Chapter 65

"The importance of following my schedule lies in valuing what seems least important and the time I spend on it. Do you understand?"



"But how will I know how to see it?" I asked, struggling to keep up with him, hindered by my heels and the stack of papers in my hands. I had been working for Mr. Cesar for two weeks, and I still couldn’t match his pace.



"By observing me, following my meetings and appointments. And most importantly..." he stopped, causing me to bump into him. I looked at him, waiting for what he was going to say, and with a smirk, he added, "You must have dinner with me tonight."



I frowned, stepping past him. "Stop joking, Mr. Cesar. I thought you had something important to say. Don’t you see we have a lot to do this morning?"



I reached the car, and as I got in, I quickly buried myself in the paperwork before reaching the office. On the way, I reviewed some of his meetings, but I couldn’t understand the topics, and I was too embarrassed to ask my boss. Suddenly, I noticed he was watching me. I turned to him and asked, "What is it? Did you forget to tell me something?"



"You tied up your hair. I don’t dislike it entirely."



"You told me to change my appearance. So, I took advice from your stylist," I replied, returning to my papers.



"And it seems you followed it; your makeup has improved, and so has your outfit. The only thing that never changes is that frown."



"The frown is inevitable, but if you think I look fine now, that means I’m doing well."



"It’s a compliment, not an assessment of your work."



"What does that mean?"



"That dinner is still on."



"I don’t think I can have dinner, given that your schedule says you have an appointment with a client."



"Consider if it’s important."



"I don’t think having dinner with me is more important than meeting a client, Mr. Cesar."



"Negative. Reconsider it," he said as he stepped out of the car, leaving me puzzled. I followed him.



"What do you mean? Is this some kind of joke or test?"



"What do you think my answer will be?"



"I don’t know; am I supposed to guess what’s in your head as well?"



"In this job, getting to know me is your most important task. Good luck with that," he said as he walked toward the building, surrounded by a throng of executives waiting to ask him questions.



I went back and forth, following Mr. Cesar from one meeting to another, grasping only half of what was being discussed, listening to his conversations with the company staff without understanding a word. The only time he spoke to me was to hand me folders given to him by other executives, saying, "I’ll review it when I can." He would keep a serious expression and continue on his way. By midday, I finally had a break. I sat down and removed my shoes. Just as I feared, I had a wound on my ankle. Startled by the sight of blood, I hurriedly put my shoes back on, despite the unbearable pain.



"Why did it have to happen now..." I saw Mr. Cesar exit his meeting, and I quickly stood up, composing myself. I followed him promptly.



"The next item on the agenda is a meeting to decide the closure of Fresh Fruit branches in other countries," I read out slowly.



"Good. This time, I want you to be present," he said as he reached the elevator, motioning for me to press the button.



"Wait… do you really think it’s a good idea for me to be there? I’ll just get in the way."



"This is important; it’s part of your job to understand what this place is about." I wanted to decline again, feeling insecure, but I remained silent and stepped into the elevator. I adjusted my clothes as best I could and took a deep breath, prompting Mr. Cesar to remark, "Just stay quietly by my side." He said, exiting the elevator, and I nodded, following him.



When we entered the room, a large oval table was filled with people who stood up respectfully when they saw Mr. Cesar. Suddenly, I noticed the surprised looks on their faces as they saw me at his side—a mix of confusion and bewilderment. I now understood why everyone treated me strangely; with so much work, I hadn’t had time to consider the situation. I saw Mr. Cesar shoot me a sharp look, prompting me to sit beside him quickly.



"Alright, you may start the meeting," Mr. Cesar said, clasping his hands on the table.



"Uh, yes, sir…" one of the lead investors began, clearing his throat. "As we discussed a few days ago, the quality of products from certain branches has declined, harming the company’s brand image. This meeting is to vote among investors and the CEO of Fresh Fruit on whether the best decision is to close these branches in other countries."



"As for me, everyone already knows my position. Expanding into third-world countries has only brought unnecessary expenses. I don’t invest here to lose money," said Urdaneta, starting a discussion with one of my financial analysts. It was the same story every time, a tedious topic with no solution. I glanced over at Belle, who was diligently jotting down everything with a lost expression. I inadvertently covered my mouth to hide a smile. She was biting the end of her pen, her brow furrowed, and my eyes instinctively fell on her lips, stirring something inside me. I cleared my throat, trying to calm myself. A strand of her hair slipped down her face, and she quickly tucked it behind her small ear. For a moment, she seemed to understand something as her face lit up with a surprised expression.



"So, the issue is the distributors…" she murmured, jotting it down in her notebook. A smile crept across my face. Perhaps she wasn’t as clueless as she thought.



"Well, I’m tired of this. If you’re done arguing and repeating yourselves, I’ll speak. It seems my assistant has more intelligence than all of you combined." Belle looked at me, surprised. "Or maybe none of you want to address the real issue. Whatever the case, gentlemen, the problem is our current food distributors."



"We have one of the best fruit distributors in the country. What company could be better than the one we already have?"



"All branches report spoiled fruit, and health officials could soon report us. Doesn’t sound like a great distributor to me. If that’s the problem, why haven’t I heard better solutions?"



"Well, since your assistant is smarter than us, why not ask the young lady for a solution, Mr. Cesar?" I looked at Belle, prompting everyone to do the same.



"So?" he asked, incisively.



"There are more modest distributors who work their own land and grow their natural products," she replied. Urdaneta smirked mockingly and said, "Cheap labor, how wonderful."



"Just because they are humble workers doesn’t mean they should be paid a pittance, exploiting their need. A reputable company wouldn’t permit such actions in any measure."



"That’s why it’s a problem, little girl. If you don’t understand business, it’s best to stay silent." Belle opened her mouth again, but timidly closed it. I interjected, "She already answered your question, Mr. Urdaneta. Or do you also want her to do all your work? This little girl who supposedly knows nothing about business has offered more ideas than all the useless people I have here. Anyway, this session is adjourned until there’s a new proposal based on Miss Belle’s idea."



"We’ll take her idea into account."



"Do you have anything better? Because I haven’t heard a thing," I retorted, and Urdaneta fell silent, grimacing.



"Next assembly, I want a solution based on my assistant’s idea. Good evening, gentlemen." I stood up, and Belle followed me to the door.



"Why did you approve my idea? What I said was just to get by because I didn’t know how to respond," I exclaimed, following him with difficulty as the pain in my ankle intensified.



"It was a good idea," Mr. Cesar said as we reached the elevator, and I quickly pressed the button.



"It was a terrible idea. I don’t know anything about business," I insisted as we entered.



"For someone who knows nothing about business, you didn’t seem clueless."



"I only spoke from life experience."



"Well, next time, find a solid solution and present it at the assembly. That way, you’ll gradually learn to navigate these environments with more confidence."



"I don’t think I’m ready for something like that. I understand if those men are annoyed that you value a nobody like me."



"Those men didn’t give me a single idea in the two weeks we’ve been dealing with this problem."



"Yes, but they have more education and experience than I do. Don’t you think it’s unfair?"



"I think it’s unfair to have so many useless people being paid so much."



"But they’re investors. Aren’t you afraid of losing them?"



"They’re the ones who stand to lose, not my company." He suddenly stopped, turned to me, and said, "What’s going on? You’ve been walking strangely for hours."



"N-nothing, I’m just a bit tired."



"You forgot about our dinner."



"What dinner? You have a final meeting with a client tonight, I told you."



"I told you to consider if it was important."



"And I told you I can’t read your mind. I made a reservation at a restaurant, so it’s best you don’t miss this appointment."



"Cancel it; it’s not important. I’ll make a reservation for our dinner," he said, pulling out his phone to call, and my eyes widened like two ping pong balls.



"But... but… if you’re not going to follow the schedule I prepared, then why do you even ask me to organize it!" I protested angrily, not paying attention to where I was stepping. I let out a small yelp of pain as I was about to fall to the ground when Mr. Cesar caught me, letting his phone drop to the floor.



"I’m sorry…" I muttered, lowering my gaze as he looked down at my foot, now bleeding, with an angry expression.



"You didn’t say you were tired."



"I… I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bother you with this; I was embarrassed to mention it," I said, letting out a soft breath as he lifted me in his arms.



"What are you doing? Put me down now! I can still walk…"



"And make that wound worse?"



"But everyone is staring at us."



"So what?"



"So what? Did you forget that my face looks exactly like your ex-wife’s and that I’m your assistant?"



"You’re not like that woman."



"And what difference does that make? Someone from a good family shouldn’t be seen with a simple assistant."



"I decide what I do with my life. Why else would I have asked you to stay by my side?" I felt myself melting in his arms as a faint smile appeared on my face.