OUTCAST: A Stepbrother Romance (32 page)

“
S
o
... you’re Lana Laine,” she said.

“
Y
es
, Ma’am,” I politely answered.

“
D
o
you have any idea about what you’re supposed to do here?”

“
I
was hired
to be your assistant, Ma’am.”

“
T
hat’s not an answer
,” she exclaimed. “My question is, and I will repeat it again, do you know what you’re supposed to do in this company?”

I
was quite
unsure how to reply. The job description merely stated that I was to serve as her assistant. In my mind, that entailed a plethora of duties that involved helping her fulfill the tasks that were assigned to her. I didn’t know the specifics. I just knew that my job was to be there for her whenever she needed me.

“
W
ell
?” she asked once more, impatiently.

“
I
’m supposed to
... assist you, Ma’am?” was the only reply I could think of.

“
D
amn it
!” she screamed in dismay. “Where does HR get these new recruits these days?”

I
bowed
my head in shame. I knew the humiliation I experienced was quite unwarranted, but I felt so little... so denigrated nevertheless.

“
L
ana Laine
,” she continued as she looked at a document that most probably contained my bio data. “It says here that you graduated from Cuyahoga. What’s that?”

“
I
t’s a community college near
...”

S
he didn’t even allow
me to finish.

“
A
community college
?!” she shouted incredulously. “What the hell are you doing in this company if you just graduated from some fly-by-night school?”

“
I
t’s not
a fly-by-night school...”

A
gain
, she interrupted me.

“
D
o
you know that the people who work for this company come from reputable universities?” she asked. “Some even graduated from Ivy League schools. I graduated from Columbia University. You said you think your job is to assist me? What kind of assistance should I expect from a product of an unknown college?”

I
wanted to defend Cuyahoga
. I really did. Cuyahoga may not be a prestigious school, but its academe was composed of professors who were very devoted to their fields of study and students who worked really hard just to see themselves through college.

B
ut I remembered
what Samantha said.
Just say yes
.

S
o I just gave her
a look of placid resignation... a silent assent to what she was preaching.

“
I
don’t like you
,” she suddenly stated. “I don’t like your pedigree, or the lack thereof. I don’t like your upside, or the lack thereof. And I don’t like your dedication to the visions of this company, or the lack thereof.”

J
ust keep quiet
, Lana. Just bear her words and nod.

“
B
ut you’re here already
, so I’ll just make the most out of it,” she continued, a smirk formed on her face. I will have a meeting in five minutes. I will assign a very important task for you.”

M
y eyes lit up
, waiting for Esther to deliver her instructions. I desperately needed that chance... that opportunity to prove that I can be a valuable member of the company.

“
G
et your note pad
,” she ordered. “Write these down. You might forget.”

I
did as she commanded
.

“
E
spresso
, two teaspoons black, one cube of brown sugar, a very small pinch of mint which you can find on the second drawer from the coffee counter, cooled for two minutes before serving it to me.”

I
felt
my body sink in despair, and my heart was quick to follow suit.

W
as
this what it has come to?

F
our years of college
. Decades worth of dreams. Countless letters where I stripped my pride and begged for a chance to work for Peak Publishing.

A
nd now
, I was placed in an overly glorified position where my most important task was to prepare coffee for Esther McCarthy?

I
t didn’t matter though
. I was working at Peak Publishing... something that I have always dreamt of for so long. If I will have to bring her a cup of coffee each and every day, I wouldn’t mind. I’m here, and I’m happy.

J
ust say yes
, Lana.

“
Y
es
, Ma’am,” I humbly answered, smiling at her, without fear of showing how keen I was to serve her.

“
G
ood
,” she said. “Bring my cup to the conference room when it’s ready.”

(
T
he preview
above is from the second draft of an upcoming book. Names of characters, some of the scenes, and the title may change from now until the date of publication.)