The Billionaire Spy

LUNA ST CLAR I glanced at my wristwatch. 9:30am. I was thirty minutes early. I slowly raised my cup to my mouth, sipping my coffee. In a couple of minutes, I would be walking out of the coffee shop and crossing the road towards the Van Der Bilt Industries tower. But for now, I was content with sitting and watching as I had done every day for the past two weeks. I brushed my free hand across the folder containing my resume. I resisted the urge to open it. I already knew what was in there. I had spent the past couple of weeks going through it over and over again, memorizing every detail to make sure nothing was amiss. I glanced down at the navy blue blazer I was wearing and my lips curved into a small smile. It had been so long since I’d worn anything formal. I had to dedicate an entire day to shopping for office wears just to prepare myself for this day. I had spent the previous day ironing my outfit, cleaning my shoe, practicing how I was going to style my braids and how I was going to wear my make-up for the interview today. Yeah, I was nervous, surprisingly and embarrassingly so. I glanced at my wristwatch again. 9:45am. I raised the cup, downing the contents in one gulp. Then, I grabbed my bag and my resume and shot to my feet, heading for the door. As I walked by, I noticed my reflection in the mirror. I looked good enough – the blazer fitted my body perfectly, my braids were styled into a ponytail with four pieces hanging at my sides and my make-up was minimal. I was ready. I walked briskly across the road towards the tower. The doors slid open and I stepped into the lobby. The moment I walked in, the smell of lavender hit my nose. I paused, glancing around, taking the scenery in. People walked about, dressed smartly and elegantly, folders or bags or briefcases in hands, looking straight ahead as they walked briskly. “Excuse me?” a voice startled me. I jumped, twisting sharply. The receptionist behind the counter was smiling faintly at me. “May I help you?” “Yeah.” I cleared my throat, walking forward. “I’m Luna St Clar. I’m here for an interview. I was asked to come in by exactly ten this morning.” She glanced at the screen in front of her. “Right, for the personal assistant interview?” she asked. “That’s right.” “Okay.” Her delicate fingers moved quickly across the keyboard. “Executive floor,” she said like I was supposed to know what that meant. “On the thirtieth floor. Use the elevator. He’s running behind so you might have to wait a bit.” “Thank you.” I walked into the elevator and pressed the buttons, waiting as the elevator rode up, my nervousness growing with every passing level. The door opened and I stepped out of it, breathing in sharply. I was immediately intercepted by a woman dressed in a bright pink suit and sharp heels. “Hello, Miss St Clar. How lovely to meet you. I am Renee, Mr. Van Der Bilt’s Chief of Staff.” She held her hand out for a shake. “Lovely to meet you, Renee. Please call me Luna,” I answered, shaking her hand. “Right, Luna. Please, come with me.” Without waiting, she whirled around and immediately began to walk. “Well, Mr. Van Der Bilt just finished a call. He is ready for you,” she said, stopping by a black door. “Thank you,” I answered. She smiled kindly. “Listen, don’t take it personally if he’s a little rude or short with you. He’s that way with everything. This is our seventh time trying to hire a personal assistant this year alone and we’ve interviewed almost thirty people.” I inhaled. “I can handle it.” “Okay, then. Goodluck!” She turned sharply on her heels and click-clacked away. I waited for a couple of seconds, steadying my nerves before reaching out for the door handle and pushing the door open. I stepped into the room and stopped, closing the door behind me. Then, I whirled around, finally coming face to face with Nicolas Van Der Bilt himself. He was seated behind the table, his head bent over a screen, scrolling through something. He didn’t even acknowledge that he heard anyone come in, but it gave me time to assess the office. It was mostly empty and almost devoid of feeling except for the black couch lining the walls, the small table in the middle of the room and the bookshelf in the corner. Across me was Nicolas Van Der Bilt, sitting behind his desk, and he was finally looking at me. I had researched Nicolas Van Der Bilt long before applying for the job. I had seen him walk into the tower every day for the past two weeks while I was watching from the coffee shop. I knew what he looked like, and I knew he was objectively handsome. Yet, seeing him so up close knocked the wind out of me. He was staring at me with deep, dark eyes. “Are you just going to stand there?” he finally asked. His voice jolted me out of my thoughts. “Ye.. yes,” I cleared my throat, walking closer to him. “Good morning, Mr. Van Der Bilt.” He looked me over, not even acknowledging my greeting. “Miss St Clar,” he said. The way he said my name made me feel self-conscious. “Um… yeah?” What was wrong with me? I had never been this nervous for a job before. He raised a brow as though he could sense my nervousness and he was not impressed by it. “Alright, let’s get straight to the point, shall we? You are here for the position of my personal assistant. Give me one reason I should trust you with my calendar, my correspondence and my time.” I cleared my throat, brushing my hand across my pants. I had prepared for this particular moment. I had been coached for it, in fact, so I knew what to say. “Because I don’t need to be told things twice,” I answered more smoothly than I felt. “And because I prefer to solve a problem quietly rather than explaining why I didn’t.” His face was impassive, not even a hint of emotion on it. He glanced at the screen in front of him again. “Your resume is very impressive,” he said. “All these years working in all of these companies and at such a relatively young age too. Why apply for the lowly job of a personal assistant?” I paused, slightly surprised. I expected him to be impressed by my qualifications, not suspicious. Nevertheless, this was what I was trained for. “Yeah, I recently had to move to be closer to my younger sister,” I told him. “She requires a special kind of… care and attention and I need a job that can afford me both the time and money to do that.” “I see.” Slowly, he rose to his feet, extending a hand across the desk. “You start today. Meet Renee and she will help you get settled in.” I blinked twice, my brain slowly processing his words. “Oh! Oh, that’s great.” I took his hand, ignoring the tingles running through my skin as I touched him, and shook it firmly. “Thank you, Mr. Van Der Bilt. I promise, you won’t regret it.” He pulled his hand away. “Yeah. Go find Renee.” I turned, my heart soaring with excitement. I got the job. I walked out of the office quickly, breathing a sigh of relief. The first step was done, I could relax a bit. Immediately I closed the door behind me, my phone began to ring. I dug my fingers into my bag and brought it out. It was Don. Why was he calling now? We agreed he wouldn’t try to reach me whenever I was within the building or during office hours. I looked around the hallway. It was empty. I took a couple paces forward and answered the call. “Hey Don.” His deep voice filled my ears. I glanced over my shoulder to ensure no one was coming. “Yes, Don, I got the job. The first phase is complete.”