Lena's POV
"Ms. Thompson, could you come in here?" Elias's voice sounded over the intercom, firm and professional like always.
I took a stable breath, I tried to straighten my posture, and walked into his office.
Elias was standing by the window, his eyes was fixed on the city he was looking at, a normal look on his face.
"Do you need something, Mr. Elias?" I asked him, thinking my voice will sounder more calm than I felt.
He turned to face me, I can't really read his expression. "I have a client arriving here within an hour, an important guest at that.
Their proposal needs to be flawless, but there has been an issue that is unexpected."
My heart skipped a beat. "What kind of issue is that sir?"
He moved towards his desk, where a stack of papers were spread out, marked with red ink each. "There were last-minute changes to the presentation, but my usual assistant is sick, he is not around.
"I need this to be sorted out and to be finalized within the next thirty minutes before their arrival."
I quickly nodded my head, moving to the desk. "Consider it done, sir."
Elias watched me, crossing his arms, as I went through the documents.
I was aware of his eyes as I took in the revisions, my mind was racing to understand what exactly was needed.
I picked up a pen, marking some sections that needed corrections, rearranging key points for more understanding, my fingers were flying over the notes with so much ease.
After several stressed minutes, I looked up, my brow was slightly furrowed. "Do you mind if I suggest a small adjustment to the closing argument? I believe it would help emphasize our strengths more very clearly."
Elias raised his eyes, very curious. "What exactly would you change?"
I pointed to a section near the end. "Right here, I will shift the focus from just talking about profitability to highlighting our commitment to sustainable growth. It is a little difference, but I think it will sound much more important and better with the client's long-term goals."
For some time, Elias didn't respond to what I said, studying me with a mix of more interest and surprise. Finally, he nodded his head. "Go ahead."
With his approval, I completed the adjustments, handed the new organized proposal back to him immediately the clock ticked thirty minutes.
I let out a small breath of relief, realizing I had managed to finish just in time.
Elias reviewed my work, his eyes was moving over each change she had made.
He looked up at me, and, for the first time, I thought I caught a sign of hope or something close to respect in his eyes.
"Not really bad, Ms. Thompson," he said, a hint of admiration in his tone. "You work well under pressure."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Elias," I replied him, trying to keep the surprise out of my voice. "I am glad I could help sir."
He gave me a small nod, then looked down at the proposal again. "I have to admit this, I was not sure about you at first."
I swallowed my words, my heart was beating. "Is that so?"
"Yes," he said, his eyes was very sharp. "I had my suspicions about you… Still do, actually."
I forced myself to stay calm, meeting his gaze head-on. "Is there a reason you did not approve me, sir?"
Elias's expression did not change. "In my experience, people are not always what they seems they are. Sometimes they are looking for something… or hiding something."
A cold knot formed in my stomach all of a sudden. I could tell in his look that he was waiting for a reaction from me, be a slip of tongue, anything that might confirm his long doubts about me.
But I would not give him that kind of satisfaction.
"I understand why you might feel that way, given the position you are," I replied steadily. "But I assure you, Mr. Elias, I am here to do my job and nothing more."
He watched me in silence, then gave me a short nod. "We will see."
I was about to excuse myself when he said something again, his voice was very soft, almost very slow. "That proposal… you handled it very well."
I allowed myself to have a small, appreciative smile and I said. "Thank you so much."
"Don't get too comfortable," he added, the seriousness returning to his voice. "There is a long way to go."
"Of course, I know," I replied, but I could not ignore the shine of warmth his words had sparked.
For the first time, I felt I might actually have a chance of proving myself here.
I left his office, feeling carefully optimistic.
However, as I returned to my desk, I caught a sight of a figure staying near my work space.
It was Ms. Kerrigan, and she was looking at me with a strange and calculating look.
Before I could react, Ms. Kerrigan approached me, her voice was sounding low.
"A very good work you have there, Ms. Thompson. But a word of advice from me to you, don't think for a moment that Elias's approval means you are safe."
I felt a cold run down my body. "I… don't understand what you really mean actually."
Ms. Kerrigan gave a serious smile. "There are many things in this company that are not as straightforward as you think they are. You need to always remember that."
With those words that is not easily understood, Ms. Kerrigan turned and walked away, leaving me feeling a new found sense of disturb.
As I looked back toward Elias's office, I realized that, even with the hint of trust I had begun to earn, I was now getting closer into a world of secrets than I had ever expected.