New boss

Camilla

I had to meet Elvis.

The next day, I arrived at the office, shoulders squared, coffee in hand.

Yes, Elvis had been a complete mess the other day and had refused to pick any of my calls. 

Alright, Alright.

I might have been a bit overbearing, but hey, I was his personal assistant and I wanted to assist him, help him through his grief. It couldn't have been easy, losing the one thing you built your entire life around in a haze. So, I understood if Elvis wanted to keep his distance. But, as his personal assistant, it was my duty to not keep a distance. 

As I stepped into the office, I was greeted by a rush of silence. It was quiet, strangely quiet. Usually, the office bustled with activity, but today it was as still as a tomb.

I cautiously made my way to Elvis's office, my heart pounding in my chest, palms sweaty. I drew in a drew breath, exhaled, delivering a knock on the door, but there was no answer. I hesitated for a moment, then slowly pushed the door open.

The office was empty. Elvis' desk was clean, his chair pushed in. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

I frowned. Where could he have gone? I knew he hadn't left the office early. I doubted whether he had, at all, left, since we both arrived from the Global Business Summit yesterday. 

I searched the office, but there was no sign of Elvis. I even checked the break room and the bathrooms, but he was nowhere to be found.

Hell, I looked everywhere.

I had resolved to give up, and that was when I heard a faint noise coming from the conference room. My hearing sense stood alert.

I followed the sound, my heart pounding, and pulse throbbing.

“He’s in there. I can sniff him,” said my mind.

Sure, you can.

When I opened the door, I saw Elvis sitting at the head of the table, staring out the window. He looked lost in thought. His expression was every shade of somber.

I heaved a sigh of relief, and proceeded to approach him cautiously, putting a foot right in front of the other. "Elvis," I said, my voice soft. "Are you okay?"

He turned to me, his eyes colored with sadness. "I'm not sure," he said. "I'm just trying to figure things out."

I couldn't even bring myself to be upset that he had been ignoring my calls. I understood. I understood his plight. 

I nodded, understanding. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "I just need some time to think."

I reached out and took his hand. "You're going to be okay, Elvis," I said. "I promise."

He smiled sadly. For the first time ever, his smile didn't reach his eyes. "I hope so," he said. 

I nodded. "It will be. You can get through this."

Elvis squeezed my hand. "Thank you, Camilla," he said. "Thank you for being here for me."

Before I arrived, I had prepared a little speech for Elvis. I figured he’d need it to make him feel a little less worse than he was presently feeling. I didn't need him to worry, not about me.

"Elvis, I know you think you failed me, but it's not so," I said, my voice calm. "We're in this together, and I'm here for you. You don't have to beat yourself up."

He looked at me, his eyes boring into mine. "But the firm's gone," he said. "And then, well, you also get roped into my failure. It's hard to be okay with all of that.

I shook my head. "No, Elvis, you didn't fail. No one's getting roped into anything. I don't care that I lost my job, I can always get another one."

Maybe, I'll never get one as good as this, but I'll mope over that later. Right now, Elvis needed me to comfort him.

His eyes widened in surprise, his brows furrowing. "What do you mean?"

"Elvis, I meant it. Right now, I don't care about the job. I care about you being okay.”

“Oh, no, no, no! Camilla, you didn't lose your job. You never lost your job. You're affiliated with the firm, not to me.”

He looked at me, his expression blank.

"Stefano Maddens is going to be your new boss," he said, his voice filled with dread.

My face went pale.

Elvis' words? Still unprocessed.

"Camilla, are you okay?" he asked.

"What do you mean, Stefano Maddens is going to be my new boss?" I asked, my voice filled with disbelief. "I mean, I get if you can't retain me as your assistant. I get that you have no use for me, since the firm's gone, but I'm not going to fall at Stephano Scum Maddens feet, and beg for him to hire me.”

Elvis nodded his head, drawing closer to me.

"No, Camilla, you're getting it all wrong," he said. "You’re not losing your job. No one's losing their job.” My brows arched in confusion. “As a matter of fact, none of the staff will lose their job. Staff hiring is affiliated with the firm, not with a person,  not with me. You get to keep your job, no matter who leads the company, no matter who buys it, that's including the Stephano Scum."

I was shocked, stunned, and bedazzled!

Elvis nodded. "The deal includes all of our employees. You're all going to be working for Stefano Maddens."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. 

The words bounced around in my head. Stephano Maddens owned the firm. He owned everything. The building, the employees... me. My eyes blinked, their movements slow as if trying to process the impossible. The world around me seemed to stop.

I was in shock. No, more than that. I was stunned, paralyzed. 

My mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. Was this some kind of joke? 

Fear, too, began to creep into my mind. What would happen to me now? Would he simply discard me, when he discovered my identity? The fat freak he relished tormenting, back in high school.

"But...but..." I stammered. "I can't work for him."

Elvis shook his head. "You don't have a choice, Camilla. He owns the firm now, not me."

I couldn't believe this was happening. I was going to have to work for the man who had tormented me in high school. 

"I can't do it, Elvis," I said. "I just can't."

Elvis took my hand. "I know, Camilla," he said. "He’s a monster, but you can do it.”

I shook my head. "No, I can't. I can't work for him."

“You don't have a choice, Camilla.”

"No, Elvis," I began,"I do have a choice. I can quit. I can resign."

Elvis interrupted, "Gee! Camilla, I get it. I hated Stephano. He was my nemesis. And he won. Okay, that's on me, but I'm not going to watch you stupidly lose your job because you're trying to please me."

“Okay, rude!” my mind exclaimed.

My breath caught in my throat. Then, a gasp escaped my lips. I was stunned. I couldn't believe he would say something like that. 

"What?" I managed to stammer out. "I'm not trying to please you."

If only he knew what Stephano had put me through in high school. The memories were still there, still painful. But I couldn't bring myself to tell him. It was too personal, too vulnerable.

Elvis continued, his voice taking on a more persuasive tone. "Great! Then take the job. Camilla, you need this job. It's a great job. I mean, the pay's fantastic, and if you work harder, maybe, you'd get a raise…” Elvis sighed. 

I couldn't believe it. This couldn't be happening.

I stood there, my heart pounding in my chest. Elvis's words echoed in my mind. 

“That's all you think of me?" I muttered, my voice a little above a whisper. "That I'm just trying to please you?"

“Camilla,” he tried.

“I can't believe you.”

I turned to leave, my steps heavy. Elvis called after me, 

“Camilla! Please, wait!”

I ignored him, continuing to pace.

“I can't believe he said that. To me. Of all people! After everything I've done for him, everything I've sacrificed. He thinks I'm only after his approval? That I'm just trying to please him? Please him? As if I don't have my own life, my own dreams. 

“I can't believe he said that. I just... I can't.”

I stepped outside , the cool breeze slapping against my skin.

"I can't believe him," I said, my voice rising in anger. "Can you, my mind?" I looked up at the sky.  

“You’re not actually considering quitting, are you?” my mind questioned.

Internally, I kept trying to convince myself that I couldn't work for Stefano. It was like my mind was screaming in my ears, telling me I was being as stupid as a fox chasing its own tail. 

“Why would you throw away such a golden opportunity?” she roared. “A well-paying job, stability, respect – it's everything you've ever wanted, even if it means working for the devil himself. You worked your arse off to get this job. Now, you're going to throw it all away, because of some scum? You're unbelievable.”

The thought of reporting to Stefano's office, of being under his control again, gave me the chills. But my mind was relentless. 

“Are you seriously going to let that scum dictate your life?” it demanded. “He owns the firm, so what? You do your job, you get paid. You can handle it, even if it means pretending to like his terrible taste in ties.”

He does have terrible taste in ties.

my mind did make her point by screaming in my ears, telling me that I couldn't afford to not work for him. It would be nearly impossible to get another job as an assistant that was as well-paying as the present. Indeed, I realized that it was too big of a risk. I'd be stupid to let the job go.

The question is, “Am I willing to be stupid?”

I paced back and forth in my office, my mind racing. I tried to weigh the pros and cons of accepting the job. On the one hand, it would mean financial security. On the other hand, it would mean working for a man who had caused me so much pain. 

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had to make a decision. 

My phone screeched, cutting through the haze. Fishing it out of my purse, I looked at the caller ID. It was a no-name number. 

I cursed under my breath and answered the call. "Hello?" I said.

There was silence on the other end of the line. I could hear someone breathing heavily. It was an extremely heavy series of breaths. 

"Hello?" I said again, my voice growing louder. "Who is this?"

The person continued to breathe heavily. I was getting annoyed, irritated. "If you're not going to speak, I'm going to have to hang up," I said.

Just as I was about to end the call, the person spoke. "Don't you dare hang up on me, Camilla," they said, their voice cold.

My heart sank, stopped, and then continued.

"So, you can speak.” I sighed. Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Why are you calling me?"

The person chuckled. "You really don't recognize me, Camilla?" they said. 

“Clearly, I don't. Now, who are you?”

"Oh well, it's me. Your new boss."