"Can I help you with something?" greeted a woman whom Claire was sure was the receptionist for that floor.
"Where's the meeting room?" Claire asked after shaking her head a few times to clear her mind of inappropriate thoughts.
"Are you from the branch office?" the receptionist asked again. Claire nodded affirmatively. "Please go straight ahead, pass through two doors. The meeting for all branches is in the third door." Claire nodded in understanding and followed the instructions from the receptionist named Selin.
The first room she passed had thick transparent glass walls. Inside, people were engaged in serious discussions—clearly an internal division meeting. She continued walking while observing. The second room also had thick transparent glass walls with an oval-shaped table inside, but this one appeared empty.
While the third door had black-tinted glass, probably the type that allows one to see outside but remains opaque from the outside. Claire forgot what it's called.
She knocked on the thick glass door. Someone from inside opened it for her. "I'm looking for Mrs. Shelly," she whispered. The middle-aged woman in a light blue uniform with red accents opened the door wider.
Claire entered and noticed that the size of the room was a combination of the first and second rooms she had passed before. A rectangular table was arranged to form a frame that reached every corner of the room. The two long sides were in front of Claire, with the center intentionally left empty. The names of the branch office cities of Coskun Company were already placed there. Her boss was sitting right at the table labeled "Kansas."
Meanwhile, the shorter sides were on the left and right walls where Abigail stood. One side already had three high chairs labeled "Director," while the other side remained empty because a large screen was mounted on the wall.
Claire saw her boss engaged in a serious conversation with a middle-aged man. She approached her boss and greeted softly.
"Oh, yes. Mr. Roland, let me introduce my assistant, Claire. Claire, this is our Finance Director, Mr. Roland," Mrs. Shelly said warmly.
"This is apparently your trusted person. Beautiful, huh," Mr. Roland said without a hint of flirtation. "Is Shelly intimidating?" he asked, still in a friendly tone.
"A little, sir," Claire replied, answered with a gentle pinch on her waist.
"Don't start complaining just because you meet someone with a higher position than mine," Mrs. Shelly reprimanded with a mockingly stern look.
"Yes, Ma'am, just this once." Claire answered with a wry smile. She knew that her two bosses were just joking, so she responded in kind. "Next time, if I meet again, I might complain a bit more." She continued flatly, receiving a slight nod from Mr. Roland.
"Sure, sure. Next time, I'll be a good listener." His promise was sincere.
"So, what's my role now, Ma'am?" she asked confusedly. Claire came here to accompany her boss, but not to join the meeting. Because she wasn't a high-ranking executive like the others in the room.
"Wait for me in the lobby or at the cafeteria. Just don't wander off to the mall," Mrs. Shelly said, making Claire pout. "It's still working hours, Claire," the woman continued with a smile, and Claire just nodded. Both of them were just joking around.
Claire excused herself and then left the meeting room. She headed back to the receptionist and asked where the cafeteria was. Her intention was to wait for her manager there while eating and reading the novel she had just downloaded through a paid app on her phone.
Just as she was about to head to the elevator, she saw the man who had been in the elevator with the sexy woman standing in front of her, along with another man Claire knew.
"Are you accompanying Mrs. Shelly?" Altezza asked straightforwardly. Claire responded with a slight nod.
"Yes, Sir. Just being a chauffeur as usual," Claire replied, raising the corner of her mouth, her expression showing as if she didn't like that job. It made Altezza laugh.
"The position of being my personal driver is still open, Claire," Altezza replied with a teasing tone.
Claire looked at her boss with a raised eyebrow. "Do you want me to be mobbed by the masses?" she pretended to be afraid. "I work to earn money, not to find enemies. If I become your driver, your car's tires might go flat every time we want to go somewhere," she continued, making Altezza laugh again.
"You're exaggerating," Altezza replied, causing Claire to shrug. "You're like that, huh? Even though I really hoped you would become my personal driver." He teased playfully. Claire just responded with a smile.
The two of them seemed oblivious to the presence of another towering figure standing beside them, with a sharp gaze and a tightly closed jaw, until the man coughed softly.
Altezza turned to the man next to him and smiled. "We're having a meeting. You'll stay until it's finished, right?" Claire simply nodded. "In that case, see you later," he said, and Claire responded with another nod.
Claire entered the elevator and observed the backs of the two men. She knew who Altezza was; he held one of the highest positions in Coskun. However, she had never seen the other man before. But clearly, his position must be just as high as Altezza's. Claire just shrugged and pressed the elevator button to the floor where the cafeteria was located.
Antony was taken aback when he stepped out of his apartment lobby and found a beautiful woman in a sexy red dress waiting for him. The stunning model, currently serving as the brand ambassador for his company, waved her hand adorned with expensive diamonds and greeted him with her signature smile. Instead of returning the smile, Antony gave her a sharp look.Lately, this woman had been crossing boundaries, much to Antony's annoyance. Despite explicitly instructing her not to invade his private space, Anastasia seemed far more stubborn than he had anticipated. Should he instruct his apartment security to blacklist her as a visitor? Of course, he could do that; he paid handsomely for their services."What are you doing here?" Antony asked flatly."Today, I'll be signing a new contract with Coskun Company. So, why don't we go together?" The woman inquired with a teasing manner. Antony merely raised an eyebrow and, without saying much, walked away, leaving her behind.His chauffeur was al
Antony chose to fold his hands in front of his chest. Suddenly, he felt irritated but also empty at the same time.Who is that girl? He asked himself, curious. His mischievous thoughts somehow surfaced spontaneously. It seemed he had to find out who she was. And he had to get the information. Not now, but later. A promise he made to himself. Because right now, there's still a lot of work to be done.The elevator then stopped on the nineteenth floor. Antony walked out of the elevator, ignoring Anastasia calling his name. Let the woman handle her own affairs because Antony had already decided to terminate his contract with her, no matter if he had to pay a penalty. There was someone else he wanted to pursue right now, and it wasn't Anastasia.Antony entered his own office, the largest and most luxurious room on the floor. Not because he had a penchant for luxury, but once again, it was all about maintaining his image as the CEO of the company. His secretary opened the door after informi
The classroom was starting to empty as some of its occupants had already gone to the cafeteria for lunch. Abigail remained seated at her desk with an open book on the table, lamenting the math grade she had just received."Darn it!" the teenager muttered with a hiss.Her friend sitting beside her glanced over from the corner of her eye. "Bad again?" she asked, grinning teasingly.Abigail turned to the face of the beautiful Italian-descendant girl and then squinted. "Are you satisfied because I got a lower grade? Are you satisfied because you can mock me as you please?" she retorted, annoyed.Flavia, the golden-eyed, pretty girl nodded happily. "At least I know there's something an Abigail can't do. And that's math," she chuckled gleefully. Once again, Abigail just squinted. "Abby," she called."Hmm..." Abigail replied as she put her book back into her light blue backpack."My grandparents invited me to spend the weekend in Manhattan. Do you want to come?" she asked, pouting playfully.
KansasMonday came around again. But for some reason, this Monday wasn't like the usual Mondays filled with sour faces and a bit of grumbling from the employees feeling bored with the routine. This Monday seemed more chaotic. Claire, walking in from the front door, already noticed how the office boys and cleaning services team were bustling around with their tools in hand. And not only that, even the security guards seemed busy cleaning their guard posts.Claire ignored them and continued walking towards her office. And it turned out, it was just as chaotic in there. Claire placed her bag in the designated drawer under her desk and glanced at Bella with confusion. "What's going on?" she whispered to her friend. Her eyes scanned the room, observing her colleagues busy sprucing themselves up.Bella looked back at Claire with an incredulous look. "You don't know?" Bella asked Claire, who responded with a raised eyebrow. She looked back at Bella with a puzzled expression. "The owner of Co
"So, what's your position at Coskun Company?" Claire looked lazily at the man sitting across from her. His name was Erick, the son of one of her mother's social circle friends.At first glance, Erick was quite handsome. He had a tall stature, fair and clean skin. His face was free of acne or any scars, which Claire suspected was the result of regular visits to a beauty salon. His clothing also hinted at affluence.Of course, Claire's mother mentioned that Erick's father was a diamond entrepreneur, making him undeniably wealthy. On a scale of one to ten, Claire rated him a nine based on appearances alone.However, that was just the external assessment. For the past half hour, Erick hadn't stopped talking about himself and his family, boasting but consistently belittling others. He commented on every person who entered his field of vision, offering unnecessary judgments and excessive self-praise. Now, it seemed he was evaluating Claire.If it weren't for the need to uphold her mother's
"Where are you?" The loud shout made Claire wince. She wanted to move the phone away from her ear, but upon seeing the flat square object on the bathroom sink, Claire realized she had a Bluetooth headset in her ear."Why? Missing me?" Claire retorted, waving her hand gently to reduce the water on her hands before placing it under the hand dryer."Missing your fleas! Damn it!" The girl on the other end snorted. "Where are you now? Don't tell me you're in the restroom!""Do you have a GPS on me, or are you monitoring me from your favorite basin?" Claire chuckled. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, adjusting her hair before grabbing her phone and leaving the restroom."Say whatever you want. Just tell me where you are. It's Monday, Claire. Are you heartless enough not to go to work and add to my workload? Just last weekend, I praised you, and now you're burdening me with all this?" Her friend complained again. Whether she liked it or not, Claire couldn't help but laugh."Sorry,