7. Chapter Seven
Life is unpredictable.
Today, you could be a young girl trying to figure out life; tomorrow, you could be the First Lady of the United States of America.
You could be a broken-hearted daughter mourning the loss of her parents today and be the CEO’s fiancée on your first day at work.
The unpredictability makes life a circus most of the time. It gives one the thrill and the push to keep going because you never know when things will suddenly change from bad to good and good to …
“Hello… Lea Carlo.” A deep voice with a feminine stint to it cut my thoughts short.
Jenny stands outside the door as she signals for me to come out and join the other recruits for the tour. Her look is skeptical like she is trying to read through me and discover the truth.
I conceal my nervousness behind a big smile and offer my apology while in a secluded area, away from the ears of others.
“I apologize for the whole drama this morning. Damien had sent me to pick up a few things, and I didn’t know it would take so long.” I hope she doesn’t see through my lying tongue as I try to maintain the most truthful expression.
“It’s alright. At least you still showed up.” She kept a stern face as she spoke.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to slack on my duties simply because I am, you know…his fiancée.”
I take a huge gulp to swallow what I just said. If I were truly his fiancée, I still would not use that to my advantage at the office. I’d prefer to work hard and earn their respect, not one tied to the man I’m with.
“I see you are doing just that. Keep up with it,” she said, raising her thumb while keeping a straight face.
I force a smile towards her as I walk into the conference room. As predicted, all eyes turn to me again, mostly judging eyes.
Damien was wrong. These guys were hungry lions seeking to devour their uncanny rumors and scandalous comments.
However, it would be unfair for me to blame him entirely. He was only looking out for me and said what came to his mind at that moment.
Lea, you can do this. You didn’t get this job because of Damien or anyone else. They gave it to you on merit because you have what it takes to do it.I think to myself.
I give myself more pep talks in my head as I walk to my seat at the back. This time, I raise my head and prop my shoulders up to exude confidence, and my face displays a bright smile. I will not let their stares and snide comments get to me. No one will make me feel less about myself and what I offer to this company.
“Welcome back from the lunch break, everyone. I noticed some people interacted amongst themselves, and I hope to see more interactions before the day ends.”
While staring into my eyes, Jenny says the last statement, but I don’t budge. My smile is still intact like I am ready to take all the jabs she or anyone else in the room is ready to throw.
“We will proceed with the tour around the company and show you to your various office spaces. We will divide you into different groups based on the first floor you will be visiting.”
“The first floor you will visit will be your office floor, so you can drop your belongings at your desk and proceed with your tour.”
“There’s a little surprise box waiting for you at your desk. It’s a way to show that we are happy to have you here with us at Selware.”
She points to the end of the room and says, “Six people are standing at the back. They are managers of various departments and will be your tour guides today.”
One of the tour guides hands a piece of paper to her, and she proceeds to read out the names of the tour guides and their corresponding floors as she pairs them with the recruits.
They organized us into six groups of two recruits each, and I ended up with a guy who seemed to have no interest in whatever was happening in the room.
It would be wise to get familiar with at least one person so that I wouldn’t feel totally uncomfortable.
“Hi, I am Lea Carlo. It’s nice to meet you.” I stretch my hand out for a handshake.
A bit hesitant, he stretches out his “Dominic Frizer. It’s nice to meet you, Lea.”
“Thank you, Dominic. I guess we would work on the same floor. What department are you working in?”
“ICT--the Information and Communication Technology department. How about you?”
“I’ll be working as an executive assistant.”
“That’s impressive. Congratulations to us!”
“Yeah.” Yeah right! Congratulations to me and the new turn my life has taken.
Our tour guide signals for us to come with him, cutting my chain of questions short.
We leave the conference room and head towards the right side of the door. Several offices line the left and right sides of the corridor.
The third office to the right is a room with the tag ‘ICT Engine Room’ in golden prints and the Selware logo on top of it.
Our tour guide, named Wilson, as written on the ID badge dangling from his neck, interrupts our tour and points towards the ICT office.
Dominic walks in, and someone shows him his desk in the expansive room filled with desktops, laptops, and other state-of-the-art hardware.
He introduces himself to the other people inside the office as he walks to his desk, and they welcome him with rounds of applause and pat his back.
A man who looks like the oldest presents the balloons at the edge of the office to him. The inscription ‘Welcome to Selware, Dominic!’ is written on the blue and gold balloons.
Wilson also introduces me to the tech guys, and I wave to all of them with a smile.
We walk past two other doors as we approach another office on the right. A woman who looks to be pregnant stands by a printer, waiting for her documents to come out.
“Hi, Sam!” Wilson says to her.
She looks up and notices he is not alone. He introduces Dominic to her, but she does not wait for him to introduce me before she says, “You must be Lea Carlo! It’s so lovely to meet you in person.”
I wonder what the excitement is all about as I try to reciprocate the energy she transudes.
“I looked through your resume and other credentials during the interview, and told Jenny that I wouldn’t want anyone else but you to replace me. You are a perfect fit.”
My heart melts with her warmth. “Thank you so much, ….” I struggle to find her name on her ID.
“Samantha. I’m Samantha Cornwalsh, but everyone around here calls me Sam. You can do so too.”
“Thank you so much, Sam. I won’t let you down.”
She takes me to the second to the last office space beside hers. It has a similar set of balloons to Dominic’s by the desk and a box on the chair.
“You will work as the executive assistant to the CEO. You must have seen him during the orientation. He’s super cool, and I promise you will enjoy working with him.”
I’ve known him my whole life. Of course, I can attest to his cool and calm nature. Damien always looks out for people, like he did for me today.
“Your office is right beside his. After your tour, I’ll take you on a secretarial tour so you are abreast with all the information you need.”
She has a huge grin on her face, and her blue eyes glitter under the white light. She would be my closest friend here if she wasn’t leaving soon.
Samantha speaks to me like a protective older sister looking out for her younger one. I like her already. Not everyone in this office is out for my head, after all.
I drop my bag beside the box as we proceed to the elevator to continue the tour of the other six floors in the building.
We visit various departments, and I see people from different backgrounds working. The noisiest parts of the building were definitely the marketing department and the logistics department.
When we arrive at the top floor again, I see Damien speaking to Samantha as they walk towards his office. They have their backs turned toward us, so do not notice us.
Wilson calls out to him, and he turns to face us.
“Wilson! How are you doing?”
“I’m good. We just finished taking the recruits on a tour of the company.”
“I see. You must have also met my fiancée, Lea.”
Samantha and Wilson stare at each other in bewilderment.
“Oh…I…I didn’t know she was your fiancée. Congratulations,” Wilson stutters.
“Thank you, Wilson. Please make her feel comfortable around here. Also, don’t forget to send the feedback from the beta-testing of the app to me as well.”
He turns to me, stares at me for a few seconds, and turns his gaze to Sam. “Samantha will take you through all the rudiments, okay? I’ll see you later for dinner.” He disappears into his office.
Samantha’s eyes grow wide with excitement. I’m too stunned to move or barely utter a word. Not just because of his actions, I fear that the hundreds of butterflies in my tummy would find shelter elsewhere if I moved too much.
I felt this same way yesterday when he took the paintbrush from me and when he handed me a wine glass last night. It is a feeling I love, one that screams desire.
Samantha brings me back to reality as she walks me to my office, chattering about how lucky I am.
“I’ve never heard him say he is in a relationship. Talk more about being engaged. The man walks like he needs no companion, but who doesn’t?”
She looks older than I am, maybe Damien’s age or a year older. Her complaints make me wonder if she ever set him on dates, and he failed to show up.
“You are one lucky girl, Lea. Damien is a sweet guy who treats women right.”
“A little secret you should know is to always leave him wanting more of you. It works with my husband all the time. When I leave him hungry for more, the desire in his eyes increases.”
I laugh at her descriptions as her eyes widen. She places her hand on her stomach and laughs with me.
“Who knows? You might become like me soon.”
That could only happen if I was actually engaged or, at least, in a relationship.
“Well, Damien and I are not in a hurry. We’ll just take things slow.”
She nods in agreement even though there is still some flare to argue in her eyes. She takes me to the right end of the office and shows me a door that leads to his office.
“For times when you don’t want to play CEO and EA anymore, you can be with your man through this door.” She winks mischievously.
My laughter is uncontrollable as I thank her for the information. Sadly, it may never be useful because he is not my man.
I try to tap into her excitement so I do not give away the truth about the situation to her.
Arriving at my desk, I opened the box with my name boldly written on it.
It contains a customized water mug, a desktop pencil holder, a key holder, a tiny builder to signify Selware, and a beautiful card with a note that reads:
‘Like the stars, we hope you shine brightly here. Welcome to Selware!
Signed: Damien Stone, CEO of Selware Incorporation’.
My heart skips at the sight of his name. I may not be sure about what the coming days hold but I hope to make the best out of this precious opportunity.
I place the tiny builder on my desk with the card right behind it. It will be me and this carved builder against whatever I must face in this office.