Chapter 1 Meeting the CEO

"You're going to be late on your first day," my mom's voice echoed as I stroked my face with a brush of makeup.

"Mom, I have to look my best. It's my first day working for the prestigious Rexel company." I responded, carefully looking over my outfit in the mirror. For a moment, my eyes met hers, just as she rested her weight on the room door.

Mom walked over to where I stood, picked a comb, and ran it across the length of my hair. "You'll do well today, you've got all it takes," she said reassuringly.

"I know, Mom, I've waited for this moment for a long time." I replied, then held her in a tight hug as a tear dropped on my cheeks.

"It's okay," she continued, with a tap on my back. "You've got to get going now." She added, releasing herself from my grip. I picked up my handbag alongside some vital documents, then waved goodbye to Mom.

However, when I got to the company, I took a moment to take in all the new changes I saw.

The skyscraper went as far as the heavens with a bold inscription of REXEL company written above. The sun's rays flickered over its window panes.

My heart raced on as I walked into the building. Am I really going to work for Rexel Tech Company? As though it wasn't enough that I got to work as a staff member of Rexel; I was also to work as the secretary to the CEO. What could be better than this? I grinned wildly, just as the hair on my arms rose in delight.

Not long after, I was assigned an office by the HR. A brief introduction of what I was going to do was made known to me while I got ready to give my best to the company. While I was getting settled into my tasks, I heard lots of noise from outside my office. I quickly found my way to the door, just to find out what was going on.

"I need you all to be on your best behavior. Anyone who's not ready to work or ready to see this organization become one of the best tech companies should take their leave right now!" a voice thundered, just as I closed my office door behind me.

"Who are you?" the voice yelled at me, his gaze turning over to my direction. "This has to be the CEO, Oliver Harrington," I thought silently.

"My name is Rachel Rodriguez. I'm to work as your secretary and assistant," I said.

"I can't remember when I asked for an assistant. Are you sure you're in the right place? You must have missed your way."

"No, I'm in the right place." I affirmed before I walked back to my office to bring my letter of employment.

I handed over the letter to him; he glanced over the contents, then glanced back at me.

"I'll tell you this for free. I'm a hard man, and if you must work here, then I need to see you do far more than your best. Your best isn't enough here. If you can't keep up, then you'd better call it quits on your first day." Oliver said before he flung the letter at me, then walked into his office.

I picked up the letter and wondered what could have gotten the CEO that mad. Not able to find an answer, I walked back to my office. The landline on my office table began to beep loudly while I sorted through a file. I picked it up after taking a while to understand how it worked.

"You don't dare waste a second of my time when you see the beep go off. I need you at my office. Come along with a cup of coffee."

"I'm sorry, sir," I quickly apologized, but he had already hung up.

I stood on my feet, walked over to the coffee-making machine towards the end of my office room, then made some coffee for him.

I knocked slightly at his door.

"Come in already, don't waste my time any longer." I heard his voice from behind the door before I gently pulled the knob to his door.

"What took you so long?" Oliver asked.

"I was working on some..."

"Enough! Drop the coffee on the table." Oliver said, cutting me short.

I gently placed the cup of coffee on the table before I returned to where I stood.

"Now, I need you to take an inventory of the sales made last month. I want it ready by noon. Here are the resources you'll be needing." Oliver said, referring to piles of paper stacked up together on his table.

I picked up the files and made my way to the door.

"And one more thing! You need to act faster and be time-conscious. Our work here is based on the time factor."

I nodded.

I was about to walk out of the office when I heard a sputtering sound from Oliver. I turned over only to see my boss throwing the coffee from his mouth. The rest of the coffee in the cup was poured onto the floor.

"What the hell did you do, Rachel?! I can't understand; can't you make a simple coffee for me? What's your use here, anyway?" Oliver thundered.

"Sir, I only ensured the mixture was creamy enough."

"Rubbish! Clean this mess up, make another coffee, and make sure to add no sugar. Then work on those files I gave you." I nodded for the second time, picked up the coffee cup from the floor, and then walked out of the office.

On my way back to my office, I met Tessy at the corner of the office space. She quickly walked over to where I stood.

"Hey girl! How's your first day at work?" Tessy called out excitedly.

"Terrible, I hate it here. I've just been getting into one trouble or another with the boss."

"Hey, come on, don't get worked up about it. He's just not in a good mood today."

"I see," I responded, but not fully convinced.

Just as we were talking, a lady walked into the building, dressed extravagantly. She moved past us, then walked to Oliver's office. She knocked on Oliver's door while she kept looking around until Oliver gave her consent to come in. She screamed out in excitement before she gave Oliver a hug.

"Girl, just do your work and don't let him get to you. I have got a bounce now," Tessy said before going back to her work desk.