Her Little Helper

Chapter 2

*Abigail's POV*

I remained in the elevator briefly after she exited, still in shock that I was just led upstairs by the head of the company I was interviewing for.

"Holy shit." I mumbled to myself as I began walking into the hallway outside the elevator.

Savannah turned around sharply to face me. "Language." She only needed one word to get her point across, and it was heard loud and clear. I felt myself flushed with embarrassment as other people in the corridor smirked at the exchange. 

She approached the front desk of the I.T. department. The young woman working there was sat in her chair, too transfixed by her phone to notice the head of her company coming up to her. 

"Ahem." Savannah cleared her throat to get the girl's attention.

Looking lazily from her phone, the girl's eyes immediately widened as she processed who was standing before her. "Ms. Monroe! I-I'm so sorry. I was, um, checking, um..." the girl replied panicked, unable to finish her excuse before Savannah cut her off.

"It's alright, dear." Savannah said calmingly, making the girl settle down a bit. "But do not let it happen again. Understood?"

The girl nodded sheepishly.

"Now that that's settled, I'm here with Abigail Lawson. For an interview?" Savannah told her. The girl squinted slightly with confusion, clearly asking herself why Savannah Monroe would be escorting someone to an I.T. job interview. 

"Right. Um, you can head right in, he's ready for you." I smiled, still standing slightly behind Savannah, who thanked the girl and looked at me as though telling me to follow her. Walking into the conference room where the interview was to be held, the man who was to interview me scattered to his feet as soon as he saw Savannah, as though he was addressing royalty or something. I couldn't help but giggle at his panicked looks. 

Savannah didn't say anything to him except give him a brief less-than-genuine smile. Instead, she turned back to me, bending down to be closer to my height. 

"Good luck Abigail, and just do your best. I know you'd be a great fit around here." She smiled at me. A real, genuine smile. It made butterflies swirl in my stomach, but gave me a boost on confidence unlike any other. 

When she walked out of the room, the man at the conference table took a visible sigh of relief, as though he had been holding his breath that whole time. I smiled at him, hoping to get off on the right foot.

"Abigail?" he asked. I nodded with a smile. "Take a seat, we can get started."

I sat in on of the conference chairs. It had a tall back which felt like it was swallowing me whole. These chairs were clearly not meant for short people. 

"I just need to ask," said the interviewer. "How the hell did you get Savannah Monroe to escort you to your interview." 

I shrugged, asking myself the same question. "I don't know. We just met in the lobby, and somehow she offered to walk me here. Is that not a normal thing here?" I asked. Maybe she does this for fun on occasion, I don't know.

"No I've never heard of that happening," he said, still very much surprised. "And I've been here a long time. She's not usually one to... you know, be nice like that."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"Well, Savannah isn't the most approachable of people. She's... cold, and harsh, and sometimes a bit too blunt with people. If there's something she wants, she gets it. If there's something, or someone, she doesn't like, consider them gone. She's a brilliant woman, savvy and clever, so people here respect her. But she can be terrifying when you get on her bad side. She will not hesitate to hurt feelings, nor will she ever show remorse." All I could do was nod along surprisedly to what the man was saying about the woman who had just sweetly walked me to my interview. 

After the man gave me that somewhat scathing introduction to the head of the company, the interview continued on as normal. He asked a lot of questions about me, my background, and my education, as well as my knowledge of computers and various computer programs. 

The whole interview lasted about twenty minutes. Having Savannah bring me right into the room gave me a morale boost that I didn't have in my previous interviews, so I was more confident than ever that I would land this job. I grinned with self-assurance as the interview concluded, until the interviewer started talking again...

"Well, Ms. Lawson, I appreciate you coming in for an interview with Monroe Industries. But I'm afraid that we'll be going with a different candidate who is better suited to the high-intensity corporate environment. Even in I.T. we work with everyone in the company, even higher-ups who demand a lot from us. I worry that such demands will be too much for you. So, I'm sorry, but we'll be going in a different direction."

The man gathered his papers from the table and left the conference room, leaving me there completely stunned. I thought it had gone so well. I was so certain that I had got it this time. Why am I not good enough for anyone? Tears formed in my eyes, and this time I couldn't hold them. They fell, and they fell hard. I'm never going to find a job in this city. I'm going to run out of money and I'll have to move back home to my miserable hometown. In that moment, I had given up. 

But then I heard a knock on the door. I turned to see a woman there. Not Savannah, but someone dressed professionally like her. She had short straight red hair, as opposed to Savannah's long brunette hair, and she was not nearly as tall. Still taller than me, but definitely not as tall as Savannah. 

"Abigail?" Asked the woman sweetly. I looked to her, trying and failing to wipe the tears that were still streaming steadily down my face. She saw my distress and quickly made her way over to me, putting a hand gently on my shoulder. 

"I'm Erin," she continued. "Savannah's assistant." My head perked up a bit at hearing Savannah's name. I looked at Erin with confused intrigue. "She sent me down here to come and get you after your interview. She would like to see you in her office."

I furrowed my brows with stunned confusion. "Why? I failed the interview so I don't even work here."

"She didn't give me any exact details," Erin replied. "I just know she wants you in her office as soon as possible. Will you come?" 

I looked away from Erin, out the big windows that lined the far wall of the conference room, providing an amazing view of the city that I hadn't even noticed prior to that moment. Part of me just wanted to go back to my apartment and hide under my bed covers. I was tired and emotionally drained. I just wanted to go home, wherever home was. 

But another part of me was curious as to why Savannah would want to see me. I'm not good enough to work for her company so what would she want with me? I sat and stared out the windows for a few more brief moments before coming to my decision. 

"I'll go see her."