Chapter 8 New Assistant to the President

• An adorable little bear was going around Construct Avenue giving out flyers. The bear was cute, and she worked fast. In merely two hours, she had finished giving out one thousand flyers. Still, the scorching weather drenched her in her sweat. When she removed the bear costume's head, her whole face was red.
• Emily sat by the road before a woman came over and gave her two hundred. "Here's your pay."
• "Thanks." Emily took the money and nodded with a smile.
• "See you tomorrow." The woman left.
• Emily put her hard-earned cash into her pocket. She drank from the bottle of water she was holding and looked at the resplendent buildings nearby, longing evident in her eyes. It was her dream to get a job in places like that. Alas, no one would give her a chance. She could only eke out a living doing odd jobs around the streets.
• Am I going to live my life like this?
• A message came in, and she opened it up. It was something from Phalanx Entertainment's finance department. They gave her her due pay, and she was surprised. She thought she would never get that money back, but Neil came through! Is it going to rain gold today?
• Of course not, but it was her lucky day. Someone called her again, but this time, it was Northcity's HR.
• "Hi, are you Emily Fisher? We've gone through your resume and are pleased with your qualifications. There are two openings for you. One is in sales, while the other would be an assistant to the president. Would you like an interview?"
• A-Assistant to the president?
• Emily's eyes shone. She had always wanted to be an assistant to a company president! Going around with the president would open up her opportunities to learn. Immediately, she nodded. "I'll have the interview right away, thank you."
• She hung up and washed herself up. Then, she went home and changed into work attire before she set off for Northcity.
• This was her first visit here. Everyone around her looked so professional, and it made her nervous. It was her dream to get a job in a big company, but when the time came, she was fidgeting. She realized she had not been preparing for her dream.
• Emily came to the HR department, and Fiona Turner, the head, handed her a contract for the position of president's assistant.
• Emily gulped. "C-Can I actually sign it now, Miss Turner?" she asked nervously.
• Fiona had seen Emily's resume. It was one of the—if not the worst—resume she had ever seen. Still, she could not go against the chairman's wishes. "Yes. We've looked deep into your resume. The president wishes for you to be his assistant. Pay is 500 thousand a year. What do you think? It's not a bad position, Miss Fisher. You can learn a lot of stuff. And you're the highest-paid president's assistant in this city. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so think about it. Oh, since you're relatively inexperienced, the contract will bind you to the company for five years. That's to protect our interests, but if you sign it, we'll give you a year's worth of pay right away. Quality of life's important."
• At that point, Emily was breathing heavily. She signed the contract without thinking at all. Money was what she desperately needed, and 500 grand was enough to deal with most of her problems.
• "Congratulations. You're part of Northcity now. Let's work hard." Fiona stood up and shook Emily's hand.
• "Thank you." Emily nodded in excitement. I finally have a proper job. She wondered who the person she would be assisting looked like. I wonder what kind of person they are.
• She took the contract and left the department. Another staff member led her to the president's office, but he was busy, so she was instructed to wait outside. Before she was told otherwise, she sat down before the desk and read.
• "'How to Win Friends and Influence People'… 'Listen!: The Art of Effective Communication'… 'Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High'… 'Atomic Habits'…"
• Emily stared at the books. The last time she read was in school. Ever since that fateful day, she could never sit still and quietly finish a book.
• The HR staff member said, "You must read, Miss Fisher. President's orders."
• "Of course." Emily nodded.
• That was the first time in eight years she could read in peace. It was a comfortable sensation. Being the president's assistant gave her a chance to improve herself. This is great.
• Meanwhile, Corey and Fabian had left the company. Fabian started driving, then turned to Corey. "Boss, you're really leaving her alone to read?"
• "Yep. It's time for her to enrich her mind." Corey closed his eyes. "To the clinic. I have a couple of patients to tend to."
• "Sure."
• They went to the clinic, and Corey got out of the car. To his surprise, he saw Sophia and Freya standing at the clinic's entrance. It startled him at first, but he quickly approached them. He patted Freya's head and asked, "Do you need something from me, Mrs. Fisher?"
• Sophia told the girl, "Freya, leave us for a sec and play around. I need to talk to your father."
• Freya froze for a moment, then swayed Sophia's arm. "He's my father, Grandma?"
• Sophia nodded silently.
• A happy Corey crouched before Freya and touched her nose. "I'm your father, Freya. Call me Papa."
• That scared the girl, who hid behind Sophia, refusing to call him Papa.
• Corey heaved a sigh, resignation filling his face. Freya probably had not accepted him, so she could not call him that. Plus, she had never called anyone Papa, which he could understand. His heart went out to the girl.
• He then looked at the troubled Sophia. "Do you need my help, Mrs. Fisher?"
• Sophia heaved a sad sigh. "I haven't been making a lot of money selling stuff, but I have to pay for Freya's tuition soon, and my husband needs money for his illness. We don't have much money left, so can we borrow some from you?"
• "Sure." Corey took a black card out of his wallet. "Take it. Just go to Fountain Bank and take whatever you need. They don't need my identification. Just show them your ID, and you can cash out the money. Come to me if you need anything. I'm still Freya's father, after all."
• "Thank you! Thank you!" Sophia bowed apologetically.
• "Don't be a stranger, Mrs. Fisher." He was earnest. "I've hurt Emily in the ignorance of my youth, but now, I want to make it up to her, Freya, you, and Mr. Fisher. Come to me if you need anything."
• Sophia froze momentarily as she could see the genuine apology in his eyes. This can't be faked. "I'll… have to take Freya home, but we can come over if we have time. Can't let Emily know, though." She did not want to overstay her visit after she got the card. Hence, she took Freya and left.
• "See you, mister." Freya waved Corey goodbye, but she kept looking back at him.
• They stared at each other for a long while, and the man only headed into the clinic after she disappeared around the corner.
• In the meantime, Sophia buzzed with excitement after she took the card. She came back home and smacked her husband's shoulder. "That was a great idea, Johnny. We're not selling Freya, but we can use her to get money. Look, he gave me this."
• "Naturally. That kid's rich. We can always ask him for more if we need it." John took the card and smiled.
• …
• Jay Barker, president of Northcity, had arrived. News of the chairman hiring a new president—and with tempting terms—had reached his ears, and he was miffed about it. He wore an upset look all the way and ignored everyone who said hi to him. Inevitably, he felt threatened by the new president.
• "The president's here!" Emily heard someone say.
• The president's here? Well, I'm his assistant, so… She put her book down and straightened her clothes out. Then, she went to the elevator and waited for the president to show up.