Mission: Undercover

Chapter 3

Vanessa woke up a little bit later the following day. The clock showed 7 a.m.—around an hour later than her usual time for waking up. She got out of bed, made a double coffee, and enjoyed drinking it on the balcony with a few cigarettes.

A few minutes before eight, her phone rang.

"Good morning, Miss Blake." A male voice sounded on the other end of the phone. "It's Mike Rogers from Willker Enterprises Holdings."

"Good morning, Mr. Rogers."

"Miss Blake, you are approved for the Personal Assistant position. If you are still interested in the job, we expect you in the office today to discuss the details."

These words reflected on Vanessa even better than the coffee. "Yes, I'm still interested. Thank you."

"Very good. I will be waiting for you in the office at noon."

"I'll be there," Vanessa answered and hung up the phone.

There was no logical explanation for how and why she got the job, but the important thing was that she was already in. Vanessa intended not to lose that opportunity for anything in the world. The mistake she had made during the interview did not have to be repeated.

***

Meanwhile, Cole, who was going over some documents in his office, was interrupted by Mike.

"Cole, Vanessa Blake will come today."

"Okay. Meet her."

"Don't you want you to meet her?" Mike asked.

"No." Cole's answer was short.

Mike turned and headed to the door. "You are driving me crazy, you know?"

But that was more of a message than a question.

Then he left the office.

Cole lit a cigarette and stared outside for a while. He felt again that strange feeling he had felt the day before during the interview with that girl. It was a weird mixture of interest and curiosity but also a dose of irritability when he thought of her audacity.

***

A few hours later, Vanessa began preparing for her meeting at Willker Enterprises Holdings. After the impromptu outfit for the interview on the previous day, she decided to wear something more formal at today's meeting—a pencil skirt in dark red with a length to the knee, a black tank top covered with delicate lace, and a short elegant jacket. She finished her outfit with black high-heeled shoes, picked up her bag, and left the hotel room.

The lobby on the ground floor of the building was as lively as the day before, but the twelfth floor was calmer. There was no movement in the hallway, no people on the chairs in the lobby there.

Vanessa headed directly to the assistant's office. But just before she went inside, Cole's secretary appeared before her.

"Hi." Vanessa greeted her as kindly as possible, though the vibrations she felt from this woman were not good. It was already clear to her what kind of person she was—contemptuous, self-assured, over-ambitious, probably banging with her boss, but still a secretary at the end of the day.

But Vanessa could not afford to be rude to anyone in the company; in general, devoting time and energy to this type of people was not her thing anyway.

"Hello, Miss Blake." Marissa greeted her with an unfriendly tone and a visible rage in her eyes. "Mr. Rogers is expecting you."

"Thank you, secretary," Vanessa replied and winked at her. Something she knew would further irritate Marissa.

Without waiting for a response or gesture, Vanessa entered Mike's office, which she guessed would be her future office.