It was Tuesday, the day after my after-hour dinner with Nathan in his office and also the first day of interviews for potential new assistants for Nathan.
With only twenty-nine days left as my time being Nathan’s assistant, it was my job to find the perfect replacement. Someone who could handle Nathan, his schedule, and all his demands. So far, only one woman out of the ten I’ve seen so far had potential. This one however, didn’t have any.
She tucked a piece of perfectly curled hair behind her ear. “I mean, I’ve never worked directly under a CEO before, but I feel like I’d be really good at it. I’m a fast learner, and I thrive under pressure.”
I nodded slowly, even though nothing about her answer stood out.
“Can you give me an example?”
Her smile faltered just slightly, but I caught it.
“Well I worked at a luxury retail store in Beverly Hills, so I’m used to high-profile clients.”
There it was.
Notwork. Notresponsibility. Notproblem-solving.
Access.
I leaned back slightly in my chair, folding my hands neatly in front of me.
“And how do you handle confidentiality?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m great with secrets,” she said quickly. “I would never post anything without permission or anything like that.”
Or anything like that. I kept my expression neutral, even as my decision finalized itself.
She wasn’t here for the job.
She was here for proximity.
To Nathan. To artists. To whatever doors she thought this position would open.
And in this building, that kind of motivation didn’t just fail, it caused problems.
“Thank you,” I said, offering her a polite smile as I closed the folder in front of me. “We’ll be in touch.”
Her smile returned instantly, bright and confident as she stood. “Thank you so much for the opportunity.”
I watched her walk out of the conference room, heels clicking against the marble floor like she already belonged here.
The door closed behind her, and I exhaled, dropping the polite expression I’d been holding for the past thirty minutes.
“That’s a no,” I muttered to myself, jotting it down in my notes.
I placed her resume in the pile of all the other applicants who didn’t make the cut, hunger making me eager to leave the office for the day. I head out the conference room, double checking to make sure I didn’t leave anything behind before heading to my desk.
My mind was already on the dinner I planned to make when I got home. I’ve been craving my mother’s cooking a lot lately, which was why I planned to go to the grocery store to buy meat to fry and the ingredients for Diri djon djonalso known asBlack Mushroom Rice.
I grabbed my purse to leave just as my phone rang in my hand.
Mr.Edge
“Hello?”
“I need you to come down to the dance level before you leave for the day.” I waited for further explanation, but instead I got the dial tone. Confused, I ended the call and clutched the strap of my purse tighter before heading for the elevators.
The lower levels of Edge Records had always felt different.
