"Come in," he ordered in a firmer tone than he had been using for Skyla. The door opened revealing a young man with olive-coloured skin and dreadlocks for hair. He entered the office as if he owned it.
"Sir!" he stated, with questioning eyes while ambling forward.
"Lawrence meet Miss Skyla, my new secretary and our advisor for the Anime Department. I have already informed you about what needs to be done," Zyair made a casual introduction and the lad faced Skyla with a boyish smile.
"Hello! I am Lawrence." He extended his hand towards her. She quickly stood up and shook it.
"Hi! I am Skyla. Nice to meet you, Lawrence," she sweetly smiled back at him.
"Likewise," he answered, letting her hand go.
"Lawrence, lead Miss Skyla to her office and help her sign the contract. Guide and familiarise her with all her required duties," Zyair instructed the eager boy.
"Of course, come with me please," he guided Skyla forward.
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I am a quick learner and will try not to disappoint you," she paused in her step and said while turning towards her boss. He wasn’t as scary as she had thought him to be. So far he has been amiable, to say the least.
"Everyone deserves a chance to prove their mettle, this is yours. I am looking forward to what fresh ideas you will bring to the table," his husky voice was calm, there was no over-the-edge superiority in his tone like Doran always had. It made Skyla an equal tone appeased and settled.
Her lips finally spread and she smiled at her boss, a genuine smile that erupted from her heart. Zyair’s heart fluttered in the most unimaginable ways. This was a dangerous road he had picked to trudge on but if it could end in her liberation, this was surely worth it.
He called his assistant director Mr. Gairo, and once he picked up Zyair told him to hold a meeting of all prominent members of the company so he could inform them of Skyla’s joining.
Lawrence and Skyla had left his office and advanced to the office next door. It was professional-looking with a window wall and a white working desk. There was a coffee machine on a cupboard in one corner and a mini fridge too.
"This is your office, Miss Skyla. Feel free to make changes according to your liking," Lawrence spread his hands and whirled all around in a circle. The boy had this positive energy about him like sunshine and happiness. It further eased Skyla down.
"I will do that," she was looking around the elegant office.
He picked up a silver folder from the table and handed it over to Skyla.
"This is the contract Mr. Zyair has put together for you. You can read it carefully and if there is an issue you can discuss it."
"Any specific details I need to keep in mind? Any of his habits I have to be careful about?"
Skyla took the silver-coloured folder from him and asked. Lawrence thought for a while before speaking in his cheerfully energetic voice.
"Just remember to keep a specific distance from him. He doesn’t like physical touch or the proximity of females. This is the first time he has hired a woman to work in such a position."
"I understand Mr. Lawrence. I will be very careful of this rule," Skyla’s way of addressing him made Lawrence slightly laugh.
"Just call me Lawrence, I don’t need so much respect." He realised she was sweet, too sweet. Maybe that was the reason Zyair had hired her.
"Lawrence, it is," she added with finality and opened the folder to read.
"I will leave you to it now. I am in the next office if you need me," he waved her goodbye and finally exited the office, leaving her alone.
Skyla settled down in her chair and began to read the terms of the contract. Unlike other contracts she had seen, Skyla realised this one was drawn to provide her with maximum benefits.
Firstly the salary was too high, she had never anticipated that she would be offered such a hefty sum.
Her duty timings were 9 am to 5 pm but if she was ever to work after these hours, she would be compensated for it.
𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
There would be overseas trips and other social functions and as Mr. Zyair’s secretary Skyla was supposed to attend them with him. All expenses will be covered by the company.
From now onwards as his personal secretary, Skyla will be having lunch with him. Either in the office or in some restaurant of his choosing.
She was astonished to see there were no morning rituals where she was supposed to fetch him coffee, or his lunch or his clothes. Instead, it felt like he was the one taking care of her. The more she read the more stunned she became.
She would accompany him in business meetings of his desires and had to take notes.
She was also to keep a keen eye on anime-related news, the latest trends and characters which were trending. She was to give her input in costume design and would have a final say in the quality check-up. Skyla was to have full authority in the displays of the newly made costumes and how they would be paraded.
If she would ever needed anything like a personal day off, or money, or had a complaint she was to directly speak with Mr. Zyair.
She was also to fill in all her personal information, like date of birth, age, personal contact number, copy of her ID, a few frontal pictures for the company’s ID etc.
Reading the whole contract left Skyla totally stunned and she had nothing but respect for her new boss after reading it. At the same time, she knew that she would have to talk to him about the salary, she didn’t want to be overpaid especially when she was just a newbie. So getting up she made her way to his office again.