Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
I had walked through these doors hundreds of times in my life without a second thought, but this time was different. I was an ex-employee now, and I felt shifty and out of place in the high-ceilinged lobby full of gleaming chrome, black tile, and faux marble. I prayed I wouldn’t run in to anyone I used to work with. The situation was too embarrassing.
Why did Neil want to speak to me? I still hadn’t figured it out. A change of heart seemed unlikely at this late stage, but what else could it be about? Unless he had thought up some genius new way to humiliate me… I shuddered.
James Campbell manned reception on the twentieth floor. He wore a suit that was too large on his wiry frame, giving the appearance he was playing dress-up. His youthful face added to the effect. I suspected he was one of those people who was older than they looked—the same as me.
“Hi, James.” I said, approaching.
His eyebrows shot up at the sight of me. “Amelia! What brings you here?”
Despite his surprised look, he had a cheery tone that made me feel like an old friend.
“Neil called me in. He should be expecting me. I’m a few minutes early, though.”
“I don’t think he’s in his office right now. I saw him step out a while ago.”
“No problem. I’ll wait. By the way, thanks for giving me that update about Christine. I was so relieved to hear she’s okay.”
“We all were. But why’d you have to go and leave her at my desk like that?! It was the scariest moment of my life! I’m still not over it.”
I grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Well, I’m just glad it wasn’t for long and that she’s okay now. Did you hear she’s had her baby?”
My mouth dropped open. “What? No. I didn’t.”
“A little girl.”
“That’s wonderful. When was that?”
“About a week ago, I think. I only just found out today.”
“And everything’s okay?”
“From what I know, she’s doing fine.”
“What a relief. I’m so happy for her.”
“Me too. She’s such a nice lady.”
I heard the metallic clang of the lift opening behind me. The atmosphere shifted in the room. I sensed it was Neil without having to look.
“Oh—there he is. Mr. Kingston, Amelia is here to see you.”
I turned around. He wore a three-piece charcoal suit with a white shirt underneath and a scarlet tie like a gash of blood at his throat. His expression was terse, his forehead veins pronounced. He swallowed, taking me in.
Why do I always feel naked in front of him?
“Good afternoon,” I said.
He said nothing in return, just tilted his head back in a sharp, angled gesture that instructed me to come with him.
I followed him down the corridor. In Christine’s office, her desk sat empty. A woman I didn’t recognise occupied the other desk at the opposite end of the room. She had long, mousy hair and a thin, mousy face to match. She gave me a meek smile of acknowledgement as I passed.
Neil took me through to his office and closed the door behind us. He gestured to a couch and waited for me to take a seat before he claimed the opposite couch. He sat pin-straight, hands at his sides, and didn’t speak. I wondered if he took pleasure in my discomfort. It was unbearable. I had to say something, anything, to break the silence. “James told me that Christine had her baby.”
Neil nodded. “Her name’s Rosie. I have a photo, if you’re interested.”
“Oh? Yes, please.”
He slid his phone from his jacket pocket, brought up the photo, then passed it across to me. The picture showed Christine, teary-eyed, with her newborn baby cradled in her arms. Rosie’s face was pink and chubby. She had a button nose and rosebud lips and one faint tuft of black hair on her head.
“Adorable,” I said.
“Yes.” He had a soft fondness in his voice that caught me off guard.
Once I had recovered from my shock, I passed his phone back to him. Our hands touched, and I felt a current pass between us. Not static this time—something else. But it was gone as soon as we broke away.
“Is Christine doing well?” I asked.
“About as well as one can expect. She’s supposed to be resting, but she’s not the type to sit still for long. Her sister is here from Singapore to help out. Her husband’s off work as well. A nanny looks after Rosie at night so Christine can sleep.”
“Wow. It sounds like she’s in good hands.”
“Yes. It’s important she gets the support she needs so she can make a full recovery.”
“Absolutely.”
At least we have something we can agree on.
I gestured to the door. “Is that woman out there Christine’s replacement while she’s on maternity leave?”
“No. She’s from the admin department, providing temporary cover.”
“I see.”
“And Christine’s not on maternity leave. She has left the role permanently.”
“Oh. Is she going to go back to Singapore or stay in New Zealand?”
“Her husband’s got a job as a maths teacher here, so they’re staying.”
“It’s a nice country to raise a child.”
“Yes, that’s a big reason they moved here.”
“Makes sense.”
I twiddled my fingers in my lap, feeling the crushing weight of silence as it descended again.
Okay. Enough chitchat.
“So, why did you call me here?” I asked. “Is there something you want to discuss?”
“Why do you think I did?”
There he is. The Mr. Snarkypants I know and hate.
“Is that a trick question?”
His lip curled. “I assure you it is not.”
“Then why would you ask me that?”
“I thought you might have an inkling.”
“I don’t.”
He opened his mouth, but someone knocked on the door, cutting him short. The mousy woman entered, carrying a stapled A4 document in her hand. She passed it to Neil. He accepted it without comment, and she left the room. He ran his eyes over each piece of paper and appeared satisfied. Then, to my bemusement, he held out the document to me.
Huh? Is it for me?
Brow furrowed, I took the document. “What is this?”
“I should think that’s self-evident.”
I looked down and read the title on the front page.
Secretary to the CEO, permanent, full-time, salary negotiable.
“A job ad?” I asked.
“Obviously, I will need a new secretary.”
My mouth dropped open. Did this mean what I thought it meant?
It can’t be. I must have the wrong end of the stick…
“Have a read,” he said. “If the job interests you, I’d like to make you an offer.”
He wants me to… take Christine’s place?
I thought he didn’t like me. Why would he want to hire me as his secretary? It took physical effort to close my gaping mouth and retract my wide-eyed stare.
“Well?” he prompted, arms folded. “Any thoughts?”
“Why me?” I stammered.
A smirk spread across his lips. “You’re devious, Amelia.”
I boggled. Devious?!
Never in my entire life had anyone called me devious. Hardworking, diligent—I had heard those plenty of times before. Conscientious had been a teacher favourite. Devious! It would have appalled me if he hadn’t said it in a way that made it sound like it was a good thing.
“Excuse me?” I spluttered.
“It’s as I said.”
My eyes darted around the room. “I think you must have me confused.”
He leaned in, making me even more aware of his presence, his scent, the heat radiating from his body. “Tell me, how long did you intend to keep up your little charade, hmm?”
Is he really bringing this up again?
My face grew hot. “I was going to confess to everything after that presentation.”
“Were you? You stood up there, acting like everything was just fine, and gave a perfectly good presentation which fooled everyone—except me. Do you have prior marketing experience?”
“No.”
The sound which left his mouth was half laugh, half sneer. “Impressive.”
Was that a compliment? I couldn’t be sure. Nothing he was saying made much sense.
I tried to put him straight. “Like I said, it wasn’t my intention?—”
“And not just that. The way you wormed your way into a comms role with no degree, no experience, just sheer determination and perseverance.”
Wormed my way?!
“Yes. I’m impressed,” he said.
“Wait a minute. If you think that’s so impressive, why did you fire me?”
“Need I remind you that you were supposed to be laid off to begin with? And even if that weren’t so, I must uphold Luxmore’s zero-tolerance policy for dishonesty.”
“But you would rehire me in a role with even greater responsibility?”
He shook his head. “Luxmore isn’t hiring you. I am.”
He could do that?
“You don’t care if I’m dishonest?” I asked.
“As long as you are not dishonest with me.”
I crossed my arms. There was still something I didn’t understand. “Why did you want to make me redundant in the first place?” I asked.
“I had to let many people go, Amelia.”
“So, it was an arbitrary decision?”
“Not quite.”
“How so?”
“My impression of you was that you would be able to find another job.”
I had to hold in a scoff. “Do you have any idea how high the unemployment rate is right now?”
“I do.”
“And I’ve hardly got any experience.”
“Your determination could overcome the limitations of your experience.”
“You think I could just strut out and pick up another job just like that?”
“Yes.”
I laughed. He was in a bubble, sitting in his cushy office all day with his CEO paycheck. He had no idea.
“Read it.” He gestured to the paper still clutched in my hands. “If you’re not interested, I’ll find someone else. It’s no bother.”
A big part of me wanted to tell him, “No, I’m not interested.” Me, working for him, after how he had treated me? He could forget it. But the remaining shred of me was more sensible. I should at least read it, weigh up the pros and cons, and make an informed decision. I could be tossing a major opportunity away if I didn’t.
I lowered my head to read the pages in front of me. Neil watched on as I did so. The job description was thorough and included everything from event planning to calendar management, taking meeting notes, organising gifts for clients, making travel arrangements, filtering emails and phone calls, and keeping everything in his office neat and organised. A lot of these things I didn’t have any experience in doing, however, pretty much all of it sounded manageable and even piqued my interest.
Would it really be so bad working for Neil? Christine was okay with it, and she seemed very respectable. Winston liked Neil too… Then again, there were other companies I was still waiting to hear from, and I’d rather take any of those jobs over working for Neil. Even being a cleaner was preferable if I could get more clients.
“What do you think?” Neil asked when I had turned over the last leaf.
“I think I could do this.”
“Naturally. I wouldn’t have offered it to you otherwise.”
“But there are other jobs I’ve applied for, so I’m not one hundred per cent sure.”
“I need you to be sure, Amelia. Someone else can fill the role.” He reached for the document.
“Wait—” I tightened my grip and pulled the papers to my chest. “I just need a little more information. It says salary negotiable. How much were you thinking?”
He scratched his chin. “For you, I’d like to offer a starting package of eighty-five, plus benefits including health insurance, phone contract?—”
I was still stuck on the eighty-five, so I didn’t absorb the rest.
“Eighty-five thousand ?”
“Is that not satisfactory?”
It was more than satisfactory. I had never contemplated making so much money at my age and with my level of experience. Eighty-five thousand dollars. That was a good chunk more than I had ever made before.
“No, no. That sounds good,” I said.
“So, do you accept?”
This was too much pressure. The money was tempting… But I’d have to work for Neil, be at his beck and call. Could I handle that?
“Can I please have some time to decide?” I asked.
Neil appeared to consider my request, then he nodded his head. “Twenty-four hours. No more than that. Then I expect a firm yes or no.”
“Thank you, Neil. I’ll let you know.”
Twenty-four hours. The countdown was on.