Chapter 5 Five

Sana's idea of a barbeque party was Dozens of half-dressed hot guys dancing and mingling with their colleagues from work in her backyard, of course with drinks and grilled meats.

Seeing people she hadn't invited was not.

Sana watched the newcomers in surprise as they trooped into the yard

Bianca and Andria joined her, watching the new guest mingling with the hired dancer.

"Sophia's done it again, hasn't she? Now we have to order double of everything, and there aren't enough guys anymore!" she grumbled, sipping at the wine in her glass.

"Told you guys she always ruins a party. She invited her whole freaking team for our barbeque get-together," Bianca uttered, turning to see Sophia coming through the door. "Talk of the devil and she shall appear".

Sophia smiled, both hands held out in front of her. "I'm so sorry I'm late," she rushed out, as they took in her appearance.

"What happened to your top?" Sana asked, pointing at the stain.

Sophia glanced down at it, her brows furrowing. She had forgotten about the incident that almost led to her getting fired, due to working throughout the day, trying to learn Mr. Lennox's schedule. It was not easy, considering that Mr. Lennox hadn't offered to provide the information.

"My new boss spilled his drink on me. Couldn't text you all cause I'm an assistant now and I was super busy" she announced.

The trio watched her with amusement in their eyes as they tried to catch the joke she was throwing.

Sana noticed her serious expression. "You're not joking?"

Sophia nodded. "I am not. Mr. Sanchez recommended me for it, so I started work today"

Sana almost dropped her wine flute. The other gaped at her in disbelief.

"You got demoted? How's that even possible? You've slaved your whole life for that company, and this is how they choose to pay you back," Bianca huffed, going to hug her. "I'm so sorry boo. You don't deserve this at all"

Sophia pulled out of the embrace. "I know I don't, but I'm getting paid double, and it's only for six months, so it's actually a promotion!" She squealed, her mouth widening in a blinding smile. Andria didn't catch on.

"How are you going to adjust to taking orders... Wait double paycheck?" Andria retracted, her eyes widening.

Sana rolled her eyes. "Life's not all about money Andria"

"You're right, it's not, but it does go a long way and can make a bad day really great," she retorted, her eyes shooting lasers at Sana.

Sophia cleared her throat, catching their attention. "Hey, enough. You two don't need to fight over my problem"

Bianca patted her shoulder. "You've got this Sophia. Welcome to the assistant club. We're all in the same profession now. And oh, before I forget, what were you thinking by inviting all your team members to our party? Sana has had to place extra orders that didn't make her smile at all".

Sophia chuckled, her eyes cutting at Sana who frowned as she crossed her arms. Sophia moved towards her, puckering her lips before throwing her arms over her shoulder. "Forgive me, best friend, I just wanted my team to have fun... And you always throw a large-scale party, and we end up wasting, so I decided to bring more people," she said, batting her lashes in apology, and earning an eye roll from Sana.

"Fine. I'll forgive you. The party already started, let's get you into a more comfy dress so we can enjoy the night," she said, striding back into the house, expecting the three of them to follow. They did, muttering under their breath about how bossy she was.

Changing her dress didn't take long. They all came out to meet the others dancing, eating steaks, and just having a good time. They also stood in pairs like couples.

"Where'd you get all the studs," Sophia asked, noticing the handsome guys strolling around.

"I hired them" Sana answered, all smug. "But they all seem to be paired up which is partly your fault since you decided to show up late. So, tell us, who's your new boss?"

Sophia watched them as they all looked at her eagerly.

"The director. Mr. Lennox Ray" she answered.

Bianca choked on her drink. Sana and Andria gaped at her with wide-open eyes.

"The beast? Girl, you're in for a tough time. He's had like a hundred assistants, yeah I am exaggerating the numbers, but guess how long they lasted, the next freaking day."

Sophia's ears perked up at the piece of information. Was he really that bad?

Sana scoffed, sipping her wine. "If he's that bad, then I should stop complaining about my boss. But isn't Mr. Lennox super old, How hard can it be to tolerate him"

Sophia sighed. "He isn't old, and it's not Mr. Lennox, it's his son Lennox Jr. His dad owns the company but now it's under his control. Mr. Sanchez told me he might be difficult, but I didn't take his warning seriously. I reported for work, and let me tell you, the top level is freaking paradise but with stuck-up rude workers... Moving on, this guy bumped into me, spilled his drinks on me-"

"Oh my gosh, you don't even have to finish this story. You hit your boss right, tell me you struck him right across the face," Sana asked, almost jumping out of her seat.

Sophia paused for effect, their eyes almost comical as they focused all their attention on her, waiting for the bomb.

"You're right. I kinda lost it for a second and whacked him hard across the face".

Sana squealed unbelievably, her green eyes blown out of proportion. "Oh, my fucking Salad. That is the best thing I've heard all day. Was he pissed off? Forget about that for a minute, but since he's young, was he hot when pissed off?" She asked, clasping her hands.

Sophia thought back to their encounter, heat creeping up her neck as she remembered His sharp glare and his full lush lips that seemed to sneer out every word he spoke... Kissable lips, hell yeah.

"He was. You should see him in person. He was so my type, except for the horrible attitude and controlling tendencies," she got out, then frowned, remembering how he'd dismissed her.

Andria held up a bottle of vodka. "Let's get drunk, ladies, cause we need to celebrate badass Sophia over here for doing what we've all been dying to...but be careful girl, you might not be so lucky next time. He could charge you for assault, and you'll end up in jail" she warned with a knowing look.

Sophia raised her empty glass. "That is duly noted. I'm on my A-game from now on and won't cause any trouble" she crossed her heart as her glass was filled up. She tossed the drink down her throat. It left a burn in its wake but it also made her feel alive.

She just hoped that after getting shitfaced drunk, she'd be able to wake early for work.

"Time to party" she yelled, earning enthusiastic screams that matched hers.

The party proceeded late into the night, but she called it quits and headed home after two more drinks. Getting a hangover with a shitty moss ready to make her life miserable was so not worth it.

Sophia entered her apartment, turning on the light switch. The house was neat, and everything was in the proper order that she had left it.

Sophia plopped down onto the couch and brought out the file Lennox had thrown in her face.

"Here we go. What are your rules, Mr. Lennox Ray?"

She held the paper up, squinting to make out the words through her alcohol-induced brain. It gave her a migraine but she pushed through it.

Rule number one: Do not go through my emails. Do not make loud noises. No heels allowed. Do not step into my office without permission. Do not answer my calls. Obey all orders without complaint. Do not put on crinkling accessories. Do not change the settings of anything in my office. Do not serve me coffee. Do not raise your voice. Do not! Do not! Do not! It was never-ending.

There was also a clause that stated that she'd be taking care of hiring cleaners for his house, taking care of their payment, going on long business trips, conducting extensive research to better their production batches, learn to sort between relevant and irrelevant calls...

"Ugh, this is so repressive," she groaned.

Gum chewing wasn't allowed, and neither was taking the elevator. Her eyes widened at that. That was such a dick move, and how did chewing gum and taking the elevator even collaborate?

Sophia squeezed the files together, tossing them into the wastebasket.

"Such an asshole! Do you think this is going to make me run? You're sorely mistaken, mr Lennox Ray. You might have succeeded in getting rid of everyone but not me! I'm going to do my very best to please you, so that when it's time for me to leave, you'll be begging me to stay with a triple increase in my fucking salary." She flopped back onto the bed, grinning. "I'll be the best he's ever had. I'll never let you get rid of me".