2 If There's a Will, There's a Wave

SIMONNE AINSLEY

The sweet scent of men's perfume mixed with coffee tickled my nose. Such a lovely fragrance could've calmed my nerves down if I'm not in this kind of nerve-wracking situation. I caught a whiff of the subtle scent of the sea.

'The sea? I'm becoming delusional.' I shook my head multiple times, shaking off the unnecessary thoughts. This is an office. Yes, it might be near the sea, but it can't smell like the sea inside. Maybe it's just because of my nervousness.

Seated on the swivel chair behind the mahogany table is a man clad in black wearing a blank expression on his face. He had his hands on top of his desk clasped together. For the director of a big company, Mr. Adiel Hisashi looks a lot younger and even has a buff body. It's obvious he hits the gym regularly.

But this isn't the time to ogle at him! My future as a secretary in this company lies in his hands. But if he won't really accept me because of my tardiness, I'll have no other choice but to give up. I hope that won't be the case.

"Miss Simonne Ainsley, right?"

I flinched as he suddenly called my name. "T-that's right, sir," I managed to answer, although stuttering a bit.

"You're late as hell," he said in a menacing manner, glaring at me. "Are you planning to apply as my secretary with that kind of conduct, Ms. Ainsley? My office isn't far away from the information desk."

As I'm trying to keep any spiteful words that might surface, I bit my tongue and balled my hands into a fist.

It's all his fault in the first place! I mean, bosses should be on the top floor, right? That's basically the norms. But why is his office situated near the main entrance of the building? Whatever his reason is, nobody would expect that a CEO's office is on the ground floor. I want to smack him and shout those words at him but my life as a secretary is hanging by a thread and he can cut it anytime he wants.

"Tsk. What are you doing standing like a statue? Sit down."

I am very close to smacking this arrogant man's head! He didn't even offer a seat in the first place. Instead, he appeared as if he'll never let me sit throughout the interview. Now he's ordering me to take a seat?

So of course, I sat down on the couch with my knees together and hands above my lap. 'Just hold out until the interview ends, Simonne,' I mentally told myself.

"Why do you want to be my secretary?" He asks, leaning his back against his chair's backrest.

Finally, the interview begins! I relaxed, taking a deep breath. My lips stretched to a smile as I started to answer every question he throws at me.

For the most part, I was composed and managed to answer most of his questions precisely and confidently. Maybe the scent of coffee washed away my nervousness as time passed by, I'm not entirely sure but atleast I'm not that agitated anymore.

Adiel Hisashi—Mr. Hisashi—looks pleased by the way I answer too. Although his facial expressions only change a little, like the sides of his lips stretch a bit, I know that I didn't disappoint him.

But that doesn't change the fact that I was late.

He stood up from his seat and moved to the couch across me. Crossing his legs, he gave me a stern gaze.

'Ah, is he going to tell me to get out and never come back again?' I shuddered at the thought, hoping silently that it is the opposite.

He placed a black clipboard with a bunch of papers on the mini-table. I looked at it, puzzled. What's he playing at? Are those my files? Is he returning those? Is he declining my application?

"That is my schedule for tomorrow and the list of important people in the company. Memorize their names."

I froze at his remarks. Did I hear it correctly?

"One thing," he leaned his body forward, giving me a menacing look as if he's ready to murder me and my family. He pushed the clipboard in my direction, so I averted my gaze to the piece of paper. It truly is his schedule! But wait, why is 1:00PM-3:00PM cleared?

"Never come near my office during these hours," said he, pointing at the part that I'm staring at. "Are we clear on that, Ms. Ainsley?"

I don't want to ask further questions considering the deadly aura he is emitting right now. So, I simply gave him a nod and said, "Of course, Mr. Hisashi. You can count on me."

There's no backing down now! Even though he's as despicable as the rumors say, I need to work it out. After all, I'm in dire need of a job.

"I won't disappoint you!"

He eyed me from head to toe. "And do something with your appearance. You'll hurt my image," he said one last time before standing up and going back to his seat.

I bolted up from my seat and angrily stomped my way to him. I grabbed him by the collar, although I'm having a hard time because of the height difference. "What did you say you, insolent man?! Did you just mock my face, my body, or the way I dress? For your information, I joined a beauty pageant at school once! Now, I dare you to say that again to my face!"

...Is what I wanted to do and say but I can't do something foolish right off the bat. Ah, I badly want to scream and wipe that condescending look on his face!

I forced myself to smile, the sides of my lips twitching as I try my best to suppress myself from rampaging like a madman. "Of c-course, sir."

"Good. You may leave," he said as if he's brushing a bug off.

'What a bastard!'

I politely bowed before leaving his office. As soon as I closed the door, my body moved on its own, dancing happily. He may be despicable and has no likable features, atleast I got the job! Finally, I can pay for our house's rent and buy more novels and figurines.

The reason why I'm desperately looking for a job is that my parents' salary couldn't pay off our current rent since my big sister—a bitch who moved out of the house after getting married to a rich bastard —took all of my parents' savings. As the only sane daughter of our family, I started to look for a job that fits perfectly with me.

Another reason is that since we're losing money, my previous part-time job couldn't support both our daily expenses and my hobby. Novels nowadays are expensive, hard copy or soft copy, and the merchandise they release are much more expensive. I can't take care of both with just a part-time job so I looked for a good one.

Luckily, I found a flyer which contains urgent hiring for Mr. Hisashi's secretary. The pay and the benefits written on it were good. Specifically, the salary is pretty high. And of course, I am qualified to become one! I didn't finish school to get stuck in a job with a small salary, after all.

Now, our money problems are solved! The landlady won't bother us anymore and I can buy as many novels and figurines and posters as I possibly can!

I laughed cynically, not minding the weird gazes I received, as I trudged out of the company.