" Because you don't know what will happen if I'm late?"

Out of the corner of my eye I watched Dimitri enter the elevator. He looked like a Greek god, if the gods of Olympus really existed, and they were stylists for glossy magazines. Dark hair, slightly disheveled by the wind, long black coat, impeccable suit. And there's nothing to say about the right facial features and statuesque figure.

" Oh-oh, don't tell me you've fallen victim to our handsome man? " Julia grinned contemptuously.

" Yes, a victim on the altar," I muttered.

" He'd chosen another unfortunate woman as his victim. And she's so in love with him that she doesn't even want to see the obvious."

" The obvious?" I wondered.

" Of course! This macho, before marrying, tried almost all the women in this office.

Julia laughed, but it seemed to me that there was something personal in it. Not for nothing she is trying so hard to bypass him on the career ladder? "

" Run, I'll try to hold him off, " Julia suddenly said, looking behind my back.

Turning around, I found Andrew , rapidly approaching us. Quickly thanking Julia, I ran up the stairs to my workplace. There was no time to wait for the elevator. I hope Julia will be able to delay him for at least a couple of minutes. I should just throw off my coat so he wouldn't realize I'd just arrived. Losing my job would be much more frustrating now than it would have been even a week ago. And as Ms.Adams told me, the only thing Andrew doesn't tolerate is tardiness.

As I flew into the waiting room, I threw off my coat and sat down in my seat, pretending I'd been here a long time. The hardest part was getting my breathing even. I ran up the stairs only three floors, but it felt like ten. I should do some cardio workouts after all.

As I waited, Andrew appeared almost right behind me, muttering something unintelligible, he opened up in his office. I remained seated in my seat, for the first time since morning not having received an order. Truly, I had never seen him so angry. All of Julie's efforts to get his attention seemed to have had the opposite effect. Instead of taking an interest in her, she started to annoy him.

Putting Juli's and her boss's problems out of her mind, she decided to think about her own. A confrontation with Dimitri in front of Julia would have exposed us. I doubt he would have been able to keep from making a couple of compromising comments about us. I doubt she'd like the fact that we already know him. And I'd better not show my face to him just yet, but when we finish the project....

Dreaming and thinking are best done with your hands full. So first, I programmed the coffee machine for a double Americano and then watered the palm tree. Preparing papers to sign, a tray of coffee, and exhaling in front of the supervisor's door.

" Good morning, " I said hello to Andrew, entering his office.

Putting a cup of coffee on his desk and putting the documents in front of him, I froze. Andrew took a sip of coffee, hummed approvingly and looked at me.

" Do you remember what day it is today? " He asked glumly.

" Today is the board of directors, of course. The commercial director has already sent the report so you can read it in advance. It's in the top folder. The waiters will be here on time, they've already confirmed the order."

Maybe I should have told him it happened at five in the morning. Maybe he'd cheer up. The bosses were in a bad mood today, and I was afraid to say too much. In that mood, "You're fired" comes off quickly.

" Well, I hope it goes smoothly this time."

I didn't ask how it went last time. It's clear that he didn't like the result. Actually, it was not surprising. The director is young, and the deputies are old. I think there are those who think that they can cope with this position better.

Andrew leaned back in his chair, corrected his watch, unbuttoned the cuff, then buttoned it and took it off for some reason. It was obvious to the naked eye that he was worried.

" Can I get you some … chamomile tea?"

I corrected myself at the last second and didn't offer a sedative. It wouldn't hurt, though.

" No thanks," Andrew hissed, having managed to read the sedative between the lines.

" Can I go now?"

I wanted not only to leave, to run away from him. I don't know where that confident man who'd been going to work all week had gone. Today he's replaced by a nervous and twitchy boy.

" Yeah, yeah, go and check it out again."

As I left the office, I exhaled a sigh of relief. I didn't expect him to be so worried.

" So formidable, huh? " They asked me sympathetically.

I shuddered with surprise and looked at the early visitor. A short, short-haired brunette, dressed in a bag with fringe (it looked faintly like the fashionable boho style, more like a bag even with fabric), smiled sympathetically at me.

" Excuse me, do you have an appointment?"

I ignored her question. Now I had a much more important problem – how could I make an appointment for this day?

" Oh yes, we haven't met in person yet. I'm Mila. I'm so happy to meet you."

She smiled charmingly. My smile was not so happy, but rather artificial and glued.

" You're here too early," I enlightened her, fighting the urge to strangle her.

Thanks to her, I almost fell asleep on the subway, holding onto the handrail and leaning against the man standing next to me.

" Oh, of course! You and I have so much to prepare!"

I pulled my eyebrows together, not sure what she meant. To me, she had a simple task – to bring the waiters who would put the food on plates and set the table.

" I'll be glad to help you in any way I can," I informed her nonetheless.

" I believed in you, Rina! You are my bright angel! " Mila splashed her hands.

I had no other choice but to smile and unobtrusively lead her out of the waiting room. Andrew is not in the right frame of mind to face such a cheerful person like her. Even I was annoyed by her diminutive and affectionate suffixes, and he'd definitely freak out. And since I'm the closest employee he can reach, all the anger will fall on me.

Taking Mila to the room reserved for waiters, I showed her where the dishes, towels, and flutes were, and turned on the refrigerator. This room, not an employee dining room. It was for the service staff, who were constantly called to all the meetings and large meetings.

Leaving Mila to go through the plates "what if they are chipped and it will not be nice and unpleasant!", I returned to the reception room. I have a lot of work to do without Mila. First, I opened the windows in the conference room to check it out. I put the mineral water and the glasses rubbed to a shine in their places. I printed out six more copies of the report and organized them into special folders.

I don't know who invented this statute, but I carried the documents in a red folder for signing. If Andrew just needed to familiarize himself with something, then – in the black one. Invitations to exhibitions or receptions – in the green one. And the folders for the Board of Directors' report were dark purple.

Time flew by without a second thought, I didn't have time to close the windows before the participants began to gather.

The first to arrive in the conference hall were both of Andrew 's deputies. I had seen them only glimpses before, greeted them faithfully and never received a reply. They always looked at me only as furniture.