The Cold CEO's Woman

Chapter 9: Jealous secretary

"Hello, Boss," Margret immediately picks up the office line and receives the call.

"Come into my office right away," Liam responds.

Margret gulps and quickly stands up from her office seat, dropping the phone line. She sees Bambam smiling at her as Bambam prepares to attend to the client sitting in front of her.

Some clients step into Margret's secretary office to see her too, but she immediately directs them to other staff working on the third floor office to attend to them. As she knows the new boss doesn't like to be kept waiting.

Margret immediately walks towards Liam's office door and knocks. She hears his cold voice response, "Come in."

Margret swallows as she opens the office door and walks into Liam's exquisite office to see him.

"What took you so long to respond to my call?" Liam questions, as he continues typing on his computer, not shifting his gaze away from the monitor screen, as his fingers click faster on the keyboard.

"I'm sorry, Boss. I arrived late from lunch," Margret replies, and Liam pauses from what he's typing and stares up at her.

"Do you want to be fired?"

"No, Boss," Margret nervously responds. She doesn't want to lose her job yet, and she fumbles with her fingers, as her palms automatically become sweaty.

Margret's job is one of the highest-paying positions she can get, and her work isn't stressful for the huge salary they pay her, even though it’s a privately owned company and not a government-owned one; yet their pay is relatively high.

"Then don't keep me waiting next time!" Liam warns, and he shifts his gaze back to save his project before it exits.

"Come here!" he orders.

Margret walks closer to his front desk.

He stares at her suit; it is a bit oversized as he had instructed, but she still looks smart in it.

Margret stares at Liam's face and immediately looks downward nervously, as she meets his cold gaze.

"Here, take this file and take it to the department responsible for hiring new staff. Inform them to get a new secretary, and two more staff on the third floor."

"But, Sir... I still love my job, and I am diligent in carrying out my tasks. Please forgive me, sir," Margret begs, and Liam stares at her again.

He shakes his head. "I'm not firing you, nor asking for your replacement, but for an assistant to help you carry out the tasks given to you. But if you fail to respond to my call next time and keep me waiting. Then you will be fired!"

Margret swallows, hearing him.

"Now take this file, and like I said, instruct the department responsible for the hiring of new staff to email this person to resume here on Monday. Also, to get an assistant to help you, and handle any other records that aren’t completed. He should find a replacement for all those who failed to resume their duties today."

"Okay, Boss," Margret responds with relief. She picks up the file from his desk, steps backward, and stares at him, waiting for his next instruction, as she looks at his handsome, cold face.

"You can leave," Liam dismisses her in his usual cold voice, and she smiles and turns to exit his office.

Margret steps out and heaves another sigh of relief, but her eyes meet Bambam's, staring at her again.

Margret knows Bambam is also interested in the new boss, as Bambam is hot and curvy like her.

Although Margret is fair, and she is determined to win the CEO over first and not give Bambam any chance.

Margret breathes heavily and sighs as she walks past Bambam's open office and heads to the department responsible for hiring new staff.

Margret doesn't want to lose her job, as it is one of the most sought-after jobs in the city, and their dress code isn't affecting her either.

She sighs and knocks on the door of the person in charge of hiring new staff. As he's busy talking to a client sitting across from him in his transparent glass office.

He looks at her, and the person he's talking to stands up to leave, while she walks into his office and places the file on his desk with a light thud.

"Good afternoon, Miss Margret," Joel Gregory, a dark-skinned man, greets her first.

"Good afternoon, Joel. The new boss instructed you to email this person who owns this CV to resume with us here on Monday and to get two other staff," she informs him.

"Wow, just like that?" Joel asks, looking at the file on his desk.

"A female staff," he murmurs, and Margret remembers the CEO's additional order.

"Yes, he also informed me that you should get a replacement ASAP for all those who didn't resume work today. As there's a hold on the records, and also get an assistant secretary for me too."

"An assistant for you? What's so difficult about your job?" Joel asks, staring up at Margret's face, as she's still standing in his office.

She retorts, "Don't ask me silly questions, Joel. Just do as you're told; that's the new boss's instructions. I almost got fired, and I have to leave now so I don't miss his call."

"Okay!" Joel nods, and she quickly exits his open office and walks back to her own office to continue working as his secretary. While Joel stares at the file on the table and then back at his monitor screen displaying.

Joel checks the list of applicants who have submitted their application letters to the company. He browses through some of their emails, ticking off some and sending the company's notification email to the applicants he has selected, since many stubborn ladies refused to resume their roles just because the new CEO stated he didn't want them dressing seductively or wearing overly revealing outfits to work. Likewise, he even banned too much makeup in the office.

Joel smirks, and as he's about to switch off his computer, having finished emailing the selected candidates to resume with them on Monday, he spots a new email sent as an application letter.

Joel stares at the applicant's name, "Anita Baker," and he clicks open her email.

He reads through her profile and sees she is a newbie with no work experience, but her results and grades are impressive, as she graduated with a first class from the recent concluded set.

Joel remembers his younger sister also attended the same university as Anita, and has just graduated, yet his younger sister isn't serious and keeps getting carryovers.

Slamming his hands on his desk a little, Joel has already sent out all the emails to the staff needed to fill in for those who resigned.

He stares at his display monitor screen again for a while, not wanting to disappoint the beauty with brains who has applied with them.

Joel knows that even though he doesn't personally approve of Anita, other top companies will, as her results are excellent.

Sighing, he almost sign out and leave her email pending. But he remembers Margret has informed him to hire an assistant secretary for her per their new boss's order.

Joel swallows and stares at his flat-screen monitor again.

"Will Anita want to work with us as a mere assistant secretary to our boss when she could apply her beautiful credentials elsewhere and get approved instantly?" Joel wonders, sighing as he contemplates what to do.

Finally, he sends her an email response asking her to check in with them on Monday and to also see him personally, adding his office desk number and name at the end of the email.

Joel knows the department responsible for checking the new staff and ushering them to their various working units won’t have the time to give Anita proper guidance on what her new job entails.

He decides to see her and properly inform her about her new role, as she will be working under Margret.

Even though she may have better credentials than Margret, Margret still has more work experience than her.

Likewise, Joel also wants to meet the "beauty with brains" that has such outstanding results that defy his expectations—that a woman in this modern world, who is mostly focused on beauty and cosmetics, would dedicate her knowledge and energy to becoming a professional workaholic without compromising her education to achieve such an impressive first-class result.

He sighs and finally switches off his computer when he's finished sending out all the response letters to the new applicants.

Standing up to ease himself, Joel exit his office, anticipating meeting the beauty with brains by Monday.

****

Meanwhile, Margret sits back in her office seat, attending to some clients who have appointments with the new boss.

From her recent studies and findings about her new boss, Margret knows he doesn't like to meet with top clients who want to work with them, and prefers conducting his interviews and business discussions online.

Now she understands better why he's requesting an assistant for her, as she sighs heavily, after attending to the last client who came to see their boss.