Waking up early the next morning, Skyla needed to be at the office before 9 am. Quickly leaving the bed, she took a quick shower and entered her walk-in closet. She rummaged through her clothes, deciding what to wear.
Skyla didn’t have much formal clothing because Doran never bothered with her needs, nor did he ever financially provide for her. Her clothes mostly came courtesy of her mother-in-law or Huria.
After she had done those online courses, she had done some random gigs and saved up money. It was time she would have to utilise it and buy some officer wear. Her comic was about to start on Webnovel and it would take some time to pick up.
Skyla contemplated for a while before choosing a simple button-up black shirt and formal pleated trousers with black mocassin. Combing her lush Auburn hair she made a neat bun and applied minimum make-up.
When she walked out of her closet, Doran was getting ready for his office too. Fastening his silver cufflinks he threw a cursory glance at his wife before lowering his gaze back to his cuffs and remarking.
"Remember you are my representative in that company. Don’t ever do or say anything that will compromise me or my company by any means. Do I make myself clear?"
She had expected a belittling comment, this was quite docile.
"I understand," she said quietly and then hopefully asked, "Will you be dropping me off at the office?"
"No, I am going in the other direction. You will be managing your pick-and-drop." Doran had sold off her car a long time ago, claiming she had no use for it now as she wasn’t allowed to leave the house of her own accord.
"I don’t have a car. Buy me a new one, since you sold mine and kept the money," she stood in front of him and demanded. He slightly raised his head and gazed at her with his dead eyes.
"Not my problem and I don’t have money right now. You know we are going through a crisis and here you are making demands. Use a taxi, they are readily available," he said in a harsh tone before grabbing his wallet and cigarettes from the table. Exiting the room, the devil without horns banged the door behind him.
Skyla remained rooted in her spot for a while before collecting herself and making her way down the stairs. Amsilia was waiting for her with a bright smile. Her mother-in-law was excited when Skyla informed her last night about the job offer.
"My child, are you ready for your first day?" she cheerfully asked, guiding her to the breakfast table.
"Yes! Mom," Skyla settled down opposite her.
"Are you excited? I am really happy you have gotten this opportunity to shine," she offered Skyla a glass of freshly squeezed oranges.
"I am just a tad nervous though. This is my first experience and Kincaid International is a big name. I don’t want to fail," Skyla confided in her mother-in-law.
"Failure is always a first step to success. Just take it as a learning curve. But I have faith in you." She gave Skyla confidence and helped her ease her fears a bit.
"Thank you! I will keep this in mind."
Skyla finished her breakfast and said her goodbyes to both her mother-in-law and Madame Maven. Both women were delighted that she was stepping out of this house and taking a new route in her life.
Amsilia insisted that she should take her car but Skyla didn’t want to cause her any trouble or discomfort. So after breakfast, she hauled a cab and left for Kincaid International.
***
"You did what?" Lawrence was standing in Zyair’s office with his eyes almost bulging out of his sockets at the news Zyair had just shared with him.
"Hired a secretary," Zyair casually added, flipping a pen between his fingers.
"A female? Like W.O.M.A.N?" Lawrence enunciated each and every syllable, clearly in shock.
"Yes," Zyair playfully smirked, enjoying the look of bewilderment on his intern’s face.
"You understand she will be working on this floor. She will be coming to this office and working in your proximity. You never hire a woman to work this close to you. What were you thinking?" Lawrence narrowed his eyes at his strange boss, knowing something was going on in his ingenious mind. Zyair merely shrugged his shoulders.
"And not any woman but the wife of Doran Blackthorn. Your arch rival," Lawrence tapped his foot on the ground but Zyair ignored his string of questions.
"Make sure she feels at ease here and is properly welcomed. Just remember she is important and she must keep this position in the company," Zyair stopped twirling the pen and straightened up, showing Lawrence that he was serious about this.
"We will do that but I still don’t understand how this will work. Will you be comfortable having her in such proximity?" Lawrence wasn’t going to let this go any time soon.
"Sometimes it’s essential to step out of one’s comfort zone. I am going to try that and she is only here to work. Nothing else," Zyair was casually leaning back in his chair now with his hands behind his head.
His office phone rang and he lifted it. The receptionist on the other hand spoke.
"My Zyair, Mrs. Blackthorn is here. Should I send her upstairs?"
"Yes," Zyair deeply answered and placing the receiver back, he began to wait for the woman. The woman whom he hadn’t stopped thinking about for the last eight years. For whom he had planned everything so meticulously and finally she was here, near him.
She would be working and staying close to him all day long.
"I will leave you to it then. But remember if anything happens, it’s on you," Lawrence warned him, throwing him one last sceptical look before he exited his boss’s office.
The boss was ecstatic though for she was finally here.