Chapter 4 REASSIGNED

"Mum," I started but she wasn't listening to me, she never did.

In horror, I listened to her rant at the other end.

Great! Turns out she's the one spreading the news. She even wants me to come for a company's dinner or whatever, obviously to show off with me to her colleagues.

I really wondered how she was gonna yell at me and exactly what she was going to do when she finds out that I've been fired on my first day of work.

I leaned against the wall and resisted the urge to hang up.

I dared to reach for the hang up button but then...

"Shelly?" I heard her call and let out an almost silent sigh before answering, "yes."

"I didn't expect that you'll make it into Hawthorn, you really surprised me."

I paused my lips. Was she trying to compliment me? She did seem impressed.

I shook my head to snap out of it. I've been fired already, if there was anytime to tell her, it was now.

"Mum, actually earlier..."

"Yes Shelly, I'm proud of you."

My hands flew to my chest as I felt my heart melt.

Did she just say that, or maybe I didn't hear right.

"Mum..."

"See you in the evening," she said then hung up.

Feeling devastated, I sunk to the floor. What was I gonna do.

Her words; 'I'm proud of you' rung in my head and I sighed. I couldn't let my mother down but at the same time, I have just been fired.

I considered going to beg that jerk but doubted he was going to listen to me anyway.

No! Desperate times call for desperate measures. I sprang to my feet and started for the door then stopped.

I really shouldn't embarrass myself, I thought. With that, I spun around and slipped through the door.

I wiped my now slightly teary face and punched a random button in the elevator. It didn't take long, the door slid open and I stepped out completely oblivious of where I was.

I slipped through an open door, took a seat to the left and busied myself observing the unit as they raced here and there completely caught up in their activities.

From where I sat, I saw a man barge into the room, sweating, with his chest heaving hard.

He scanned the room with his monolid eyes that told me he was Asian.

Turning his head he looked left then right. I watched him sigh and dip both hands into his pocket.

He roamed his eyes from face to face.

A slow smile spread on my lips as I watched some workers begin to act more serious than they actually were before he stepped into the room.

I shook my head. "Eye service team," I labelled them.

I folded my arms and watched as the other set fidgeted clumsily with their work under the man's stern observing stare.

I watched him sigh once more then turn his eyes to the left where I sat, he made to turn then snapped his head right back.

"You!" He called out in his rough voice and I felt my heart do a leap in my chest. I jerked and sat upright at once.

"Why aren't you doing anything?" He asked.

"Well I -actually I..." I stammered not sure if I should tell him that I wasn't in this unit.

"Follow me!" He ordered.

I stood to my feet and followed him wondering what he wanted from me.

We stepped into an office I assumed was his and he quickly retrieved a paper from his desk.

"What's your name?"

"Uhh, um, Shelly Mchan" I answered and he scribbled down at once.

"You were in the IT unit before?"

"Um well not rea..."

"You won't stay there anymore," he said as he kept scribbling down, "consider yourself lucky Ms. Mchan. The new post is a spot a lot of people envy in this company."

"Oh!" I said lamely as I wondered what other spot than the CEO's assistant do people envy here.

Still scribbling down, he mumbled out loud. "They just won't let me have my leave in peace."

He paused his scribbling to glare down at his watch.

He cursed under his breath then returned to his scribbling, going faster now.

"I waste more stupid time here and I miss my flight," he mumbled again before sliding the paper over to me.

"Sign here."

I complied and sighed on the spot the man showed me. And just when he took the paper away to shove it into a file did I realize that I didn't read what I had just signed.

I opened my mouth to say something but the man was to busy making a call, with the way he spoke casually it was obviously family or friends on the other side of the line.

Confused and a bit annoyed, I let him lead me hastily out the door and into the hallway towards the elevator as he went on with his phone call.

We stepped out of the elevator then he led me to a door.

Turning around to face me he stated, "congratulations Ms. Mchan on being transferred to a better post."

Smiling, I nodded then followed him as he stepped into the room.

I heaved a sigh of relief as I thought about just how lucky I was. I got fired by the jerk but then got hired by another senior in the company.

A smile crept up my lips. At least I have a Job and at Heartthrob for goodness sake! I honestly didn't care what position it was.

The smile disappeared when I remembered my mum. I wrung my hands as I thought of the perfect lie to tell her on how I got demoted.

Well at least she wouldn't be that mad the way she would if she learns that I had actually been fired from Heartthrob.

I halted to a stop when he did and looked around.

Obviously our entrance hadn't escaped the staff's notice in here cause all eyes were on us.

"Say hello everyone, there's a new person on board." He called out.

"Hello I'm Shelly Mchan," I introduced myself and was pleased when the greeted me back.

He turned to face me. "Ms. Mchan, these are the staff you will mostly be working with from now on."

He turned around and pointed at a blonde, " that's Linda she's Director Drake's assistant." He moved his finger to point at a brunette next to her.

"This one's Chloe, she's Director Taylor's assistant. You'll get to know the rest later." He brought his finger down and addressed them.

"So this is why I asked that you all gather here, so you could meet Ms. Mchan and get to introduce yourselves." He said and they nodded in response.

He then turned to me, Ms. Mchan, I suppose getting along with this new staff won't be much of a task, they're all assistants like you."

I blinked, confused. Assistant? What the heck was he talking about.

"Assistant?" I managed to ask.

"He wiped his sweat then looked down at his watch before replying."

"Forgive me, Ms. Mchan I was in quite a hurry." He turned again to the staff, "please, let's welcome Ms. Mchan, she's the CEO's new secretary."

I froze for a second or two, blinking hard, trying to process what I had just heard.

"Sorry what?"