CHAPTER 3 – THE STANDARD
420 Words
Daniel’s office was organized.
Not just neat,structured.
Files arranged in precise stacks, a clean desk, dual monitors running systems Abbey had only briefly seen before.
“This will be your space,” he said, stepping aside.
Abbey walked in slowly, taking it in.
This was where she would work.
Where she would prove herself.
She placed her bag down carefully.
Daniel watched her for a moment, assessing.
“You’re on time,” he said.
“Barely,” Abbey replied honestly.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Still counts.”
Abbey stood straight, hands loosely at her sides.
Daniel took a moment to really look at her now.
She looked exactly like someone who had prepared for this.
Her outfit was clean and fitted without trying too hard. Her posture straight, chin slightly lifted, eyes alert.
There was nothing careless about her.
And nothing desperate either.
Good.
“Let’s start with the basics,” Daniel said, moving toward his desk.
Abbey nodded, pulling out a small notebook instinctively.
That caught his attention.
“You write things down?”
“I don’t like repeating mistakes,” she said.
Another small nod from him.
He turned his monitor slightly so she could see.
“This,” he said, tapping the screen, “is the current project you’ll be assisting with.”
Abbey leaned slightly closer.
Numbers. Contracts. Timelines.
Complex.
But not impossible.
“I’ve done most of the groundwork already,” Daniel continued. “Your job is to maintain structure. Schedule meetings, organize files, ensure nothing slips.”
Abbey nodded, already processing.
“If anything changes?” she asked.
“You contact me immediately,” he said. “I don’t care where I am. Vacation doesn’t mean I disappear.”
“Understood.”
He handed her a file.
“Go through this later. It will give you a better understanding of how Mr. Lawson works.”
Abbey took it carefully.
“And how does he work?” she asked.
Daniel paused.
Then gave a short, almost amused breath.
“Fast,” he said. “Precise. And very little patience for anything that isn’t necessary.”
Abbey nodded slowly.
“I can work with that.”
Daniel leaned back slightly against the desk, watching her again.
“You don’t seem intimidated.”
Abbey met his gaze. “Should I be?”
A beat.
Then he smiled faintly.
“Most people are.”
“I’m not most people,” she replied.
That answer stayed in the room for a moment.
- Writer
