Coping with the Boss

The elevator door finally opened and Liam dashed out, wishing he had super powers so he could easily teleport to his boss' office. He had just arrived at the company, out of breath and completely drained of energy.

Judging from the look on Lindsey's face the moment she had seen him, he knew he looked a complete mess. It didn't even help that Mr. Blaise had come looking for him that morning. Liam could only imagine how angry the old man would be at him.

"Crap!" He blurted out when he bumped into someone, his suitcase dropping to the floor.

"Bloody hell! Will you watch where you're going?" He heard a voice yell and his eyes widened when he realized he had bumped into a lady and her bag content was all over the tiled floor.

Just perfect, he thought. Not only was he late but also blind. How then couldn't he have seen her?

With a heavy sigh, he bent quickly to pick all that had dropped on the floor, whilst muttering his apology to her even when she remained quiet. He was thankful the lobby was empty so there was no one to share in his embarrassment.

"I'm really sorry," he apologized once again but his jaw dropped when she slapped his hand away from her bag and it fell back to the floor.

Shocked by her actions, he finally decided to give her a good look and he gasped when he was greeted with a pair of angry hazel eyes. Her lips were blazing red and her jet black hair fell over her shoulder in a pretty fashion.

She was very beautiful and Liam was dumbfounded for a while, drinking in her exquisiteness. She was dressed in a beautiful white blazer coupled with skinny black jeans and her heels were so high Liam wondered if they weren't uncomfortable.

He finally came out of his daze when she yelled into his face.

"Get your filthy hands off my bag!" She barked at him. "Are you blind?"

"I'm -" Liam tried to explain after getting out of his trance but she held her hand up to silence him.

"I don't wanna hear any of your flimsy excuses. Just look what you've done." She bent to pick her things up.

"But - "

"You know what?" She interrupted him once again, exhaling deeply as she glared at him. "You should be the one to pack all these." She gestured to her stuff on the floor with her fingers.

"It is your fault they are on the floor so you should pick them up. I wonder why I stopped you." She stood to her full length and folded her arms below her breast, her glare never leaving her face.

Liam frowned at that, anger welling up in him as he stared at her.

"What is your problem?" He asked her after a while and she gasped. "It is my fault as well as yours that your bag fell because you were also distracted. If you had been concentrating on where you were going and not smiling at your phone sheepishly, you would have seen me leave the elevator and avoided me."

"You fuckwad!" She began to say but he shut her up by yelling,

"You know what? Pack these yourself. I was willing to help before but not anymore." He adjusted his suit and made to walk past her.

As if he was not having a bad day already.

He had no time for all that, not when he was totally exhausted from the run he had broken into after missing the bus that morning. It seemed that day was not his day and he could not help but wonder why he had to be late on a day like this.

Today was an important day when his boss would hand over the company to his only daughter who would be his new boss. It was for this reason Liam was mad at himself for waking up very late.

This was his chance to leave a good impression of himself on her so she would like him instantly just like her father did but here he was, ruining it by being late on their first meeting.

He shook his head but had barely walked past the woman before him when he felt her hand grip his wrist. She whirled him back with so much force, he was sure she intended to dislocate his joint and he gasped in surprise.

"You Goddamn idiot!" She spat at him, her eyes flaming. "Do you know who you are talking to?"

"Whoever or whatever you are, I don't care!" He snapped at her, pulling his hand from her tight grip and turning to walk away. "Rude bitch!" He muttered under his breath.

He was late already so there was no time to exchange words with such a person. He wondered who she was and what business she had there.

Liam was quick to see her hand fly up in the air, to slap him across the face and his hand shot up immediately to stop her. He held her by the wrist firmly, refusing to let her go even when she struggled to release herself.

"Let me go, jerk!" She yelled at him but he held onto her.

"What were you about to do?" He glowered at her and she returned his glare.

"Putting you in your damn place, what else?" She fired and his eyes narrowed.

"You are rude and it will take you nowhere." He finally dropped her hand and walked away despite her yells for him to return.

He walked straight to his boss's office, fuming, but after hearing his boss's approval to come in after his knock, he inhaled, letting go of his anger and putting on a sorry appearance. If he wanted to be pardoned, he should at least look remorseful.

He took a moment to calm himself, as well as, adjust his suit and wipe dirt from his polished shoe before walking into the spacious office room.

Despite it being six months of working with the food company, Liam still felt like it was all a dream. When he had received a phone call saying he had gotten the job as the personal secretary to the CEO himself, he had almost fainted.

The Blaise company was a food company with a fifty-year history of manufacturing the finest premium baking ingredient in the industry and with the way the company was running, Liam was sure it would achieve greater height.

Despite the proficient and high-tech workers the company was keen on hiring, the CEO, Mr. John Blaise was a very easy-going man that maintained a great relationship with every worker he came across. It was a pity he was retiring for his daughter to take over.

Liam didn't know much about the lady only that she was nicknamed the witch. According to all he had heard, she had a very bad temper and would never hesitate to lash out at anyone.

The mere thought of working directly under such a person made Liam's hair stand but he was sure he could do it. He needed this job and was not ready to lose it.

Mr. Blaise, who was sitting on the sofa with a blonde young man whose face Liam knew but could not place where they had met, turned to look at him immediately he walked in and he bowed his head, not wanting to look at the old man whose gaze was quite scrutinizing; it was like he could see through the lies around him and Liam didn't like that one bit.

Not when he was about to tell the story he had made up on his way to the office.

"I'm sorry Mr. -" he was starting to say but the old man cut him off. Why was everyone cutting him off today?

"You are late!" He fired and Liam nodded, feeling uncomfortable with the way the blonde was staring at him. The man was legit staring him down like he was an exhibition and Liam didn't like it at all. It made him so self-conscious, and it didn't even help that he wasn't looking his best that morning; from all those running, he sure did look disorganized.

He was an advocate of leaving a good impression with anyone he met so having this man stare him down, he wondered what was going on through his mind.

"I'm sorry, sir. It was because - " he tried again but Mr. Blaise raised a hand in the air.

"It is fine. I will let this slide because today is a glorious day." The old man beamed, winking at the young man who was sitting beside him and breaking into a laugh when the young man rolled his eyes.

"When does the meeting start?" Mr. Blaise asked after a while of laughing.

"In ten minutes, sir," Liam answered and the man nodded as he stood to his feet, his companion doing the same and they both left the office, with Liam tagging behind.

As they walked to the conference hall where the meeting would be held, Liam listened to the conversation between his boss and his friend. His boss looked really happy that morning and Liam couldn't understand why. He was to hand over to his daughter and he was smiling? Wouldn't he miss the company?

"If I didn't know, I would have thought you won a lottery this morning," the young friend said, making Mr. Blaise laugh hard once again.

"Didn't I win a lottery?" The old man nudged the younger man in the shoulder and the man smiled, making Liam wonder what kind of relationship the two men shared.

From the way they were interacting, Liam could tell they were tight friends - but could Mr. Blaise have a tight friend Liam didn't know about? He was his personal secretary, so he should know. Besides, the age gap was quite a handful.

"Why are you so happy about retiring?" The young man asked and Lian nodded. He really wanted to hear the answer to that question.

"Because I will finally have the freedom to visit every single place I intend to go. In fact, I will be spending the first two weeks of my retirement in France."

"Oh, so you've made plans already?' The man raised his eyebrow and Mr. Blaise laughed again.

"I thought you would like to stay for a while, you know, to put Anastacia through her first week?" The younger man turned serious but Mr. Blaise only shook his head, his big smile still on his face.

"Stacia already knows her job. She won't need me for anything. Don't you think she can handle this?"

"Oh, yes, she can." The younger man sighed. "She has been trained for this all her life."

"Exactly my point. It is time for her to put to practice all that she had learned. I believe she will do a good job. Stacia is a dogged and resolute lady and with the help of the people here, she will have no difficulty." Mr. Blaise slapped the younger man softly on the shoulder.

"Don't you trust your woman?" He asked and the man chuckled.

His woman? Oh! Liam's eyes widened in realization. He could now recall where he had seen the man. He had come visiting once and Mr. Blaise had introduced him as the fiance of his daughter. Little wonder they interacted so freely. Liam envied the relationship.

They finally arrived at the conference room to see the board of directors already seated and Liam quickly stood by the side, getting ready to take in the minute of the meeting.

He could already feel his anxiety setting in and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. He had never liked conference meetings because it made him look so small like he didn't fit in.

Everyone looked so serious and poised, dressed in their expensive suits and ties, they looked so unreachable and Liam felt out of place.

However, he could not escape it and despite it being six months of his job as a personal secretary, he still wasn't used to it. It was for this reason he made sure to make himself as invisible as ever whenever he was in any of these meetings.

He watched as Mr. Blaise stood at the center of the table, his big smile still on his face, while his son-in-law and friend, took a seat on one of the vacant seats.

Mr. Blaise finally cleared his throat and he opened his mouth to speak, first of all thanking every board of directors and committee chairs who had in one way or the other contributed to the growth of the company and had supported him right from the creation of Blaise corporation to where they were.

"Up until today, we have given our all to make Blaise corporation better and though we might have started unskilled and lacking in many ways, I can confidently tell you that the passion we had for the past fifty years was genuine. I am forever grateful for your support during the past years." He paused, making sure to smile at everyone before continuing.

"Today, I am happy to inform you all that I will be handing on this baton of leadership to my only child, Anastacia, and though, I have introduced her to you, most of us are quite familiar with her, I wish to introduce her once again. So please, join me in welcoming the new chairman of this corporation, Miss Anastacia Blaise."

He beamed and faced the door, making everyone follow his line of sight as the door opened and a young beautiful woman dressed in a white blazer coupled with skinny black jeans and heels so high, walked in.

Liam, who had been dying to meet his new boss, immediately turned to the door only for his jaw to drop when the lady came to full view. He gasped and would have fallen had he not been leaning on the wall. His heart began to pound as she walked to the center of the table to meet her father and he quickly lowered his eyes when she looked in his direction.

"Hello! I am Anastacia Blaise and I hope we can all work together to move Blaise food company to greater heights." She bowed and a round of applause resounded in the room with people nodding in approval and camera flashing lights filling the place.

The young man who had come with Mr. Blaise rose to his feet and hugged the lady, whispering words into her ear that made her chuckle a bit. However, Liam remained frozen and could barely move his hands as all he could do was try to comprehend what exactly was going on. Could it be?

Oh no!

Shit!

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Liam couldn't stop pacing around as he ran his fingers through his hair. He tugged at the strands firmly and released them, only to grip them again. Lindsey sat on her chair, watching his display in confusion. She exchanged glances with Ryan who looked just as perplexed as she was and they both turned to look at Liam who was still pacing around restlessly.

"What's the matter, Liam? You've been pacing around for the past ten minutes." She couldn't take it anymore but Liam paid her no attention.

How couldn't he have known she was the new chairperson? He had never seen her before and she was dressed expensively, so why hadn't he been able to connect the dots? She was rude too and very proud, it could only be the witch everyone had spoken about. The signs had been so clear but he had turned blind eyes to them in his hurry. What was he to do now that he had fucked everything up before it even started? What was his fate now?

"Liam!" Lindsey tried again but as expected, he ignored her, hitting his palm on his forehead instead and muttering the same word he had been muttering ever since he came to her office.

"Shit!"

Unable to take it anymore, Lindsey shook her head and stood to her feet, walking directly to Liam and pulling his hand from his head. He turned to look at her with plain horror in his eyes and her heart skipped. What exactly was wrong to make him this restless?

"What is wrong, Liam?" She asked softly, her grey eyes peering into his face intently and for a while, all Liam could do was stare.

"I've ruined it all." He said, at last, lowering his eyes to the ground and heaving a deep sigh.

"What?" Lindsey looked more perplexed. She cupped his face in her palms and lifted it so he could look at her and when he finally did, her legs suddenly felt weak. She still wasn't used to his intense green eyes staring directly at her.

"I met her before the meeting but I didn't know it was her. We bumped into each other and she was being really rude so I yelled at her and walked away and now she is my boss. I got on her nerves and she is my boss. She is Anastacia Blaise." He gabbled and Lindsey only listened. "I am already in her black book and I am sure she doesn't like me."

"The witch doesn't like anyone." Ryan quipped and Liam turned to look at him, making Lindsey lose hold of his face. "Before she went for her one-year training, she used to handle a post here. She was unbearable to work with. You can ask Lindsey. Honestly, I feel really sorry that you have to work personally for her." Ryan shook his head and Liam gasped.

"Ryan is right. She is a very unlikeable person." Lindsey agreed and Liam frowned.

"Nevertheless, we shouldn't have met that way. Now I have lost all chance of getting her to like me." Liam sighed. It was true everyone said something bad about her but Liam had hoped his would be different. He really didn't want to judge her till he had met her but would he be able to meet her after what he had done to her at the elevator? He could still remember the look of plain shock on her face when he had talked back at her.

"You think she will like you?" Ryan scoffed. "That bitch likes no one but herself. Quit dreaming."

"Do you think she will fire me?" Liam's eyes widened as he realized the possibility of her doing that. It would definitely be a disaster if she actually did that. He had only gotten this job and was not ready to lose it anytime soon. He was sure he would never get any better job that paid as high as Blaise did and that realization made his heart pound loudly in his chest. He couldn't lose his job. How would he take care of his mother and little sister if he lost this job?

"Don't be ridiculous, Liam." Lindsey snapped as she retired to her seat. "She can't do such a thing. She can't go about firing people when she is yet to settle down. Besides, people will surely talk if she does that. She ain't stupid to ruin her reputation when she is yet to build one. Chill!"

Liam's stiff shoulders relaxed and he finally felt better after hearing that. Lindsey was right. She couldn't fire him just like that. Mr. Blaise wouldn't even let that happen.

With that in mind, he smiled at his friends, feeling very grateful to have them with him.

"Thanks, guys!" He expressed his gratitude and they returned his smile. "I need to head back before I wreck more havoc." He told them and turned to the door.

"Have fun working with the witch!" He heard Ryan yell and he chuckled.

The witch, huh? That did sound fun and adventurous and Liam could feel a buzz of excitement pooling at the bottom of his tummy.

He arrived at his desk in no time and walked straight to his boss' office, lifting his hand to place a knock on the polished door but freezing immediately. He suddenly couldn't bring himself to. All the confidence he had gathered back at Lindsey's office had strangely disappeared and now he was left with nothing but fear.

Inhaling and exhaling, he summoned all the courage he could gather and knocked lightly, pulling the doorknob and taking another deep breath, before walking into the office.

There were five one-seater sofas and Mr. Blaise was occupying the lone sofa facing straight ahead, while his daughter sat on one of the four sofas facing each other. The young man, the one who was engaged to Mr. Blaise's daughter, was nowhere to be found and Liam wondered if he had left already.

"Oh, Liam! Great! I was just about to send for you." Mr. Blaise beamed and Liam returned the man's smile, making a conscious effort not to look at his daughter even when he could feel her heavy gaze on him.

"I wanted to introduce you to Stacia properly since you will be working directly for her." The old man continued and Liam could feel shivers run down his spine. From the way he could feel her gaze on him even when he still wasn't looking at her, he was sure she had now recognized him and in no time, she would blow out on his cover. What would Mr. Blaise do then when he discovers how rude he had been to his daughter? Would this really be the end for him?

"So Liam, meet my darling daughter, Stacia," the old man beamed once more as he stared at his daughter, bringing Liam out of his reverie. It felt like the man took pride in his daughter and Liam was really not surprised. The lady was a paragon of beauty and her mere presence spelled class and substance. He would be proud to have someone like her as a friend, let alone a daughter. Of course, Mr. Blaise should be proud.

"And Stacia, meet Liam, my trusted and hardworking secretary. He will be all yours now " Mr. Blaise finally turned to Liam and Liam held his breath as the lady examined him quietly. He could feel his legs wobble as her eyes swept over his body, from his head to his toes. Liam could tell it was only a moment before she blew up.

However, to his surprise, she smiled brightly at him and brought her hand forward for a shake.

"I look forward to working with you."