7

[AVA]

"It's your first day and you're already running late," Sean playfully teased, parking the car in front of the imposing glass building. He turned off the engine and glanced at me. "I'll have to teach you how to set an alarm, huh?"

I rolled my eyes, feeling exhausted from the events of the previous night. His attempt at mockery wasn't amusing me in the slightest. To make matters worse, my dad insisted that I start working at Brian's company as soon as possible. I had a suspicion that my mom had something to do with his sudden change of heart. Dad wasn't the type to force me into anything or resort to manipulation. Despite the accusations from the shareholders of our now-defunct company, my dad was always straightforward and humble.

Throughout my life, I had never heard him raise his voice at anyone. He maintained a calm and grounded demeanor, which allowed my mom and brother to take advantage of his kindness without feeling any guilt. Even when our business was drowning in losses, they didn't make any adjustments to their extravagant lifestyle. I vividly remembered the time when my dad had to sell his most cherished possession, his beloved sports car, just so my mom could afford a designer dress for a red carpet event with her shallow friends. I despised her for it.

While dad was struggling to cope with the financial burden and losses in the business, mom seemed indifferent to his mental well-being. I witnessed his distress firsthand and even tried to offer my support. But he would just pat my head and change the subject, redirecting the focus back to me.

Perhaps that was why, this morning, when he knocked on my bedroom door and asked if I had considered Brian's job offer, I couldn't bring myself to refuse. I hadn't really thought about it, but when I saw the glimmer of hope in his eyes, I found myself nodding and scheduling an interview.

"And don't forget to remind me to give you a hundred reasons why you're not getting laid," I retorted with a scoff, unbuckling my seatbelt and stepping out of the car.

Sean pursed his lips and shot me a playful glare. "I can get laid if I want to. I just don't want to do it with a stranger."

"Ah, I see. So that explains why you're still a virgin," I replied, playfully teasing him back.

"I never said I was," he replied, a smug expression on his face that made me question whether he was telling the truth or just teasing.

My eyes widened, and I leaned closer, half inside the car. "No way! Seriously? Who was it? I need all the juicy details, like, right now." It was one thing to know that Sean, the most eligible brother of my ex-best friend, was attracted to men, but it was a whole different level of intrigue to discover that he had already had some steamy encounters. I couldn't help but wonder if his mysterious partner was someone I knew.

Sean rolled his eyes and started the car. "Let's just say there are a lot of things you don't know about me," he grinned, playfully winking at me, a gesture that could have swept me off my feet if I weren't already out of his league. "Now get going! You don't want them to kick you out of your new job on the very first day, do you?"

I chuckled and pulled away from the car. "Alright, alright. I'm off. But you better spill the beans later!" I called out, walking towards the entrance of the building, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness for my first day at work.

* * *

The woman who interviewed me, Ms. Olson, wasted little time during our meeting. It seemed like she had already made up her mind about me, probably because Brian had assured my dad that the job was practically mine. I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable with her dismissive attitude.

It was clear that she saw me as someone who had received preferential treatment, as if I had used connections to secure the position. And in a way, she was right. While I hadn't actively sought out this job, I understood the importance of it for my dad's well-being. I couldn't bear to see him sink deeper into depression or think that his hard work to provide my brother and me with a good education had been in vain. My brother had already disappointed him, and I didn't want to add to that burden.

"Everything looks great," Ms. Olson stated, closing my file and handing it back to me. "I've given your joining letter to my assistant. Collect it before you leave for your assigned department." With a dismissive wave of her hand, she moved on to the next file, as if I were invisible, sitting right across from her.

"Of course. Thank you," I replied, not seeing any reason to prolong the conversation. I stood up and turned towards the exit, ready to leave. However, before I could make my escape, Ms. Olson's parting words stopped me in my tracks, sending a chill down my spine. "You've had it easy so far, Ms. Monroe, but don't expect it to always be that way. Welcome to Reinhold Corp. I hope you're prepared to prove yourself."

Just great. It hadn't even been a full day, and already I had managed to rub someone the wrong way. I let out a quiet sigh and pulled the door open, eager to get out of there.

As I stepped outside, I was greeted by Ms. Olson's assistant at her desk. She was a young girl with dark hair and stylish nerdy glasses perched on her nose. She had a friendly smile on her face as I approached. I tried not to let my guard down, wary of any potential traps. I could almost hear Valerie's voice in my head, reminding me to avoid falling into Mean Girls-style clichés.

I would definitely give it a try. I mean, who wouldn't? It was such an amazing movie, and it was hard not to imagine something like that happening to oneself. Or maybe I was the only one feeling that way?

"Ah, Ava Monroe, right?" she exclaimed cheerfully, leaning forward from her desk and focusing all her attention on me.

"That's correct," I replied with a humble smile, wanting to avoid sounding rude or arrogant. It seemed like Ms. Olsen already had some sort of grudge against me, so it was important to make a good impression on her assistant. "Ms. Olsen mentioned you had something for me?"

"Of course. It's right here," she said, extending a blue file towards me but quickly pulling it back as soon as I reached for it.

I furrowed my brow, feeling confused by her actions.

"You're the new girl," she stated, and suddenly I felt like I was missing something, making me slightly cautious.

As I continued to wear the same puzzled expression, she rolled her eyes and stood up from her chair. "For every new employee, we have a tradition," she said, her satisfaction apparent, hinting that this tradition was anything but simple.

"Let me take a wild guess," I said, shifting my gaze from the file in her hand back to her face. "I'm supposed to treat the entire staff to lunch, right?"

The expression she gave me made me wonder if my comment came across as funnier than I intended.

"What? No!" she replied, sounding slightly offended. "There are two thousand employees in this building alone, and this isn't even the headquarters. The tradition is for you to get to know us so you can choose your team, not for us to bankrupt you, duh!" She rolled her eyes, but there was a playful tone to her words.

"Oops, my bad!" I wasn't exactly skilled at this. "But choose my team? What does that mean?"

Her bright smile returned as she grabbed her phone from her desk and finally handed me the file containing my joining letter. "You'll understand once we get there. Now, come on, let me give you a tour."

She started walking towards the elevator, then paused and turned back as if she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way, I'm Nicole. Feel free to call me Nikki, but be sure to avoid using that in front of Olsen." She leaned in closer to my ear, as if what she was about to say was meant to stay between us. I couldn't help but be intrigued. "That woman wouldn't know how to relax even if she were in a huge-ass pool and someone pushed her in."

That made me chuckle, and her smile widened even more. "I can't wait for you to meet everyone else. You're going to love them," she said with unwavering confidence.

And so we embarked on our journey, heading who knows where until the elevator arrived and the doors opened. It was clear that Nicole hadn't anticipated coming face-to-face with the president of the company, just as I hadn't expected to encounter Brian so early in the day.

While I had hardly gotten any sleep since leaving his place, he appeared well-rested and looked as handsome and charming as ever in his sleek midnight suit. It was hard not to feel a tinge of self-consciousness.

Nicole hesitated to step into the elevator, and I waited for her to make a decision.

"Uh..." she started nervously. "Good morning, Mr. Reinhold."

Brian Reinhold merely nodded curtly, but I could feel his gaze burning into my skin, causing my face to flush.

"Ms. Monroe," his deep voice resonated within me, and I glanced up, only to find him glaring at me. His thick eyebrows furrowed and his lips pressed tightly together. Strangely, I felt a pang of unease, as if I had done something terribly wrong. Why else would he be looking at me with such disdain, as though there was something repulsive on my face?

"I would like to see you in my office," he stated firmly, his words laced with a dark intensity. A chill ran down my spine. "In five minutes."

The elevator operator selected his floor, and the doors closed, leaving me with a sense of dread.

What on earth could I have possibly done to warrant this?