Snake

BOSS

I was taken aback by what Emi told me. It took a few seconds for her words to sink in before my eyes glossed up.

"I wanted to tell you to protect his pride of having to tell you himself. He doesn't want you to take pity on him or see him as weak."

"So this means he's retiring?"

"Yes, he actually has already."

My eyes widened. "He has...when?"

"Before his vacation..."

"Who's taking over now....you?"

She chuckled. "Oh no, myself nor do my siblings want the responsibility. Besides, Rin Nishimura was already next in line to take over my father's company."

"What?!"

I'm going to have to find another job. Nishimura isn't going to keep me around.

"I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned anything to you about my father or him taking the reins."

My stomach felt nauseous...I was going to have to start all over. I love this job and now I have to leave.

"You should probably talk to Rin about your future here at the company. I'm sure he knows how much of an asset you are to my father."

She had no clue that Nishimura wasn't too fond of me.

"My father told me you would sing opera to him."

I smiled. "Yes, occasionally. It seemed to relax him after a rough meeting."

"My mother used to love going to see the Opera. That was their weekly getaway together."

Now my eyes watered. I didn't realize how much my singing meant to him. I thought it was just for his amusement.

"I always admired the way your father talked about Mrs. Zen. His adoration of her was soul stirring."

Now Emi's eyes were watering, and we both giggled at us getting emotional.

"Violet, I apologize for my behavior on our first encounter..."

"We're good."

"Don't worry about having to find another job. Rin is not as bad as he seems. You'll be fine."

"That man despises me."

"I highly doubt that."

Emi got up to leave, and I prepared myself for the conversation I was going to have with Rin Nishimura...my new boss.

***

Violet waited for the car to pull up in front of her home. She wore jeans and a V-neck t-shirt with flats. Her usual up-do bun was out, letting her hair fall past her shoulders.

The car took her to a nice restaurant. The hostess led her upstairs to another area behind a black curtain. There was one table sitting in front of a big window.

She could see the view of the city, then Rin sitting while drinking dark liquor from a lowball glass. His eyes looked her up and down.

She is so beautiful.

Violet was beginning to feel underdressed when she saw Rin in his usual tailored suit.

"Thank you for coming." He stood, greeting her.

Damn he looks so good. I wish he wasn't a dickhead.

They both sat down and Violet eagerly ordered a glass of red wine. Once it arrived she sipped, knowing she was going to need it for this conversation.

"There's no one else coming in here?"

"No, it's just us."

Rin took another sip while staring at Violet. His stare made her look away.

"So...do you know what attacked me?"

"A demon."

Her hand covers her chest. "Really?! That's horrible. Don't they possess people?"

"They can and have..."

Another man walked into their area and gave him a book. It looked old with Japanese writing on the cover.

"Demons usually attack without motive. You may have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. But something tells me there's more to it."

Violet cleared her throat before speaking.

"Rin, I forgot to tell you what happened in the ladies' room prior to what took place in the hallway."

His eyes were locked in, waiting for her to finish.

"There was a pale man that came out of the bathroom stalls. He knew my name...I freaked out and hurried out of there."

His brows furrowed. "Are you serious...how could you leave that part out?"

"I wasn't thinking, Rin. There was so much going on."

Violet felt the uneasy feeling she got around him slowly taking over her nerves.

"You look pissed, Rin. Who was that man?"

"It's not who it's what. I can't believe you waited this long to tell me."

His annoyance was showing, and Violet didn't want to sit there and endure his mood swing. She got up from her chair.

"This meeting isn't over."

Violet grabbed her glass of wine, downing it in one gulp.

"It is now..."

She slammed the glass down and began walking away.

"Violet wait..."

His words were ignored.

"Violet, I'm sorry! Please don't leave."

She stopped, then turned to face him. Rin got up and walked towards her. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"None of what happened to you is your fault."

"You sure don't act like it."

He sighed. "I know...I'm a jerk."

"Nah...Asshole suits you better."

Rin laughed, then took her hand. "Can you please stay?"

"Yeah."

He led her back to the table, and they sat down. Violet hated getting emotional in front of him.

"I heard you're going to be taking Mr. Zen's place."

"Yeah, that was next on my list of things to tell you."

She began to feel nervous.

"Well, I would appreciate it if you would be a reference for my future job hunt."

"I'm not doing that."

"What? Why not?!"

"Because you're not leaving the company."

The relief she felt hearing those words was indescribable. She lifted her glass for the waiter to refill it.

"That's great. Plus, doing data entry work was fun."

"You're not going to another department. You're going to remain a personal assistant...my personal assistant."

At Rin's words, she took the full glass of wine and gulped it down again.