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I place my hands on her shoulders as I smile at her to cheer her up. There’s a temptation to plant a kiss on her forehead, but I shake it off as fast as it comes.
She tries to give off a fake smile and giggles like a girl playing hide and seek. We both end up in laughter.
Chapter Seven
Lea
Life is unpredictable.
Today, you could be a young girl trying to figure out life; tomorrow, you could be the First Lady of the United States of America.
You could be a broken-hearted daughter mourning the loss of her parents today and be the CEO’s fiancée on your first day at work.
The unpredictability makes life a circus most of the time. It gives one the thrill and the push to keep going because you never know when things will suddenly change from bad to good and good to …
“Hello… Lea Carlo.” A deep voice with a feminine stint to it cut my thoughts short.
Jenny stands outside the door as she signals for me to come out and join the other recruits for the tour. Her look is skeptical like she is trying to read through me and discover the truth.
I conceal my nervousness behind a big smile and offer my apology while in a secluded area, away from the ears of others.
“I apologize for the whole drama this morning. Damien had sent me to pick up a few things, and I didn’t know it would take so long.” I hope she doesn’t see through my lying tongue as I try to maintain the most truthful expression.
“It’s alright. At least you still showed up.” She kept a stern face as she spoke.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to slack on my duties simply because I am, you know…his fiancée.”
I take a huge gulp to swallow what I just said. If I were truly his fiancée, I still would not use that to my advantage at the office. I’d prefer to work hard and earn their respect, not one tied to the man I’m with.
“I see you are doing just that. Keep up with it,” she said, raising her thumb while keeping a straight face.
I force a smile towards her as I walk into the conference room. As predicted, all eyes turn to me again, mostly judging eyes.
Damien was wrong. These guys were hungry lions seeking to devour their uncanny rumors and scandalous comments.
However, it would be unfair for me to blame him entirely. He was only looking out for me and said what came to his mind at that moment.
Lea, you can do this. You didn’t get this job because of Damien or anyone else. They gave it to you on merit because you have what it takes to do it. I think to myself.
I give myself more pep talks in my head as I walk to my seat at the back. This time, I raise my head and prop my shoulders up to exude confidence, and my face displays a bright smile. I will not let their stares and snide comments get to me. No one will make me feel less about myself and what I offer to this company.
“Welcome back from the lunch break, everyone. I noticed some people interacted amongst themselves, and I hope to see more interactions before the day ends.”
While staring into my eyes, Jenny says the last statement, but I don’t budge. My smile is still intact like I am ready to take all the jabs she or anyone else in the room is ready to throw.
“We will proceed with the tour around the company and show you to your various office spaces. We will divide you into different groups based on the first floor you will be visiting.”
“The first floor you will visit will be your office floor, so you can drop your belongings at your desk and proceed with your tour.”
“There’s a little surprise box waiting for you at your desk. It’s a way to show that we are happy to have you here with us at Selware.”
She points to the end of the room and says, “Six people are standing at the back. They are managers of various departments and will be your tour guides today.”
One of the tour guides hands a piece of paper to her, and she proceeds to read out the names of the tour guides and their corresponding floors as she pairs them with the recruits.
They organized us into six groups of two recruits each, and I ended up with a guy who seemed to have no interest in whatever was happening in the room.
It would be wise to get familiar with at least one person so that I wouldn’t feel totally uncomfortable.
