Then

Chapter 9

I step off the bus and sigh in relief. I've had to stand up for the entire 40 minute journey, and an old man stared at me creepily for 20 of them.
I'm so relieved that I don't even notice the building, at first, even though it towers above all the others, a shard of glass and steel along urban bricks.
I approach the door, wary of the CCTV cameras watching me like a hawk. Above the sliding glass door, a sign says "ALPHA 1" in block capitals.
The door slides open automatically, and a woman wearing a white cap pushes past me as she exits.
The lobby is full of harsh greys and silvers, and the escalators less escalate than slice upwards violently.
I approach the front desk, and the receptionist looks at me patronisingly.
"Honey, the interns were supposed to go through the back entrance." She says, not even bothering to look at me.
"Actually, I was told to ask to see Tiffanie Lupatelli." I say, infuriated.
The receptionist looks at me haughtily. "Miss Lupatelli is a waiting on a meeting with the part-time assistant of the CEO of this company. I doubt she has time to speak with an intern."
I resist the urge to slap her. Instead I speak calmly. "I am the part-time assistant of the CEO of this company."
She frowns. "Miss Dyllon Taylor?"
I nod.
Her face falls. "Miss Taylor, I am so sorry, I'll call her down immediately." She stands up, knocking a desk chair over in her speed. "Please, take a seat by the window. I'm so, so sorry."
I smile graciously as she ushers me into a plush seat overlooking the street outside. I watch the cars speed by for 5 minutes as she calls Tiffanie. I didn't realise I'd have such a high status in the company.
It's clear that Tiffanie doesn't think so. She arrives with a storm like scowl on her perfect face, which deepens even more as she sees me.
She just looks at me disapprovingly for a moment.
Finally, she says "That blouse is going to clash with the walls of my office."
I ignore the insult. "We have an office."
"No." She says. "I have an office. You have a desk in the corner of my office. Come on." She begins to walk off. I follow her, oddly excited.
As we pass the receptionist she calls out to me again.
"Again, so, so sorry Miss Taylor." She apologises. "I-"
"Sofia don't grovel." Tiffanie interrupts. "Just the sight of you is bad enough. We don't need your whiny voice too."
"So sorry, Miss Lupatelli."
"What did I just say?"
Sofia, the receptionist, opens her mouth to respond, but realised her mistake and just nods. I feel sorry for her. Yes, she was mean about the whole intern thing, but it's easy to speak down to others when your superiors speak down to you. I make up my mind to become friends with her, even if it's just to spite Tiffanie.
The elevator ride seems to take hours. The porter tries to make conversation, but there are huge gaps where all I can hear is "Blue Moon" playing over the speakers, and Tiffanie tapping her foot impatiently, annoyingly not in time with the music.
Eventually, the elevator grinds to a halt, and the doors open. There is a corridor ahead of us, surrounded by boardrooms and meeting rooms obscured by translucent glass. I follow Tiffanie - we turn 3 corners, and at the end of the hall, there's a door labelled "CEO".
We walk into the room at the right of this door, into a spacious, meticulously organised office. Sure enough, my blouse is just white enough to clash with the soft grey walls. Tiffanie swings into a swivelling chair, picks up a book and starts to read.
"Now what?" I ask.
"Now we wait." Tiffanie says simply.
I stand in silence for a moment.
"That's it?" I say incredulously. "You're not going to give me any tips or-"
Tiffanie snorts. "Ok, tips. He likes his coffee black, his board meetings short, and his notes typed up in a sans serif typeface with a font size of 14."
"That's it?" I repeat.
"That's it." She reiterates. "Oh, and there's books on that bookcase. You like reading?"
"Yes."
"Good. Pick a few books. I get through a couple a week." She points at hers. "This one's good, but I always cry at the end."
"Really?"
"No. What do you take me for?" She snaps. "Now just grab a book and wait for instructions."
As I approach the bookshelves, Xzander walks in.
He's not wearing a tie, or a jacket, but his hair is pushed back with gel. Just seeing him again makes me forget how boring this job is.
He smiles at me warmly. Tiffanie sees me smile back and gives me a jealous frown.
"Tiffanie, could you please postpone all meetings in Boardroom 4 until tomorrow?" He asks.
"Deal fall through?" She says, not even looking up.
"Yeah, could you contact Alpha 2 and tell them?"
"Yep. You do have a meeting with their representative today at 4 o'clock."
"Yeah, but Boardroom 4."
"So I'll cancel it." She finally looks up to check her computer. "You have a meeting in 10 minutes in Boardroom 2. Do you want me to make the notes?"
"Yes, that's fine." He starts to walk out, but hesitates and returns. "Actually, bring Dyllon."