A Devil Boss

Chapter 2.1

Sera groaned as she dropped into the soft bed in her hotel room. What had she been thinking? This would have been her chance, and she had blown it like this!

Staring angrily at the white ceiling of her hotel room, she sighed. Rather than back down, Sera resolved to spend the next day looking for another job. Which didn't mean she wouldn't take advantage of the posh hotel's many offerings. After all, she had been allotted the two days by Mister Diabolus when she arrived for the interview.

The first thing Sera decided to do was to go for a swim in the hotel's swimming pool and then get a good kneading.

Sera swung herself into a sitting position. She wanted to get her mind off things, so she decided to go off to put her thoughts into action. Otherwise, her thoughts would continue to revolve around Astarot.

It was strange to her that a boss would behave like this. Of course, there were often misunderstandings and ambiguities between boss and employee. Still, with him, Sera was sure he wasn't very nice. Why else had he just tricked her like that?

With her bikini in hand, Sera went down to the basement since the swimming pool was. She was glad she had googled the hotel to know what it offered.

There was no one around at this hour and satisfied, Sera locked herself in a cubicle to change.

However, as she did so, her thoughts drifted back to Astarot and the scene in the elevator. That had probably ruined her interview from the start. Maybe it was a twist of fate, and she shouldn't have gotten this job.

There would be other opportunities. Sera didn't let herself get down that quickly.

As she drifted in the water, she thought about how Astarot would have reacted to her if this hadn't happened in the elevator. Maybe innocuous and normal. Whereby she could not say whether his behavior had been expected or not.

She had heard a lot about Mister Diabolus because he represented the most critical and most significant court cases. Sera had never seen him. If she had, she wouldn't have gotten on the elevator. She would have waited.

She sighed, submerged herself, and swam a bit before getting out of the water again. Los Angeles was so beautiful, and she would spend her free time looking around.

She quickly dried off to get another massage before they closed. Tomorrow she wanted to be fit to get up early and explore the area.

After the relaxing massage, Sera went back to her room in a good mood. The day was still young, so she would do a bit of sightseeing right away. If only to distract herself and not have only negative thoughts about Los Angeles.

Humming to herself, she took the card that would unlock her door and entered. Her path led to the small suitcase she had packed for the short trip.

However, she found a letter with her name on the bed. Had a maid placed it there? After all, the company had donated the hotel to her. So maybe they knew why she was here?

Frowning, she took the note and read it through. It said that she had apparently been admitted to the second round of the application. But why? She hadn't even made it through the first round after refusing to sit down and have a conversation.

Sera lowered the piece of paper and looked out the window. From here, she could even make out the building where Mister Diabolus worked.

What should she do now? Should she go back tomorrow or not? From her first impression, he would probably just make fun of her. But this job was a stepping stone for her career.

Sighing and chewing on her lower lip, Sera pondered what the best decision would be. She thought this note was a trick, but it could very well be severe. How she would have made it to the second round of applications when she had done nothing in the first was beyond comprehension. To make sure she had understood everything correctly, she read through the letter again.

But it stayed that way. They wanted her for the second round of the interview. What should she do? Should she try again?

Sera thought for a few more minutes until she made a decision. She would try again. And she would do her best not to let it get her down. It dawned on her that Mister Diabolus liked to set up false trails.

With her new resolve, she walked purposefully toward her suitcase and pulled out another article of clothing. This she carefully laid out and then decided to enjoy the rest of the day.

Restlessly, Sera rocked back and forth on her legs as the elevator stopped at the floor where Mister Diabolus wanted her. Floor thirteen.

She was on time and very much hoped that things would go better today.

Cheering herself on in her mind, she stepped out of the elevator. She walked purposefully to the glass door, which she closed quietly behind her. Just like the day before, she felt a strange sensation, which she suppressed by breathing quietly. Arriving at his door, she knocked and waited to be invited in.

His voice rang out. Just as calm and almost emotionless as she knew it to be.

Once again, Sera took a deep breath in and out before opening the door and entering.

Mister Diabolos was sitting behind the desk just like yesterday. His long, black hair loose, and his gaze was calmly fixed on her. Also, he wore a separate suit. One in a dark blue, not black.

"Good morning," Sera greeted him as if nothing had happened between them. At that, a comment was on the tip of her tongue that she would have loved to say. Only she didn't say it because she wanted this job.

"Good morning," Mister Diabolus replied, pointing to the armchair. A gesture that Sera knew very well.

Slowly, she walked up to it and settled down without taking her eyes off the gentleman. "Where did your sudden change of heart come from?" she wanted to know curiously. This was a question she simply had to have answered.

"My change of heart?" he asked, sounding amused. "It's more likely your change of heart. After all, you didn't want to yesterday. But honestly, you impressed me with that. I like strong women," Mister Diabolus explained, seeming to be an honest man on this point.

With raised eyebrows, Sera gave him a strange look. "I came here to get this job. That's the only reason I'm taking the second chance," she remarked in wonder at his comment. Strong women. A strange expression for a first encounter.

"And yet you were willing not to work here if you didn't like the boss. That shows strength," he said in a calm voice. "That's why I'm giving you this second chance. My first question: why were you so eager to join me, and what do you hope to gain from a position as my secretary?"

This was precisely the question she had been expecting. "Because I would like to go to summer law school. My dream is to become a lawyer," she began, pausing for a moment. "You are the most respected lawyer who wins all the cases. I want to learn from you so I can be successful later." Sera's voice sounded firm and determined. "I'm sure I will learn from you what it means to be a good lawyer. And I will do my best to prove to you that you are making a good choice should you hire me, Mister Diabolus."

She couldn't reasonably interpret his look. Was he the type of man who liked women to be ambitious and outspoken, or did he prefer women who submitted to a man?

"So you want to study law," he began, making a mental note. His writing was fine and neat, although he wrote very quickly. "Do you have any experience in this field?"

"A little," Sera confessed, for she had actually read up on some of it herself. It just interested her more than medicine.

"Very good," Mister Diabolus agreed, sounding pleased. "I'd like you to work here for a day to see what it's like for you."

Sera raised her eyebrows. "Right now?" she asked, sounding relieved. She wasn't comfortable waiting, and she was glad to have something to do.