Romulus's Filthy Obsession

5 | His P.A

Lydia had been applying for personal assistant jobs since a week after her previous company fired her. She didn't understand why all of a sudden, Miss Willson fired her without giving any reason but it made everything hard.

She needed a job quickly.

When she saw a mail saying she was called for an interview at Villin Enterprises and jumped up. She knew who the company belongs to but her desperation for a job made her attend the interview.

She was interviewed by Jake, the HR manager who gave her the job.

She started to feel nauseous as the elevator ascended. She had kept it together all morning, but now the nerves are getting to her, and she doesn't want to reach the top.

She could leave right now. She could hop on a plane back to London and write this off as a crazy idea. No, she told herself firmly.

Be brave, Lydia, you need this job and Romulus forgot about you, so just keep this strictly professional.

She told herself over and over again.

All too soon, the doors opened, and she was standing in a giant, open-plan office where hundreds of people sit staring at computers. It's surprisingly quiet, aside from the tap-tap-tap of keyboards. Nobody noticed her, and she didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed at the lack of welcome.

There's a group of employees standing around a coffee machine, muttering to each other, or more specifically, gossiping. She approached them nervously.

"Excuse me," she said, ready to ask them where she needed to go.

They turned to look at her and she recognized one of them as Jake, the guy who interviewed her. He's probably in his mid-twenties, but his baby face and clean-shaven jaw made him look more like a teenager.

"Hello Lydia," he said, his face stretching into a grin. "Welcome to Villin enterprises."

"Thank you. It's good to be here." Sort of.

Jake gestured to the people around him. "This is Clara, Zed, and Tony, all from accounts. Guys, this is Lydia."

She shakes all their hands, plastering a fake smile on her face. Relax, She thought. Be friendly. Be cool.

"Nice to meet you, Lydia," Clara said. "Which department do you work for?"

Jake cuts in before She can answer. "Lydia is Mr. Romulus's new PA." He said it like he's just revealed an especially juicy piece of gossip, and it certainly got the group's attention. They're all staring at her with renewed interest.

"Wow ... good luck taming that beast, Lydia," Tony said, her eyebrows raised. "You've got your work cut out for you."

She laughed nervously like it was a joke, but they all looked dead serious. It's doing nothing to help her nerves. Is it too late to take a break for the elevator?

"Let me show you to Mr. Villin's office," Jake said.

He led her all the way to the back of the main office toward a wooden door with an inscribed gold plaque:

Mr. Romulus Villin

Chief Executive Officer

Jake knocked.

Her heart began to beat faster as She heard an angry grunt and heavy footsteps from inside. The door opened and Romulus Villin stood before them.

"What?" he snapped.

"Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Villin," Jake said.

"This is Lydia Miller. She's the new PA I hired."

***