Chapter 3
1630 Words
When they arrived at Ghayle’s office, she handed them each a folder. Inside were forms they needed to fill out for the job, along with a list of requirements they needed to submit.
There were many employees at Cross Corporation, and now she was one of them. She didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about the opportunity given to her this morning.
“Make sure all the boxes are filled. As for the requirements, some can be submitted later. Your valid ID and banking information for your salary are important. Your police clearance should not be expired either. You don’t have a criminal record, do you?”
Both she and Corry shook their heads.
“Good to hear,” Ghayle said. “Jody, now that you’re Sir Keaton’s secretary, I’m sure you have an idea of what an assistant should do. I saw on your resume that you were an assistant at a*****e?”
Jody nodded. “Yes, Ma’am. But I was just the assistant to the manager’s assistant there. My experience isn’t that extensive.”
“Don’t worry, and if you have any questions, just ask me. The company has a job routine, so you won’t get confused. You’ll learn the tasks as you go.”
She wanted to say that she could learn the job; the problem was with her boss’s erratic behavior. He was worse than someone with an anger management problem. He would call his secretary stupid without any warning.
“I’ll do my best, Ma’am.”
It was Corry’s turn to receive instructions, and then the two got up and left her for a moment. She continued filling out the forms and lost track of time.
When the phone on Ghayle’s desk suddenly rang, she didn’t know what to do. An annoyed employee from the department approached her.
“Aren’t you going to answer that? We’re all going deaf from that endless ringing.”
She didn’t know the woman, so she didn’t respond immediately. Why should she answer the phone when it wasn’t her desk? Ghayle should be the one to answer the call.
“Gosh!” The woman rolled her eyes. “You’re already messing up at work, and you’re new here.” Angrily, she picked up the phone and answered in a sweet voice. “Good morning, Sir. Ghayle is not at her desk—Yes, Sir.” The woman covered the mouthpiece. “You’re Jody?” Jody nodded, and she immediately handed the phone to her.
“Hello—”
“Where the hell are you?! Come to my office; I’ve been waiting for you since earlier!”
Before she could respond, he hung up on her.
That Keaton Cross is really a devil incarnate! Is this how he talks to employees? More than just a servant!
She almost stumbled as she hurriedly walked. It hadn’t even been an hour yet. She still had five minutes! The way Keaton spoke, you’d think she was already late.
Meanwhile, the employees started whispering to each other. The woman who answered the phone had already spread gossip among her colleagues.
“Oh my God! The new secretary of Sir got fired! She didn’t even last two months!”
“Good thing she lasted more than a month. The one she replaced didn’t even last three weeks!”
“It’s really hard to work with Sir. You can’t make mistakes. Just a small thing, and he’ll shout. It’s scary! Good thing he’s handsome. At least there’s a consolation prize.” An older woman chuckled. She was separated from her husband but had a child.
Jody almost gasped for breath when she returned to Ghayle’s office. Corry was back as well.
“What happened to you? You look out of breath!”
“I just came from Sir Keaton’s office. He asked for his schedule. Thankfully, Ma’am Ghayle gave it to me earlier. If not, I would have been in trouble. Where would I get it quickly? I don’t even have a login for the computer yet.” She sat down and tried to catch her breath.
Corry scratched her neck. “Just hang in there. He’ll be nice to you eventually.”
“Corry, I’m telling you now. I don’t know how long I can stand his attitude. Even when I was just an assistant back in the province, my situation wasn’t this bad,” she whispered softly to Corry. She didn’t want anyone to hear what she was saying.
“Yeah, but just think about the salary. Plus, you just moved here to the city. It’s hard to find a job right now. Also, this Cross Corp. is a big company; it looks good on your resume when you look for a new job.”
“True, you’re right.”
“But admit it, Sir Keaton is handsome. You’ll see him every day, and you’ll be so close to him. He probably smells good too. Just the two of you in the office,” she teased.
“He probably smells good, but his attitude stinks. Never mind.”
Suddenly, someone dropped a huge stack of folders on Ghayle’s desk. Were those for them?
Corry and Jody exchanged glances, and when they looked up, two women were in front of them.
“Take this with you and photocopy them. Give them all back to me tomorrow. Clear?” one of them said to Jody. She didn’t even introduce herself.
“I’m sorry, but that doesn’t seem to be Jody’s job. She’s Sir Keaton’s secretary, and Ma’am Ghayle didn’t mention anything—” Corry didn’t finish what she was saying when the woman cut her off and added more papers. Those were for Corry.
“You’re both new here. Just do your jobs properly and don’t complain,” the woman said sharply. Her companion smirked and then walked away.
Corry was about to confront the two, but Jody stopped her.
“Don’t engage with them. Let’s just do this so they won’t have anything to say. We shouldn’t lower ourselves to their level. Remember, the salary is at stake.”
Corry reluctantly returned to her seat. “Those girls are bullies! It’s fine to ask for help from us, but why do they speak as if they own this company!”
“Let it go. Just let it pass to avoid trouble.”
Corry looked at the two women. “They even had time to retouch their makeup? Unbelievable! They’re getting paid even though they’re so lazy,” she grumbled.
“That’s Amanda and Ivy. Amanda’s mother is one of the managers. Ivy is Amanda’s best friend,” said a woman who approached them.
“That’s why they can’t get fired even with that kind of attitude.” Corry smirked.
“Is Sir Keaton aware of this?”
“How could he fire them when there’s always someone doing their work? Others can’t even speak up because they’re afraid of losing their jobs, so they just do it without complaints. It has been going on for years. Also, if you tell Sir Keaton, he won’t even let you finish. He doesn’t care about petty things. HR will handle it, and since Amanda’s mother is in charge, your complaint will go nowhere.”
Jody and Corry sighed.
“By the way, I’m Charlotte,” she said, extending her hand to both of them.
“I’m Jody. This is Corry. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’ll help you out so you can finish quickly. I’m okay with my tasks,” Charlotte offered. She seemed nice and was trying to befriend them. She even offered to help.
She showed them the printers in a corner and taught them how to operate them. There were four PIN numbers needed before they could print. Since Jody and Corry didn’t have their PINs yet, they used Charlotte’s PIN.
“Thank you. Honestly, we’re thankful to have gotten this job. It’s so hard to find work. Tuition is already so expensive, and after graduating, it’s hard to find a job. You’re qualified, but they always ask for experience. Where can you find such a system?” Jody shook her head.
“That’s how it is. You can only do what you want when you’re the boss. What’s even worse is when someone is unqualified but gets a good position because they have connections.” Charlotte grimaced at Amanda. “Like that one. She probably spends more time retouching than actually working all day.”
“Jody!” Ghayle called her.
“Yes, Ma’am.” They stopped what they were doing.
“Sir Keaton is looking for you. Go back to his office. The IT guy is upstairs setting up the computer. He’ll give you access.”
She hurriedly walked. When she reached upstairs, she knocked immediately.
“Come in.”
“Hello, Sir. I was told you were looking for me.”
“Yes. The stupid secretary I fired this morning messed up my schedule. I need you to free my afternoon and move all my appointments to the morning. There are only three appointments until noon. Whoever needs me will have to wait until I’m free. If you need to call them one by one, do it.”
Jody swallowed hard. “Yes, Sir.”
Now she noticed the necklace Keaton was wearing. It looked really familiar.
“The IT is working on your access. I expect you to update my calendar before you go home at five. You may leave.”
But Jody didn't move. She was still looking at his necklace and trying to figure out where she saw it.
"It's rude to stare. LEAVE NOW." He raised his voice, looking irritated once more.
"I'm sorry, Sir." Jody turned to leave as fast as she could.
- Writer
