Blaire was telling me everything there is to know. Like the elevator I took yesterday to go to Mr. Pierce's office. That was only a one-time thing. Only Mr. Pierce is to use it. If we need to go up to him, use the other elevator beside it. He likes his coffee black with milk and two teaspoons of sugar. Never let him find you sleeping on the job. Office romance is prohibited, last but not least. Always be early for everything you do. She showed me to my little office and it was just like I expected. A little area with enough space to do work.

"It's almost 7:30, so you need to get Mr. Pierce his coffee now or he'll eat our heads for the entire day," she asserted, leaving me to fend for myself. Blaire was an outgoing person, very blunt. She hadn't shown that side yet but she seemed like the type of person who could make anyone smile.

"Come in." I heard his deep yet silky voice on the other side after knocking. I pushed the door open and approached his desk with his coffee in hand.

"I want you to organize these files in order. And those that need my signature, put them together. I have a meeting at 12. Be there." He took the mug from my hand and went back to work. There were about 100 files stacked on the side of his desk.

"Anytime today, Ms. Bloom. You have five hours; I advise you to start now. Your job is on the line." That was all I needed to get my head in the game. I took up the files and went back to my cubicle in haste, ignoring Mr. Pierce's stare on my butt.

This is one of those moments for which I'm thankful for being blessed with photographic memory. The time went by fast and I was already finished by 10:45 a.m. I took this time to go to the restroom, wash my face, and take a cup of coffee to refresh myself. For the next couple of hours, I will be in a boring meeting.

At 11:00, I waltz into his office with a stack of files in both hands. He looked up, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second. He didn't expect me to finish this fast.

"Are you finished?" He kept his voice and expression stoic to not give away his shock.

"Yes, sir," I replied, placing them in front of him.

"Have you eaten?" His question caught me off-guard. I didn't take him as the type of person to ask that of his employees. That's because he isn't; he doesn't care.

Hence, the reason I replied, "Some, sir."

"You will need to eat something; we will be in there a while." And there it was. The actual reason he asked the question.

"I'll be fine, sir." I smile.

"You can sit there; they will be here soon," he said, nodding to the couch in his office. I sat and took this time to take in every aspect in his office. Forty minutes later, Mr. Pierce got a call from downstairs.

"Gio, Mr. Harris and Ramirez are here for your 12:00 meeting." Blaire's voice was heard on the other side.

"Send them up, Blaire," he said. Not long after, there was a knock on the door to indicate they had arrived. They entered at Mr. Pierce's command. They were both handsome men in their mid-40's. There was something about the Latino guy, whom I was assuming was Mr. Ramirez, that was unnerving.

"Thank you, gentlemen for coming." He led them to another room attached to his office. I would assume it is his boardroom. "Take a seat."

"Mr. Pierce, we are thinking of bringing the business to Syria. In terms of helping the people financially..." I tuned out what he was saying afterwards.

Mr. Harris handed us his idea of his plans, also showing it on the screen. I sat and watched their behavior first. I couldn't help but notice Mr. Ramirez seemed fidgety. He was tapping his finger on the table at a fast pace. A telltale sign when someone is nervous. Mr. Harris, on the other hand, seemed confident. Too confident. Something didn't seem right. Every now and then, his eyes would avert to me—more like my chest. I could feel Mr. Pierce shooting glares at the side of my head. I made eye contact with him and he narrowed his eyes. Message: Why aren't you taking notes?

"Can I see the contract, please?" I mouthed to him and he shot me a confused look but still handed it to me. The paper seemed too heavy for a two-page contract. I placed it on my lap and analyzed it carefully until I realized something. Looking up at the two men in front of us, Mr. Harris wasn't as confident as he appeared. He kept tugging on his tie as if he were hot but that couldn't be because the air conditioning was on. That's when it all made sense. I handed the contract back to Mr. Pierce, who was busy listening to the men. He was going to agree to their terms and partner with them.

"So, what do you think, Mr. Pierce?" Mr. Harris smiled but there was something behind that smile. Mr. Pierce nodded and got up to shake hands with them but I interjected.

"I don't recommend it." The three men looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"Would you care to repeat that, Ms. Bloom?" Message: What the hell do you think you're doing?

"I'm sorry, sir but if I may? Mr. Harris and Mr. Ramirez are deceiving you, sir. If you sign that contract, it won't be for what you think. I don't know what they want your signature for—taking 50, 60, or 70% of your company? I can't be certain but this is not the real contract. For one, the paper is too thick," I told him and he weighed the paper and looked at the two men in disbelief. "It seemed they used a type of paper that would copy your signature from the fake contract to the actual one. I can't just rip the papers apart to prove it so you have to believe me, sir."

He looked at them, dumbfounded. The two men were seething in anger. They have just been caught.

"You have ten seconds to leave now or I will tear your companies to the ground," Mr. Pierce said in a betraying calm tone. They gathered their files and left. Suddenly, my arm was grabbed roughly.

"You will regret doing that," he whispered harshly in my ear. Seeing the interaction, Mr. Pierce watched us with piercing eyes. Without objections or complaints, the men walked out as if nothing happened.

"What did he say?" Mr. Pierce walked up to me and asked. Jeremy would slap me if he knew what happened and heard what I was about to say to my boss. Stupid bitch, he would've called me.

"Nothing. Just to have a nice day." We both knew it was a lie but said nothing about it.

"Good work today Ms. Bloom," he commented and I smiled and nodded, walking out of the office. My mind was still on the words Mr. Ramirez said to me. It made my stomach churn.

"Astrid, are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out," Blaire came out of nowhere and questioned.

"Yeah, just a bit hungry, I guess," I shrugged and walked back to my cubicle, not letting her get a word in.

Calm down a little there Mr. Pierce. You just met the girl, damn. 😂😂 What do you think of Mr. Ramirez and Harris? Shady or just upset because they couldn't take most of the shares from Mr. Pierce had? That is if, they were after the shares in the first place?

20/10/20

Au revoir.....

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