Chapter Three : Meeting The CEO

Although Angelina is not really a very religious person, she did take time to pray to the almighty before stepping out of the elevator upon reaching the topmost floor.

Having seen the splendid, elegant and exquisite decor displayed in all the floors she has so far been to in this top-notch building, Angelina was surprised to see the floor of the CEO himself. She had expected to see even more breathtaking and captivating splendour but everywhere was just…bland.

Yes, that's the right word---bland as it looked quite nondescript compared to the other floors she had been to. It lacked the interesting features and monumental decorations that made the other floors captivating. There wasn't even a single ornamental item in sight except some few devices she knows nothing of...at least not yet.

 There was a coffee station, a small lounge which Angelina presumed was for his VVIP guests as there was a larger one on the twentieth floor, then two offices. She could clearly see that the first one was vacant since its walls are glass and see-through. Smiling, she said to herself,

     "Here's your new office, Angie."

And as she turned to face the corner office, she took in a deep breath. This is it! The moment she had been anticipating for a long time has finally arrived. It was now or never!!

Angelina believed that she must have spent at least ten minutes standing in front of the door before mustering the courage to knock and without waiting for an answer, barged into the office which unlike 'hers', the glass walls are not see-through.

Whoa! Was Angelina's first reaction when she got into the large, spacious office. Did she somehow miss her way and ended up at The Oval? Or is this office the London version of The White House but in this case, 'The Black House' is more appropriate because everything in here is black and dark! So perhaps she'll call it 'the black oval' since the shape of the office itself is oval, the large oak desk is also oval-shaped and then every little thing in the office is either black or grey. From the oval table, executive chair (which was surprisingly empty), coffee table, sofa, fridge...just everything including a Greek god statue-like figure standing erect by the windows, was clad in black. 

Yikes! How dull and gloomy!

   "If you're through checking out my office, you can have a seat."

Oh my gosh! That voice!! So it was actually the resonance of his natural voice that Angelina heard earlier…

Angelina assumed that she was a bit overwhelmed with the magnetic baritone voice that she wasn't at all prepared to face the man himself and that's why she actually stumbled on the plush grey carpet when he finally turned around to face her.

O.M.G!!

Did the room temperature just skyrocketed up to 100 degrees Celsius?

Because Angelina instantly felt so hot and flustered that she had to clench her fists to avoid fanning herself. The guy is so freaking hot! 

Damn! He looks just like the most delicious, mouth-watering and delectable snack that she could gobble him up whole! By God, it should be illegal to look so insanely sexy and attractive or else a long trail of broken hearts is surely confirmed!

And that voice, oolala! She had always been a sucker for guys with such a deep British accent and coupled with his naturally magnetic and baritone voice, it was just amazing!

Out of their own volition, Angelina's eyes trailed over his 6 foot tall, hunky, Greek god-like body which his black Armani suit perfectly complimented. Even with his layers of clothes, it was quite obvious that he possessed a well-sculpted, sexy masculine figure, just like that of a Greek god. And that beautifully handsome and prepossessing face…

With his dark, gelled and styled hair, chiselled jaw, beautiful lips, well-proportioned nose and clean-shaven appearance, his face was akin to an angel's but to Angelina, the most striking part of him are his eyes.Those steely grey, penetrative laser orbs which seem to see right through one's soul as their gazes met for the very first time and locked together…

****

Maxwell Gallagher is naturally a very scrupulous, meticulous and ultra-careful person and that's why he surprised even himself that fateful morning by acting on impulse and summoning that overconfident interviewee when he kept insisting on meeting him.

He never randomly does anything without thoroughly assessing it and weighing the pros and cons. However, something about the young guy compelled him to do what he did. It seemed that the little fool was living with his head inside the clouds and hence, needs someone to pull him back down to earth. And who can do that better than the 'Iron man' himself?

When Maxwell turned to face the dude, he was shocked with what he saw. Indeed, from what he saw of him sitting in Gareth's office, he knew he had a smallish stature but now coming face to face with him,he realized that he's just a kid!

He was clearly just a young lad trying to fit into adults' shoes with his oversized suit and pants which are about three sizes too big!  Maxwell frowned as he let his eyes trail over the young lad's tousled chestnut hair, plump lips that were too beautiful for a guy, lovely button nose and his doe-like blue eyes which seem a bit odd. They were innocent-looking like the rest of him but something feels off about them and as their gazes locked, Maxwell realized that it's the maturity in them. It's like those eyes have been to many places, seen so many things and have their own story to tell which is very odd since he looks too young and inexperienced in life.

   "Good morning, Sir. It's such a great pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Marcus Reed."

Ignoring the small, dainty-looking hand Angelina extended for a shake, Maxwell voiced out the question running through his head ever since he saw her face to face.

    "How old are you?"

     "Huh?"

   "Are your ears as small as you are? I asked; how old are you?"

  "Sorry, Sir. I did hear you the first time but I was surprised you didn't know already as it's written boldly on my resume. I'm twenty-two, Sir."

   "Are you sure about that?"

   "Should I go get my birth certificate for you to confirm?".

Touche. Maxwell bit his inner cheek to prevent himself from smiling. This little chit does have some balls, no matter how small they might be!

It's just that he's so small that it's hard to believe he's not a teenager. Well, it seems like that's a reminder for Maxwell to stop judging a book by its cover from now on.

In majestic strides, Maxwell made his way to his desk and after taking his seat, he gestured for Angelina to take one herself but before he could get a word out, Angelina beat him to it.

   "I know why you agreed to see me."

Arching a perfect left eyebrow, Maxwell fixed his steely, intimidating gaze on Angelina as he asked,

     "Really? Enlighten me."

   "Well, a young inexperienced engineer like me has the audacity to apply for the much-coveted post of personal assistant to the CEO of such a prestigious organization. Not just that, I keep insisting I'm the rightful one among all the other more qualified and experienced candidates. By doing that, I appear delusional, with my head in the clouds.  So, who's the best person to haul me back to reality if not the CEO himself?

Blimey! That was so rad! Maxwell had to fight the temptation of smiling in admiration once again. The little man might not be so bad afterall…

     "So that means you're now giving up? I thought you were so adamant about 'being the one' in Gareth's office."

    "Hell no!...Oops! Sorry, Sir! I mean; no, I'm not giving up. I really meant what I said to the HR manager—-I'm the one for this job."

     "Why?"

    "Why did you name this company after yourself? Why use just your initials M.J and not your surname Gallagher?"

Bloody hell! Maxwell began seething with rage. Who does the little fool think he is to question him like that?! 

Unbeknownst to Angelina, she had just touched a sore spot. Anything related to his surname or family is a no-go area wherever Maxwell is concerned…

    "No need to send daggers with your eyes at me. It was just a rhetorical question, you don't need to answer. It's actually an answer to the question you asked me as to why I kept saying I'm the one. Just as it's your company and you can call it any damn name you want, so also my future job as your P.A is mine and so I have every right to say I'm the one—-I'm your P.A-to-be. All I did was to call a spade a spade, Sir. There's no beating about the bush in my dictionary."

Okay, it's verified. Maxwell has no more doubt about the fact that the little man in front of him doesn't just have a small brain, he's also gone bonkers!

   "Look Sir, as it is I've already taken much of your time already so I don't want to waste any more of it. So, here's what we're gonna do. You give me the job and if you find me lacking in any way, you can fire me outrightly. But that doesn't mean you can fire me on just any slight mishap, I demand to be given a fair trial and should only be fired based on a dismissable offence."

    "What did you say that name of yours is?"

    "Marcus Reed, Sir."

   "I see. I guess there was a mistake when writing the name of the CEO on this building. It should have been M.R instead of M.J since you're the one calling the shots, right?"

   "I'm really sorry Sir, I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted you to get the bigger picture. You just can't afford to lose me, Sir. I'm definitely the one."

For the life of him, Maxwell can't say what compelled him to look into the little man's blue doe-like eyes after hearing his solemn declaration but the firm determination and absolute self-confidence he saw in them weakened his resolve. Who is this little bloke?!

And for the second time that fateful morning, the scrupulous and meticulous business tycoon once again found himself acting impulsively as he uttered,

  "You'll not last even a day in this office, little man."

A very bright, radiant and exultant smile broke on 'the little man's' face, revealing a dimple at the right side of 'his' face and a set of white, sparkling gapped teeth.

Maxwell frowned as he saw that, trailing his eyes all over the little guy's face once again. How can a man be so cute?! 

   "Does that mean I've gotten the job?"

   "How come you are asking? Where's the overconfident personal assistant that was here a little while ago? 'The One'?"

As soon as Maxwell uttered those words, the strangest thing happened as he saw the little bloke jump out of his seat before throwing his dainty fists into air chanting,

"Yes, yes, yes!!!"

Angelina was so happy that everything turned out just as she wanted that she momentarily forgot she was still in the presence of the intimidating CEO. Afterall, a leopard never changes its spots and so Angelina will always be Angelina…

However, at the sound of Maxwell's deliberate clearing of the throat, she instantly recovered her senses and her cheeks instantly turned pink as she blushed, making Maxwell give her a blank stare.

The little bloke was weird. So weird...

   "So am I starting work immediately? What do I need to do now? Should I go make you some coffee? I know where the coffee station is!  Or perhaps I can start on my actual job? I love developing and testing codes and believe me, I'm a pro at it! In school I was the top…"

    "You're starting whenever HR contacts you. Now, leave my office. I have work to do."

   "But Sir, that's what I'm here for; to help you work. I really can start..."

Maxwell has once overheard some of his employees gossiping that his steely, icy and frosty gaze could freeze an erupting volcano and he never believed that until now when just one single look was enough to make that chatterbox abruptly close  'his' mouth and make 'him' scurry away.

Seeing that, Maxwell Gallagher didn't know when he released a small sigh of relief. Good riddance!

Did he think the little guy was weird before? Well, that's wrong. He's not just weird. That little man is a nutter!

What on earth did he just commit himself to?!