Chapter 17

Isabelle

Two weeks had passed since I resumed work at Maya's Cosmetics. It had been wonderful so far – no serious issues, whatsoever.

At 8:30 a.m., after finishing with the first customer, I was reading through some documents on my laptop when Mrs Maya's voice came through the intercom.

"Can I have a moment with you, Isabelle?"

"Sure thing ma'am."

As I made my way towards her office, I stopped by Gen's desk to say hi. We had grown friendlier to each other during these past days. I waved at other attendants who were attending to customers as I passed by the counters.

Minutes later, I arrived at my boss's office. Then, I knocked on the office door.

"Come in." Her voice rang from the inside.

"Good day, ma'am." I greeted, my lips curving into a small smile.

"Good day Isabelle. Please sit."

I complied, while my thoughts reeled as I wondered why my boss had summoned me this early.

She sat across from me, a polished ebony desk forming a wall between us. The walls were painted a crisp royal blue, adorned with luxurious pieces of art adding a touch of beauty and sophistication. The glass windows behind her let in a flood of sunlight, illuminating the space.

"I called you in for an evaluation of your work so far."

She paused, staring at me for a beat. I shifted in my chair uncomfortably, my thoughts spinning with questions. Was there anything I did wrong? What if she felt I wasn't qualified to continue anymore?

"Is there any issue, ma'am?" I asked, surprised at how steady my voice sounded.

"No. Not at all. In fact, I am very impressed with your performance. Just two weeks and we have recorded significant progress in our numbers. Means you've been serving our customers well."

She gave a radiant smile, eyes crinkling at the corner, dimples becoming prominent.

It took a moment before her words registered and my racing heart calmed. A surge of happiness swept through me as a smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

"Really, ma'am?" I asked, eyes wide.

"Are you doubting your performance?" She chirped.

"Not at all. I'm just–" I trailed off, racking my brains to find the word to express myself perfectly.

"It's okay, Isabelle. However, I want to entrust you with something bigger. We'd be running promo sales to celebrate our 10th anniversary next month."

She paused, looking at me as to know if I had assimilated this information.

"Okay ma'am. What is it you want me to do?"

"I want you to do a research on the products, purchased most by our customers. Also, compile a list of the names of our most frequent buyers. Brainstorm possible gift packages we'd prepare for them. Then, report to me by next week."

A beat of silence stretched between us as I considered the information I had just received.

"Why are you trusting me with this ma'am? Are there not other employees who have more experience than me?"

"Are you declining?"

"No ma'am. I'm surprised. Feels like a whole lot to me especially since I'm new."

"I know. Something tells me you are equal to the task. Feel free to refer to other workers here if you think they have valid information."

I turned it over in my mind for a moment before responding: "I'll do my best."

She nodded. "Good. That'd be all for now."

I dipped my head, before turning on my heels towards the door.

"Isabelle." Her voice was sharp, freezing me at the spot.

"Boss?" I turned to face her.

She stared at me with a focused gaze. "Surprise me next week. This is a chance to prove your capability."

"I understand you perfectly, ma'am."

I turned and headed out of the door.

Collapsing on the leather chair at my desk, I felt a tremor run through me. My feelings were mixed. At one end, a wave of happiness swelled in my chest because of the compliments I received. On the other, a sense of pressure rose in my chest as I considered the enormity of the task before me.

Nonetheless, I was going to give it my best.

These past two weeks had taught me something I didn't know I had in me – a flair for cosmetics. I discovered a passion to communicate with clients, assuring them of the quality of our products. I had learnt product names, their constituents and how they served.

I looked forward to rising every morning, sitting at my post and attending to clients with a warm smile. This ignited a spark of curiosity in me – a good thing anyway, as it helped me keep my mind off my problems.

In my spare time, I researched about different products, trying to learn the chemistry behind them.

A voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Ah, Gen. It's you."

"What's the matter, love?" She asked, an expression of concern etched on her face.

"Oh dear, it's nothing serious."

She rolled her eyes. "Hey. Don't give me that. I was literally standing here for three minutes and you didn't notice."

"Mrs Maya gave me an assignment." I stated, matter-of-factly.

She drew a dramatic sigh. "Is that why you are bothered?"

"I'm not exactly bothered. I was just thinking about available options. Meanwhile, would you help me?"

"Sure. Why not?"

I went into details about the project and she listened with rapt attention, her gaze fixated on me.

"Ah, I should get going. You have a client to meet. I think I'd give my suggestions later."

I glanced over her shoulder to find a young woman approaching.

"Catch you later, Gen. Thanks."

"Don't mention." She replied, walking back to her post.

I attended to my client swiftly, directing her to an attendant who would take care of her orders.

As I sat back in my chest, I felt shivers run down my spine. A second time. Just then, a sharp ache pulsed through my head.

Suddenly, a thought hit me that made me want to burst into tears. I missed my medication this morning.