Secretly Living With My Boss

Chapter 2

It was already eight o’clock in the evening, and she started preparing her clothes early for her first day of work tomorrow so she wouldn’t have a hard time. There were four of them sharing the room. Luckily, she got the top bunk bed, so she had some privacy. But even though she had a barrier on her bed, she still tiptoed so as not to disturb her roommates. The two she shared the room with were nurses who were on straight duty and resting now, while the other one was a casino dealer nearby, getting ready to go to work.

While tiptoeing, she had a small battery-powered flashlight open to see the things she had listed. Because it was her first day at work tomorrow, she needed to know how to budget her salary.

“My monthly salary is thirty thousand, minus three thousand five hundred for rent, then two thousand five hundred for electricity and water bills, so... that’s six thousand five hundred right away. Let’s say my fare is one thousand five hundred if I only take a public vehicle...” she said, pausing for a moment but then shaking her head. “Oh, no… I’ll just put it at two thousand. Maybe I’ll need to take a taxi. Right, I’ll put it at two thousand. So, six thousand minus two thousand, that’s already eight thousand. And then, minus ten thousand that I’ll send to Mom for their monthly expenses, and the five thousand I’ll put towards my debt to Mom, plus the two thousand for my phone credit. That’s twenty-five thousand, I’ll have five thousand left for savings,” she said happily, almost squealing. But her happiness quickly disappeared when she seemed to have forgotten something. “Oh, s**t! Food, I forgot! What about that? Am I not going to eat? And also load.”

She put her hand on her forehead and looked at her list, contemplating the things she wrote down that she could still adjust because she was sure that even with her large salary, it would surely not be enough.

“Whatever,” she said and stopped what she was doing. She folded the paper and hid it under her pillow, then looked up at the ceiling. She smiled again, grateful because just when she was feeling down and hopeless, she suddenly got accepted for the job. She knew that this would be the start of her opportunities here in New York. And her starting salary was really promising. So she would take care of her job no matter what happened, until she had other opportunities, jobs that paid more. Until she could save enough to buy her parents a new cow, to redeem the land their parents pawned for her education. Until she could buy her own house and land, start a business, a car, and whatever else she wanted. She knew she would achieve all of that, maybe not now, but someday.

“Lord, thank you,” she whispered, then sat down and picked up her cell phone.

It was still early, and she knew her mom was still awake. She hadn’t told her parents yet about getting the job, so she was really excited to share the news with them.

After a few rings, her mom answered right away. “Mom, I have good news, I got the job, Mom,” she softly said, careful not to wake her roommates.

“Oh, that’s great news. It’s good that you’re doing something there.” she heard her mom say from the other line.

She smiled. “See, Mom? I told you, we just need a little patience. Mom, this is it... it’s starting now... I’ll be able to recover,” she said.

“That’s really good. I thought you’d stay in New York without a job for a long time. So, when can you send us money?” her mom asked, causing the smile on her lips to disappear.

She sighed, “Well, Mom, it’s on the payday, at the end of the month.”

“At the end of the month? That’s long enough of waiting. What will your siblings eat? Shall we just let ourselves go hungry and wait for your remittance at the end of the month? Can’t you give it in advance? Find a way, daughter,” her mom ordered, and she didn’t know how to find a solution.

“Mom, it wouldn’t be good if I cash advance from my job right away. I might get a bad reputation. It’s my first time there,” she explained to her mom, hoping she would have mercy.

“I don’t think so. If you cash advance, you’ll pay it from your salary, right? I know that, daughter. Even though I didn’t get an education, I won’t be beaten in things like that. So, find a solution,” her mom insisted. She didn’t speak anymore. She didn’t make excuses that she might not be able to do it. And like she always says, “Alright, Mom. I’ll find a way,” she just said to end their conversation.

After saying goodbye, she put down the telephone. She thought that knowing about her job would add to her happiness, but now she has more problems to worry about.

“Leave it for tomorrow,” she whispered before going to sleep.

***

Just like she told her boss, she arrived at the company at 5am. Luckily, Mr. Salazar had already endorsed her. At the reception, she was given the key to her boss’ office, so she decided to go up and see what she could do in the office while waiting for him.

When she entered the office, she saw an empty desk outside. It looked like that would be her workstation in the office, so she placed her things there. Next, she entered Mr. Salazar’s office, and she also saw that it was clean and there was nothing else to tidy up or fix, so she just wandered around. It seemed as if she memorized the locations of the files or whatever he could ask her to do.

She turned on the aircon and the humidifier and sprayed the air freshener so that by the time her boss arrived, the office would be refreshing. After that, she went out and made coffee in the coffee maker so it would be ready when her boss arrived.

“Psst! Are you the new one?” she heard someone whisper near the door.

She turned and saw a tall woman wearing office attire. She was beautiful and sexy, her cleavage was showing, she had curly hair and her makeup was done nicely.

‘Wow, the atmosphere here is intense, I was not prepared.’

Even though her eyebrows were raised, she smiled at her. “Good morning. Yes, I’m Hestia Coronel, the new secretary of Mr. Salazar. How can I help you, Ma’am?” she asked, and the woman raised her eyebrows even more.

“Ms. Coronel, I’m Kelly Anderson,” she introduced herself and stood in front of her. “Now that you’re new here in the office, you should know the people you should look up to. Remember your position here as secretary. Just secretary. Don’t attempt anything towards Sir Raven, because he is taken. Is it clear?” she asked while smirking.

She nodded, still smiling. “Yes, don’t worry, Ma’am, I know my position here as secretary and I will stay professional, I assure you that.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. Just in case you see someone getting close to Sir Raven, you tell me right away, okay?”

Because of what she said, Hestia raised her eyebrows. She wondered who this woman was in her boss’ life, but she didn’t ask any more as she might offend her.

“Good morning, Ms. Coronel,” she heard a voice after a knock on the door. She saw that it was another woman. She looked at Kelly and it seemed like she didn’t expect to see her there. “Ms. Kelly? I didn’t know you were here.”

“Good morning, Sandra, I’m leaving too. I just talked to Ms. Coronel,” she reasoned out before looking at her. “Remember our deal, Ms. Coronel. I’m leaving now, don’t make a mistake,” she said and then left.

Hestia furrowed her brows at what she said.

“Do you have a deal with Ms. Anderson?” the woman asked her.

Hestia shook her head. “I don’t know. We don’t have a deal, but she told me to always remember my place as a secretary and tell her if someone is getting close to Sir.”

Because of what she said, the woman laughed. “Oh my! Don’t mind her. Kelly is like that with newbies, especially here in Sir Salazar’s office. But Kelly is from the treasury department. Her office is on the 5th floor, and they’re quite curious about Mr. Salazar’s new secretary. That’s just how she welcomes newbies so be careful with her.”

‘Oh dear, I thought she was Sir’s girlfriend. She’s just an employee. I almost believed that she was Sir’s girlfriend.’

“I thought she was Mr. Salazar’s partner.”

“What? Oh, no, many people just develop feelings for Sir, but he’s single. That’s why many are getting close to him like Kelly, hoping for a Cinderella story,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, I see. That’s good then,” she said and furrowed her brows assuming that it was about her, so she retracted her statement. “What I meant is, it’s good that there is none yet, but it seems impossible for Sir to not have a girlfriend? With his wealth and good looks? None at all?! Oh, wait, Ma’am, what’s your name by the way?” she asked because she’s been talking to her, but she still doesn’t know her name.

The woman she’s talking to smiled frugally and shook her hands. “I’m Sandra Villarde, I’m the HR supervisor, and I also became Sir’s temporary secretary when his previous secretary left.”

‘Oh my! She’s the HR! I was just chatting away!’

Her eyes widened, “Oh, Ma’am! Hello! I’m sorry for chatting.”

“That’s okay, and just call me Sandra. By the way, you’re early.” She looked at her wristwatch. “But I think that’s perfect, so I’ll have time to give you a tour before Sir arrives,” she said, handing her a leather notebook. “Here’s the schedule of Mr. Salazar for the whole week. You’re lucky he doesn’t have many meetings today, except for the board meeting in the afternoon.”

“Okay, Ma’am, noted,” she said, opening the notebook to look at her boss’ schedule. She saw that he didn’t have many appointments today, but tomorrow would be a busy day.

The woman handed her something else, “And this one is the guidelines you need to review for your job, the company’s by-laws and rules, and this one is some notes I made about Sir Salazar,” she said with a wide smile.

‘The HR lady is really nice, and she even gave me notes about Mr. Salazar. This will be a big help for me, especially in avoiding a bad impression with him.’

“As you can see, it says there that he needs to be at the office by 8 am sharp. He’s not strict about being late, so it’s okay if you’re late. When it comes to leaving, don’t go home right away. Do overtime even if he’s not around. Mr. Salazar is nice, but a bit strict, and of course, a perfectionist.”

She nodded, “Okay, Ma’am, noted.”

“And don’t forget his coffee every morning. He likes it creamy with three spoons of sugar,” she instructed again, and she nodded once more.

She didn’t expect that her boss likes his coffee sweet.

“There’s a cafeteria here. Since it’s still early, we can have breakfast first, then I’ll give you a tour,” she invited her before they left the room.

While walking, she didn’t know if it was the right timing, but the woman seemed nice, so she took the chance. “Ma’am, I know this might be shameless of me to ask, especially since it’s my first day today, but Ma’am, is it possible for me to get a cash advance? It’s an emergency, I really need it.”

She stopped at her words and stared at her. It seemed like she didn’t expect what she was about to say. She won’t be surprised if she’s being judged now.

‘Oh, no! Eat me, ground!’

“Ma’am, never mind, forget what I said,” she quickly apologized.

The woman shook her head, “No, um... I’m not expecting you to ask that. It’s just that… it’s the first time someone asked for a cash advance on their first day.”

“That’s what I also thought,” she said shyly, feeling like hiding under the table.

“It’s not possible. But because Mr. Salazar is your boss, you need his approval. Wait, I have a form here,” she said, opening her clipboard and handing her something. “Here, just have him sign this and give it back to me so we can process it with the accounting department.”

***

Raven walked up to his office, and as he opened the door, the new secretary greeted him right away. She was dressed neatly—not provocative and looked respectable. But she wasn’t overly covered either. She also had makeup on, but it wasn’t too heavy. Her glasses suited her.

Aside from that, he noticed the big smile on her face.

“Good morning, Sir. I’m Hestia An—”

“Yes, I know you. No need to introduce yourself again,” he interrupted, causing her to fall silent. He pursed his lips and nodded. He glanced at his wristwatch. “You’re early. It’s only 7:30.”

“Yes, Sir! I told you I’ve been here since 5 am,” she replied.

He frowned but didn’t bother asking further. It’s rare for a secretary to arrive before him. “Did you meet Sandra?”

“Yes, Sir,” she replied respectfully.

Raven nodded. “Did she show you around?”

“Yes, Sir. She also gave me my ID and everything I need for work.”

“Good, that’s good then.” Raven thought to himself that it didn’t seem bad that he chose her as his secretary.

“And, Sir, I already prepared your coffee, so please go inside, and I’ll bring it to you,” she said, so he turned around and went inside.

As he entered, he didn’t expect what he saw.

The air conditioning was already on, and it smelled nice. It’s good that she did it on her own.

He sat in his swivel chair, and soon she came in and handed him his coffee.

“Sir, here’s your coffee, just the way you like it,” she said, making him curious.

He accepted the coffee and took a sip, but soon spat it out. “Son of a b***h! Is this coffee or just pure sugar?! Why is it so sweet?! I don’t want sugar in my coffee!” Raven shouted, so the girl suddenly stilled.