No Room For Romance

Chapter 4: The 3P crossroad

[Released: 1 May 2021]

"You're already late on your first day of job, what impression do you want to leave on others? That you're a laughingstock?!" The lady with glasses scolded her for another hour. Anaïs lowered her head as she apologized for every word the lady said.

"Ah- okay... Now stop apologizing." She patted her back and walked as she directed her to a room.

"This is where you will be working from today onwards. If you have any concern or doubts regarding your job, you can ask Ms Odelle. She has been working for this job since a long time."

Anaïs' brows furrowed. 'Wait, this is not what I applied for!' Her face was clearly left with a lot of questions. The lady noticed it and said, "do you want to ask something?"

"Sorry but, what position have I been selected for, again?"

"Personal Assistant-" she tilted her head slightly. "What's wrong?"
"Uhm... Miss, I think there's a misunderstanding. I applied for a position in the marketing department, not an assistant or anything of that sort."

"Huh? Is that it?"
She walked back to check on some documents.
She also got a call and it was a long talk. She looked at Anaïs from one eye's corner and her face changed expressions. Her palms tightened and she cut the call.
Anaïs was waiting for her to give an appropriate explanation.

"It seems 'he' has personally requested you to be his assistant."

"Wait, but... This is not... Er... I mean..." she stuttered her words as she tried to make sense.
"Well, you could still decline this position if you are uncomfortable, Ms Anaïs, we have a lot of people applying for this position... Although I wonder if you would get paid this much for even in the other departments or companies." She stressed on her words.
Anaïs looked around nervously. The office was grand and luxurious, the company was flourishing well and to be the Personal Assistant with such amount for the salary was a dream. 'Maybe I could quit streaming now?'

Before Anaïs could reply, the lady cut in. "I see that you're too skeptical about this. Well, since you have been personally selected, I can assure you that you will get a written contract sealed within a week. So, don't be afraid." She assured.

Anaïs read her name from her ID tag. 'Benneth Bionne'. She didn't really have anything to lose here. More importantly, it was beyond the things she could imagine or even expected.
"N-no! I'm perfectly fine! In fact, this is a very great opportunity for me and I shall work very hard to not make any mistakes!" She grasped her hands and her eyes sparkled with joy. "Ms Benneth, I shall work hard!"

"I see... Than this room which you are just standing outside of belongs to Mr Cedric Cronkhite, the second son of the boss of this company."
Anaïs nodded at first, but then she realised that he was such an important person for this company... So, it was too risky job... Also, why would they select a nobody like her instead of the countless other better candidates. 'Why did he even choose me? And how does he even know me?!' This doesn't make sense, at least to Anaïs it didn't.

She tried to get as much information as she could from the staff in the office and then even searched in the internet... Although rumours about him were very common, but his pictures were nowhere to be found. Some blurred pictures weren't helpful as well... As she learned more and more from Ms Odelle, she wondered why she had been selected if Ms Odelle, such a smart woman, was already available for this work.

After a long day of work, she didn't get to meet Cedric and was walking out.
She felt a little disappointed as she couldn't meet her 'boss' whom she has to work under. However, she decided not to lose heart and do the best she could with her job! Her posture was unsteady as she wasn't steady while walking, unaware that she kept somehow blocking others way... When she bumped into a large man. He wore a dark suit and had a grim face. Her face sticked to his chest and then she noticed that her lipstick stained his shirt a little.

'Oh no!' She pulled out her handkerchief and tried to wipe it when he held her wrist and moved it. "I'm sor-" she saw his face at that moment. It made her feet pain and her legs a noodle as she realised it was the man whose car she spoilt.

She gave an unearthly smile and her teeth wide open to act like nothing ever happened, as she tried to slide herself out. 'Ah, even though I knew he works here as well... This is much more awkward than I had expected.'

Just then, he pulled her left arm making her unable to move. Her arm wasn't even moving an inch. His grasp was too powerful for her to let go.

"S-Sir, y-you... Er... I, uh.. mean..." Her voice pitch lowered and her strength around her left arm faded.
"YOU'RE HURTING ME!" She shouted.

His eyes broadened and he slowly released the strength in his hand. Everyone turned towards them and whispers began to occupy the silence in the office. Benneth hurried there and held Anaïs' head to make her bow.
"She still doesn't know about you yet, sir. Please forgive her!" She apologized for Anaïs as she was too shocked and turned to look at Benneth. 'Wha-?'

Benneth, who was an elegant lady, folded her right arm and as she directed her left hand at him, she said, "he is your boss, Mr Cedric Cronkhite."

"Oh- okay" she paused, came back to her senses as her jaw dropped. "Wha- what did you just say?!"

"He is your boss, Mr Cedric Cronkhite, how many times should I repeat myself?" She nagged.

"Oh, I see..." She looked at him silently and gulped a dry saliva. 'Why the heck does it have to be him?!! This must he his way of getting back at me! He must've thought this out before to corner me!'

Anaïs moved her head a little near his ears. "I'm re~ally sor~ry for what happened last time." She whispered in his ears.

Her breath tingled his ears and he halted slightly. Before he could say anything, Anaïs said farewell him and took her leave as fast as she could.

"...?!"

"Tsk... Tsk...!"

Dane was waiting outside the office. He saw Anaïs running out in a hurry. Her face was too crimsoned... He called her over and waved.

She saw him with his car, waving at her and ran towards him. She sat with him in the front seat and looked at the office once again where Cedric stared blankly at her.
She started panicking and told Dane to start the car. "MOVE NOW! WHAT'RE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU STUPIDASS!"

Dane saw Cedric gazing at her, his eyes frowned. 'The heck is he looking at?' He glared at him with contempt. His eyes filled with utter disgust and envy, his upper lips pulled up, loose.

He drove the car away and wanted to ask Anaïs about him. 'Who is he, a new lover of yours?'
'Did you really mean it when you said it was over?'
His mind was filled with lots of thought and weird assumptions which he couldn't bring himself to clear up. Anaïs too kept looking towards him as she was nervous. That day, Dane probably hadn't seen whose car Anaïs had destroyed.
Probably.

*******

(TBC)
[

NEXT UPDATE 5 MAY 2021]