Chapter 3 Office Dynamics

• I've spent a week here at Vanderbilt Enterprises. As much as I hate to admit, I think I am not hating this new position of being a secretary as much as I thought I would. My boss on the other hand acts as if he hates the idea of me being his secretary. It's almost as if he hadn't interviewed me himself.
• My mind switches to Gabrielle as I go through Mr. Vanderbilt’s schedule for today. She has been avoiding me since our last phone call. With each day that passes, I can't help but wonder how wrong I could be about Nate. Or even worse, how “too right” I could be about him.
• “ What's going on here?” The all too familiar masculine voice startles me out of my thoughts.
• “ I- I was just checking your schedule for today. You …” I stammer.
• “Save it, Belle. I know that look. You're not focused. You are very reluctant to give this company your all.”
• His cold eyes send shivers through my spine and I swallow hard.
• “ I'm sorry. It won't happen again”.
• “ It better not. Do you know how much time you're wasting? I don't pay you to sit behind your desk and ruminate about useless stuff that won't bring the company any money. I pay you to get results,clear?”.
• His words sting me really bad and my heart races in anger.
• “ Did you hear me?” He stares and I stare blankly at him before nodding slowly.
• “ Good. Now get back to work and stop wasting company time!” His hands slam the table and I jolt.
• “ Right away.” The words fall out before I realize.
• Is this going to be my life? How could money make a man this mean?
• “ Belle?” He calls out.
• “ Mhm?” I jolt.
• Why does he seem to always interrupt my thoughts?
• “ Schedule a meeting with the board of directors for noon today” He orders,his chin held high.
• “ Yes, Mr. Vanderbilt. I'll send in the invitations to all the members by 10am.”
• “ Please do. Also prepare a briefing for the financial reports. I want them to have it by 10am”
• “ Consider it done.”
• “ As expected of you, Belle”
• He walks into his office and relief washes down my spine as I sigh deeply. I begin to wonder if he's ever been an employee.
• “ I see he isn't taking it easy on you.” A male voice emerges from behind me and I give a frustrated smile.
• “ I'm Ethan. I work with Finance” He smiles broadly and I take notice of a dimple in his left cheek.
• “ Aurora” I smile back, shaking his extended hand.
• “ Nice to meet you, Aurora. That's a really nice name.”
• “ Thanks.”
• “ I've been here for six years.” He chuckles.
• “ Really?”
• “ Yeah.” He smiles “ I could help you with the documentation he was talking about. Sounds like a lot of work.”
• “ You would?”
• “ Yeah. I'm free right now.” He takes a seat beside me and sighs.
• “ Thank you,Ethan”. I smile and he shrugs it off.
• “So…how's it been? I mean… working here for that long”
• “ Oh, that.” He chuckles. “ It's been a rollercoaster. Nicholas is… very intelligent and a very good leader. He's just particularly mean to women. I don't really know why”
• At least it's not just me he hates.
• “ Very good leader,huh?” Disbelief is very eminent in my voice.
• “ Yeah” His eyes meet mine. “ He makes pretty good decisions for the company and he pays his employees well and on time. He just doesn't tolerate a lot of things.”
• He doesn't tolerate women.
• “ Women? What else?” I chuckle.
• “ He always wants his employees to be up and doing. You know, not sitting idle.”
• I wasn't idle.
• “ He's a little crazy”. He whispers and we both laugh.
• Thank goodness someone else agrees with me.
• ***
• The sight of my boss puts me on my toes for obvious reasons. I hate it. I hate having to be in this position but I have almost no choice.
• Straightening my already straight skirt, I grab the documents and head to his office for his signature.
• Through the glass door, My eyes take notice of his tall, masculine figure by the window with his back facing me. Whatever call he's making must be frustrating him enough to have him run his fingers through his dark hair.
• “ I just need more time, mother. Can't you talk to them?” His voice is getting louder in frustration.
• Should I enter or wait for a bit? My curiosity takes the greater part of me and I stay rooted to the same spot.
• “ I'm… I'm trying, mother.This is my birthright. You can't just give it to Dominic because of this. That's not fair.”
• I should probably go now.
• “ You can do something, mother. You really can. Please.”
• He turns around and his eyes meet mine. My fingers instantly push the doors open and I enter his office.
• “ Right. Can we talk about this later this evening at dinner? Please?”
• His eyes are still fixed on mine and I struggle not to panic under his gaze.
• “ Alright. See you at dinner,then.”
• “ Miss Belle?.” His voice is rather calm as he clears his throat.
• “ Your signature is required on these documents, Mr. Vanderbilt.” I walk closer, handing the documents to him.
• “ Right.” He sighs.
• I watch as his brows furrow and his eyes scan through the pages of the documents.
• “ I'd got through these and you can pick them up by the end of the day. “ He says, dropping them on his desk.
• “ Alright.” I nod.
• My eyes follow him as he walks back to his seat.
• “ You may go now, Miss Belle.” He says as he sits and I find myself nodding once again.
• His voice is surprisingly calm. Is it the call?
• “ Aurora?”
• He calls out as my hands grab the door knob.
• “ Do you… by any chance have a boyfriend?”
• What?
• “ I know it's not in my position to ask you but,....” He sighs. He looks nothing like the Nicholas Vanderbilt I know.
• “ I… don't. May I know why you ask?” He's really beginning to surprise me.
• His eyes shift from eagerness to relief and I frown in confusion. Why does he care?
• “ Well…” He clears his throat. “ I need to know that you'd be focused at work. Women tend to allow their personal life to have an impact on their work life.”
• He stares intensely into my eyes as he steeples his fingers below his chin.
• “ I…I don't understand” I confess.
• What the hell does this have to do with me?
• “ This morning, you were lost in thoughts at your desks. It's very unprofessional.”
• Oh really?
• “ It won't happen again.”
• “ Right. You may leave now.”
• ***
• As I sit on the couch, Kaitlyn snuggles up close to me and I turn the TV on.
• “ Mom”
• “ Mhm?”
• “ I want to be an astronaut when I grow up.” She looks up at me with a bright smile.
• “ Really! You can be anything you want to be,baby” I smile.
• “ Can I be an astronaut, an actress and a chef?”
• “ Ofcourse you can. You just have to take it one step at a time. Okay? “
• “ Okay.”
• A knock on the door cuts our conversation short.
• “ One minute, sweetie.”
• It's 7:30 pm. The only person I want to see at my door right now is Gabrielle.
• . No one else.
• Reluctantly, my fingers find the door handle and I am beyond shocked to see the figure behind my door.
• “ Mr. Vanderbilt?”
• “ Miss Belle. Do you think we can talk?”