Janet Maple stared at her cup of coffee and untouched bagel. She did not have much of an appetite this morning, but neither would most people in her situation: having your ex as your new boss was not exactly a heart-warming prospect.
There was a knock on the door of her office. “Come in,” Janet called out.
“Janet?” Ann Smith, Ham Kirk’s former secretary, walked into Janet’s office. Ann had worked for Ham for the past ten years. The shock of the previous day’s events was written on her face.
“Hi, Ann.” Janet was always glad to see Ann, but this morning she was especially so. She was about to say how horrible it was that Ham had been let go, but Ann interrupted her.
“Janet, Mr. Kingsley would like to see you.” Ann’s lips were drawn together and her eyes downcast.
The idea of Alex being addressed as Mr. Kingsley seemed preposterous. “But he wasn’t supposed to start until next week.”
“Apparently, his start date has been moved up,” Ann replied matter-of-factly. “He said he wanted to see you right away.”
Janet was about to ask her what it was about, but seeing the closed-off expression on Ann’s face, decided against it. “Very well. Tell him I’ll be right there.”
After Ann left, Janet took a moment to collect her bearings. The thought of Alex—correction, Mr. Alex Kingsley—made her cringe. The man was positively evil: suave, ambitious, and pretentious beyond bounds. The pompous prick did not even have the decency to say hello. Instead, he had sent his secretary to do his bidding.
On her way to Alex’s office, Janet stopped by Ann’s desk and immediately understood the reason behind Ann’s strange behavior: Ann’s cubicle was filled with cardboard boxes. “Ann, I’m so sorry.” Janet touched Ann’s shoulder.
“I was offered a generous severance package, and I opted to take it,” Ann replied evenly.
“But he can’t just force you out! You’ve worked here for years!”
Ann looked away. “I believe that Mr. Kingsley will be hiring an assistant of his own choosing. My severance is conditional on the confidentiality agreement that I signed,” Ann added.
Janet shook her head: it had not even been twenty-four hours since Alex’s arrival but already he was reshaping the department according to his needs. “I understand. Good luck, Ann. I sure will miss you.”
Alex’s office door was open, but Alex was busy looking at something on his computer screen.
Janet knocked and waited for Alex to acknowledge her presence. In the few hours that Alex had been the occupant of Ham’s old office, he had transformed the space into an unrecognizable state. Ham’s modest office furniture had been replaced with an antique wooden desk and two plush armchairs that faced it. The chair that Alex sat on looked like a throne made of leather. The formerly empty walls were now lined with paintings in heavy frames. Next to Alex’s desk stood a gigantic bookcase with glass doors; its shelves were filled with law tomes with brand new bindings.
“Janet, how wonderful to see you!” With his arms outstretched, Alex rose from his chair.
End of Chapter 2
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