The jitters of starting a job at a new place never ceases to overwhelm me as I reported to my designated apartment. Exiting out of the elevators, I was greeted with 2 glass doors on opposite ends, one that read 'Office' and the other, 'Tinker Space.' As I pushed through the glass doors situated on the right-hand side, I was greeted with neatly arranged cubicles that were designed in the shape of an 'S', with one person on each side. It was a design that provided both space and privacy best-suited to my level of comfortability.
"Hello! You must be Ava." A middle-aged woman who looked like she was in her early forties, exclaimed, while approaching me with a huge smile upon her face.
"It's nice to meet you," She greeted. "I'm Susan and welcome to the design floor. I've been tasked by Timothy to show you around the place." She continued.
"Ah yes! He told me about you." I responded, remembering that he had mentioned her name if I ever decided to accept the job.
"That's great! Come on, time is of the essence!" She clapped twice before leading me out of the office and into the tinker room, before showing me my work desk that was kept in a neat and pristine state.
"Now, I'm sure you are aware of what Estelle does?" She questioned. I, who was clearly aware that she was testing my competence on the specialty of Estelle, couldn't help but smirk subtly upon hearing her inquiry.
"Absolutely. Estelle is known for their many cuts of unique and expensive diamonds. But none of them, not even one, is able to top the crimson solitaire which is only released once every year. And only one lucky and wealthy customer can possess that unique design that cannot be found in any other parts of the world."
"That's right. Because of its rarity, every year, world famous jewelry designers bid for the opportunity to design. After that, well, you could imagine how much a single design could boost their fame."
"Yeah." I replied, acknowledging every word that was spoken. It was indeed a fierce battle between renowned designers for a chance to showcase their talent to the world. However, the issue was that there was no set date for the release of the crimson solitaire. Nobody knew when it was to be showcased except the CEO.
"What about the company's history? How much do you know about it?" In truth, not much was revealed about the history of this company except about how successful it became in just a few years.
"Well, I'm not sure about that, but rumor has it that the predecessors of Crosby's family stumbled upon an old mine. A mine that people thought have been completely emptied until a hidden shaft was revealed to contain tons of diamonds of utmost rarity. As such, it taken over by the Crosby family and I guess that marked the start of their booming business."
"Hmmm, well I can neither confirm nor deny your answer as no one really knows about the history of this company as well. But it is nice to listen in on a different perspective." She grinned while leading me back to the office area before standing before a cubicle that had a wide-paned window situated on its side.
"This is your desk that you'll be using. And like the same as everyone is this room, your task is to fulfill the customer's request in designing their rings before delivering it to them." She instructed while pointing to the stack of files. "Normally, you would have to uphold company policy by meeting with the customers to draft and confirm the final design, but since you're new, you can handle the task of constructing the finalized designs."
"Got it!" I replied, sounding a little too excited. Although I was grateful for my internship experiences that has led me to be equipped to handle customers, it was still a chore to handle the client's needs' daily, let alone the nasty ones. So, you could say that I was grateful for this task.
"Oh! By the way, I was informed that Mr. Crosby would like to see you later at 11am." Susan notified, which almost led me to choke on my saliva.
"Oh." The dreadful feeling arose at the thought of meeting him again. Yet, I could not help but feel that small fire of excitement burn from within. "Alright."
With a silent nod and a soft smile, Susan returned to her seat located near the entrance, while I on the other hand, checked my watch for the time.
9.30am.
1hour and 30mins to go before my head is officially in the gutter.
Oh well, I guess it was already in the gutter all along.
Immediately, I got into studying the stacks of files filled with elaborate information on the intricacy of each accessory, down to its size and pattern. I understood this department catered to those of the middle-income clients, but the blueprint of each jewelry left me in a state of self-doubt. It was no wonder that there was always a fierce competition to get into this company.
Shaking away the negative thoughts, I immersed myself into studying the designs while planning the workflow to accomplish each one within the shortest time frame, ranking from the hardest to the easiest ones before delivery. Although there were tons of work to manage, it was something that I was enthusiastic about.
Not wanting to be late on my first day of work, I glanced at my watch several times until it was finally 10.50am. I stood up before pushing the chair in as I made my way towards the elevator. I began to feel the blood rush in my veins, my hands and feet turning cold and clammy at the thought of seeing Nicholas again.
No.
Nathan, not Nicholas.
I sighed, making a mental note that he was not the Nicholas I once knew but rather, another person. Soon after the elevator doors opened at the highest floor, I paced into that same and familiar room before seeing Timothy seated in the center.
"Hey, Ava! It's so nice to meet you again." He exclaimed while standing up to usher me towards the office which read 'CEO'.
Now is the time to run away...
"You may enter, Ava" Timothy said as he opened the doors.
Run away!
"He's waiting for you." It was a wonder how I haven't gotten a heart attack at the rate it was pumping.
Why aren't you running away, idiot?!
As soon as the door was fully opened and his face came into full view, all thoughts ceased to exist as my breath seemed to be caught at the back of my throat. It was as if time stopped for the both of us as our eyes held each other. That intensity of those gaze was the same as before. A gaze that once held so much love and adoration whenever I stared into it, was now before me.
"I'd ask you to come in and have a sit, but if you're comfortable standing outside the door, I would remain obliged." He teased, bringing me back to reality as I rolled my eyes and stepped into the room while Timothy closed the door.
"Please have a sit."
Confidently pacing towards the sit in front, I began to mentally recite the apology in my head. As much as I hated his guts, he was my boss, and I needed this job.
"I'm sorry." I blurted.
"What for?" He simply replied with a dumbfounded expression.
Wait, does this mean he has forgotten? Or maybe even forgiven me?
In that case, there is no need for an apology then. It wasn't my fault in the first place.
Controlling the triumphant smile that threatened to form on my lips, I quickly replied, "It's nothing." However, with him being so quick to catch on to these details, his face lit up with realization.
"Ahhh...I guess you're here to apologize for the other day? I didn't take you for the type to feel guilty after what you said." He smirked before placing his chin on his clasped hands. "Nevertheless, I will still accept your apology. Afterall, you were the one who bumped into me." He continued, smiling sweetly.
That bugger.
My balled-up fists were tempted to swing into that pretty face of his before I was brought back to the thought that I needed this job.
"Y-yeah, that's right. I bumped into you. I sincerely apologize, Mr. Crosby." I replied reluctantly as I felt my facial muscles twitch in anger while forcing myself to smile.
"That's right. You bumped into me. And please, call me Nathan." He reiterated with that same smile, which led me to glare daggers at him.
If it weren't for this high-paying job, you'd be deadmeat, asshole!
"I am aware of where you've came from before entering this company. But just for the sake of confirmation, I would like you to repeat it again."
"I was previously interning at a small enterprise called Rosalie which specializes in affordable custom-made jewelry for commoners." I replied, emphasizing on the word, 'affordable'. That fart-face who seemed to have caught on, chuckled at my reply.
"I have a task for you."
"What's the task?" I peered over to him, no doubt with my face written in distrust.
"I aim to hold the exhibition for the Crimson Solitaire on the fifteenth of next month, and I want you to be the liaise between our company and Hugo Montague."
Wait a minute. Hugo Montague?!
As if he read my mind, he interjected, "Yes. That Hugo Montague." He sighed, with an expression of him giving up on my existence.
Sorry for not personally knowing famous people, fart-face.
"But it has been two years since the media reported anything about him. Nobody knows his whereabouts or why he decided to quit. So, why him?" It was true, it was as if Montague vanished into thin air after he announced his sudden retirement. With his huge fame, it stirred a huge uproar when news broke.
"Why not him?" He questioned. "You don't have to worry. Just focus on liaising with him."
"Alright." But still, a question remained.
"Why me?"
'Why not you?"
Is that the only sentence you know?
"I mean, I'm a new employee and I haven't learnt the ropes of this company. Are you sure you would be willing to entrust such a huge task to me?" I explained, feeling the intimidating stress of this assignment mounting and creeping over me.
"Well, I did hire you, didn't I? And if I did, it must be because I saw something in you. Did you think that this was a desk job?"
"No, it's just that-"
"Unless it is to say that there are problems with my judgements. Or perhaps, it's because of your incapability?" There it was again, that deplorable smirk that I so wanted to wipe it off with a tight slap.
Definitely your judgements.
"Don't worry. I will make sure that everything is well-ordered" I assured, "your royal fart-face..." Of which I softly mumbled.
"What did you say?"
"I said how will I contact Mr. Montague?" I smiled victoriously. "Is there a number or address he might have?" A reaction I did not expect was a chuckle from Nathan.
'What's so funny?"
"My goodness, it seems that you really have a limitation in your capabilities."
That jackass.
"Let me cut you a deal. If you manage to pull this off and invite Hugo to be our designer within three days, I'll give you a raise. How about that?"
Tempting.
But it was impossible without having a clue on where Montague was. He could be stranded or even dead on an island.
"But if you don't," He continued, smiling sheepishly. "Your job might be in jeopardy."
What?!
"Of course, seeing how incompetent you are at gathering information by yourself, if you agree to this bet, I'll have Timothy provide you with more details later on." Returning to that plastic grin.
"You!-"
"Me?"
Phew, cool off, Ava. Cool off.
He's just trying to get a reaction out from you.
"Fine! It's a deal. Anything else?"
"Nope. You may leave" I quickly stood up and raced to the door, eager to get out of this place and away from his idiocy. "I look forward to your failure, Ava!" He mocked, with a smug look on his face.
"Ha ha. I hope I won't disappoint you."
PRICK!!!
Slamming the door on the way out, signaled Timothy to turn his attention towards me.
"A productive discussion, I hope?" He asked.
"You have no idea."
"Here," pushing a piece of paper to me with an address. "It's an old address. It may be possible to find him there."
"Thank you, Tim." I returned a grateful smile before retreating to my desk to grab my belongings, heading towards the address.
Hoho, just you wait, asshole. Just you wait.