CHAPTER THREE

Anika's P.O.V

I parked my car in the company's parking lot behind the building. It took me quite a while to find it. Thankfully, I had the address and the internet maps helped a lot.

I chose to work at this branch because it was conveniently located near my house; only an hour's drive. Plus, it was my dad's favorite company, as it was the first company he built.

As I stepped out of my car, I couldn't help but admire the changes the company had undergone. It had become even more beautiful than it was before.

The last time I visited was when I was in 9th grade and my dad insisted on taking me out of school for the day to teach me about 'handling a business'. I was so angry at him that day because I had never been fond of work, especially since I was an only child.

Looking up at the big sign with the words "ADOWNS OIL AND GAS" inscribed on it, I couldn't help but chuckle at the name. It seemed a bit lame and made no sense.

My parents could be a little crazy when it came to me, especially my dad. I think he changed the name of the company immediately after my birth, just to ensure the whole world knew I was the heiress to his empire.

Walking into the company, I was in complete awe. It was stunning. With the glass doors and windows, and the expensive furnishings, it was evident that my dad had spared no expense in creating this magnificent workplace.

"Wow," I muttered to myself as I continued to walk further into the building. 

People were bustling around in different directions, busy doing their jobs and I noticed four individuals sitting on leather chairs behind the reception desk, and it appeared as though they were there for a job interview.

They held onto their documents and seemed quite bored. Two of them were completely absorbed in their phones, while the other two stared at me and gave me strange looks.

Confused, I couldn't help but wonder why they were looking at me in that manner. "Is something on my face?" I thought to myself and inspected my outfit even going as far as bringing out a small mirror from my bag to check my makeup, which appeared appropriate. 

I shot them back a hard look and they looked away immediately. Rolling my eyes, I placed the mirror back into my bag and quickened my pace to where I was heading.

I made my way towards the receptionist and noticed a lady around my age, or maybe older, typing away on the computer.

She had curly black hair and wore glasses. Her mouth moved in different directions as she was chewing gum, quite loudly at that.

Clearing my throat to get her attention, she was still on the computer, not noticing that I was standing right in front of her.

"Ahem... Good day," I greeted, causing her to finally look up. Just as I suspected, she had a gum in her mouth and seemed quite tense and angry.

"How may I help you?" she said with a fake smile but her irritation against me was obvious.

I composed myself, trying to keep my cool.

"Can you please show me to my office? It's been a long time since I last came here, and I'm not familiar with the layout," I explained.

She eyed me suspiciously, and although I was starting to get annoyed, I decided to remain calm.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you. I think you might be in the wrong place. This isn't your workplace. And if you're here for a job interview, please come back next week, as your name hasn't been registered yet," she replied with a frown before returning her attention to the computer screen.

I was furious, but I chose to express myself calmly. "I am in the right place, Miss. Let me make this simple for you. I'm Anika Downs, the heiress of this company. So, I believe I am now in the right place," I calmly clarified.

Finally realizing who I was, she immediately spat out her gum in the trash can beside her and hurriedly approached me.

"Oh my, Ma'am, I'm... I'm sorry. I had no idea it was you, and I apologize for my behavior. I'm just in a bad mood today," she confessed to me.

"You are in one of the most prestigious companies in the company, isn't it your job to keep your bad mood to yourself and always smile when there are people around, especially customers?" 

"I-" 

I cut off. "What if one of the customers you showed your bad mood to go online and bash the company for being unprofessional? What are you going to do then? Would you pay for the money we would lose then?" I said sternly in a calm and quiet voice, not wanting to cause a scene. 

"I'm sorry ma'am, I-"

"If this is how you behave with customers then perhaps you are not needed in this company," I said which made her eyes widen.

"No, I need this job. I'm truly sorry, ma'am," she pleaded with me and I was about to respond when a deep voice interrupted us.

"Excuse me, what's going on?" the voice addressed us, and I could tell it belonged to a man. He positioned himself between me and the receptionist, facing me with surprise evident in his expression. 

"Wow, Miss Anika, what a pleasant surprise. I'm quite amazed to see you here. I am Joe Dunlop and I do apologize for whatever she did, it was unprofessional of her and I am quite ashamed of not doing a background check on the employees before hiring them, I promise to take care of the situation," he said to me.

His words caught me off guard. I didn't even know who he was. I observed him closely, noticing that he appeared quite older, possibly in his mid-thirties. He had messy brown hair and brown eyes. Perhaps he had seen me on TV, or maybe he attended my dad's funeral. But to be honest, I didn't care, as long as he showed me any office.

"Yeah whatever, can you show me my office now?" I said, eager to be there.

"Sure thing ma'am," as we were about to leave, the receptionist spoke.

"I'm truly sorry. I had no idea it was you, ma'am, I'll change please don't let them fire me" she said, tears filling her eyes as she pleaded and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her over-the-top response.

"Let's go, ma'am, I'll show you to your office," Mr Dunlop said, leading the way and I followed, leaving the rude receptionist behind.

"She'll be fired instantly ma'am," he said as we walked to the elevator with a few people following behind us, to welcome me to my office.

"Just let her be this time but if she acts like that again then proceed to fire her," I said to him and he nodded in response.

Following the brown-haired man, we entered the elevator, and soon enough, it stopped on our designated floor. 

He guided me towards a stunning office. I was in awe as I took in the sight – my dad had truly spared no expense in creating this space. 

It sparkled and shone, with a blue and white color scheme and my dad's picture hanging proudly on the wall. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness as I missed him dearly.

The office had shelves filled with books and documents, and the desk and chair were situated in the center of the room, with a comfortable cushion placed against the wall.

Piles of books were neatly organized on the desk, accompanied by a computer and laptops with a desk lamp. Everything was arranged immaculately.

In addition, I noticed a coffee-making machine and a bathroom connected to my office. It felt like my own personal paradise and I knew they'd been waiting for my arrival for quite some time with the way the office was organized.

Filled with excitement, I let out a squeal of delight and jumped onto the plush cushion.

"Hum mm," the brown-haired man cleared his throat, gaining my attention.

"Do you need anything else ma'am?" he asked, and I shook my head negatively.

"Alright then I'm about to take my leave but if you need anything, just give me a call through that telephone on your desk and I will be available to you," he pointed out, ensuring that I knew how to reach him if needed.

"Alright," I said and he was about to leave when I stopped him. "Could you please call for a meeting? I'd like to meet the board members and get to know them better," I requested and he nodded in understanding and promptly left to arrange the meeting.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I hurriedly made my way to the bathroom. To my delight, it was even more amazing than the one in my house bedroom. It felt unfair to have such luxury at my disposal. I toured around some more until I was satisfied.

Shortly after, Mr. Dunlop returned to my office and we proceeded to the meeting room, where I discovered there were about fifty board members in total.

"Good morning, Miss Downs," they all greeted in unison and stood up as they saw me.

"Good morning to all of you," I responded with a polite smile.

"Please, have a seat," I offered as everyone settled down. 

I introduced myself to them properly and asked for their support as I would be starting my work as the CEO of the company. Something my father wished for from me when he was alive. They agreed and also introduced themselves to me and we talked about the work that needed to be done by me as I started my job and we discussed more work stuff.

After the session had concluded, I dismissed the meeting, allowing everyone to return to their respective offices, including me.

As I was making my way to the office with Mr Dunlop beside me, I turned to him and made a request, "Could you gather the people who are here for job interviews and send them to my office? I would like to personally interview each candidate before making any decisions."

He nodded in acknowledgment, his professionalism shining through, and promptly set off to carry out my instructions and I continued the walk to my office.

I felt a mixture of excitement and anticipation for what lay ahead. It was a new chapter for me, and I wanted to ensure that I made the best choices for the company and its future success.

T.B.C 

Noeline.