"At last," I exhaled. The amount of work had left my hands, back, and body all in pain. As it was time to leave, I was now off. But I recalled that Mr. Bezos had requested a meeting with me later.
Anything could happen. But I had finished my work for the day, and since I couldn't because of the Athena drama, I shouldn't have seen him after work. Perhaps it was nothing at all. Nothing ought to be there.
I gathered my things and made a beeline for the door. I went down to the elevator after locking the door to my office. Tracy was still seated nearby the computer just down. Once she realized I was there, she looked at me.
Without saying anything to her, I walked by without saying anything.
"We may have gotten off to a bad start, but I'm not that bad of a person," she explained.
"The fact that you've been mean to someone you don't know, I just don't get it," I said, pausing in my tracks. "With such a beautiful face, your personality surely ruins it, no offense," I said as I turned around to face her.
"You believe? I'm Tracy," she rolled her eyes and said. "You might or might not be aware of me."
"I do, of course. I'd better leave then," I left the building, telling Tracy, "You have a good night." Mr. Bezos was standing next to his car outside the building with his hands in his pockets.
Indeed, he was a sight.
"So," I approached him, not too close, but close enough for a friendly assistant, "... what happens from here?"
"In the car, you can help yourself. "Let's go for a ride."
Huh? Is it just me who is perplexed? Let's go on a ride. I'm not sure what you mean. The fact that I didn't expect to meet him on the first day. CEOs were expected to be pleasant and professional. Not arrogant and never smiling. I wasn't saying he wasn't professional, but we're getting the message. What are your thoughts?
I did as instructed, assisting myself in the car. The air freshener smelled like raspberry and the AC was turned on inside his car. It was mildly cool. The tone had been established. He started the engine and began driving. The ride was relatively quiet. I had nothing to say, and I probably wouldn't anyway. Not that I was expecting it.
He broke the ice by asking, "Do I always have to start the conversation?"
"I fail to see why." I raised my shoulders and said, "If I had something to say, I would have said it."
"I'm asking you for a favor."
Favor? I always go out of my way for him. What made meeting up with him so different from asking me at work?
"Favor?" I acted surprised.
"Can't a boss ask his assistant for favors?"
"Didn't say you couldn't."
"Based on your work ethics, I was hoping you could do me a favor." My mother is a designer. She wants someone who knows how to help her style costumes, dresses, and whatever else she can think of."
"Oh, so you do think I have great style."
"Don't flatter yourself about it."
"O...okay. Does Athena knows about this?"
"That's none of your concern if she knows isn't it?" he bit his inner cheeks. Do it if you're going to do it. If you aren't, I'd like you to stop wasting both of our time. You are compensated for your efforts. With work schedules and you assisting my mother, it will be difficult."
I'm not sure about that. When was I going to find time for myself? I only have Saturdays off, I work six days a week, and I don't think I can handle that much pressure.
"I could manage your schedules," he added. You help my mother twice a week. On Tuesdays and Fridays. On both days, I will send you off by 3:00 p.m. You spend three hours with her, and she pays you. Your pay would not differ from what you are currently receiving from me. It's a no-lose situation."
Now that sounded better.
"Well, I'm in," I agreed.
I was looking ahead and noticed he was driving in my lane. Wait, what? He was escorting me home. He had no idea where I lived. I shouldn't overthink it because my address was included in my resume when I applied for the job.
"Now, which of these houses do you live in?" he inquired.
"Last house from all the other houses," I said, gesticulating toward the house.
He came to a stop in front of my house and looked at me, saying, "Now that you've agreed to my proposal. I'll have a car delivered to you. Eve Bezos is the former owner of the company. This is where our night comes to an end."
"Well, I appreciate the unexpected ride home. "I really appreciate the gesture," I said as I opened the car door with a fake smile.
"You live alone?"
I paused, "I don't. I live with my dog."
"You have yourself a good night, Ms. Valdanger."
He remained silent. I got out of the car and closed the door behind me as I approached my house. I went inside after hearing the car drive away. Why were the lights turned on?
When I opened the door, Mom was inside the kitchen, cooking or baking, I'm not sure. Dad was sitting on my couch, feet up, one hand in the popcorn, the other on Chipper's head. He was glued to the basketball game. It appears that he never changed his old habits.
"Rude. You come into my house without informing me," I removed the heels that I had longed to remove because my feet were sore from all the walking.
"You're our daughter, we must harvest whenever we want," Dad said, his mouth full of popcorn.
"You can't just come in here whenever you want when I have a man and kids. And stop talking while you've got food in your mouth. You were the one who taught me not to speak with my full mouth."
"At the very least, you've learned something from your father. Come hug Papa," he said, smiling as I opened my arms to accept his embrace.
I pulled away from the hug and remarked, "Seems like you've put on a few pounds, Dad."
"You believe? There is a lot of delicious food in the world, so you can't really blame me if your old man loves to eat."
"Where's mom?" I asked.
"She's baking and making mac and cheese. Your mom always sees you as her little girl."
"Thanks, Dad," I walked to the kitchen and saw my mom checking on the cookies that were in the oven.
"Thought I heard you," she said as she closed the oven and hugged me, "...how have you been?" she murmured in my hair.
"I'm tired, but I'm good. I haven't slept since starting this job. And thank God you came because I'm starving."
"You are well dressed for work," she said as she examined my body. "You look fantastic."
"As usual. How are you faring? How are you doing? Share."
"The business is going on pretty well. I have sent $1000 to your account. Did you see it?"
"No. "I haven't touched my phone all day," I took out my phone and saw the notification, "...I just saw the notification."
"Tell me, when are you going to have my grandkids?"
"Not this again," I dropped my hands.
"What? I at least want to see them before I die."
"You're not gonna die, Mom. And them? Who told you I was going to have more than one?"
She double-checked the cheese sauce for the macaroni and cheese. "I'm telling you, honey, you're going to. Are you in a relationship? Please tell me yes because you don't appear to have been touched. I doubt you've ever seen a penis. I doubt you've ever tried stroking a cock."
"Ugh, Mom, stop it. I'm not ready to be in a relationship. And you already know I'm not going to have children until I'm married. Boyfriends lead to sex, and I want to make the right commitment first."
"There's nothing wrong with that. I'll be fine as long as I have my grandchildren. But no ugly men; I don't want my grandchildren to look like Freddy Krueger."
"I am going to shower. I just hope you're done in time I get down because that mac and cheese smells amazing."
"Maybe."
"And please make me a hot cup of black coffee. I need to be caffeinated."
This morning, I haven't seen Mr. Bezos arrive at the office. Then I forgot that he had a meeting with Valeo Globals on the 7th of this month due to his schedule. Today was Tuesday, which meant I'd be leaving early to meet with his mother.
Blair and I were having lunch. It was odd that I didn't question him about his role here. What happened to that?
"This Caeser Salad is amazing," I said softly, "...I may have forgotten, but what do you do here?"
"I am head of the media team. We deal with making videos for brands, commercials, you name it."
"Wow. Head? That sounds really great."
"Are you going to be busy later?" We could visit this new drive-in theater. Nothing serious, just a friendly approach."
"I'm sorry for declining, but I have additional work to do later. You always seem to catch me at a bad time."
"Do I? Or maybe you don't want to go out with me because you think I'm going to hit on you."
"Of course not," I said. "That's not all, I assure you. I really need to get some work done later."
"I'll try to believe you. You should try the hot pie of cheesy stamina."
"The hot pie of what?"
"The pizza," he laughed, "...that's what I call it."
"A hot pie of cheesy stamina. How pathetic," I exclaimed.
"Why does everything taste good around here?" I thought as I took a small bite of the pizza. Is this part of the world constructed differently?"
"Aside from the fact that the attitudes and hookups are crazy here, we have a great staff. When it comes to hiring people, Mr. Bezos knows what he's doing. He's a wise man."
Smart. Man. He was right.
"The café was even better. The ambiance, the experience, the customer service."
"The café's owner is also Mr. Bezos. That café was built by him two years ago. The majority of the staff and business people drink there."
He was the owner of the café? How clever. He had a successful business and a café. So he was earning money from both his larger and smaller businesses.
We kept talking until lunch was finished. I finished what I could in my office before meeting the driver who was supposed to take me to his mother downstairs.
Outfit for the day of being a CEO's Assistant.
The building was not as large as Mr. Bezos's company. The interior was stunning. The entrance view inside had a few mannequins and workers moving back and forth, and the name of the company, FashionEve, was in bold behind the woman seated behind the computer. The lighting and aroma were given in different ways.
The clean design and modern furnishings provided a rich environment, as if guests were walking into a high-end retail boutique. Soft music played in the background, contributing to the overall sense of sophistication and elegance.
"Hello, my name is Eleanor Valdanger, and Mrs. Bezos is expected to see me," I said to the woman seated in front of the computer.
"Hey. My name is Anna. "I'll take you to her right now," she said as I followed.
We carried on small conversations as we walked. This professional-looking woman stood in an open area. Her brown hair was grey with strands pulled back in a neat, refined bun. Anna brought me to her, and she adored me for a split second.
"My name is Eleanor Valdanger. "Mr. Bezos sent me here to work with you," I stated politely.
Workers in this area were cutting and trimming outfits for the mannequins. They were sketching ideas. Each was dressed differently and uniquely.
"Say, Amir, if you would. I always assume that when someone says Mr. Bezos, they are talking about my husband."
"I prefer to keep it businesslike. You can't hold it against me that I'm used to Mr. Bezos when working with him."
"Is he bossy?"
"Yes, but as long as I'm working and getting paid, I don't mind."
"I like you," she chuckled. "Follow me. We must speak."
I went with her to a sizable space that resembled her office but it was different. A few magazines were scattered across the glass table, which was made of glass. Inside her office, three mannequins were off the hook. These pieces were unique to me. They were breathtakingly lovely. Everything was in view behind her. There was so much to describe—you had a coffee table with a pair of plush chairs arranged around it.
She said as she sat on her side of the desk, "Make yourself comfortable." Before her, I took the seat across from me. She took a book with many different designs out of a drawer. She began to open it but stopped at an incomplete one.
"I've been working on this for two weeks. I can't seem to get it done. The problem is that I have a fashion show on the first of next month and I need to create a collection based on a specific pattern. I need your assistance in creating a few designs for this collection. Something distinctive."
My fashion sense was excellent. I was interested in fashion at one point in my life, but it was not something I pursued for the rest of my life. I can, however, create drawings for new lines. However, it took a lot of effort.
"Few? Like how much are we talking?"
"7 for this collection."
Wow.
"Okay. It's a lot knowing that I'm an assistant with all of the office work, but I'll do it. Is it exclusive to this collection?"
"Yes. If I accept it, I will pay you $2000 for the collection. But if I don't, you'll get paid half for trying because it's a lot of work."
"When should I bring this to you?"
"I have to have it by the 17th of this month. I need to prepare my designers to begin making them. I'm hoping you can pull it off."
"I will not let you down."
"Well, now that that's settled, I'd love to have you over sometime. Have some coffee and talk to me; I'm all ears."
Did you hear what I just said?
"All right, Mrs. Bezos."
"Please address me as Eve. So, you're free to leave, or you're welcome to stay and look around."
"Thank you, Mrs. Bezos...I mean Eve," I laughed.
Even though it was only my second week here, I was already finding being a walk-dog to be stressful. I have been drawing while working on the project for Eve. I was in a meeting with Mr. Bezos. They have been discussing the opening of the new studio.
"On the last day of this month, the new studio will debut. The brand-new opening where we set records for the business. Any inquiries?" Bezos enquired.
No one didn't have any questions.
"With that said the meeting is finished."
Everyone got up from their seats quickly, excluding Mr. Bezos and me. "How was this meeting with my mother," he asked, raising his hand to eye level and checking the time on his watch.
"She appeared to be quite the opposite of you, I guess. In any case, the meeting went smoothly."
"Two different people, with different personalities. I have a brunch commitment. You occupy yourself with the paperwork I delivered to your office."
"Yes, Mr. Bezos."
"Your second week here and you don't give me one reason to dislike you," he said, looking at me from hair to eyes to mouth to eyes. "By the way, you look nice," he said as he walked out of the room.
Did he just... compliment me? Pshk.
Thank you so much for making it to chapter 4. Story getting better isn't it? My phone is dying been trying to work on this chapter from day and I've finally finished it.
Krystal.