Chapter 04

--Sometimes, fate might just decide to be cruel at first.--

Snow's POV.

   "Um, good morning Miss. My name's Snow and I have a scheduled interview in two minutes!" I rushed out to one the two young ladies sitting in the first wide looking table positioned directly opposite the big transparent sliding doors leading into the first floor of the building.

She looked up from the monitor she was currently scrutinizing a moment ago before sparing a glance at my flustered face.

"What's your name again?" She inquired, her fingers never ceasing their fast dance on the keyboard.

I told you my name just now! I wanted to point out to the receptionist but instead, I ended up muttering my name to her.

She whispered my name quietly under her breath as she typed it into the monitor. She glanced at whatever the system brought out for her for a few seconds, before sparing me another longer look. Her lips twisted from side to side as she quickly tore out a piece of paper and wrote something on it before handling it to me and gesturing with her left hand, her long and manicured purple nails which perfectly matched her light eye shadows and suit jacket pointed towards the middle and bigger elevator between two smaller elevators on each side.

"Go through that car and stop on the fiftieth floor, then walk to the sixth door on that floor, knock and show this piece of paper to whoever opens the door for you." She explained slowly, way too slowly for my liking, but I had no choice except to hang on and listen to the piece of information she was helping me with.

I said a quick "Thank you!" to her before quickly dashing towards the fifth and biggest looking elevator on the first floor.

I noticed how the gold of the particular elevator was gleaming beautifully as I raised my fingers up to press on the 'open' key.

After a few seconds, the elevator doors slowly opened, the sheer beauty of the very wide insides had my mouth parted slightly in appreciation for how something as normal as an elevator in big buildings could look this beautiful and exotic.

I quickly stepped inside and pressed on the 'close' button, then the 'up' button. I quickly tapped in the number of floor I was supposed to get off at before letting out a deep breath as I leaned my back against the glass of the elevator before taking my time to admire the beauty of the elevator instead of stressing over an interview which would soon be taking place in a few minutes.

I dug out my phone from my bag and gasped in fright and shock, it was 07:31am and I have an interview scheduled for 07:30am.

Oh Jesus, I'm so fucked...

I'm so loosing this job, it's already so obvious to me.

Who the heck would hire an interviewee which came to the interview ten minutes late. Who?

I know it's going to be up to ten minutes before I get there, seeing as it's already 07:33am and the elevator was still on the thirteenth floor.

I am so FUCKED.

I took in deep breaths before letting them out slowly as I tried convincing my mind not to go into panic mood, lord knows how hysteric I get whenever one of my panic attacks hits.

The elevator felt like it was moving on a snail's pace, the car just managing to cross the twentieth floor, and here I was praising the sheer beauty of the elevator.

This elevator is the slowest and wackiest one I've ever rode before. I thought as I glanced at the amount of floors we've been able to cross, the numbers boldly blinking in shining red and green on the wall, beside the different buttons used to control the elevator.

Twenty-second elevator.

Great! Just great. Twenty-eighth more floors to go!

After a few more minutes and the elevator was finally reaching it's final destination, which was the fiftieth floor. I stepped out from the cart the moment the elevator stopped, my legs wobbling a little due to the amount of time spent on the elevator.

I glanced around and quickly counted the doors as I passed them by before stopping on the sixth one and attempting to knock on it without wasting any other time.

I couldn't resist glancing at my phone to check the time again. I felt my heart dropped into my stomach on seeing what the says.

07:42am.

Maybe this was all a mistake.

Maybe this was just God trying to guide me from embarrassing myself in the room the interview was supposed to take place in, maybe...

But then, my friends would be disappointed in me saying I should have at least gone into the office just to remove all doubts and maybes from my wandering mind.

And need I remind myself, I'm in desperate need of a job.

Oh well...

I glanced at the time again: 07:44am.

Great! Keep on stalling and wasting your own time. I mumbled to myself as I immediately knocked on the door.

A little too harshly, if I must admit...

The door got pulled open the next second and a tall woman who had a worried expression on her face breathed out a small sigh the moment her worked up gaze settled on my face.

"Come on, come in!" She gestured into the office after pulling the door a lot wider for me to work through.

I walked into the room, the sound of the door closed shut registered in my mind just as I recollected the small piece of paper I was supposed to hand to the person who opened the door for me.

I quickly searched my bag but couldn't fine it there, it must have fallen off in the elevator. I through as I let out a silent groan at how very clumsier I'm gradually becoming.

"You're searching for the slip? Never mind about that. Come forward and sit here quickly seeing as a lot of time has already been wasted." The other occupant of the office which was a man in a sitting position said to me as he gestured towards the empty chair before the table which has a lot of papers scattered on it.

I heaved out a relieved sigh before hastily walking towards the chair and carefully sitting in the warm cushion of the chair.

The scent of the office was that of flowers which was perfectly blown into all the directions of of the wide looking office with the help of an air conditioner I couldn't sight from my position on the chair which was facing a total different direction.

"Good morning, Sir. I'm so sorry I'm late, it wasn't in my intention to, I had planned to be here thirty minutes before the time for the interview but I just don't know how the time flew by without me noticing. Also, the elevator which I rode up here was very slow. Please consider me, I'm very very sorry..." The words were rushing out my mouth in waves before the lady who opened the door for me cut me off with a small chuckle and her her accompanied words.

"You're rambling, dear."

I swallowed quietly and nodded my head, resisting the strong urge not to slouch in my chair due to how scared I was feeling.

Oh lord, please let these people consider me.

"It's alright, it's alright. Vans right?" The lady started to say again, I nodded in reply to her question before quickly adding.

"Snow Vans."

"Snow Vans. Ensure to be on time from now on as Mr Richardson hates lateness a whole lot. Also, I understand about the elevator being very slow, you probably didn't know how this different brand of elevator works. It has controls for moving the car extremely fast and slow, you'll have to learn that today, to ensure your earliness to work tomorrow."

The tall looking woman explained as she quickly glanced through my credentials before pushing it to a different part of the table, the second occupant which was a man picked my credentials up and glanced through the papers before pushing it towards me.

I didn't know whether I was supposed to pick it up and place it back into my bag so I left it there and tried to make my wandering mind focus on the matter at hand.

"Work officially starts by 07:50 - 08:00am and ends by 06:30 - 07:00pm.

Or more, for you. Depending on Mr Richardson's schedule. If he stays in late, you're to stay in too since you're supposed to leave the office at the same time, that's part of the rules."

It sounded like this people were seriously considering me for the post of this job, what the actual fuck!

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! It seems like I'm getting a real job this time.

"Did you note all I just said, Miss Vans?" The woman questioned, her voice snapping the trail of different thoughts which were already making their way into my head. I nodded my head in reply, of course I did.

I can't afford to get that carried away to that extent at a serious moment like this.

"He takes his coffee with cream and sugar. You're to take one cup of coffee to his door at exactly 08:01 - 08:03am, your desk is a few feet away from his. The telephone which you're going to use to be communicating with him is right on your desk, to avoid you going over to his door and distracting as well as disturbing him in the process." The woman finally stopped talking as she drafted something down, I took that moment to let my mind wander a little bit.

Oh man, how am I supposed to remember all these?

Crap!

And I didn't even get interviewed at all, seems like I just got the job straight up.

"Do not disturb him unless necessary, ensure to confirm on whether it's a serious thing or not before getting him on the telephone which would always be on your desk. Do not send visitors in unless confirming with him firstly, I repeat. Do not send visitors in unless confirming with him firstly, to avoid getting fired in seconds. Also, Mr Richardson prefers his secretaries smart and ready every time, so put in your A - game!" The man who had small golden tinted glasses over his eyes paused for a while with a thoughtful expression on his face.

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

I wish I had taken out a pen and jotter to jot all those rules down. How the hell am I expect to remember all those many a lot rules?

"Oh, and any stupid mistake could get you fired, depending on the mood of the boss." The man added with a small shrug.

This man gives me the fright, I don't even know him but he was already making me shiver in fear and dread.

Just one mistake and I'll be out.

Oh Jesus!

Am I supposed to tell these people about how extremely clumsy I am and how I just can't do without making small mistakes?

I am so fucked.

With my shitty luck, I might manage to get myself fired before the end of today. Isn't that just great? Not.

"Um.. This man which I'm going to be working with, who's he? He sounds like someone really big around here." I inquired slowly, hoping my innocent question won't get me fired, seeing as I could get fired for anything done wrong here.

The woman paused in what she was writing and gave me a blank look, the man who was busy sorting and arranging the scattered papers on the desk paused for a second to give me a look I couldn't make out before pointing out to me.

"You don't know who Mr Richardson is?"

I shook my head slowly in reply, unsure whether I was supposed to nod my head at the moment.

Am I supposed to know him? I wanted to voice out that particular question but thought better against it.

"Mr Richardson is the main boss here." The man explained, I nodded my head immediately in understanding even though I didn't still understand why he was being painted in such a big picture.

A company as big as this would have up to ten main bosses, right? So what's all the fuss for? I wanted to voice out that question as well, but the woman's next words silenced the words in.

"Mr Richardson is the owner of Nets."

Wait, what?

How the heck am I supposed to work for the owner of this whole building?

How?

I wanted to wail out my worried questions but instead I nodded my head in understanding and shook my head from side to side, indicating that I had no questions to ask when the man inquired right before they both stood up almost immediately.

I pushed out of my chair in sync with them, the man picked my credentials and handed it to me before leading the way towards the door leading back outside.

"Don't think about it too much, you'll be fine. I can tell just fine." The woman said to me before pulling the door open and stepping outside. I followed her immediately, the man fell in steps behind me after closing the door shut.

The woman made her way towards the elevator and controlled the buttons till the door slide open for us to pass through.

"Um, when am I to start working officially? Tomorrow?" I asked both of them together just as the door of the elevator slide shut.

"Of course not! You're starting work immediately!" The man replied my question just as the woman gestured towards the buttons on the side of the elevator.

I swallowed emptily as the answer to my question sank in.

I'm going to be meeting with my boss in a few minutes.

Oh lord, save me!

Take control of my stupid legs which always manages to get me into trouble every time.

"Did you get anything I just said, Miss Vans?" The woman inquired as she turned away from the elevator controls and gave me a questioning look.

I snapped out of my train of thoughts and gave a shake of my head, a guilty expression on my face.

"Stop over thinking it, the boss isn't that bad, it all depends on you to be honest, so like I said some minutes ago, be prepared to up your games."

Should I point out to this cute looking man that I don't have any job experience which automatically means I don't have any games in my book yet.

The man explained with a little shrug of his shoulder before adding.

"By the way, I'm Shawn and that's Anna. We work together." He introduced himself and the tall looking woman.

I was tempted to add a sarcastic 'finally' but decided against it.

"As I was saying, this is the control which fastens the ride of the elevator, while this slows it down, this..." She explained the different buttons to me before tapping in the fifty-first floor into the pad.

So, the boss works on the last floor? Which automatically means I'll be working on the last floor too.

Oh my lord.