Chapter 2 Two

Mr. Sanchez's office was interesting, Sophia thought as she looked around the room, before refocusing her gaze on the man who occupied the office-her immediate boss.

There were paper wraps of chocolate everywhere, and his documents piled up to the roof of his office, some of the papers slipping to the floor.

He was an odd man, but an efficient administrator, so she couldn't really fault him. The only problem he had was that his office was always a disaster, and so was his appearance.

Mr Sanchez was in his fifties, and he had sunken eyes with thick lashes that made them look like a depressed owl. His nose had a little bit of crookedness to it, probably from fights when he was a dashing young playboy... Maybe I should tell my Mom that he's the one I want to marry. Sophia grinned at the thought, shaking her head at how absurd it was.

He was too old, too disorganized to consider, plus he was getting bald, and the little hair he had, grew like a disease on top of his head.

Sanchez wore suits throughout the season, even when it got extremely hot. Sweating was his second nature, and dabbing at his face with his never-ending supply of wipes was his motto of the day.

Today was odd though. The sweating looked a bit extra as she watched him squirm in his seat. She wondered if it was a good reaction. What if this wasn't a promotion after all? She pushed the thoughts aside, smiling broadly to put him at ease.

"Leroy said you needed me urgently. Did I do anything wrong, Mr. Sanchez?" Sophia asked, her eyebrow arching.

Mr. Sanchez jerked as if he had been daydreaming all the while that Sophia stood there, then he twined his fingers, placing them on the desk. His gaze became focused, his voice assuring.

"Nothing like that Sophia. You've been our best worker this year, and also for the previous years. It would be a shame to let you go. I plan to keep you here until you retire".

Sophia smiled, her worries subsiding. Maybe he was going to promote her after all. "I'm relieved to hear that Mr. Sanchez and I promise to do better this year-"

"You have to quit the team," He announced, adjusting his tie, which seemed to be choking him.

Sophia's mouth hung open in shock before she pulled herself together. "But you just assured me that you'd keep me here until I retired..."

"I know, I know, but something urgent came up. We had a lot of candidates that we took into consideration, but I know you are the only one capable of taking on this assignment, so I recommended you, and you got accepted."

Sophia nodded, waiting patiently as Mr. Sanchez struggled with his words.

"You'll become the director's assistant" he dropped.

"A what?" Her eyes widened in shock. Was he demoting her? He wanted her to leave her position to become an assistant, which was almost equivalent to getting fired. "Mr. Sanchez, are you demoting me- I don't understand what I've done. If, if I did something that..." She stuttered, her heart burning in her chest.

He cut her rambling short with a wave of his hand. "You haven't heard everything, Sophia. Don't worry about the paycheck because it's going to be doubled."

That got her attention enough for her to calm down, but she was still a little skeptical of the whole thing. "But I'm going to be just an assistant, why is my paycheck getting doubled?" She queried, raising an eyebrow.

"You're not just going to be an ordinary assistant Sophia. You'll be the owner of the company's assistant. You get to work on the very top floor. Think of all the connections you can make, but you'll have to last at least six months with him." he sold his pitch, hook, line, and sinker, getting her interested.

He watched her, waiting for a decision.

She took her time to think about it. He was right, the top bosses were all at the top level. She had always been fascinated with those who worked above her. She wanted to know how they brought her ideas to life, how they knew exactly what she was trying to showcase through her designs, how they hooked their investors, and those elaborate dinner parties she always heard of. Plus a double paycheck. She was in for that alone.

"Just for six months?"

Mr. Sanchez nodded. "Just for six months, then you'll get back to your little boss corner. During the duration of those six months, you'll have to adjust yourself to receiving orders, drink splashing, and verbal..." He paused, swallowing hard. "The director is a very difficult man with a temper. You'll be running in a month if you don't have a backbone. You have to resume work by five in the morning since that's the time he comes to the office to get things done, he likes to be ahead of everything and everyone. He prefers to have his way. Do you understand?"

Sophia pondered it over. He was probably an old man, so how hard could it be? She knew she could take verbal abuse due to solving conflicts in the sales department. Some customers were made to tick off anger buttons you didn't know you had, so Mr. Lennox couldn't be that bad.

"I'll do it, Mr. Sanchez. I can handle any type of difficulty for an increase in my salary. I'll do anything," she said, smiling as she pictured her shopping list, some items she had ticked off were getting back on.

"Great," he clapped, bringing out a document and providing her with a pen. "Just sign here and it's done!" he dabbed at the sweat trickling down his nose.

Sophia took the pen, signing her scrawny signature onto the document. He stamped it with a flourish, looking pleased with himself.

"When is he arriving?"

"He's already in his office," he deadpanned in a manner that almost made Sophia burst out laughing. She swallowed it tho, surprised at the information.

"That's odd, shouldn't I have been notified of this a week earlier".

"I was notified of his arrival yesterday. A piece of advice, inform your team members to be on their toes. He's a perfectionist who'd not tolerate any form of incompetence".

Sophia nodded, he sounded like a douchebag to her. "I'll let them know to be on their best behavior."

"Good luck Sophia," he wished, swabbing at the beads of water droplets on his forehead.

"I can tell I'll be needing that, but are you sure you're alright Mr. Sanchez?" She asked concerned. His clothes were soaked through.

"I am perfect, Miss Sophia. You may leave now, I have to get back to work."

"Ok, Sir" She stepped out of the office, closing the door gently behind her. She stared at the closed door worrying about Mr. Sanchez.

"I was going to tell him to take off his suit or turn on the AC but he might not take it too kindly." She sighed, shrugged dramatically, and walked toward the elevator.

Mr. Sanchez's office had been like a torture chamber. The other offices were so different from his, that you'd think you were in another dimension once you got there. He had been working there for twenty-eight years, so he was a bit old-fashioned.

There were rumors that he was connected to Lennox Ray, the owner of the company, more like he was a distant cousin, and that was the reason he was given so much liberty, but since he was a good boss, it didn't bother her or anybody how he chose to run his affairs. But now that she was to work under a new boss, a director whose feedback was negative, nearly downright scary, she felt a bit disturbed.

She squared her shoulders; I'm sure he's not that bad or was he? She took a deep breath and then exhaled, dispelling all the negative energy surrounding her as she promised herself to be the best assistant he'd ever had. Not that she would quit when extra money was involved just because of a bullying boss. How hard could it be to work for an old perfectionist? She could take him.

"Let's go get that money girl. Nothing is going to stop you. Hah!"