Chapter 5 suddenly exclaims

As soon as Mr. Drake retires to his own office, I exhale a much-needed breath. Leaning against the desk, I hold a hand to my heart, feeling its fast rhythmic beats.

I would have been late, just as Mr. Drake had predicted. However, my best friend was kind enough to reach home on time, and she ended up crashing a vase near the door in a drunken state. I jumped up, and my sight fell on the clock. Muttering a string of curses, I managed to get ready as soon as possible before rushing here.

I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if I were late. Forget Mr. Drake; he would have skinned me alive.

I move my body behind the desk and take a seat on the revolving chair while shaking. I lean back in the chair and take a deep breath, shutting my eyes for a while.

My life has changed drastically in a few days. If I have to right the wrongs of my father, I have to do this job. Even if I want to or not.

I open my eyes and take a look at my surroundings. My cabin is a small L-shaped room with the walls painted in beige and white. There is a window behind my back that lets in an ample amount of light from the outside for daytime work. The room has a sweet scent and a plant by the door.

My desk has its materials properly arranged, along with a computer that is open to the company's logo. I stare at the screen blankly, a sudden kind of excitement getting my nerves.

This is my office. I have a job, and I am about to work on an expensive computer. My years of education have finally paid off.

I turn the device on and check for the files that I need to work with. Opening Mr. Drake's schedule after closing the other tabs, I scan it for an overview. The length of the table makes my eyes widen, and I keep scrolling until I reach the end, where his schedule for today is marked, but the next column is blank for me to fill in.

His job runs from 9 am to 10 pm. The schedule even consists of cells timing his gym time. For a guy with a tremendously tiring business to run, it surprises me that the man manages to find time for workouts too. He doesn't skip them, though; that I can conclude from one look at his body.

I make a note of the way his schedule is arranged, quickly memorizing his daily essentials and the format in which they are stored. Apparently, I have to keep a physical copy with me every day in his personal file before he enters the office, as Mr. Khan has asked me to do.

A sudden ringing sound makes me flinch. Looking around, I spot a tiny bell-shaped thing on my table, which is ringing like a doorbell. It is a bright, little object which is extremely shiny and twinkles in the light. Confused by its sharp ring, I searched for something that would turn it off. Finding no switch anywhere, I try to slap it shut, but it keeps on ringing. Another careful look makes me see that it is not a real bell but a device installed on my desk itself.

After speculating for a few seconds, I hear the heavy sound of footsteps coming from Mr. Drake's office. As I watch, the door opens, and my boss's scowling face pops in. He arranges his sexy glasses over his nose and looks at me sitting quietly behind the desk, then at the bell, which has now stopped ringing.

"Miss Lucas, that bell has a purpose," he says in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I assure you I have been trying to find it, Mr. Drake," I counter curtly.

He gives me a threatening glare. Holding the knob on the door tightly, he clears his throat.

"The ring of that device means you have to come to my office," he explains. "I'll excuse this for today, but next time, remember to politely ask me when you don't understand stuff."

Embarrassed at not having guessed that purpose before, I nod to him. He rolls his eyes and disappears inside his office, leaving me to follow behind him.

When I enter his office, I am greeted by the sight of dark grey walls, a black couch on one end, and Mr. Drake's white desk on the other. The glass wall behind him makes his room appear brighter and larger than mine. On close observation, I realize that it is larger than mine.

"Miss Lucas..." he begins when I reach his desk. He shoves a large number of stacked files towards me. "Search through the digital copies of these documents on your computer and update the dates to the present, then send those digitized versions to me. I need them urgently."

My jaw drops as I look at the number of files.

"All these?" I ask.

He gives a small smirk at my question and clasps his hands underneath his chin. His blue eyes spark with mischief behind his sexy rectangular-framed glasses. The look clearly says that he is playing with me.

"Why? Is it too much? Are you ready to give up?"

Annoyed by his words, I force myself to maintain a thin smile on my lips as I pick the files up, the load of them causing me to stumble a little.

"Not at all. I'll have them ready by afternoon," I tell him before starting to head back towards my office.

I try to push the door open, but it stays shut, moving only an inch before closing back. The jerk behind the desk watches me, amused at my failed attempts, before I see his handsome face break to a low chuckle.

Still laughing at me, he gets up from his seat and strides towards me to hold the door open with one hand.

"There you go, Miss Lucas." He leans against the wall beside the door, his hand holding the door open high above my head.

"Thank you, Mr. Drake," I say as I huff and proceed inside my office under his arm.

His eyes challenge me as he stares, which somehow manages to make my stomach drop because he looks like a young Clark Kent in an Armani suit. I wish he weren't so handsome. It would have made my job a lot easier.

"I need the files on my desk by lunch," he instructs once I am inside the office.

"They will be ready by then."

We stand there provoking each other with our blazing stares as he lets the door go, and it shuts on itself.

***

After spending hours breaking a sweat and burning the morning oil, I finally managed to get the task done by noon. As I walk with the files back to Mr. Drake's office, I find him already waiting for me because his gaze stays fixed on the door. Holding my head high behind the stack of files, I drop them on his desk with a thud.

"Here you are!" I declare. "All done. Is there anything else you would like me to do, Mr. Piece?"

For a moment, he just stares at me with a look so intense that I feel like he is trying to add a different meaning to my words.

"Miss Lucas," he says finally, reaching for the drawers under his desk and taking out another set of files. "Take these to the photocopier and make five copies of each. You'll find Pete downstairs. He is our resident person for this stuff."

As he pushes the files towards me, I glance at my watch.

"It's lunchtime, Mr. Drake."

"So?" He gets up from his seat and moves around his desk to come close to me. "As my assistant, your priority should be me, Miss Lucas. You're not like other employees here. It's not lunchtime for you."

He stops a foot away from me, staring me down with a slightly visible smile playing on his lips. He seems to be enjoying looking down at me from his tall height. I am 5'6 myself, which is taller than most girls I usually hang out with, but his looming height annoys me too much. It makes intimidating him without being intimidated harder.

"You..." I almost point a finger at him with the way my nerves flare at his ridiculous words, but I manage to hold my temper down.

He is doing it to piss me off. Just that. No worries.

"Yes, Mr. Drake..." I smile instead. "I understand. I'll get them done right now."

The notorious man remains unfazed as he gives me a nod. "I'll be waiting, Miss Lucas."

***

I don't find Pete at his station and have to wait for fifteen minutes with a growling stomach before I spot a middle-aged man with a bald head walking toward me at a hurried pace. Behind him, two other women follow, and they mutter something excitedly to each other.

"Miss Lucas...sorry to have made you wait. I went for lunch," the man, Pete I guess, says with panting breaths.

"No problem. It hasn't been long since I arrived. Can you make me five copies of these files for Mr. Drake? He needs them urgently."

"Yes, yes. Doing it right now."

He takes the files from me and disappears towards his cubicle. As I take a seat outside in a chair, I see the two women who followed Pete stride forward.

"Excuse me?"

I look up to find one ginger-haired head and one brunette-haired woman looking over me with huge smiles on their faces. They are both pretty and look about my age. One of them, the ginger head, is wearing a simple blouse and pants, while the other is dressed in a pink shirt and a black pencil skirt.

"Hello," I greet both of them with a smile.

"Oh my Gosh...you must be Elizabeth. The new assistant, right? It's so good to meet you. My name's Tracy, and this is Linda."

The ginger head named Tracy extends her hand for me to shake, and I take it cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you."

I shake both of their hands, and they take the two seats on either side of me, and then turn to their sides to face me. I find myself looking between the two awkwardly, waiting for them to say something.

"So Cynthia...Can I call you Cynthia?" Linda asks with a shy smile.

"Yes, sure. That's what everyone calls me," I reply.

"Okay, so...Cynthia, we don't mean to annoy you, but it's basically mine and Tracy's duty to welcome all of Mr. Drake's assistants personally to the office and ask them how they are finding the environment. It's nothing formal. Just candid talk, and we have been looking for you everywhere!"

"Oh, is it?"

"Yes," Tracy interrupts excitedly. "Do tell us how you're finding your first day. Did Mr. Drake give you lots of work? Was he rude to you, too? Did you find him tolerable?"

"Did you find him handsome?" Linda adds.

"Uh...he's tolerable," I lie to them, finding their way of questioning too funny to answer with truths. "You said all of Mr. Drake's assistants. How many have there been?"

Linda and Tracy exchange a worrisome look as if they are debating telling me the truth before turning to me with fallen smiles.

"You're the twenty-first in these two months," Linda answers.

My jaw drops at the statement. "There have been twenty assistants before me?"

"Just the narrow count. He has been running this company for eight years. You can do the calculations."

"Oh my God! Why? What happened to the rest?"

Tracy reaches over and grabs my hand, squeezing it with a sad look.

"We don't talk about them, Cynthia."

The look on her face is so mournful that I can't help but ask.

"Did he eat them?"

Tracy and Linds both wince and look at each other. For a second, I think I said something wrong, but soon they burst out laughing.

"Oh, Cynthia! You're hilarious!" Linda snorts, slapping my arm playfully.

I wasn't joking at all, so their laughter kind of surprises me. I chuckle too, to hide the fact that I have no idea why they thought my words to be funny. I swear, no one thinks I am funny.

Mr. Drake does looks like someone who could chew you whole and then spit your dreams and aspirations out if they don't taste good.

"Oh my God!" Tracy suddenly exclaims. "I love you. You're different from his other assistants. You actually have claws. Would you use them on him?"

"I don't know..." I drawl out. "As I said, I found him tolerable. We'll see if this works out."

"Well, if he fires you, always remember that you'll have a club exclusive to all of Mr. Drake's assistants run by the two of us. You're welcome to join anytime."

"Really? What do you guys do?"

"We hear the other assistants rant about the boss." Tracy claps her hands in a terrifying gesture of uncontrolled happiness. "It's so much fun. Do join us, Cynthia. We would love your input on stuff."

"Yes." It is Linda's turn to grab my hand now as she leans in. "Do join in. We have meetings every Friday night and Sunday mornings at Tracy's house. We have a set of rules which we will share with you when you join, and we also have dress codes and tea time! It's so much fun. Please join."

I bite back the laughter that starts to threaten my lungs at the excitement in their voices as they invite me.

"Sure. I'll think about it," I say, and they both grin at me.

"We'll be looking forward to you joining us, Cynthia."

Just then, Pete comes back with the files and a set of sheets. I get up from my chair and rush towards him as he hands me the stuff.

"I hope it's all right, Miss Lucas. Sorry for the tardiness."

"It's fine, Pete. Thank you."

"See you later, Cynthia!" Linda waves at me, and I wave back before starting to run.

My feet are fast as they carry me to the elevators, and then I press the button for Mr. Drake's floor. Once the elevator stops, I step out and run towards the glass doors, and they open to let me in after I use my card. An older lady looks up from her counter straight ahead, and the color seems to drain from her face for some reason when she sees me.

"Miss Lucas...I don't think you should..."

Her slow trail of words finds its way to silence as I push open the door to Mr. Drake's office.

"Mr. Drake, here are your...holy cow!" The startled cry leaves my mouth abruptly when my eyes fall on Mr. Drake.

He is sitting behind his desk with his suit missing, hair messy, and shirt open, displaying his bare chest, as a naked, black-haired woman sits on his lap and they both stare at me in pure mortification.