Yna was on her way to Dela Merzcid's Real Estate Company. She walked confidently down the hallway when she encountered Lydia.
She took off her sunglasses to get a better look. "I guess you're Lydia, right?" After asking, she put her sunglasses back on.
"Yes, I am. Let's go, you have training," Lydia said, guiding her. They entered Alas' office. The man wasn't there yet.
She placed the booklets on the table and took a seat. She brought them even though she hadn't memorized a single word yet, and quite frankly, she didn't care.
Lydia approached her, holding a white folder.
"Here, it won't take long to memorize, but these are the lists of Mr. Dela Merzcid's important meeting schedules and appointments. Every day, you need to follow them and be with him, especially during his meetings and projects," Lydia explained, admiring her good attitude. She spoke gently, yet Yna understood everything clearly.
"Okay. I will memorize it. Thanks."
"No problem. Come with me. I will give you a tour of every corner of the building."
"Okay, sure." Yna stood up and followed Lydia out. She was introduced to the different departments and offices, mentally noting everything so she wouldn't get lost again.
They were heading back when they ran into Alas in the hallway. He stared at her intently, and she felt annoyed by his gaze.
Yna simply shrugged to shake off her irritation towards the man in front of her.
"Good morning," he greeted them, his voice formal and composed.
"Good morning, sir," Lydia replied politely. Instead of answering, Yna turned her back and ignored him completely.
Lydia tapped her shoulder. "Give him some respect. He is our boss," she whispered.
"Good morning too," Yna said, forcing a fake smile. Alas didn't even look at her.
"Well, Lydia. What is my schedule for today?"
"You have a meeting at 10:00 AM, sir. With a representative from the Domingo group. They want to discuss the upcoming merger."
Yna was quite shocked when she heard the name 'Domingo'. It was the same news she had read on the internet the previous night. She decided she wanted to join the meeting to see the representative, hoping Janus might be there.
"Why are you smiling? Are you happy?" Alas remarked, noticing her expression.
She hissed in response.
"Lydia, Yna will be the one to accompany me as secretary later."
"Yes sir. I'll get back to my work first, excuse me." Alas nodded in acknowledgement.
Yna looked at Alas. "To be fair, he is handsome. But I still don't want to be around him." She shook her head, then looked at him again. She felt awkward when she realized Alas was staring right back at her.
"Are you okay?" She nodded. "Let's go," he said, continuing to walk towards his office. She followed suit.
Yna sat at her desk. She opened the folder Lydia gave her and read through Alas' schedules and appointments. "Wow. He really is a busy person."
Someone called Alas on the phone. She heard their conversation but just shrugged it off, turning her attention back to the documents. She wasn't one to pry into other people's business.
"Yes, Brenda? How are you? I am excited to see you today, but I'm sorry, I have an important business meeting this morning. I can't make it today. See you tomorrow. I will visit you. Bye."
Alas ended the call. His eyes scanned over Yna, who was pretending to be busy working.
"Yna," he called her name in his formal tone.
She sat up straight and faced him. "Yes? What is it?"
"Did you already memorize all the documents I gave you yesterday?"
She rolled her eyes. She wanted to scream out of frustration. Who has the guts to memorize everything that fast? "Not yet."
"Why? You should have memorized them by tomorrow. If you don't, you'll get a 'prize' from me," he said, leaning back comfortably in his swivel chair.
"Argh." Her chest heaved up and down as she tried to stop herself from snapping at him. She grew even more irritated when she heard him laughing at her.
She busied herself with work to forget her annoyance.
"Yes, we're coming," she heard Alas say through the intercom.
He stood up. "Yna, I have an emergency meeting, hurry up. Bring this," he said, handing her a tablet. "You will use this for taking down notes later. Let's go."
Yna didn't argue anymore; she was actually excited to go. Alas walked fast, making her almost breathless trying to keep up.
They entered the conference room. She felt everyone's eyes on her. They were probably wondering who she was.
Alas sat at the head of the table. Yna was left standing at the back. She looked around irritably for a seat but found none.
Alas looked at her, then stood up. He walked to the center and began to speak. "Good morning everyone. Maybe you are wondering who she is? Let me introduce you to my new secretary, Yna Maria Cortes. She will be working with us, please welcome her."
They smiled at her. Others nodded and clapped their hands.
"Come here in front." Alas called her. She was surprised—did they really need to introduce her to everyone? She even pointed at herself to confirm, and Alas nodded.
She walked to the center and obeyed. "You can occupy my seat. I'm going to discuss everything," he whispered to her. She felt his warm breath against her face, smelling like expensive cologne. She suddenly froze, losing her train of thought for an inexplicable reason.
Alas patted her shoulder, snapping her back to reality. She blinked several times to erase the inappropriate thoughts clouding her mind. She sat in Alas' chair, feeling disappointed because she didn't see the person she had been looking for—Janus. The Domingo group only sent their representatives.
Alas started his presentation, while Yna took down important notes. She was impressed by using technology for this; she had seen movies where secretaries used notebooks and pens, but hers was a high-tech gadget.
While Alas was speaking, a man interrupted.
"Yes?"
"So, if the proposed budget is already planned, when will the construction of the buildings start?" asked the Domingo representative.
"Well, we can start as soon as possible. The budget is already there, only the land owners haven't approved selling their lands yet. They want to ensure that the natural resources and their livelihood won't be destroyed. That's why I need to talk to the village leaders first. After that, we can proceed with the housing projects," Alas explained. It was the truth; the villagers were being stubborn because they were worried about their future if they agreed to the project.
The villagers refused to sell because they knew only the company would benefit from what the area had to offer.
"What!? Oh come on, Mr. Dela Merzcid, just find some way. I can't wait any longer," he said disappointedly, even shrugging his shoulders.
"Okay. I will talk to them tomorrow. I will convince them," Alas said in a low, firm voice.
"That's good. By the way, let's end this meeting. Everyone, the meeting is dismissed. We will continue this once the negotiation is done," Mr. Ignacio said. He walked out of the conference room, followed by the other Board of Directors.
Yna and Alas were left alone. Yna smirked; she felt like laughing or crying at the turn of events, but she didn't care either way.
"Yna, did you take down notes during the meeting?"
"Yes, of course. What are you going to do then? I think you can't convince them. They will never sell their land just for your own benefits," she said, sounding like she knew everything.
"I would never put the villagers in danger. Both parties will benefit from this."
"Okay, if that's what you believe," she said, fixing herself up.
"By the way, make a report about the meeting, understand? I want it perfectly done." He stood up and walked out. She could tell he was angry.
She just rolled her eyes and stood up as well. "Good for you," she muttered, laughing to herself. She felt so much joy whenever she annoyed him. She didn't know why, but maybe she was just going crazy.