|AC ORGANIZATIONS|

|BRIANNA’S OFFICE|

BRIANNA

I was in my office, busy replying to some important emails that needed to be addressed on behalf of Mr. Adrian, when the intercom buzzed. I already knew who was calling before I even picked it up. I answered the call and placed the receiver to my ear.

“Good day, boss,” I greeted coldly. Since that incident outside my house, when Mr. Adrian and I argued, I had been avoiding him. I only spoke to him when absolutely necessary, and only about work.

“Come to my office now,” he ordered rudely, not even acknowledging my greeting before hanging up. I rolled my eyes at his usual lack of manners, but it wasn’t like I was surprised. That’s just how he was.

I closed my laptop and stood up. Walking out of my office, I made my way to his. I knocked once and entered without waiting for permission.

I walked over to his desk, and he glanced up at me. His intense stare made me squirm a little, but I managed to look indifferent.

“You called for me?” I asked, my voice betraying a bit of uncertainty as I stood in front of him.

“Yes, I did. What’s on my schedule?” he replied, sounding bored.

“Well, you have a meeting with the production department in the next twenty minutes. After that, you’re having a brunch meeting with the Ace family at 12 p.m., and then a meeting with Mr. Thompson to finalize a deal at 2 p.m.” I rattled off the schedule, a little out of breath by the end.

“Alright, is that all?” he asked.

“Yes, Sir, that’s all,” I responded.

“Good, you can go back to your office now. Get ready for the meeting. You’ll be attending, so take a notepad along to jot down important details,” he instructed. I nodded.

“Alright,” I said, and left his office.

|TWENTY MINUTES LATER|

I went back to Mr. Adrian’s office to let him know it was time for the meeting. He stood up, and we walked toward the meeting room, me trailing a few steps behind him. Mr. Adrian strolled in confidently, as if nothing in the world could bother him, while I stood outside, trying to calm my nerves with a quick breathing exercise. I exhaled deeply and wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt. This was the first time I was attending a meeting, and I was feeling the pressure.

After gathering some courage, I stepped into the meeting room. It seemed like the entire room paused as their eyes turned toward me. I froze for a moment, confused. Why is everyone staring? It’s not like it’s my first day here, I thought, still rooted to the spot.

“Miss Jackson? Are you going to stand there all day, or will you take your seat so we can start the meeting?” Mr. Adrian’s voice broke me out of my daze. I snapped out of it and noticed nearly twenty pairs of eyes focused on me. My face flushed with embarrassment. I quickly made my way to an empty seat beside Mr. Adrian and sat down, placing my notepad and pen in front of me. Slowly, everyone’s attention shifted away as they returned to their work.

Mr. Adrian rolled his eyes and stood up, clearing his throat loudly to command the room’s attention. It worked instantly, and the chatter stopped.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to introduce someone to you all. She’s been here for a few days now. Her name is Brianna Jackson, and as some of you may already know, she’s my personal assistant. She’ll be joining us for today’s meeting. I hope you’ll welcome her and work well with her,” he announced. I stood up shyly, waving at the room. Some people greeted me warmly, while others shot me jealous glares. The jealousy was mostly from the women in the room, likely envious of my position and the fact that I was Mr. Adrian’s personal assistant. But, honestly, what was there to be jealous about?

My thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Adrian’s voice again.

“Now that that’s over, can we get started?” he asked rhetorically, waving his hands for dramatic effect.

“Thomas, show us the sketch, please,” Mr. Adrian directed, motioning to a man across the room. The guy nodded and did something before an image appeared on what looked like a large screen. I stared at the device, surprised at how the image had appeared out of nowhere.

“That’s a projector,” a male voice whispered in my ear, and I jumped in my seat. Turning toward the voice, I found a very handsome man grinning at me. Handsome, but not quite you-know-who.

“What?” I asked, clearly confused.

“I said, that’s a projector. You looked confused when you were staring at it. A projector is an optical device that projects an image onto a screen. Do you get it now?” he explained with a grin.

“I get it now. That’s why an image appeared!” I exclaimed a little too loudly. Everyone in the room turned to stare at me, and I felt my face heat up. Great, I thought, as Mr. Handsome and I exchanged awkward glances.

“Miss Jackson, care to explain the ruckus?” Mr. Adrian’s angry voice cut through the tension. I kept quiet, and he rolled his eyes after a few seconds of silence.

“I thought as much,” he muttered before turning back to the meeting.

“As I was saying, before we were so rudely interrupted…” he continued, glaring pointedly at me and Mr. Handsome, “…this image on the projector shows the sketch for our next invention. A robot designed to help with household chores like tidying up the house, washing clothes, dishes, and anything else you can think of, as long as it’s a household task.” He paused, waiting for the room’s reaction.

A petite woman raised her hand shyly. “I have a question about the robot, Sir.”

“Go ahead,” Mr. Adrian said.

“Will the robots do the chores like humans do? What if they malfunction?” she asked.

“That’s a good question, Jenny. Have a seat,” Mr. Adrian replied, and the woman sat back down.

“As Jenny asked, the robots will perform the chores perfectly, maybe even better than humans when fully charged. To prevent malfunctions, each robot will come with a manual, so owners will know how to operate them properly…” Mr. Adrian continued speaking, but I could feel my eyelids growing heavy.

“Miss Jackson, wake the fuck up!” I heard someone yell. I jumped in my seat, startled.

“I’m awake! I’m awake!” I shot back, embarrassed as I realized I had been dozing off. Laughter rippled through the room, and I wanted to disappear. This is the worst day ever.

“This meeting is over,” Mr. Adrian declared, and everyone started packing up, laughing or pointing at me as they left. I stood up, grabbing my notepad and pen, but then it hit me—I was supposed to have taken notes. Oh well, I thought. The worst he can do is yell at me for not writing anything.

Just as I was about to leave the room, I was stopped by Mr. Adrian’s voice.

“Come here, Miss Jackson. You’re not going anywhere yet,” he called out.

I muttered a string of curses under my breath before stopping in my tracks. He waited until everyone had left before walking over to stand in front of me.

“What were you and Lewis talking about earlier?” he asked.

“Who’s Lewis?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“The guy you were talking to earlier,” he answered, looking irritated.

“Oh, his name is Lewis? That’s a nice name,” I said, and his pupils seemed to dilate slightly.

“Yeah, that’s his name. Now, what were you talking about?” he demanded.

“That’s none of your business,” I replied firmly.

“It is my business. I have the right to know what’s going on between my employees,” he retorted.

“And I said, it’s none of your fucking business! Must you know everything?” I raised my voice a little.

“Fine. Don’t tell me then,” he grumbled. “Did you take the notes I asked for?”

“No, I didn’t. I kind of forgot,” I admitted sheepishly.

“Seriously? I needed those notes!” he yelled, his frustration clear.

“Then you should’ve just taken the notes yourself!” I shot back.

“Ugh! You know what, Brianna? You’re a pain in my ass!” he bellowed.

“And you, Mr. Adrian, are the bane of my existence!” I screamed back. We glared at each other, both of us fuming.