Chapter 9
Lydia
How was I supposed to give them an answer by the end of the day when I had to work? Why do they even need an answer so quickly?
Madelyne sent me a long email that had a detailed job description and requirements.
I could only go over it a few minutes at a time when nothing was happening at the front desk.
The job description was similar to what I did in HR, though a bit more vague.
I would basically need to help the receptionist and PA with whatever they needed, with the listed examples being printing, copying, errands, making calls, etc.
Theoretically, and based on what Mr. Mason said, it could be a quieter role, unless they decided to send me out on errands and do whatever ‘etc.’ was.
Not to mention, it was kind of leaving it to the CEO’s team to throw any tasks at me that they didn’t want, which could be problematic.
What would I do? Complain to him? To Madelyne?
So that was risk one. Risk two was in the requirements—I would have to agree to a more in-depth background check and a polygraph.
I didn’t care about the background check since anything that happened when I was a minor was sealed, but what could they ask in a polygraph?
If I didn’t agree to answer some of the questions, would I stay in HR or be fired?
And then there was the pay increase—it was much higher.
Was that just because it was the CEO’s office or because it was actually going to be more difficult?
The background checks meant I’d have access to sensitive information, and Mr. Mason was known to keep a tight circle of people around him, so it was clear he valued loyalty and discretion.
His PA had been working with him for four years, and the receptionist for five, and they both seemed happy. Maybe he was a good boss?
After more than an hour of back-to-back incoming calls and visitors at the desk, I emailed Madelyne back, accepting the offer.
I would have to work in HR for a few days to close all of the details and get through the additional screening, and then I’d get my key card for the thirtieth floor. That is, if I passed their checks.
When I was finally home, I ate the cupcake with a beer and looked Daniel Mason up online.
Since I’d be working for him now, it was time I knew more about him.
I probably should have done that before, but my previous role only required me to know his name and face, so I could recognize him and avoid him.
Most of the information I found was about his family—typical rich people who looked boring and fake in front of the cameras. Other than that, I found out he was an Army Ranger before founding Mason Corp, and his sister was an engineer who founded a semiconductor startup called Vale.
He was 31, single, and extremely good at avoiding the spotlight.
He had one older brother who was very much a popular bachelor and was photographed with different gorgeous women at events, but Rebecca and Daniel seemed to stay in the background unless it was official photos in business settings.
That was the only information I felt was real.
The rest looked like made-up stories, rumors, or private stuff that I felt uncomfortable reading about.
I turned off the computer and opened another beer when my phone buzzed.
?? Happy birthday, Lydia
Yeah, happy birthday, me. I didn’t even know if the birth year was correct—it was highly unlikely that the day and month were right. Was I really twenty-eight? Maybe I was twenty-seven or twenty-nine. Who knew?
I saved his number this time.
?? Thank you, Mr. Mason.
I could see him typing, and after a few seconds, it stopped, so I just put my phone away and called it a night.
The next day was exhausting. As soon as I arrived, Madelyne rushed me into her office, where I spent the next two hours going over my new contract, signing it along with another non-disclosure agreement, and answering questions she had ready for me for the company that would run the background check.
I had a quick lunch in the breakroom and then met with a polygraph examiner.
That was an ordeal. I was with him for almost three hours.
I didn’t lie, but when he asked me about any past criminal activity, I answered, ‘not as an adult.’ That was the truth, though I wondered if they’d ask about anything that happened when I was a minor.
I had no clue what the rules were about unsealing those records, asking about them, or considering them in these types of checks.
By the time that was done, I had a bit more time to help out some of the HR managers in the office before calling it a day. My head was spinning, and one of the managers told me that it usually took at least a week to schedule a polygraph. The fact that this happened so fast was unusual.
The good news was that the background screening and polygraph results wouldn’t be ready for three days, and I had vacation days I wanted to use. It was the perfect time, right when I was in between roles, and I think Madelyne saw how exhausted I looked by the end of the day, so she approved it.
Three days, and then I’d be on the quiet thirtieth floor with the receptionist and PA. I’d never actually met them beyond just nodding hello when I saw them, but they seemed professional and polite enough.
Three days off and straight into the weekend meant I had five full days of winding down.
Madelyne texted me late afternoon on Thursday to let me know that the screening was done and I was cleared to start on Monday.
I went for a run every morning, worked out a little every day, and spent every second reading, dancing, or playing on my console, which I hadn’t touched in a while. I did the usual errands and chores on the weekend and drank beer while watching all of the Back to the Future movies.
When Monday came around, I was ready. Or at least I thought I was. As I got up to walk out of the café, a familiar woman’s voice called my name.
I walked over to a table with Mr. Mason, Rebecca, and a young man.
“Hi, Rebecca, Mr. Mason, I was just on my way to—”
“Sit, join us!” Rebecca smiled and winked. Mr. Mason exchanged a weird look with her and then smiled at me, gesturing at the empty chair beside him. “You can be late, don’t worry.”
I sat down, unsure of what to do. Rebecca sat in front of him, and the young man was beside her, in front of me.
“This is Brad, my PA,” she said.
I smiled and shook his hand. “Lydia.”
He looked younger than me, maybe twenty-three or four, and he had a bright smile and a pretty baby face.
“So, Danny told me you’re on his floor now. Welcome to the fam,” Rebecca said.
“Thanks. I look forward to starting.”
“Oh, come on, you’re not on the clock yet. You don’t have to be so official.” Her eyes practically gleamed with mischief. Mr. Mason intervened before I could think of something to say.
“Gotta go, Becca. Congrats on the big deal.” He started to get up, and I stood a little too eagerly, hoping they didn’t notice how much I wanted to get out of there.
“Everything is in the works already. I can’t wait to see this through.” She smiled at Brad and added, “Brad has been great at getting all the details sorted. Design, manufacturing, shipping… this is going to take Vale into the big leagues.”
When she turned to Brad, he smiled, but something faltered toward the end.
It was like he was uncomfortable. Not because of the praise—I could tell he was the kind of person to bask in it.
Something else made him flinch. I ignored it and smiled at Rebecca.
I wasn’t close to anyone, nor did I have any friends that I kept in touch with, but I was always comforted when I discovered people like her and Madelyne, who seemed kind, authentic, and unapologetically themselves.
It was nice to know people like that existed.