Chapter 10

KATE

The next day, Julie called me to arrange a lunch meeting. It took me almost an hour to find a presentable outfit for my lunch with Miss Swan; she seemed very elegant. I settled on a black dress. What a surprise.

When I left the room, Lisa was in the living room, sitting on the couch with a guy. I had no idea who he was. He was blond, wore a black leather jacket, and seemed to be in his twenties. They turned their attention to me when they noticed my presence. I cleared my throat and approached.

"Hello!"

"Kate, this is Trevor, a friend from New Jersey. Trevor, this is Kate."

"Hello, Kate!" He stood up with a smile, not realizing I was scrutinizing him.

"It's a pleasure, Trevor." I extended my hand, which he shook.

"The pleasure is all mine." He emphasized the word 'pleasure.' Lisa stared at him, narrowing her eyes, while I greeted him.

"I'm heading out. I'm just waiting for Miss Swan." I informed.

Someone knocked on the door at that moment. "That must be her. Have fun, but not too much!" I teased.

"I told you he's just a... never mind. Good luck! Everything will be fine."

"Thank you."

Miss Swan offered me a bright smile when I opened the door. She was young, with dark eyes, and her expression was almost amiable.

"Good morning, Miss Swan!"

"Hello, Miss Collins! Ready?"

"Yes, but you can call me Kate."

"Agreed, if you call me Julie." She smiled, and I nodded. "Shall we go?"

"Sure."

She descended the small staircase gracefully, and I followed her to her car.

Minutes later, we arrived at a restaurant on Madison Avenue. Julie had reserved a table for us.

"So, Kate... are you excited about your first day?"

"Yes, even though I still don't know exactly when I'll start."

"You start on Monday."

"After tomorrow?"

"Yes. Any problem?"

Perhaps I had shown too much surprise.

"No. I just thought it would take a little longer."

"In fact, Mr. Ryan urgently needs a new assistant. Not to scare you, but you'll have a lot of work."

"Do you work directly with Mr. Ryan?"

"Not exactly. I've been the Human Resources Manager for four years. Ryan is demanding of everyone who is part of his team, especially those who work directly with him."

"That sounds tough."

"It is. Especially when there's a problem with someone on the team. Sometimes, Mr. Ryan is very strict. In fact, he always is. I would say he's extremely demanding. Believe me, he doesn't hesitate to fire someone on the first day."
Great! He seemed like the devil in human form. Was this a warning?
"He's not an easy person to deal with. But, on the other hand, he's the smartest man I know and also admirable..." She cleared her throat. "Well, I could spend the day talking about your future boss, but I'm here to explain your position."

"If I may ask, you mentioned that he urgently needs a new assistant; can I know what happened to the previous one?"

"He fired her about two months ago; she lasted quite a while, but they had some issues. Since then, he practically fires assistants every day."

"Ah..."

Damn! This is worse than the devil in person.

"I think you must have investigated the company and the industry we operate in."

"Technological innovations, with partnerships in Japan mainly."

"Exactly."

"Ah, I also know that Ryan donates and raises millions of dollars every year for social causes worldwide."

"Yes, but that's something that concerns only Mr. Ryan." Julie rummaged in her bag, took out a folder, and handed it to me. "Here are all the details of your duties as a personal assistant to the CEO of Ryan, and a copy of the contract. My proposal is for you to review it tonight, and tomorrow, I'll clarify any doubts you may have." I nodded. "It's a great responsibility, you know?"

"Yes."

"Okay." She smiled. "You have a great opportunity, Katherine. Don't waste it. But I have the feeling you'll do just fine."

"I hope so."

Eventually, the conversation became more personal, and I discovered that Julie had studied with my future boss at Princeton, so they had known each other for years. It reminded me that he was still a young man since she was only twenty-seven years old. I arranged to meet her the next day to clear up any doubts that might arise.

After returning home, I used the rest of the day to study my duties and review the contract. Lisa wasn't home; she probably went out with the new 'friend.' Sitting at the table, I turned on my laptop for some research. I began to read the papers. I read and reread, analyzing them thoroughly. There was nothing that surprised me; I could certainly perform the tasks.
However, the part about accompanying the CEO on business trips bothered me a bit. Would I have to be available all the time? In fact, I think I should do some research on Mr. Ryan. I must have seen something about him in the media, but I don't remember. Well, I know he's still young, demanding, somewhat angry, and very rich... I mean, a billionaire. God! He must be insufferable.

Lisa came in, interrupting my thoughts. I hadn't realized how much time had passed. But it was still early for her to arrive.

"Where were you?"

"I took Trevor to see a little of the city."

"Mm-hmm."

"I already said he's just a friend! And you? How was it with Miss Swan?"

"Okay. I'll start on Monday."

"Wow, that was fast!"

"Yeah, it seems Mr. Ryan urgently needs an assistant."

"What's that?" She gestured towards the papers.

"Basically, my duties and some useless papers."

"Ah..."

"How long have you known Trevor?"

"Since high school."

"Has anything ever happened between you two?"

"No. He's just a friend. How many times do I have to repeat it?"

"Okay." I suppressed a laugh. She rolled her eyes before going to her room.

I sent a message to Julie with my only doubt about the business trips. Later, I gathered my things and went to my room.

I couldn't meet Julie the next day due to an unexpected event, but she answered my doubt, making it clear that part of my duties would be to accompany the CEO if he wished. And as she wouldn't be able to accompany me to the company on Monday, Mr. Spencer would do it in her place.

I could barely have breakfast. Trevor was still asleep on the couch when Mr. Spencer knocked on the door. He simply slept on the couch after almost seeing me naked last night when he accidentally entered my room without knocking. I was going to have a little chat with Lisa about it.
Mr. Spencer parked the car in front of the building. The Ryan office was very close to Central Park, where there were huge commercial buildings housing many large companies.

The Ryan building was impressive; in my research, I found out it had over forty floors. The name "Ryan Enterprises Holdings Inc." was written in huge golden letters on the façade. The entire building was made of dark mirrored glass, making it impossible to see inside.
There were a series of steps leading up to the entrance. We climbed the stairs and walked towards the revolving doors, which had more golden details and transparent glass.

I started feeling butterflies in my stomach as we passed through the doors. I was amazed by the lobby of the building. The entire wall was made of glass, and the floor was covered with shiny black marble. There were some black sofas and other black furniture.
I spotted the marble counter, and a very elegant blonde woman smiled at me from behind it. Mr. Spencer walked up to her, and I couldn't hear what he said before he called me over.

"Miss Collins." He gestured for me to follow him.
We headed to the elevator. He pressed the button for the second to last floor; the doors closed, and nervousness consumed me.
When the doors opened, I could see another reception area with sofas, armchairs, paintings on the walls, and another blonde woman behind a white desk who smiled when she noticed us. Her gaze lingered on me for a moment.

"Mr. Spencer and Miss Collins, right?" We both nodded.

"Great! Could you please wait for a few minutes? Mr. Ryan just finished a meeting. He'll be here shortly."

"Sure," we said in unison.

"Please, take a seat

We walked toward the sofa. I got distracted as we passed a corridor with two doors on each side and a large door at the end, where four men were standing.

I could only see the face of one of them, as the others were partly turned to the side or had their backs to me. Mr. Ryan must have been among them, not the one whose face I could see, as he didn't look almost thirty years old; he must have been over sixty

The two who were partially turned looked younger and had darker hair. The one with his back to me was very tall and seemed quite strong under his black suit. He had broad shoulders, clearly larger than the other men, and he had blonde hair. He looked somehow familiar.

A shiver ran down my spine, and I felt nauseated by the thought that crossed my mind. I recognized that silhouette. I was frozen and felt all the blood drain from my body. My God! I tried to convince myself that it was just a vision, something from my imagination. But my nightmare was confirmed when he turned around and started walking. Oh, shit!