ground would open up and swallow him at that moment.
Mr John scoffed, nodding his head.
"Sir, I truly am sorry. I didn't mean to be disrespectful at all. Please, I- I didn't mean it!" Kane begged, and was about kneeling down.
"Don't do that. A man in your position shouldn't do such a thing in public," Mr John said casually. But Kane was still jittery, afraid for his fate.
"You're lucky you said the truth. Had you not, you'd be on your way home right now, jobless. The President needs someone who'll work honestly with her, and you've just proven that."
Saying that, Mr John walked away, as he brought out his phone from his pocket and made a call. Kane stood there perplexed, as a thousand and one thoughts ran through his head.
"Was this a test also? Was my patience being tested, to see how I'd react?" Kane asked, thinking out loud.
What Mr John said gave him some level of peace, so he was more at ease.
Soon after, Ava arrived, accompanied by her security team. Seeing the fleet of cars, Kane braced up, adjusting himself to make sure he looked presentable, and cleared his throat.
Ava elegantly stepped out of the car, with her right leg first, as one of her bodyguards opened the door for her.
Kane's mouth gaped partially as he beheld Ava.
She wore a red fitting armless dress, overlaid with a fanciful black trench coat, with her hands hanging freely within the coat. She wore a matching pair of black leather gloves. And the red lipstick brought out the perkiness of her lips.
There was no way Kane would not to be stunned by his boss's beauty. But he quickly shook off his daze, comporting himself as she got closer to the entrance of the lobby, where he stood.
"Good morning ma'am," Kane greeted, bowing slightly.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting?" Ava asked nonchalantly, not sparing him a look as she walked briskly.
Her dark glasses made it hard to know if she was looking at someone, or not.
"The wait was worth it ma'am. It wasn't a problem," Kane answered. Although he felt compelled to say something else.
Ava made no remark to his response.
If there was one thing Kane learned that morning, it was that he needed to be as truthful as possible with his new boss.
Kane walked quickly, keeping up with Ava's pace. But he wasn't close to her. He positioned himself beside the bodyguard that walked beside Ava. He didn't feel right being beside her, unless she asked.
As they made their way to the private elevator, the staff at the lobby greeted Ava. She simply flicked her fingers at them in response.
Kane furrowed his brow, wondering what sort of response that was to a greeting. He did the wisest thing he could do, which was to mind his business.
They rode the elevator to the executive floor, and walked to the Ava's office. The floor seemed to be empty of people, just as the last time he was there during the interview.
Two of the bodyguards stood guard at the entrance of the office as Ava unlocked the door via a biometric scan of her finger print.
As she walked in, Kane stayed put at the entrance. Ava took a few steps to realize that Kane wasn't following her.
"What are you waiting for? Get in."
Kane nodded and scampered in, then a bodyguard shut the door behind him.
Ava got to her custom made white desk and chair. She hung her coat on a wooden coat rack behind her to her right. She sat down, sighing deeply.
Ava went ahead to turn on her Apple desktop, typing on the wireless keyboard. Kane stood there feeling awkward as Ava got busy with her computer, not saying a word to him.
"Um ma'am, is there anything yo-"
Ava lifted up her left index finger, shushing him. Kane bit down his down his teeth, suppressing his hurt and annoyance.
'How on earth am I gonna survive working with her, if she keeps being this way?' he thought within himself.
After a couple of minutes, Ava's phone vibrated. Someone was calling her. She looked to see who called, and saw it was Megan.
"Hey Megan," Ava said in a friendly tone as she picked the call.
"Ava darling. How are you?"
"Same old same old," she answered, leaning into her reclining chair.
"That's good," Megan remarked. "Well, I heard the date was a disaster. Lina made sure to break the news of your utter disappointment to me. As did my husband."
"Oh, did she now?"
"Ava, Colin is one of the nicest guys my husband works with. And well to do. So I wonder what it was about him that made you treat him in such a way," Megan complained.
"That's someone I can never, with a capital N, never date, except in my nightmares. Moreover, do you think he's even capable of taking care of me? Hmm?"
Megan sighed, shaking her head.
"Based on my standards, he's broke," Ava added.
"Ava, no matter how much you try to act tough, deep down I know you have a good heart. But if you keep this up, you're going to end up alone when you grow old. And I don't want that for you. So I'm not going to give up until you find true happiness."
Kane couldn't hear what Megan said on the other side of the call, but could tell she wasn't siding with Ava.
"Good luck with that, my dear friend," Ava chuckled. "Anyway, I've got a lot to do. Talk later."
Saying that, she ended the call, setting aside the phone. She sat upright, looking at her computer screen.
Her eyes darted to Kane, and she furrowed her brow. Kane slightly furrowed his also, a bit intimidated by her vicious look. He wondering if there was a problem.
"What are you wearing?" Ava asked.
"Uh- A suit, ma'am," he replied. Even though he knew what he wore, he still felt a little bit unsure due to how Ava looked disdainfully.
Ava laughed shaking her head. "You call that, a suit?"
Kane looked confused, as it was a brand new suit, not knowing what to say.
"Is there something wrong ma'am?" Kane asked politely.
"After today, I don't want to see you wearing that- that clothing," Ava said, flicking her finger up and down as she pointed at Kane's suit.
"Alright ma'am," Kane nodded in acknowledgement.
He looked down, as he felt insulted. He was displeased, knowing that it cost his mom to get the suit, and this was what he got as a result.
At this point, he didn't know what to do.
"Here."
"Mmm?" Kane jerked, looking up. "Pardon me. Ma'am?"
Kane saw Ava stretched an envelope towards him. He reached forward, receiving it.
"What am I to do with this, ma'am?" Kane enquired.
"Call this number. Let him know I sent you to him," Ava said, handing a paper to Kane.
Kane had a confused look on his face.
"Run along. I can't have you around me looking this way," Ava said, and buried herself in some paperwork that she needed to take care of.
Kane quietly walked out of the office. He curiously looked into the envelope as he slowly walked to the private elevator.
His eyes widened as he gasped, seeing what was in the envelope.