On the Path of Victory.

Two days had passed since Seraphina and Lucy went to inquire about the job, and since then, Seraphina had been anxiously counting the second hand of the wall clock hung in her room.

Each minute that passed and turned into an hour brought Seraphina closer to the date she was supposed to hear from the law firm where she had applied for work.

Being an educated Lady and given the place of her schooling and the high grades she graduated with, which she had filled in the form provided by the attendant boy, Raymond, it shouldn't be a problem to be able to get the job. She thought.

Unless Lady luck was not on her side this time. And given that others also applied for the job, she might not be lucky to get the job. But on the third day, came the letter from the law firm.

Seraphina was in her room like every other day she had nothing to do when she heard a knock on the door of her room.

"Come in," She said, permitting whoever it was that was knocking on her door.

The door clicked open and a young girl of 15 years walked in with her head bowed.

"Marissa," Seraphina called the girl and waited for her to speak.

"My Lady, this came for you just now," Marissa said and handed her a brown sealed envelope.

Seraphina's brows rose in surprise. She asked, "Who did the sender say it was from?"

Marissa's bowed head lowered more in embarrassment. She scratched her head at the mistake she made. She muttered in a small voice, "I didn't ask, My Lady. I apologize for my mistake."

"Never mind," Seraphina waved her hand and tore the envelope open. Inside it was a neatly folded white sheet and on top of it was written, 'APPLICATION OF ASSISTANT JOB IN MR. HANSBROUCK'S LAW FIRM'

Seraphina's eyes widened immediately and she asked Marissa in a low voice, "Were my parents home when this arrived?"

"No, My Lady." Marissa negatively shook her head.

Seraphina smiled, "I don't want them to know about this, Marissa. Do you understand?"

"Yes, My Lady." Marissa obliged to the instruction of Seraphina while wondering why her young mistress asked her to keep it away from her parents. Was she hiding something from her parents? That's so unlike her. Marissa thought to herself.

"You can go, Marissa. And thank you for coming to me immediately."

Marissa bowed and left the room with brows furrowed in question and confusion.

Immediately Marissa left the room, Seraphina rushed and locked the door before settling on her bed with mixed feelings.

She didn't know what to expect. Was it good news or bad one? She questioned herself and slowly unfolded the sheet.

How she wished Lucy was here to read it for her. That way, she could prepare her mind for the worst and not be this anxious.

"Okay, here it goes," She muttered to herself and finally pulled the courage to read the content of the white sheet.

The first line and paragraph held the credentials she had filled in the form and not being patient to read them all, her eyes skimmed through the words written on the white sheet and immediately her eyes saw what she was looking for.

It read, 'With all the above credentials taken into consideration and evaluated, I hereby congratulate you on being the acceptable candidate who is qualified to join the law firm of me, Mr. Hasbrouck. You are required to resume work with immediate effect the following day this letter gets to you.'

"Ahh!" Seraphina squealed loudly in her room before realizing she shouldn't be loud, lest someone heard.

Seraphina felt like she was all ready to start the job right that instant. She proceeded to read all the requirements and payments she had earlier skipped.

The rest of the day ended with Seraphina having a wide smile adorned on her face. She couldn't contain the happiness she felt as she twirled and turned in bed the whole night.

Early the following morning, Seraphina was all ready to report to work with the envelope in hand. Her parents had been very busy that they were rarely seen at home giving her the advantage to leave the house without telling them where she was going.

Before she went to bed last night, she had written to Lucy, telling her that she got the job and that they will meet in the evening time of the following day and celebrate.

Seraphina arrived at the Law firm building all ready to work and possibly start getting paid. Like usual, Raymond sat behind his desk with the oversized glasses he wore that he pushed up once in a while with his hand.

"Good morning, My Lady. It is good to see you and congratulations on your new job." Raymond greeted the fair Lady with a bow.

"Thank you, Ray." Seraphina replied, "Where can I find the office of Mr. Hansbrouck?"

"Take the passage on the left and walk down a little, and take the right passage. You'll see his office at the end of it." Raymond responded and with a nod, Seraphina went in the direction he had given.

Seraphina found the office in no time and she knocked twice on the door.

"Come in," Came the slightly impatient voice from inside the office.

Seraphina adjusted her dress and her hair she tied in a simple bun at the back before walking into the room.

"Good day, Mr. Hansbrouck. I'm Seraphina Castiel, the newly appointed assistant." Seraphina introduced herself with a respectful bow she offered the middle-aged man who sat behind the brown-colored desk.

Mr. Hansbrouck has a manly face that almost looked squared. His black hair and his thick brows that arched upwards added to the strictness of his figure.

"Good day, Ms. Castiel. You're just in time. Please take a seat," Mr. Hansbrouck said, gesturing to the seat opposite him. He continued,

"I believe you've read all that is written in the letter you were sent?"

"Yes, Mr. Hansbrouck."

"Very well then. You only have to sign these papers and you'll officially become my assistant." Mr. Hansbrouck said and pushed a thick file toward Seraphina.

Seraphina turned the pages of the file, her eyes skimming through the words to check if she'll find something contradictory to what she was given.

Satisfied with what she read, Seraphina began to sign in the spaces provided. As she signed, Mr. Hansbrouck spoke,

"Your job is not an easy one, I must inform you. Tardiness is not appreciated, I hate it. You must not fail to inform me of anything that happens in my absence, and you must not fail to submit any file or document at the appropriate time. And most importantly, Do not insult anyone that comes here. Either poor or rich." Mr. Hansbrouck stressed the last sentence as he listed out his do's and don't's.

"Meanwhile, there are bonuses at the end of every month and also rewards at the end of the year, should you meet all the requirements and work diligently on any task assigned to you."

"There are other rules written in there which you must follow too. These ones I listed just now, must be strictly followed."

"Are there any confusions or things you'll need to be adjusted to your liking or changed? Please do tell me," Mr. Hansbrouck inquired.

Seraphina finished with that last signing and handed the file back to Mr. Hansbrouck.

She regarded the man for a while with her brown intelligent eyes, noting down the things the man liked and hated.

'One, he was not a patient man. And inpatient men get annoyed easily. Could she cope with that?'

'Two, he looked and acted serious and he has lots of rules to abide by. This type never appreciates any slight mistake. Can she be perfect and work without any mistakes?'

'And lastly, above all the rules and regulations Mr. Hansbrouck listed, she noticed he considered and asked her for any adjustments she would like to be made. And that shows he was willing to change anything for the sake of his worker.'

Now the question was, can she do all these things? Well, the obvious answer was a yes. With the fat salary, bonuses, and rewards she will get, it was worth it.

"There are no adjustments for now, Mr. Hansbrouck. Everything is fair and clear to me."

"Very well then. I'll leave you to formalize yourself with the building and your job. Here is a manual in case you have any confusion concerning any task in the future."

Seraphina took the sightly heavy book from the man. "Thank you. If I have any confusion, I'll make sure to read this or seek your help."

"Hmm. I believe that is all for now. Raymond will show you to your office." Mr. Hansbrouck said and saw the look of surprise on Seraphina's face.

"You weren't expecting to be left in a shabby table and chair without an appropriate office now, do you?" He asked, his lips pulling up in a small smile. "You're working for me and this reputable firm. So you should expect the best."

Another thing to take note of, the man was boastful. Seraphina thought.

Seraphina flashed the man an awkward smile. "I'll get going, Mr. Hansbrouck. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to work for this reputable firm." She deliberately used his words.

Mr. Hansbrouck frowned, but not because she used his words. He reprimanded her, "I didn't give you the job. You merited it yourself. So you shouldn't thank me. Another person with your qualifications could have gotten the job."

Again Seraphina smiled. She stood up and without uttering another word, she left the office of her new boss who had taught her some lessons in just a few minutes of meeting him. It made her wonder what the future held and what other lessons she would learn.

Above all, she was doing this for herself and she was determined to make it work. She was already seeing the success of her sweat when she would finally pay off their debts and prove to that arrogant silver-haired man and his father that her family was capable enough. She was on the path of victory.

Seraphina had a firm resolve in her mind, not knowing that as she plotted, so were the other people. The question now was, whose plot will come out victorious?