FIRST DAY UNDER FIRE
1132 Words
Chapter 3 – First Day Under Fire
Arlene Smith arrived at Anderson Global at 6:15 a.m.
Her first official day didn’t start until seven, but she refused to be late. Not for Eddy Anderson. Not on probation.
The city was still stretching awake when she stepped out of the taxi. The glass building looked less intimidating in the soft light of dawn — but only slightly.
Inside, the lobby was quieter than before. A few early employees nodded politely as she passed.
“First day?” the receptionist asked with a knowing smile.
Arlene nodded.
“Good luck.”
That didn’t sound comforting.
---
By 6:45, she was standing outside Eddy’s office with a tablet in hand. Martin Hayes, the executive director, stood beside her.
“You’ll need to keep up,” Martin said calmly. “Mr. Anderson changes schedules without warning. He expects immediate adjustments.”
“I understand.”
“He doesn’t repeat instructions.”
“I understand.”
Martin gave her a measured look. “Everyone says that.”
Before she could reply, the elevator doors opened.
Eddy stepped out.
Charcoal suit. Crisp white shirt. No tie today. His sleeves were rolled slightly at the forearms, revealing a sleek silver watch. He looked less like a distant billionaire and more like a man ready for war.
His gaze landed on her instantly.
“You’re early,” he noted.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
He walked past her into his office. “Follow me.”
Arlene moved quickly, tablet ready.
The moment she stepped inside, the pace changed.
“Reschedule the 9 a.m. with the Singapore investors to Thursday. Push the legal review forward by two hours. Cancel lunch.”
She blinked.
Cancel lunch?
“Yes, sir.”
“And I want the updated acquisition report on my desk in twenty minutes.”
“It was scheduled for ten—”
He stopped walking.
Slowly, he turned.
“And?”
The air shifted.
Arlene swallowed. “I’ll have it ready in twenty.”
His eyes held hers for a second longer, measuring.
Then he nodded once and continued.
---
By 8:30, her head was spinning.
Emails flooded in. Calls from international offices demanded answers. Three departments needed approval signatures. A reporter from a major business network requested a statement.
Eddy didn’t slow down.
At 9:15, she entered his office with the acquisition report.
He was on a call.
“Yes, I’m aware of the risks,” he said smoothly. “That’s why we move before our competitors.”
His eyes flicked to her as she placed the file on his desk.
He continued speaking, but his gaze dropped to the pages.
Scanning.
Analyzing.
Her stomach tightened.
Had she missed something?
The call ended.
Silence.
He flipped another page.
“You corrected the projection errors,” he said finally.
“Yes, sir. The third-quarter estimate was off by 2.3 percent.”
“And you noticed that within minutes?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
Most assistants would have simply delivered what was given to them.
She adjusted it.
Without being asked.
“Who told you to revise it?” he asked.
“No one.”
Another silence.
Eddy leaned back slightly.
“You don’t wait for instructions, do you?”
“I try not to waste time.”
His lips twitched faintly.
Dangerous.
Interesting.
---
At noon, she realized she hadn’t eaten.
Neither had he.
He hadn’t left his desk once.
At 1:40 p.m., a heated voice echoed from the conference room down the hall.
“The numbers don’t justify the expansion!” someone argued.
Arlene froze outside the door.
Eddy’s voice responded — calm but cutting.
“They justify it if you understand long-term growth.”
“You’re taking a gamble.”
“I don’t gamble,” he replied coldly. “I calculate.”
The door opened suddenly.
Two board members stepped out, clearly frustrated.
Eddy followed.
His jaw was tight.
His gaze landed on Arlene immediately.
“Schedule a follow-up tomorrow. Earlier.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And get me the European market analysis. Now.”
She moved quickly.
As she passed him the tablet minutes later, their fingers brushed.
Just slightly.
But it was enough.
A spark.
Unexpected.
Her breath caught.
His expression didn’t change — but his eyes darkened for a fraction of a second.
“Focus, Miss Smith,” he said quietly.
Heat rushed to her face. “Yes, sir.”
---
By 7:30 p.m., the office had emptied.
The sun had set hours ago.
Arlene was organizing the next day’s schedule when she noticed the light in his office was still on.
Of course it was.
She hesitated.
Then knocked gently.
“Enter.”
He didn’t look up when she stepped inside.
“You’re still here,” he observed.
“So are you.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Silence.
He slowly raised his head.
Most employees wouldn’t dare speak to him so casually.
“Your hours ended at six,” he said.
“I wanted to finish preparing tomorrow’s files.”
“You’ve done enough.”
Was that… acknowledgment?
“I don’t mind,” she replied softly.
He studied her for a long moment.
“You’re not like the others.”
Her pulse quickened.
“How so?”
“They lasted three weeks. Some less.”
“And you think I won’t?”
“I think,” he said carefully, “you don’t understand what this job demands.”
“And what does it demand?” she asked quietly.
His gaze locked onto hers.
“Loyalty. Discretion. Sacrifice.”
The word lingered in the air.
Sacrifice.
She thought of her mother. Her brother. The bills waiting at home.
“I can handle sacrifice,” she said.
Something shifted in his expression.
Not softness.
But awareness.
For a brief second, the room felt smaller. Charged.
Too close.
Eddy stood abruptly, walking toward the window.
“Go home, Miss Smith.”
It sounded less like an order.
More like dismissal of something else.
“Yes, Mr. Anderson.”
She turned to leave.
“Arlene.”
She froze.
It was the first time he had used her name without “Miss Smith.”
She turned slowly.
“Yes?”
A pause.
Then—
“Don’t be late tomorrow.”
Her lips curved slightly.
“I won’t.”
She left the office, heart racing for reasons that had nothing to do with exhaustion.
Behind her, Eddy remained by the window.
He didn’t understand why her presence unsettled him.
Why her confidence irritated him.
Why her quiet strength pulled at something buried deep inside.
She was his assistant.
Nothing more.
And he would make sure it stayed that way.
But for the first time in years—
Work didn’t feel entirely professional.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD