'Susan, you're here!' The young woman greeted her friend, as the latter was arranging her uniform while stepping behind the reception desk, alongside her. The both of them dressed in matching uniforms.
'Yup! Let me tell you, I thought I wouldn't make it in time for my shift!' Susan wheezed, as she started to sort the documents in front of her.
'That would have been bad. Especially today!' Linda, the other receptionist, slowly whispered to her colleague.
'Why?' Susan, a bit flushed as she rushed to arrive in time, asked worried. She knew that three delayed arrivals for her shift at the Black's company meant dismissal from her work, but this was the first time she had been at a close call of coming late, and also in the end she avoided such a situation in the nick of time.
'That actress is here again!' Linda said, while Susan rolled her eyes at the information she found out.
Faye, one of the top actresses in the country at the moment, was unfortunately also the daughter of a shareholder at one of the companies that made up the Black family's consortium. Her father owned a portion of shares at just one out of those twenty companies, and it was not even the biggest of them all. But when that woman came to the main building for the last two weeks or so, she acted like her family owned the place.
'Just why in the world did that woman come again? The president only did her father a favor by employing her for some commercials. Is there a need to come and speak to the president about them? It's not even under his scope, there's the hired director in charge of the commercials who could inform her of whatever issues she might have.' Susan remarked annoyed.
It was not their problem if the woman kept pinning on their president, at least normally it shouldn't have been. But the problem was that each time Faye came, their manager became irritable and more demanding than usual. Or better said, the manager would take her frustration out on them.
'Tell me about it. Anyway, just like last time, I have a gut feeling that manager Leah will be pissed off and thus stricter than usual about the rules. You were lucky.' Linda agreed to Susan's words, feeling relieved for her friend.
Although it was not a widely known news inside the company, the receptionists who were in contact with all the departments of the company knew this fact very well. The manager of the internal affairs, manager Leah, had a crush on the president since she first started working for the company. So if someone were to show interest in him, well her temper would become unpleasant.
Well, not that they thought the actress was better. Reckoned the two receptionist at the same time it seemed, as they both sighed looking in each other's eyes knowingly.
'Linda... hey, I wonder what those two women would think, if the thing we saw last time at the mall was real.' Susan asked mischievously with a shushed voice.
'Do you mean that man who was walking holding the hand of a pregnant lady and had a dog cage in his other hand?' Linda with an even quieter voice tried to confirm if their thoughts were the same.
'Yes.' Nodded Susan, getting closer to Linda so they could hear each other better.
'Honestly, I would be glad, those two are too arrogant for their own good. I mean the president does have a wedding ring on his finger, though everyone knows that's just for convenience sake so he doesn't attract too many flies.' Linda affirmed, imagining what kind of faces those woman would have.
'Right! I actually would really want to see their faces if he were really married and would appear with a woman holding his arm.' Susan agreed and broke out in a small giggle, thinking of those two's shocked expressions, though they both knew there was no way for their president to have been that man.
The resemblance was uncanny, but the president was not married and would also never hold a dog's cage. He would really be a double standard man if he fired a person for briefly taking their dog to work, then owning one himself.
'Susan!' A beautiful woman called the receptionist who had a small smile on her face. The appearance of the manager causing the young woman to resume her expressionless polite attitude, at the sound of the familiar voice.
'Yes, manager Leah!' The girl immediately replied, straightening her posture. Although the manager still could find another meaningless reason to reprimand her, she was not one to willingly let herself have weak spots. The manager shouldn't have heard them, right? She was at quite a distance away and they were also whispering.
'It's good to see you are still in the mood to joke around, even though you were 5 minutes late today.' The woman smirked a bit, as Susan could see the manager was really about to take her anger out on her.
'Manager, it's now twelve o'clock and I am at my post.' The young receptionist reasoned, railing in the unfairness she felt at being reprimanded.
'Have you scanned your working card yet?' The manager asked, tapping her fingers on the receptionists' desk impatiently.
'Not yet, I was about to.' Susan's heart immediately grew cold, realizing that she had indeed not scanned her card yet, as she omitted to because of her talk with Linda. It was now 5 minutes past 12pm, so according to the computer she was late, but the manager was really being unreasonable... she was really at her post, and the woman could see it with her own two eyes.
A woman blinded by jealousy was really the worst, Linda and Susan did not even have the slightest of connections with the president. They had not even greeted him once, only nodded their head when that man passed by. Why should manager Leah vent her anger on them?
'You were about to, but you did not. This is your first warning, take care to not receive another two.' The manager spoke, with a sparkling glint in her eyes. A shine the two receptionist could not comprehend. Why was this woman so satisfied with herself, feeling superior in front of two small employees like themselves?
'Yes, manager.' Susan replied, still calm, though she was starting to curse the woman in her head. At this moment, she really really hoped for the woman from the mall last time to be the president's wife.
'Excuse me.' A small lovely voice could barely be heard by the three women on the other side of the receptionists' desk.
Directing her attention to seek the owner's voice, the manager held back the reprimands she was about to continue to voice against the two employees, as did the two women.
A small petite woman, who could barely be seen in front of the tall desk, gingerly waited for her words to be replied to. Dressed in a knee length summer dress with a pink hue pattern littered with flowers, the woman herself was akin to the roses that were spread on her maternity clothes. Her hair was let loose carelessly on her shoulders, and no makeup adorned the small flushed face, but the youthful appearance coupled with the gentle expression made a lovely picture, her protruding belly only adding to her charm.
'Yes. How may I help you?' Susan asked smiling a bit, her heart thumbing in anticipation. She recognized the petite woman almost immediately. At the mall that day, the two girls were not too close, but the image of that man left a deep impression on the two, naturally as the woman next to him did. Just for the fact that she was holding that man's hand.
Susan as well as Linda were not sure with a hundred percent certainty... that the petite woman holding a small husky puppy in her hands was the same one, but wouldn't the similarities be a bit too much for it to only be a coincidence?
'Ummm... C-can I ask you for directions to the president's office?' Aria asked, stuttering a bit while speaking. She was still not used to talking in public, and she was especially not good at speaking to the women dressed in professional office clothes, who were currently staring at her up and down.
'Do you have an appointment?' Susan asked gently, devoid of the earlier coldness. If this woman was truly someone special to the president, then it would be better to be even more courteous than usual.
'N-no, I don't. Do I need one?' Aria asked again, a bit disheartened. Perhaps it would have been better if she hadn't come.
'Yes. I am afraid you need an appointment. But if you could tell me your name, I will tell it to the president's secretary to see if he would allow your visit.' Susan offered. Because of the earlier harshness of the manager, she felt bolder and eager to crush her hopes.
'My name is Ar...' Aria started to reply to the receptionist. The young girl seemed gentle and it soothed her anxiousness. Maybe if she told her name, then if Zane would be informed she had come to visit, he would give her permission to go to his office. But unfortunately she could not say her entire name as a screechy high pitched voice interrupted her.
'Susan, the protocol states that no visitor is allowed to go to the president's office without a proper appointment. It seems you are hell bent on breaking the rules today, this is your second warning.' Manager Leah harshly intervened.
Normally even if she was angry, she wouldn't give two warnings in a day, but the pregnant woman in front of them seemed liked she was here to create problems for the president. A pregnant woman, who looked nothing like a business associate, why would she be allowed to speak to Zane? What if she was here to make a scene in his office? Moreover, for some reason she really did not like the woman in front of her.
'I am sorry, I did not intend to cause problems for you.' Aria immediately apologized, she was not aware it was so problematic for them to even announce the president's secretary of her presence. She really shouldn't have come.
'Please notify the president's secretary. Master Black would surely receive my mistress.' Anne spoke coldly, as she approached the desk. She had stood a bit behind Aria with the lunch boxes in hand, but seeing the arrogant tone of the manager, who would not even check if the president would receive Aria, she felt offended for her mistress.
By the master's attitude, and his repeated requests for the maids to take care of Aria, she was sure the president would agree to see his wife. Was it so difficult just to make a phone call? Also, it did not seem to her the company's protocol was the cause of the strong denial for their request.
'Miss, did you not hear what I said? You cannot see the president without an appointment. Also our company does not allow animals inside the building. Please leave while I am asking nicely.' The manager briskly dismissed the maid.
'I am sorry miss, but we cannot disobey our manager and bypass her orders. Would you like for me to call the secretary of the president to schedule an appointment?' Susan asked still gently, as the manager briskly turned to her, looking at the small receptionist as if ready to cut her into pieces.
In this way she could not accuse her of breaching the rules, because the petite pregnant woman would only make an appointment, not ask to see Zane at this moment. But whether the president would schedule the meeting for another day or right now... well that remained to be seen.
Realizing that indirectly the receptionist was offering them a way to still contact the president, as notifying the secretary of the president to schedule an appointment was about the same thing as letting him know of their presence in the building, Ann looked thankful towards the receptionist, who seemed more qualified at her job than her superior.
'Thank you for the offer. But on second thought, it was rash of us to disrupt the rules just for my mistress. We'll just call him directly.' Anne smiled a bit, though her tone was actually frightening. Then without waiting for their reply, put her free hand on Aria's shoulder, leading her to the couch away from the desk. Seeing her mistress comfortable rested, though Aria kept whispering they should just leave, Anne took out her phone and dialed the number of her master.
The maid had omitted for a moment the fact that the master had given her his personal phone number in the morning before he left for work, but fortunately had recalled this just now. Not to mention, the secretary of the president might really schedule a meeting for another day rather than inform the president and have him personally decide, so their trip here would be for nothing.
The knowledge the maid had imparted with them, left the manager shocked and lost for words, while the receptionists grew even more confident in their assumption. Susan especially felt relieved she had kept her speech as polite as possible. This could very well mean that the ring on the president's finger, which everyone had assumed had a fake meaning, actually had a real significance.
Several minutes passed for the women waiting to see the result of the phone call, but nothing happened in this time.
The manager was somewhat settled down and calm now. Although because of the distance between the couch and the front desk, she hadn't heard if the maid did indeed call the president, she was sure the latter was bluffing. So she still hadn't left for her office, intending to watch a good show. Perhaps she suspected the maid would fake a call, then wait for her to leave, and her mistress and her would try to appeal to the receptionists again. But unfortunately for them she was a full experienced manager. So in the end the joke would only be on them.
The elevator descended and ascended more for about a dozen times, but no sign of the president could be seen exiting it. The landline as well had rang several times already, but none of the calls were about letting the two women ascend to the top floor. As expected, the maid had really bluffed, the manager reckoned, not looking towards the elevator again, even though the sound of the doors opening was heard once more.
She was really assured now of the sham, so confident of it that she straightened her coat, before walking towards the two women.
'Now kindly leave the premises before the guards will make you leave by force. The audacity of some...' She sarcastically ordered, her tone reversing the use of her polite words into a disrespectful attitude.
'Manager Leah, what are you doing?' A man asked , with an out of breath voice. It was a clear indication that the man had hurried to this location, without stopping in his tracks along the way.
'Ahhh... Assistant Ryan! I am sorry. I know the entrance of pets in the building is not allowed, but this two women do not want to leave while I was asking nicely. I will immediately call the guards and have them escorted out.' The manager, although a bit surprised by the appearance of the president's assistant, still confidently and professionally informed, her tone miles apart from the earlier sarcastic attitude.
Ryan usually had a good impression of Leah. The woman had shown a hard working and responsible side of herself all this time, she was also almost always the last of her subordinates and peers to leave work. So it was only normal for his personal opinion of her to be quite good. But today even though her tone was as usual, the information the maid had told him left him doubtful of his evaluation of the manager. Thus naturally he watched her with more thoughtful observational eyes.
As he was the one who would carry Zane's phone while the boss was at work, and also because Zane was in a meeting, he was the one who had answered Anne's phone call.
At first, he had assumed that the maid had exaggerated in what she told him, but seeing the situation with his own eyes, this did not appear to be the case. It was logical that the manager had not let just anyone see the CEO without an appointment, but the fact that she had not let the lady identify herself and then act according with the knowledge of her identity was a different matter.
Anne had told him that the manager had not even let Aria speak her name before chasing them out, and now he reckoned she was really about to do just that. If he had not come, the consequences would not be very pleasant for all the employees involved.
'Mrs. Black, I am sorry for our employees, they still need proper coaching. Please do not be offended, I will take you to the president's office right now. Shall I help you with the puppy?' Ryan cordially asked Aria, with a bit of a friendly smile on his face, not bothering to reprimand the manager yet.
The first thing needed to be done was to appease Aria, who currently had a particular pale face. He was aware of the lady's amnesia, and of her current gentle character, having been the one who received all the information from the doctors about her health. And also because of speaking with her the night Zane had fainted. Not to mention, Zane had told him several times already to be careful of any phone calls from Aria's maid to his phone, and to immediately inform him of the calls... so Ryan could tell the lady's position in the boss's heart had shifted.
As such, if it weren't for the fact that he was afraid that perhaps the maid had not exaggerated about Aria truly being chased out, he would have informed Zane of her visit first. But as the boss was in an important meeting, and he was also the one closer to the first floor, he came to check on the situation first. Luckily it seemed he had made the right choice. How could he explain it to the boss... his own wife being removed from her husband's building?
'N-no, I am sorry. I was not aware of the need to let Zane know I would come visit him. I was only worried he would not preoccupy himself to have a decent meal because of work. Could you just hand him the meal box for me? I will go home now.' Aria affirmed apologetic. Because since she had woken up from the coma all the people around her treated her so well, she had no resistance against people's malice towards her. So the manager's harsh words, coupled with her own insecurities about what she was allowed to do, strained her emotions a lot. She wanted nothing more than to leave.
The conversation between the two, confirmed for the two receptionists the suspicions they had for good, so they were dancing in their minds because of this. And they were even gladder seeing manager Leah's stunned expression.
'Mrs. Black, how can you leave without seeing the president? Rest assured, he really needs your presence to properly eat, or he will skip his lunch again. Please follow me to his office. Do not worry, why would the visitation protocol ever apply to the CEO's wife?' Ryan declared then did not wait for Aria to refuse, he really took the puppy from her hand and began moving towards the elevator.
As Aria and Anne followed, well more like Aria was dragged by Anne, as the latter had her arm holding Aria's shoulder and directing her to the way Ryan was heading towards, the assistant as if realizing he had not finished his words, turned his head towards the shocked manager.
'In the future, never restrict Mrs. Black's entrance in the company. Oh and you can consider that today you have been given your first warning.' Ryan replied icily, showing an expression Leah had never seen before, an expression fit for the number two man in the company.
'But assistant Ryan, I was only following the company's protocol.' The manager finally spoke with an aggrieved undertone, snapping out of her reverie.
'Really? What is Mrs. Black's first name?' He asked looking calmly at the woman, though he did not like being second guessed.
He did not distrust nor trust the manager, but in the business environment he had learned the hard way that people are prone to change over time, or change depending on who was in front of them. As the assistant of the president... people, even without meaning to, trod more carefully because of his closeness to the most important man in the hierarchy.
'Ahhh... that is...' She tried to answer, but of course she wouldn't know the name of the pregnant woman. How could she know it, when she never allowed Aria to state it?
'Although we have a protocol for visitors, each guideline naturally would also have exceptions. It is common sense to allow someone to identify herself or himself, and then act according to that person's status. You have been working here for a long time already, and you do not even know this? Remember the lady's face, this is Mrs. Aria Black, the wife of our CEO. None of the rules of the company apply to her.' Ryan stated even more coldly than before, than resumed his small smile, beckoning Aria to enter the elevator.
'Mister Black, could I interrupt you for a moment?' Ryan spoke a bit whispering, as he briskly entered the conference room, currently occupied by the presidents of all the companies that made up the consortium. In essence although these people were below Zane in hierarchy, they were still quite important people. It was disrespectful towards them to have the meeting interrupted by Ryan.
'Ryan, we are in the middle of a meeting right now. I told you no intrusions are allowed during this time.' Zane stated frowning, waiting for a proper reason from Ryan, before deciding to reprimand him.
'Your wife is here to bring you lunch, sir.' Ryan relayed quickly, and waited a bit anxious to see if he made the right choice.
'Aria is here?' Zane's face brightened up at the information related to him.
'Yes sir. I left her in front of your office and asked her to wait inside it. I am sorry, should I have informed her you would not be able to eat with her?'
'Everyone, let's have a lunch break. We'll resume our meeting in an hour.' Zane ordered loudly as he rose on his feet and walked towards the door, effectively confirming to Ryan he did the right thing.
The men and women that were seated all around the long table, looked inquisitively towards the door, intrigued by the actions of the president. The stone man who had never allowed anyone's interruption of the monthly meeting even if someone were to faint, now allowed a break of an hour? What was so important that needed the presence of that man for an hour no less, when the usual lunch break would be only half an hour long?