Chapter 3
"Briefing"
~Katharine Ross~
I stepped out of my navy blue Chrysler.
7:45.
It was a 15 minute drive from my apartment.
The car park was underground and an elevator led the employees to the building.
The car park was deserted for the most part.
Just a few cars, here and there.
I flipped my id card in the slot and rode the elevator in silence, bracing myself for my first day, of my very first job.
The doors opened, on the ground floor, to reveal, white, shiny-marbled floor and a neat, dark, contrasting reception.
A luxurious waiting-lounge on my right side.
Fresh flowers in all the flower pots.
All spacious, comfy and very, very expensive.
It had to be, after all it was the most successful enterprise in Boston.
I greet a smiling Gina, the receptionist, and she starts to brief me on the necessary information I'd need to know about the building but not after complimenting on my appropriately chic fashion sense.
If only she knew.
"It has twenty floors and each floor has it's own manager. For example, the accounting department is on the fifteenth floor. Weekly, John, it's manager, reports back to Mr Archibald." She explains.
"And everyone on that specific floor is under the manager?" I ask.
"Precisely. The managers are the only ones allowed on the twentieth floor. The managers or some other employee, if summoned by Mr Archibald, himself. The twentieth floor is Mr Archibald's office."
"Ahan" I nod, understanding.
"And, one more thing. All the employees working in Archibald Enterprises are invited to a party, celebrated on the last friday of every mont,h at Mr Archibald's condominium.
It's a friendly event. To encourage understanding among fellow workers, and a chance for regular employees to see Mr Archibald."
She winks and stresses on her last words, as if they are supposed to mean something exciting.
"Um, so, what's on this party?" I question, not quite getting it.
"Duh, the usual stuff , hon. Drinking, dancing, making out-"
Gina says, evidently excited by the whole thing.
"Among work fellows?" I ask, horrified.
"Yep. But it's a silent rule here, not to mention what happened at the party, after the party and totally forget its events. Though usually they are so wasted, they pass out in one of the rooms for the night, and forget everything anyway." Gina tells me, seriously now.
Wait, when did this discussion go from being about the office to a stupid party?
"Anyway, which floor am I working on? I should get started. No?" I question her.
"Sure, I always get side tracked", An embarrassed Gina explains, "You're on the seventeenth floor. Working under Mr. Maxwell James."
She pauses, as if recalling something.
"Seventeenth floor deals with presentations most of the time. You must be lucky!"
Gina winks before continuing,
"They get four weekly presentations with Mr Archibald and with Maxwell, another employee is allowed on twentieth floor. Also, and most importantly, that floor has almost all of the hot guys here."
She sighs, dramatically and informs me, and I quote.
"You really should run along to seventeenth floor and Maxwell will brief you on the rest."
I do as she says.
I come to conclude, she seems so star struck over Alan Archibald.
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