Freefall | Eren x OC *CURRENTLY BEING RE-EDITED*

Chapter 04: Office Politics

Over a week passes from the time of Rose's encounter with Sasha and her gang on the beach. In that week, she's spent a ridiculous number of hours bonding with Sasha over text. Rose's already come to consider Sasha a kindred spirit; the way the two of them can chat and joke for hours, talking about their favourite music, the best anime out there, and just how absurd life can be. And really, isn't that the truth? If Sasha's clumsy ass hadn't landed on her head on that darkening beach, she'd never have come to know her as a friend.

One day in the middle of the week, Rose stares absentmindedly out the window beside her desk, zoning out to the sounds of work colleagues talking and keyboards clattering away. Today was Thursday and she was ready for it to be the weekend so she could put her weary feet up and cuddle into bed with some snacks and a random anime movie playing out on her laptop.

What I wouldn't give to be at home with a bowl of m&ms and Perfect Blue on right now...

Her azure eyes glaze over as she pushes up her glasses and returns to the work in front of her. Her desk is cluttered with paper; requests for meetings with Lord Tengen, his invoices, and expense receipts. Today, Tengen has given her the added mundane task of going over schedules and reaching out to audio technicians to set up appointments to come in to inspect each sound board in each of the label's recording spaces. The life of a private secretary isn't all fun and games, even if she happens to be the secretary to a famous music mogul.

Rose had been working here for over five years and in that time, she'd gone from running coffee for low-level admin drones on the 3rd floor all the way up to the 20th floor and right outside Lord Tengen Uzui's office. She had worked her way up, trying to mask this outstanding accomplishment as the natural progression of someone with as strong of a work ethic as her. But truth be told, she knew deep down that the reason for her success was catching the eyes of her mogul boss at a company party a few years before.

Despite only working closely with Tengen Uzui for a few years, Rose had known him, to some extent for much longer The two had come across each other several times in their teenaged days; they were both the children of successful businessmen in Shiganshina's burgeoning music industry. In her youth, Rose had developed a bit of a crush on Tengen, 5 years her senior, and how could she not? Even as a young man of 18, he was charismatic, energetic, and proud, he commanded any room he walked into. He was a captivating sight to behold and one of the heirs to the vast Uzui fortune that spanned decades and continents. As for Tengen, he always made a point to scope out Rose at any gathering they attended together, offering easy flirtation no matter if her father was present or not. When he was present, Alfred would steer Rose away, but when he wasn't, Tengen's attention and forwardness would flush the younger girl's cheeks as red as her hair.

But times changed when Rose's father died not too long after she turned 15. There were no more music industry events for Rose and there wouldn't be until she'd re-enter the music scene as a freshly graduated coffee-girl for Golden State at 24. That week, someone had unanimously set pink and red roses on her desk as a presumed welcome gift, leading Rose to head upstairs and give them back to the suspected giver; Tengen Uzui. He'd smiled, gestured for her to come into his office and softly closed the door to the outside. What happened next? Rose couldn't really explain other than to say there was a forward touch and a murmured command that she wouldn't divulge to anyone, not even her husband at the time.

A few years passed with little more interaction between the two before Rose presumably caught his eye again and became his personal secretary practically overnight. There were perks, Rose knew there were perks, but she always knew first and foremost that she'd only reached this elevated status because Tengen liked her. Newly divorced for the third time, he wanted her as a piece of arm candy to dictate his letters, organize his schedule, grab his dry-cleaning and occasionally brush up against when no one was around to look. In return Rose had worked all the harder to be the best she could be. She worked long and arduous hours, never asked for a raise, and did everything she could to make him happy. In the last year alone, she'd reached out to one of her label's top music producers, Onyankapon, to establish a relationship and discuss her burgeoning but genuine interest in producing music herself.