Worlds Apart

New beginning

Unfortunately, the position I had applied for had already been filled by the time I arrived to submit my application. Disappointment must have been written all over my face as I turned to leave. Just as I reached the door, the secretary received a call, and I was asked to wait. To my surprise, the boss had just fired his personal assistant and needed a replacement. Since I was already in the building and in need of a job, I was offered the position on the spot, with a request to start the next day at 8 a.m.

Hearing the news, I hurried out of the building, realizing I had a lot to get done. My first stop was a boutique down the road where I picked up a few work outfits. I wasn’t sure if there was a specific dress code, so I decided to buy a variety of options. Once back at my car, I dropped my purchases in the backseat before heading to a salon to trim my hair and get my nails done for the following day.

Back at my apartment, I unpacked everything and carefully selected an outfit for my first day: a fitted skirt just above my knees, a white blouse, and black wedges. Afterward, I quickly made myself a small dinner and ate while watching a movie. As the night went on, I set my alarm and went to bed, determined to be up early and ready for my first day at work.

The next morning, I woke up and, feeling like I had some time to spare, made myself a hot cup of coffee. Once I finished, I dressed quickly and headed to the company, which was a bit farther from my apartment than I expected. Finding a parking spot was a challenge—it seemed like everyone at the company owned a car. When I checked the time and saw I was five minutes late, I locked my car quickly and rushed into the official building.

As I walked in, I saw a tall figure standing with his back to me. The powerful aura he radiated immediately made me assume he was the boss. I was frozen for a moment, about ten seconds, because even though I hadn’t seen his face yet, I had never seen a man with such a striking back view.

A deep voice suddenly pulled me from my thoughts, asking if I was done ogling. My gaze snapped up to meet his, and did I say his back view was beautiful? Well, his front view was even more striking. I barely had time to appreciate it, though, because I could feel the anger radiating off him. I didn’t know why he was angry, but it was clear I had made a misstep.

He asked if I was sure I wanted the job, his tone dripping with disrespect. He continued, making a remark about how he didn’t like it when women threw themselves at him, pointing to the way I had looked at him earlier and gesturing at my skirt, which had risen a bit from the hurried walk to the office.

In that moment, irritation flared up in me, and I realized that working for this so-called boss wouldn’t be easy. I clenched my teeth, biting back a sharp response, and avoided making eye contact with him."Miss Lucia," he called my name, and for some reason, hearing him say it made a knot form in my stomach. I glanced up, thinking maybe he was about to apologize, but instead, he extended a company document toward me, instructing me to go through it before lunch break. Without another word, he left my office.

As the door clicked shut behind him, I had to fight the urge to throw a tantrum. The thought of venting my frustration crossed my mind, but seeing the CCTV camera in the corner of the room made me rethink my choices. Instead, I sat down at my desk and tried to focus, opening the document to make sense of it.