Fate in Captivity

Chapter 15- The First Job

(Aubrey)

The welcoming event ended and I immediately went back to my office. Aly was with me and I realized that there were people standing by the entrance of my office. I looked at Aly and she nodded, quickly moving towards the entrance. She would be the first one to check the situation before I personally go there, Aly peeked at me and I walked towards them. I saw the back of two men but I haven't seen their faces, I just walked past them and directly entering my office without looking back. Aly did not say anything, so I just ignored them and sat on my swivel chair. I began opening the documents I was working earlier, I looked at the sticky notes to check where did I stopped and began doing it again. 

I heard that someone knocked on the door but as the usual scenario, I did not answer but Aly still opened and enter my office. She stood in front of me without saying anything and I just looked at her, she made a deep sigh and looked at me again. 

"Spill the beans, Aly." I said to her and she sighed again. 

"You have two interns who would be working under your office." she started saying to me. 

"My office? Do we need a hand?" I asked to her and she shook her head. 

"Then why?" I asked and she handed me hard folder. 

"These two would be the interns, the higher ups instructed to us." she said and I opened the folder, I saw names and even photos of the interns and I swear I do not know what to react after confirming it. I looked at her and she just nodded at me with her expression that she was disappointed and pitying me. 

"Alright, let them in." I nonchalantly said and looked at the documents again. I noticed that Aly was not moving and still standing in front of me. 

"I said you can let them in." I repeated to her and she snapped.

"Are you really sure about this?" she asked and I nodded. 

"Yeah. Aly remain professional." I said to her and she stood straight. 

"Yes, ma'am." she answered and she went out of my office. 

After some seconds, she came back and I sat straight on my chair looking at the new interns we have here. I looked at their faces and I saw their reactions, they both looked like fools, smiling hugely while looking at me. I know the reasons behind those smiles, for Ken, he was smiling as his face saying that I should have known his name and he knows that little encounter we had. For Julius, of course he was always this jerk and fool but his smiles tells me that he will be with me until the rest of our lives, that was ew, I think. 

"Ma'am, here are the interns that would work in your office. Julius Diear and Ken Vitton. Interns, this is the Imperial Store's president--"

"They already know me, don't bother." I said and Aly stopped talking. I pulled out some papers on my desks and put it in front of them. 

"Read those and tell me your ideas in an hour." I firmly said to them and ignored them.

"What?" I heard Julius said and I looked at him. 

"Why? You cannot do it? Then quit." I firmly said and he stare at me first before showing me his signature grin. 

"Who told you I cannot do it?" Julius said then grinned. 

"For hour, you say? Make it forty five minutes." Ken suggested and we all looked to him, he was smirking and Julius suddenly felt competitive by it. 

"Thirty minutes." Julius said and he looked at me. 

"Do whatever you want." I plainly answered.

"You must give up prize, the most creative idea, you say." Ken suggested again and Julius looked at him, like he was being confused why this guy is acting like this. 

"Alright, what prize do you want?" I asked to him. 

"Dinner date after work." Ken quickly said and Aly scoffed. 

"What in the hell are you talking about, dude?" Julius asked and he looked like he was now pissed up. 

"Why? Is there a rule that interns cannot have a dinner date with the president?" Ken sarcastically said to him. 

"Bro, he is taken." Julius answered. 

"Who said?" I intervenes and Aly was now chuckling. 

"What? You and me--" 

"Nothing is certain about that." I said and cut Julius' words. 

"I accept that proposal.. In thirty minutes, best idea for dinner with me." I firmly said and Julius looked at me in disbelief. 

"Go, the clock is ticking." I said and they immediately left my office. 

I was about to continue my work when I noticed again Aly with her teasing smile, or should I say her mocking smile? She was not saying anything but she just stood there while a bit of swaying herself front and back. I just scoffed and leaned on the desks to see her clearly, I raised my eyebrows but no one of us was speaking, we were just weighing the atmosphere and who would be the first one to have the first comment, either a teasing comment of some defensive comment. 

"What do you want to say?" I just gave up and broke this ridiculous silence between us. 

"Nothing." she plainly answered but she was still looking at me with her eyes full of mockery. 

"Alright, then leave. We have a lot of work to do." I kindly said to her with a smile, but that smile is not kind, opposite to my intonation. 

"Oh, yes. I should leave when the president tells me to leave." she sarcastically but she was still smiling, the same intonation as mine. 

"Shut up, witch. Whatever you are thinking, stop it before I fire you." I said to her and acting like it was some threat or warning but she just chuckles and glare at me with her one eyebrow raised. 

"You cannot fire me, Aubrey." she said before finally left the office. 

I just chuckles while shaking my head as I continue my work. I opened the folder that Janna brought me awhile ago and I start browsing to our system if we can get these clothes as soon as possible or we need to create the clothes on our own. The folder I gave to them was similar to the documents that I have, the idea I want from them is not the design of the clothes as it was already stated in here, but the event. How would the store attract customers and even new ones for our next collection. The party and the runway, how it should be designed and what should be the theme. For short, what would be their whole vision for this collection of ours, maybe a bit challenging for an intern but I do have trust especially to Julius. I already knew his talent in this industry and I believe that dinner date would also fuel his competitiveness over this task. 

That Ken guy was the same guy I expected him to be, he looks jolly and he has a smiling face on the outside but I expect him to cunny and sly. I don't know what made me think of him like that but he has that personality of positive greed. He would do everything he wanted but still improving and showing his talent, to the point that you cannot argue if ever he won or wanted anything. I did not expect that guy would suggest of having a dinner date with me, I believe he has some ounce of flirty with his blood, just like the day I met him at the park. But wait, we already met a day before the welcoming of interns, did he already knew that I was the president? then if yes, how did he knew that I would be jogging on that time? Is that all coincidence? Or is he following me? Am I just being assuming or exaggerated here? I don't know anymore. 

"Aubrey! I'm done." I heard someone yelled out of my office and I looked at the clock, I did not notice that thirty minutes already passed. 

"Come in." I said and the two of them were pushing at each other towards me, they are fighting of who idea would be passed first. They arrived in front of me and they handed their documents still on their hand. I looked down on my desk like telling them they should put it on but their looks are very determined and they are saying that I should get it from their hands. So, I just let out a deep sigh and grabbed Julius's documents first before Ken. I saw Julius looked at Ken with a smirk, and I knew what is the meaning of those looks. 

"Alright, pitch it." I plainly said and looked at their documents. 

"I go first." Ken said and I nodded at him. 

Minutes passed and Ken's elevator pitch ended, I saw his point and the vision for the collection but something was missing and I cannot point it out. The idea was great, creative and even alluring for rich people especially for mothers, so this would be a good addition. 

"Okay next." I said and Julius went on the center and started his pitch. 

Again minutes passed and his pitch was done, as expected to him he has his own visions and he even put information on what should be the design to be use such as colors even lights and the layout of the whole program. 

"Alright, I heard you loud and clear." I said and put down the papers and looked at them. 

"You can now go." I said and starting working on the other documents again. 

"What about the result? The winner?" Julius asked and I looked at him. 

"Oh, I would just message you if ever. Please work for now." I plainly said and they were not leaving. 

"What are you doing?" I asked to them. 

"You must say it now." Ken firmly said. 

"Are you commanding me?" I just said then scoffed. 

"No, ma'am." he answered as looks like he realized that I am still the president. 

"Now go." I said and stare at them. This time, they really went out and Aly came in holding more documents. 

"What are those?" I asked to her as soon as she put it in front of me. 

"These are the designs we had, I researched and thinking if we can get inspiration through this." she explained and I just smiled at her. 

"Don't bother, we have new ideas." I said then handed to her the documents that the two created a while ago. 

"Send that to the creation team and check if they can do some samples for it." I said to her and she scanned it. 

"They did it?" Aly exclaimed. 

"Great, right?" I said and she nodded. 

"I do have dinner with my friends later, right?" I asked and she nodded. 

"Yep, I think they would pick you up when it is time already." Aly said and I just nodded. 

"Alright, thanks." I said and she left. 

I looked at the clock and the time went by so fast, it was already four and just a hour, it is already time to get off to work. I stood up and began fixing my desk, piling the papers and even dividing them based on the things I had already done doing. I also made a cup of coffee to let me relax and that was now the time for stretching. 

"Aubreeeeeey!!" I know, they don't have to enter as I already knew whose voice was that. The door opened and the three of them entered and directly on the couch, while Zy walked towards the small pantry. 

"Where are we going later?" I asked to them. 

"Hmm, I saw a new restaurant at the downstreet and I saw their food were all art." Cheen suddenly said. 

"How much hours did you used in browsing your social media sites?" Camilla sarcastically said. 

"Come on, I just saw it, just an encounter." Cheen answered.

"I'll tell you, she saw that after twenty selfies and a thousand times of scrolling." Zy said while holding a cup of coffee. 

"Shut up, I just saw it." Cheen exclaimed. 

"Aubrey!--" we all stopped especially my friends when they saw who entered my office. 

"Julius?" Zy exclaimed.

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