Chapter 9 New Applicants

"Hello Boss," Margret immediately picked up the office line and received the call.

"Come into my office right away," Liam responded. She gulped and quickly stood up from her office seat, dropping the phone line. She saw Bambam smiling at her as Bambam prepared to attend to the client sitting in front of her.

Some clients stepped into Margaret's secretary's office to see her too, and she immediately directed them to other staff working on the third floor to attend to them, knowing the new boss didn't like to be kept waiting.

Margret immediately walked towards Liam's office door, knocked, and heard his cold response, "Come in."

Margret swallowed as she opened Liam's office door and walked into his exquisite office to see him.

"What took you so long to respond to my call?" Liam questioned, continuing to type on his computer without shifting his gaze away from the monitor screen as his fingers clicked faster on the keyboard.

"I'm sorry, boss. I arrived late from lunch," Margret replied. Liam paused his typing and stared up at her.

"Do you want to be fired?"

"No, boss," Margret nervously responded, not wanting to lose her job yet. She fumbled with her fingers as her palms automatically became sweaty.

Her job was one of the highest paying jobs she could get, and her work wasn't stressful for the huge salary they paid her, even though it was an individually owned private company, not a government-owned one, and yet their pay was relatively high.

"Then don't keep me waiting next time!" Liam warned, shifting his gaze back to save his project before exiting.

"Come here!" he ordered, and Margret walked closer to his front desk.

Liam stared at her suit, which was a bit oversized as he had instructed, but she still looked smart in it.

Margret stared at Liam's face and immediately looked downward nervously as she met his cold gaze.

"Here, take this file and take it to the department responsible for employing new staff. Inform them to get a new secretary and two more staff on the third floor."

"But, sir, I still love my job and I am diligent in carrying out my tasks. Please forgive me, sir," Margret begged, and Liam stared at her again.

Margaret was fair and beautiful, and he shook his head.

"I'm not firing you or asking for your replacement, but an assistant to help you with the tasks. If you fail to respond to your call next time and keep me waiting, then you will be fired."

Margret swallowed hearing him.

"Now take this file, and as I said, instruct the department responsible for employing new staff to email this person to start and get an assistant to help you as well. Also, ensure that other records that are incomplete are taken care of, and get replacements for the staff who failed to show up today."

"Okay, boss," Margret responded, picking up the file from his desk. She stepped backwards and stared at him, waiting for his next instruction as she looked at his handsome, cold face.

"You can leave," Liam dismissed her in his usual cold voice. Margaret smiled faintly and turned to exit his office.

Margret stepped out and heaved a sigh of relief as her eyes met with Bambam's staring at her again.

She breathed out heavily and sighed as she walked past Bambam's open office and headed to the HR department responsible for the employment of new staff.

Margaret didn't want to lose her job, as it was one of the most sought-after positions in the city, and the dress code didn't bother her.

She sighed and knocked on the door of the person in charge of employment, as he was busy talking to a client in his transparent glass office. The client stood up to leave as she walked in and placed the file on his desk with a loud thud.

"Good afternoon, Miss Margret," Joel Gregory, a dark-skinned man, greeted Margaret first. She responded, "Good afternoon, Joel. The Boss instructed you to email the person whose CV is in this file to start on Monday and hire two other staff members."

"Wow, just like that?" Joel asked, looking at the file on his desk.

"A female staff," he murmured, remembering the CEO's additional order.

"Yes, he also said to find replacements for those who didn't show up today due to a hold on the records. And to hire an assistant secretary for me as well."

"An assistant for you? What's so difficult about your job?" Joel asked, looking up at Margaret as she stood in his office. She retorted, "Don't ask silly questions, Joel. Just do as you're told, as those are the Boss's instructions. I almost got fired and I have to leave now so I don't miss his call."

"Okay," Joel nodded, and Margaret quickly left his office and returned to her own office as the boss's secretary, while Joel looked at the file on his table and then back at his computer screen.

Joel checked the list of applicants who had submitted their application letters to the company. He quickly skimmed through some of the emails, ticking off some and sending the company's standard email letter of resumption to the selected applicants. Many female applicants had refused to return to work because the new CEO had stated that he did not want them to dress seductively or wear revealing outfits to work, and had even banned excessive makeup in the office.

As Joel was about to switch off his computer after emailing the selected applicants to resume on Monday, he noticed a new email from an applicant named "Anita Baker." He clicked open her application email and read through her profile. She was a recent graduate with no work experience, but had achieved excellent results and graduated with a first-class degree.

Joel remembered that his younger sister had also attended the same university as Anita, but had not been as successful academically. He felt a pang of regret for not considering Anita earlier, as he had already sent out all the necessary emails to fill the vacant positions left by resigned employees.

After some contemplation, Joel decided to email Anita back, inviting her to check in on Monday and meet with him personally. He provided his office desk number and name in the email, as he knew the department responsible for new staff orientation might not have the time to give her proper guidance.

He wanted to meet Anita and properly inform her about her new role as an assistant secretary to Margret, the boss's secretary. Despite Anita's impressive credentials, Margret had more experience in the field. Joel was intrigued by Anita's dedication to her education and professional development, and wanted to ensure she had a smooth transition into her new role.

After sending out all the necessary responses to the new applicants, Joel switched off his computer and left his office, looking forward to meeting Anita on Monday.

Meanwhile, Margret sat in her office attending to the last clients who had appointments with the boss. She had recently learned that the boss preferred to conduct interviews and business discussions online, rather than meeting with clients in person. Margret now understood why he had requested an assistant for her, as she sighed heavily after dealing with the last client who had come to see him.