Charmed by the Villain

Chapter Four: UNEXPECTED FAVOUR

"I thought I told you not to set foot in this premises again. What do you want this time?!" Percival asked outraged.

"Sir please. I really need your help. My father was a good man. He served here for sixteen years. Things have been difficult, and I just need a job, so I would...."

Percival was running out of patience; he opened his car and randomly stretched his hands over some clean bundle of cash notes.

"I don't have time for this. Your father's gratuity, right? Is that what you need?" He asked, throwing some bundles of cash to her. "This should be enough. He wasn't a top officer anyway. Now please get out of my way. I am in a hurry." The money was not even up to the gratuity, but Dino just needed something to dismiss her.

But Percival was startled as Margaret held to his trousers firmly, "No, sir. Please, you can have your money. I just need a job, please. I don't even want the gratuity anymore. Just get me a position here; even if it's to run some errands for you, I do not mind. I just want to be able to fend for myself and my sister, please." She cried, trying very much to look pitiful.

"You...you need a job?" Percival asked, quite disappointed.

"Yes. It's a job, please," Margaret pleaded.

Percival glanced at her, his eyes roaming her entire body; despite being in a hurry, he could notice her beautiful eyes. Turns out this silly girl is not ugly after all, Percival thought. He jerked back to reality after a five-second break of imaginary thought.

"Look,let go of my trousers; they are expensive, alright?" He warned.

"I am sorry, sir," Margaret uttered with an embarrassed tone.

"Tell me one good reason I should give you a job: Your father murdered my uncle!" You think my family would be pleased with me if I did that?" He asked her Sternly.

"You will be saving lives, sir. Mine and my sister's," Margaret pleaded with a beseeching tone.

"Then why not just take the gratuity?" Percival retorted, frustration evident in his tone.

"No. We will eventually spend the entire gratuity, but with a stable job……"

Percival interrupted her abruptly. "Just enough. Alright?! " He sighed heavily and gently touched his forehead, displaying visible signs of distress from an underlying issue, and it appeared as though Margaret’s actions had triggered it.

"Submit your qualifications with my personal assistant, and he will reach out to you," Percival told her. For reasons he could not detect himself, he did not want to dismiss her like that.

Margaret was fluttered. She didn't believe he would just have considered her immediately. She thought she would still be needing more drama.

"Really?" She asked with widened eyes, but Percival did not reply to her; he closed the rear door of his car, ready to enter.

"Sorry Sir. How can I see your P.A., and can I still see him today?"

"Why not go inside and check for yourself? Stop asking me silly questions," Percival replied, hopping into his car and ignited the engine.

"Thank you, sir. Thank you. I won't disappoint," Margaret said. When she saw the car completely drive off, she smirked, smiled sheepishly, and went back into ELIZA.

************************"*****

The next two days, Margaret proceeded to ELIZA in full anticipation for her first day at work. Her CV had been reviewed, and she was accepted. While she was in the transit on her way to work, she remembered the aftermath of her meeting with Percival's personal assistant.

"You have been accepted to work here as messenger number five. You will answer to top officials of the company at random, including the managing director. Your work here strictly follows a detailed schedule and rotation. The soft copy has been emailed to you. Make sure you follow it."

"Thank you," Margaret said, fulfilled, and just before she completely wallowed in her excitement, he added:

"Your job is still temporary. Your performance for the first two weeks will determine if we should keep you or not."

Margaret nodded her head affirmatively.

She was lost in thoughts that she did not know when the transit stopped. The woman beside her, sitting in the first seat, alerted her. "Hey, you are blocking my way!"

"Oh. Sorry," Margaret uttered as she realized people were already exiting from the transit.

In a few minutes, she got to the entrance of the magnificent ELIZA. She didn't believe a day would come she would work in this kind of grand organization, a business and transaction place for A-List citizens and the wealthiest individuals around the globe.

She made her way into the building and walked straight to the receptionist desk as usual.

"Hi. Good morning," Margaret said, beaming a smile confidently. She was elegantly dressed in trousers and a shirt that was tucked in appropriately. Her long, dark hair dangling over her shoulders compliments her radiant complexion.

"Oh... I see you are such a good pretender," the receptionist known by the name Helen muttered, looking at her spitefully. "How cheap can you be? You even had to fake a name just to get a job? Anastasia?...Oh. Lord, you are so unbelievable!" She uttered with disdain.

Margaret looked at her and snorted, feeling triumphant.

"If I remember clearly, in the guide that was sent to me,your work is not to investigate workers of this organization, so why not just stick to your job?" Margaret slammed at her.

"Wow. I see you have grown some wings. But I tell you what, both of us do not belong to the same level. I am a receptionist here, I receive three times of your own payment, I have a car, and I am sure you used your tiny legs to walk into this place. You are a low-life lady, and that's what you will ever be! And mark my words, you won't spend up to a month in here! I will personally see to it that you get dismissed."

Margaret smirked at her. "You wish!. The staff roll, please!"

But Helen ignored her.

"If I don't get to mark my attendance register, you have yourself to blame," Margaret warned.

Helen looked at him spitefully and passed the attendance register to her. It was a big book with golden hard covers well designed in floral.

She flipped over some pages, dropped the pen, and left her table.

******************

Margaret acquainted herself with the surroundings of the company already. She found herself within four colleagues serving as Messengers. They were very welcoming particularly Samson, a composed guy with certain qualities of a Nerd. During their breaks, Samson would often be found engrossed in different kind of books curious to seek more knowledge of areas he was deficient in, in different fields. She and Samson made good buddies already in less than a week. Margaret also acquainted herself with another messenger, Miriam, a single mother always willing to put Margaret through any unfamiliar places around the Company. While Margaret found solace and comfort amongst her colleagues, she occasionally gets tensioned by the receptionist, whose resentment for Margaret was evident.

It was her fifth day at ELIZA and Margaret got summoned by Percival for the seventh time in the week. She knocked on the door, and she felt Nervous. She was perceiving some smoky smell and she feared something might be burning and Percival in danger. She started knocking harder and louder. Hearing no response, She muttered the courage to push the door open and behold she met Percival Smith smoking his favorite cigarette Benson. He turned from his swivel chair and glanced at her, aggrieved, as though he was ready to pounce on her. Margaret got terrified for a minute. She did not know what she had done to deserve such a dead stare.

"You.. You called for me Sir?" She muttered timidly

"What is wrong with you Young lady. Why do you have to behave so uncivilized every time!"

"I don't understand Sir...."

"Why were you banging on my door like a hoodlum. Are you trying to give me a migraine?!" He uttered dropping the roll of cigarette in a ceramic plate. It was the fourth roll he had taken and the ashes were found in the plates and some on the table.

"I am sorry sir..I thought you were in danger or something...." Margaret stammered.

Percival stared at her keenly. His gaze traveled down to her thigh.

"You look quite presentable today. Unlike your first day here, looking like a peasant!" Percival remarked bluntly.

Margaret faked a cough. She got Speechless.

"Come right here and clean this mess" He instructed pointing to the leftover cigarettes and ashes on the table.

Margaret got closer to him and picked a clean towel from one of the cabinets. As she cleaned, her heart raced. Her long beautiful hair which was peach scented from the shampoo she had used, almost brushed through Percival's face. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

He wondered the effect the girl, he found so silly was having on him that he couldn't even fathom and for that he despised her for making him feel that weird.

"I am done sir. Anything else you want me to do?" Margaret asked trying not to glance directly at his piercing eyes.

Percival Smith had gorgeous eyes and a beautiful physique. How can a man look so beautiful yet so deadly. It felt as if Percival would enchant anyone who fell under his smoldering gaze and could also destroy them with his invisible power because somehow he carries himself with so much authority and dominating aura.

"Get my meal order" Percival uttered resuming work on his laptop

"Which is?....."

"Yorkshire puddings with some orange flavored cream. Shrimps with a little sprinkle of curry powder plus a mixture of banana and orange smoothie. I want it as I have said it. No additions. No subtractions."

Margaret wondered what kind of weird combination of meal that was.

"Sorry Sir, can you come again please?"

"Are you sure you can work here? I do not like people with comprehension issues. For the last time: Yorkshire puddings with orange flavored cream, Shrimps with a sprinkle of curry powder plus a mixture of banana and orange smoothie! That's what I want. If you bring the wrong meal to me after telling this to you twice, you will be suspended from work indefinitely because it would just show you are a dummy."

"I will get it right away Sir" Margaret said leaving his presence

"I hope she comprehends it" Percival scoffed under his breath. He was exceedingly tired of repeating his meal orders countlessly to Samson and even the Chef in Charge, he never delivered his perfect Meal order to his messengers unless he walked down there himself to show him and explain how he wanted it, but that's because he had complex meal combinations. What's the use of his messengers then?! If he had to get up for his meal orders himself. He became slightly frustrated.

"Let's just hope some miracle happens with her,” Percival uttered. But then he thought again, If the Chef struggled to comprehend his directives until he showed up in the kitchen, what chance did Margaret have? He really overestimated her intelligence. Anyways her perfect delivery of this Job determines her stay in the Company. He had no use for additional dullards.! He wondered why all of them could not comprehend as simple as a meal order. Trying to make him feel abnormal for requesting complex meals!" He thought momentarily before refocusing on his tasks.

Roughly after five minutes, Margaret appeared bearing a tray of the prepared meal. "Here is your meal, Sir,” Margaret stated.

"Open it" Percival instructed.