Henry Adams greeted me with unusual enthusiasm, getting up quickly when I walked in.
I froze a little, unsure how to respond.
“Andrew, have a seat,” he said warmly, then turned to Riley Green who followed me in.
“Riley, could you get Andrew a glass of water?”
Riley nodded, brought the water over to the coffee table, then quietly stepped out.
Henry sat next to me, smiling widely.
“This morning, Ms.
Smith gave me a call just to make sure that if she wasn’t around when you arrived, I’d take good care of you.
Seems like she’s got high hopes for you.”
“That’s really kind of her.
But she’s the boss, and I’m just the new guy.
Honestly, I feel a bit embarrassed having her worry about me like that.”
Henry chuckled, a bit too friendly, like he was trying to win me over.
If someone else walked in right now, you’d think I was his superior or something.
“You and Ms.
Smith must go way back, huh?”
I raised my eyebrows slightly, pretending not to grasp what he was getting at.
“Why do you ask, Mr.
Adams?”
“No reason, really,” he said with a casual shrug.
“I’ve been working under Ms.
Smith for three years now, and this is the first time I’ve seen her personally looking into a new hire like this.” He gave me a look, half-joking.
“You’re not some big boss’s nephew or cousin or something, are you?”
I laughed quietly in my head.
Classic.
He saw Ms.
Smith being unusually warm toward me and jumped straight to the conclusion that I must have connections upstairs.
Probably thinking, if I do have backing, he’d better cozy up to me quick.
“To be honest, Mr.
Adams, I—” But he cut me off before I could finish.
“Hey, no worries.
I won’t mention anything to the others.
Just so you know, here at Anyael Corporation, we’ve got some pretty strict standards for both management and skills.
You’ll want to be prepared.”
So that’s how he sees me.
Just another guy who got in because of who he knows, not what he can do.
I gave him a small, polite smile.
“Thanks for the heads-up, Mr.
Adams.
I’ll do my best.
I won’t drag the team down.”
“That’s the spirit.
This company’s pretty competitive, and Ms.
Smith holds everyone to a high bar, no matter who they are.”
“I hope you won’t mind me turning to you now and then.
Still trying to get the lay of the land here.”
“You’re being way too humble.
Now that we’re colleagues, of course we help each other out.
Come on, I’ll show you around the other departments.
You’re joining the planning team, right?”
“Yep, assistant to the planning director.”
“Great.
Let’s head to the Planning Department first, I’ll introduce you to Director Flores.”Henry Adams walked me through a few office doors before stopping outside the Director of Planning’s office.
Turned out, the head of the planning department was a woman—looked a bit older than Sophia, but definitely dressed with style.
First impression?
Elegant and poised.
Her wavy, light-blonde hair carried a subtle fragrance that was noticeable even from a few steps away.
“Ms.
Flores, let me introduce you to a new team member under your department.
This is Andrew.
He’s going to be your assistant, and he’s quite capable.”
“Andrew.
I’ve gone through your CV.
It reads well, but real competence shows in action.
I’m someone who expects a lot from my team, so if you’re going to be my assistant, you better be ready to handle some tough days and sharp words.”
“Ms.
Flores, I’ll be learning from you, and I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”
“It’s not about trying your best.
You need to deliver.
If you’re already feeling this role isn’t right for you, you can talk to Ms.
Smith about switching departments.”
I’ll keep pushing forward—I won’t let you down.”
“Good.”
“Ms.
Flores, we’ll let you get back to work.
Henry’s just showing me around the rest of the company.”
“Alright.” Ms.
Flores gave a simple nod.
Her name fit her personality—Fiona Flores, straightforward and sharp.
Something about her just gave off a professional vibe that put people at ease.
After leaving her office, Henry took me around to visit the Marketing Department, PR, and Logistics.
After the full loop, my first impression of Anyael Corporation?
It was crawling with beautiful women.
Even the older ones had that polished charm.
Definitely not your average workplace.
But what puzzled me was how, in every office we walked into, the second Henry introduced me, people would turn to each other and whisper like they’d just seen something unusual.
It was like they all assumed I was someone special.
Maybe they all thought I had connections, like I was here through some backdoor route.
No one in the company should know about my relationship with Sophia, but since she gave me extra attention on day one, I guess that explains the rumors flying around.
“Andrew, once Ms.
Smith is back from the hospital, she’s planning to hold a meeting for all new hires.
Today’s just an overview session.”
“She’s sick?”
“Sounds like a flu—she went to the hospital for an IV drip.”
“Oh, did she say which hospital?”
“I didn’t ask, but she usually goes to City Hospital.”
“Right, the flu’s been nasty lately.”
“Andrew, after Ms.
Smith’s meeting, we’ll get your office space sorted.
Sound okay?”
“Sure.
There are other new hires too, right?
We can all be placed together when the time comes.”
“For now, why don’t you head over and sit in with Admin?
I’ve got a few tasks to take care of.”
“Got it, Henry.
You go ahead.”
As soon as Henry left, I turned and headed straight out of Anyael Corporation.
I called a ride at the entrance and went directly to City Hospital.
Ever since hearing that Sophia wasn’t feeling well, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
I needed to see her—with my own eyes.
Make sure she was okay.
Maybe even take care of a few small things for her, just to make her feel a little better.