Chapter 5 Four

Kathy....

"I called a cab and exited his apartment, feeling grateful that he didn't wake up in the process. The night with him was exactly what I needed, but I couldn't get distracted now. I had to focus on the workday that was ahead of me. I had to make a good first impression.

"Maybe I'll see you again," I muttered as I left, already planning to visit that same bar with the hope of running into him.

With little time to waste, I swiftly changed into suitable work attire as soon as I got to my place. I carefully picked out my favorite pair of high heels and fixed my makeup. After a quick cup of coffee while brushing my hair, I felt refreshed and ready.

I walked into the office, exactly on time and dressed to impress. Just by the looks of it, no one would even guess that I'd had such a wild night.

"You must be Kathy, the new hire," a warm smiling face greeted me at reception. "I'm Marsha, I'll be your supervisor."

"Great to meet you," I smiled brightly, ignoring the thumping in my head. She must've been waiting for Kathy's arrival.

"Why don't we go into my office, and I'll brief you on your role?" she said.

I nodded and followed her, glancing around my new office. It was undoubtedly an upgrade from my last. Just the size alone was at least twice as big.

"We have a very dynamic workplace and everyone's really friendly. I'm sure you'll fit right in," she said as she handed me a few documents to sign.

"I just need your initial here," she pointed to the document.

I nodded and signed the papers. "I'm excited to get started."

Marsha returned my smile with ease. "I'm sure you've already been notified of this, but you'll be working directly under the CEO. But he's usually busy, so I might step in every now and then as your manager."

"Is he here now?" I was curious to meet this man I had heard so much about.

"Actually, he's a bit late today and hasn't come in yet," she said. "But don't worry, I'll set up a meeting for you to meet him later."

I felt nervous. Now that the excitement of moving to a new place was wearing off, I started to realize that everyone in his office seemed super competent. I knew I was going to have to bring my A-Game.

"Of course, that would be great," I smiled.

"Your office is right outside of his," she told me. "So, I'm sure you're going to see him a lot in passing anyway."

I nodded, glancing over some of the paperwork she had laid out in front of me.

"You were an urgent transfer from the other office. Your supervisor there spoke very highly of you and I'm sure you'll be a great fit in this role," her tone was more serious now.

"I'm ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead," I assured her confidently.

"Since this was an urgent hire and you were called in to replace a previous employee whom we had to let go, you'll be taking on the projects that she was looking after. So, there might be some tight deadlines for you in the coming week," she told me.

"Yes, I was told that there might be some extra workload in the first few weeks," I replied. "But I'm confident that I can handle it."

"Good. That's what I like to hear," she grinned. "I'm not gonna lie-It's a high-pressure job and we want people that know how to handle it. But you can use the morning to get acquainted with the place."

Loud laughter filtered into her office and I looked over to where a few staff members were talking on the floor.

"You can go now and get to know some of your co-workers if you want," she said. "They'll help you settle in."

My last role was more relaxed, and I had a lot of downtime to myself. From the sounds of Marsha's brief breakdown, it didn't seem that it was going to be the case over here. My mind automatically went to my ex-boyfriend. He would throw tantrums whenever I had to stay back at the office. Now that I was single, I had a lot of time to give to my work.

"Hey," a woman with short, layered bob haircut greeted me as I walked out of Marsha's office. "You look lost. Can I help with anything?"

"It's my first day here," I told her.

"Oh, new girl," she grinned and then gestured for another employee to join us. "I'm Caitlyn, by the way. And this is Jeff. We both work in sales."

"I'm Kathy," I introduced myself timidly.