Chapter 5:- Re-employed

The hotel was abuzz with activity as guests went about their day, exploring the premises and enjoying themselves. Damilola found herself staring at the two men in front of her. One of them wore a warm smile, while the other seemed disinterested, fixated on his phone. She felt a pang of concern, worried that her daydreaming might result in her losing her job.

"Hello, Mr. James, I apologize for earlier," Damilola said, acknowledging her distraction from work. Could her mistake cost her employment?

"No problem, miss. You're new here, right?" Mr. James asked.

"Yes, sir. I started working here six months ago," Damilola replied.

"Oh, I see. Well, since you already know me, let me introduce my friend to you for future reference and also to let you know how to treat him," Mr. James said.

"This is Richard Brown McCall, my best friend and childhood companion. Does the name ring a bell?" Mr. James inquired.

"Richard Brown McCall? Hmm, the name does sound familiar," Damilola thought as she gazed at the man who seemed to find her unworthy of his attention, his eyes glued to his phone.

"The name does ring a bell, but I don't think I know him," Damilola replied.

"No problem, Miss," Mr. James said with a smile.

Damilola couldn't help but be captivated by Richard's stunning appearance. She was taken aback when Mr. James mentioned that Richard was the chairman of the world-renowned McCall group of companies. It was hard to fathom that someone so wealthy and influential was standing in front of her.

"Oh, my! Nice to meet you, sir," Damilola said, unable to extend her hand for a handshake, feeling it would be too presumptuous.

Richard didn't look up from his phone or acknowledge her greeting. He completely ignored her.

Damilola was left speechless, watching as James apologized on Richard's behalf and chased after him.

As Damilola watched them walk away, she heard a voice behind her. "Alex, oh my God! Alex, was that Mr. James and Mr. Richard just now?" Clara asked.

"Yes, how did you know?" Damilola inquired.

"I overheard your conversation," Clara replied excitedly.

"And you still had to ask?" Damilola retorted.

"Well, I had to confirm my facts. It's not every day you come across such influential individuals," Clara explained.

Damilola was growing impatient with Clara's persistent intrusion.

"They are handsome, aren't they? I even caught you drooling over them, especially Mr. Richard," Clara teased with a smile.

Damilola denied Clara's accusation, trying to maintain her composure despite her trembling voice. Was Clara out of her mind? Those men were undeniably attractive. How could she not be captivated?

"Drooling? Me? Come on, stop making things up. It's not like they are the most handsome men I've seen," Damilola said, attempting to sound composed, but her wavering voice gave her away.

Clara scrutinized her as if trying to figure something out.

"Hmm, if those guys aren't handsome, I wonder who you find attractive," Clara replied, trying to tease her.

"Clara, please, get back to work and stop bothering me," Damilola said, exasperated.

"Not until you admit you were drooling over them," Clara persisted.

Clara said, making her way back to her desk.

Damilola smiled, deciding to refocus on her work for the day, but found it difficult to concentrate. How could anyone in their right mind resist such charming young men? She tried to push aside Clara's comment and clear her head, reminding herself to focus on her work. As irresistible as those guys were, she knew she didn't stand a chance with them. Besides, losing her job over drooling over her bosses wouldn't be ideal, right?

After some time, Damilola managed to push those thoughts to the back of her mind and continued working. About an hour later, she heard a deep voice calling out to her, "Hello, miss."

She looked up from her computer and saw a person who didn't seem familiar, but was dressed like a bodyguard.

"Hello, miss," he repeated.

"Hi, how can I help you?" she asked.

"I was told to call you, miss. My boss wants to have a talk with you."

"His boss? The only person I saw with so many bodyguards, around fifteen of them, was Richard. Oh my God! Does Richard really want to talk to me?"

"Who is your boss?" she inquired.

"Mr. James," he replied.

"Oh! Mr. James," she said disappointedly. She had hoped it would be Richard.

Without wasting much time, Damilola informed Clara that she would be back soon and followed the bodyguard to James's office. As she approached the door, she noticed two bodyguards standing outside who made way for her to enter.

She never would have imagined in her wildest dreams that she would be allowed to see James's office. With high expectations, she entered the office.

However, as soon as she stepped inside, her smile faded. What was this? Just how outdated was James's taste?

The office was designed in an old-fashioned way, with everything made of wood. There were three bookshelves filled to the brim with books behind his desk. The sheer number of books could easily stock a library. What kind of person was he? He didn't strike her as a nerd, but the office decor made him look like one.

In front of the bookshelves were cushions, but they were not the modern and stylish ones she was used to seeing. There was a small wooden table in the middle of the cushions. She also noticed various beautiful paintings around the room. Was James an artist or simply a lover of artwork?

That was all she could see. Since she was just paying him a visit and not a close friend who could snoop around his office, she had to leave the rest to her imagination.

Despite the outdated design, it was evident that everything in the office was of high quality and expensive.

The office also had a pleasant scent, and upon closer inspection, Damilola realized that it was more beautiful than she had initially thought, albeit not in the way she had expected.

"Hey, Miss...," James said, placing a finger on his forehead as if trying to remember her name.

After a moment, he said, "I am sorry, miss, I don't recall your name. Could you remind me?"

"I am Alexandra Hall, sir. You didn't forget. You just didn't ask," Damilola replied.

"Oh! My apologies. Please have a seat," he said, gesturing towards the chair opposite his desk.

Once she was seated, he took his own seat and cleared his throat before speaking. "So, I was looking for a personal assistant to work for me for a week. I don't know much about the hotel's employees, and I prefer the person to already be an employee here. Therefore, I had a meeting with all the managers in charge of each units in this hotel. The manager in charge of room service and reception, 'Mr Brian', recommended you."

"Mr Brian recommended me? I was recommended by Mr Brian?"

"Of course, why do you look so surprised?"

"No, I am not surprised at all, sir".

"Okay, if you say so," he said.

"What do you have to say about it?" He continued.

"Well, sir, you have a P.A, don't you?"

"Yeah, you are right, miss".

"If I may ask, sir, why do you still need another P.A?"

"I don't need a P.A, actually, but my friend, Richard does".

"Richard. I'm sorry, Mr Richard. You mean Mr Richard Brown McCall?"

"Yeah, that's right."