Uncovering The Boss

CHAPTER 14: GODFATHER'S FRESH MEAT

I walked inside the office after informing the other investors that I would be a day late since the first days were mostly just boring introductions and such. I was going around the corner when a small woman accidentally dumped coffee on my shirt. I didn't scream but cussed loudly.

The girl kept apologizing and tried to wipe my shirt with her handkerchief, but I stepped back so she would stop wiping my clothes. The girl looked at me with fear, and she froze when she realized who I was.

My eyes scanned hers, and the anger on my face disappeared. I realized who the little woman in front of me was. She was tall for a woman, and if I would guess, she was roughly five feet and eight inches tall. However, she looked smaller now that she was beside my six feet and five inches tall body.

"S-s-sir, D-De Angelo?! Oh my goodness! Mi dispiace! Non si ripeterà!"

She knows how to say 'I'm sorry, I won't do it again in Italian, and it proves her fluency based on her Italian accent. Uriel Hope Knight bowed her head as she asked for forgiveness, and although the coffee burned my skin, I didn't move an inch. I looked at her as she was sweating while closing her eyes and ducking her head. She waited for my response, and after five seconds of silence, I spoke.

"You speak Italian fluently, Ms. Knight, and that's good. Now, all you need to do is find an opportunity to prove to me all the other contents of your resume. For now, you need to fix yourself, and change your clothes soaked in coffee, and get someone to clean this mess. I'll go change, and I want you to be at your desk outside of my office in fifteen minutes."

"Y-yes, sir. I'll do that immediately!"

"Stop bowing and get going, Ms. Knight. I'm not the King of England where you need to be bowing and looking at the floor whenever I'm around. I'm a businessman whose time is precious and requires his people to be sharp and quick whenever I give them orders. Do you understand me, Miss Uriel Hope Knight?"

Ms. Knight stood up straight and met my dark brown eyes with her light brown ones. A minute ago, she was a nervous wreck, but the moment she snapped out of it, she held nearly the same gaze as Stephanie whenever she was in business mode. I felt a sudden rush of excitement as to how good Miss Knight would be as my secretary.

"Yes, sir. Once again, I am terribly sorry for what happened to your clothes. I'll get someone to clean this up and also bring you some coffee."

"Good. You may go now, but make sure that you are standing in front of my office door and have done everything that I told you to do along with that coffee you promised before the fifteen minutes ends."

With that, I left Miss Knight standing in the hallway and proceeded to go straight to my office to change my clothes. It was a good thing that I also had a private room connected to my office for personal use. It had a double bed, a bathroom with a shower, and a walk-in closet. I often stayed inside my office for hours, especially during the company's early years, so I made sure that it felt as comfortable as possible. 

After fifteen minutes, I left the spare room, and I went straight to my office door when I saw Miss Knight waiting outside my office door. The office door was tinted, but I could see the outside, while those outside the room couldn't see me inside. I ensured that the doors were tinted that way after Veronica attempted seduction and shameless nudity. I didn't want to be unprepared when something stupid like an assistant in the nude would barge in and shock me.

"Miss Knight, you are just in time. Did you make sure that you made the correct cup of coffee?"

"Yes, sir. I made sure that I made the exact coffee that you said you wanted. I made sure to read the contract, including the fine prints, which included the coffee you always ordered. White chocolate with mocha, either hot, iced, or frappe, depending on the weather."

"I am impressed, Miss knight. You may come inside and take a seat on the chair in front of my table. But close the door first, and thank you for the coffee."

Our hands touched as I took the coffee from her right hand that held it to keep the stack of folders on her left hand. I went inside first, and I heard her close the door quietly and follow me inside. She looked elegant and professional with her light makeup, and scarlet red lipstick made her skin look even whiter yet fresh looking. She wore a dark red pencil-cut skirt that was just above her knee that matched her maroon heels. I saw that she was wearing a white turtleneck inside her dark red coat, and the overall look made her seem like she was a simple yet powerful CEO. 

"I think that your look now is far better than the one you put on earlier. This means I can now forgive you for accidentally pouring your coffee on my clothes and burning my stomach, Miss Knight."

Ms. Knight was wearing light makeup, so her sudden blush in remembering the earlier incident was visible. I gave her a small chuckle, and the sound made her snap her head up in surprise. However, I admired her effort in trying to hide her surprise by coughing.

"You are now my secretary, Miss Knight. However, calling you formally makes me feel like I'm talking to an elderly woman who can possibly be older than my mother. Do you mind if I call you Uriel? Or do you prefer if I call you Hope? I may be your boss, but I still want you to be comfortable when I'm calling you and giving you orders."

"You can call me either Uriel or Hope, sir. I really don't mind whichever one you choose. It would be better if you were the one who is comfortable with calling me whatever you like."

"Fine then. If you are in trouble, I will call you by your last name. If I need you for professional things, I will call you Miss Uriel. However, if I call you for professional things that involve functioning as my secretary, I will call you Hope. Are you alright with my decision, Miss Uriel?"

"Yes, sir. I will make sure to remember all of it."

I saw her take a small notebook and take note of everything that I said. I had a small smile as I watched her writing seriously on her tablet with a serious look on her face.

"One more thing, Uriel, it would be better for you to pack your bags for a month-long trip to Asia three days from now. You will accompany me to Asia, specifically Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Japan. As my secretary, you are to make sure that you get every detail about this business trip from Mr. Alex O'Connor, and refresh your skills in multiple languages. Even if we are in Asia, the investors of this company would be there, and there would be multiple languages that would be involved from different people. I don't want us to look stupid if there are languages that we don't know. So, if you can, make sure you refresh all you know and prepare to join me. Do I make myself clear?"

"B-but. I mean, yes, sir. I will make sure that everything is arranged, and I will make sure to contact Mr. O'Connor after our meeting."

Uriel was less confident when I mentioned the trip, and I looked at her for a solid two seconds before taking a deep breath and laying back on my office chair with both my hands crossed on my chest.

"Miss Uriel, sei intelligente, so I know that you're not someone who would instantly come with me on a business trip just because I'm your boss. I understand that. However, are you nervous about being my secretary and following me in Asia alone? Or are you now thinking of resigning because of the intensity of the work that you will be doing with me while we are there?"

"None, sir. De Angelo. I was just shocked that you would include me in your business trip in Asia for a whole month without even working with me for a week. I only began working at the office today, and we will be leaving in three days. I feel like you have high expectations from me as a secretary, and I just don't want to fail in my job."

"I admire your honesty, Uriel, but I didn't bring you because I completely believe in your skills based on your resume. I chose to bring you because I want to test how good you are. A resume can tell me you're good, but it can't prove anything to me since it's only ink and paper. I still need to witness your work first hand before I agree with it."

"Oh, then thank you, sir. De Angelo for giving me a chance to prove myself. I will make sure to do my best to prove my skills to you and this company."

"Great. I would expect you to be ready and be familiar with everything in three days. Make sure you coordinate and prepare everything with the help of Alex. Now, you may go, but make sure you are capable of going in here when I call you."

Uriel stood up, and I got the perfect view of her physique as she slightly bowed and excused herself. However, as she opened the door, I called her, and she waited for me to talk as we looked at each other.

"Uriel, make sure you stop calling me Mr. De Angelo if it's only the two of us. I would prefer you call me Sir Michael and only call me Mr. De Angelo if we are in front of other professionals."

I winked at her, and she stuttered with her words of agreement, so she just nodded her head and quickly avoided my eyes, and left my office. I saw her try her best to walk as professionally as possible to her table outside my door, and I smiled at an excellent idea of tinting my office window.

I saw Uriel try to calm herself down as she tried to do her job outside. I knew that she was aware of the tinted door. Furthermore, by the way she shyly looked at my door from time to time, I knew she was aware of my gaze despite the door's tint. I smiled wider as I began to feel the excitement of working with my unexpectedly strong yet shy secretary.