Chapter 5 The Clock Is Ticking

She arrived at her desk, relieved to have made it on time, and placed her bag beside her chair.

"Now I have another job, aside from being a secretary – being friends with Mr. Evans," she thought to herself, feeling excitement and trepidation.

She believed it wouldn't be that hard, considering their pleasant conversation yesterday.

Jason walked over to her desk and hit it to get her attention.

"Mr Evans, you are here so early." She remembered her mission.

"I thought you would drop by my office, but you didn't." She was first confused before she remembered their conversation yesterday.

"Oh, I just got here; we can go to your office together." They both left for his office.

Jason's office was equally impressive, with sleek, modern furniture and stunning city views.

They spent three hours discussing projects and strategies, and Mikaela couldn't help but feel a spark of attraction towards Jason, his charming smile and kind eyes making her feel at ease.

She quickly pushed the thought aside, refocusing on her work and the tasks at hand, determined to maintain a professional demeanor, suddenly Raymond called her.

"Hello, who is this please?" He called her phone, since she wasn't picking up the phone.

"You dumb secretary, get here in thirty seconds or you're fired." He sighed.

"Sir, how do you expect me to get there in thirty seconds?" she replied, knowing it was impossible.

"How is that my business?, Your time starts now." He hung up.

Before Jason could ask what happened, she got up from her chair and started running like a madwoman; employees around were so confused.

She finally got into the office and opened the door; she walked in breathing heavily.

"Sir you wanted to see me." She said cleaning the sweat on her forehead.

"I didn't hear you knocking, and who told you to come in?, he growled.

"Now go back and knock..." he commanded.

She went back and closed the door; then she knocked.

"Sir, can I come in?" she called out feeling so frustrated.

"Hmm, come in," he replied.

She immediately pushed the door open and closed it behind her. "Sir you wanted to see me." She was catching her breath.

"You are five seconds late, give me a reason I shouldn't fire you." He flipped his pen, staring at her.

"Because... I'm a good assistant," she ventured, her voice trembling slightly as she met Raymond's piercing gaze, her mind racing to come up with a more convincing response, but her words hung in the air like a challenge.

She stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest, as Raymond's silence stretched out like an eternity, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.

"You are not even close, where were you all morning?". He demanded.

Mikaela couldn't help but wonder if she would make it to the coffee shop at 5 pm. She had a feeling that her life was about to get a lot more interesting.

As Mikaela walked out of the boss's office, she bumped into Nora, who was sipping coffee and staring at her with a mixture of disdain and curiosity.

"Well, well, well, look who's cozying up to the boss," Nora said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Mikaela smiled politely, trying to diffuse the tension. "Just discussing some projects, Nora... nothing more, nothing less."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "Save it, Mikaela. I know exactly what's going on here... you're trying to get in his good books, aren't you?"

Mikaela shook her head.

"No, I'm just doing my job, Nora... honestly."

"You're doing a lot more than that, sweetheart... I've seen the way he looks at you." Nora snorted.

"Nora, stop it... nothing is going on between us." Mikaela felt a flush rise to her cheeks.

Nora leaned in, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone.

"Listen, Mikaela, I'm just looking out for you... Raymond Williams is not someone to be trifled with. He's got a reputation, you know?"

Mikaela's mind flashed back to her earlier encounter with Raymond, where he had berated her for being late. She felt a shiver run down her spine as she wondered if Nora's warning was justified.

"What are you talking about?", Mikaela frowned.

Nora glanced around the office, making sure no one was listening.

"Let's just say he's got a certain... appeal to women... but he's not interested in relationships. He's got a pattern, Mikaela... he gets bored, and then he's done."

Mikaela felt a pang of unease... was Nora telling the truth?

Nora's expression softened slightly.

"I'm just warning you, Mikaela... don't get too caught up in his charm. You deserve better than to be someone's fleeting interest."

Mikaela nodded, taking Nora's words to heart.

"Thanks for the advice, Nora... I'll keep that in mind."

Nora smiled wryly. "Just keeping it real, sweetheart." With that, Nora turned and walked away, leaving Mikaela feeling slightly uneasy...

She watched Nora disappear into the crowd of employees, she couldn't help but wonder... was there truth to Nora's words?.

Was Raymond Williams the kind of man Nora described?

She wondered if she would make it to the coffee shop at 5 pm, where she was supposed to meet her friend, Sarah, to discuss their weekend plans. She had been looking forward to it all week, and the conversation with Nora had left her feeling unsettled.

Just as she was about to turn away, her phone buzzed with an incoming text from an unknown number... her heart skipped a beat as she read the message:

"Don't trust anyone in the office, especially not the boss." Suddenly, the floor seemed to drop beneath her feet...

TBC