"Helena, come,"
Binaca's voice cut through the chatter of the office.
Ray had gone back into his office.
I turned quickly. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't frowning either.
Just… serious. She stretched out a towel toward me.
"Here. Clean up a little," she said softly.
"Oh… thank you," I muttered, dabbing my face, then hovering awkwardly.
"Sit," she added, gesturing to the chair across her desk.
"I should… sit?" I repeated, just to be sure.
"Of course."
I lowered myself into the seat, my heart already beating fast.
She folded her hands. "Now, let's talk about your duties as the boss's assistant."
I sat up straighter. "Yes, ma."
"You'll manage his calendar, set appointments, and make sure nothing overlaps. You'll handle calls and emails, sometimes on his behalf."
I nodded quickly, trying to keep up.
"You'll prepare meeting documents and presentations. Organize reports. Track ongoing projects. If there's travel, you'll arrange that too."
I blinked. "That's… a lot."
She raised a brow. "Do you want the position or not?"
"No, no...I mean yes! I just...."
I stopped myself before I dug the hole deeper.
"I'll do it."
"Good,"
she said, leaning back.
"You'll also help coordinate with other departments. If anyone needs something from the boss, it'll usually go through you first."
I bit my lip
"So basically, I'm his voice when he's not available?"
"Exactly."
I exhaled, shoulders sagging.
"Okay… I can do that."
Binaca studied me for a second, then nodded.
"Fine. You may go."
Relieved, I rose to leave. But before I could take two steps, her voice pulled me back.
"One more thing."
I turned slowly.
"Yes, ma?"
"You'll be the one presenting the company plans in the board meeting by two."
I froze. "Me?"
"Yes, you."
I laughed nervously.
"That can't be right. I mean… what do I know? I'm just..."
"You're the assistant,"
she cut in firmly.
"Normally, the boss presents. But today, he's making you do it."
I shook my head.
"That's impossible. I've never..."
"Stop dragging this,"
she said, pushing a binder toward me.
"Here. I prepared everything. Just go through it before the meeting."
My hand trembled as I took the heavy binder.
"But… but why me?"
Her lips twitched, almost like she knew.
"Ask the boss yourself."
I didn't need to. I already knew.
I walked back to my desk, the binder clutched to my chest. My seat was directly opposite Ray's glass office. And there he was,leaning back in his chair, watching me.Smiling l.
"Oh no…"
I whispered.
"He's punishing me."
I sank into my chair, opened the binder, and tried to focus. But my eyes kept drifting to his office.
He was laughing at something his friend said, relaxed, like he hadn't just thrown me into the lion's den.
I pressed my forehead against the binder.
"What do I even say in a board meeting? What if I mess up? What if they all laugh?"
Lifting my head, I stared across the glass at him again. He raised his wine glass in a mock toast, then turned away.
My stomach flipped.
"Great,"
I said under my breath.
"Ray's having fun. And I'm about to crash in front of the board."
Still, I grabbed a pen, underlined the first line in the binder, and whispered to myself,
"Okay, Helena. You've got two hours. You can do this."
Two Hours Later...
''Helena,it's time,''
Binaca said to me standing in front of my desk.
''Binaca, please can I ask you a question?''
She looked at me,as though I was supposed get everything figured out.
''Will they ask me questions?''
I asked biting my finger.
''Of course,if they don't get what you say,better be coordinated and not mess up.''
Just then,Ray stepped out of his office in a mood,he looked really happy and he went to the board room.
When he passed the office filled with employees.
''he looks happy,I haven't seen him smile before apart from today.''
One said.
''This new girl is sure giving him what to laugh about..''
The other repiled.
Maya just faced her work and uttered nothing.
''The boss is already in the boardroom,let's go in.''
Binaca said,there was something with her tone,i could sense she wanted to be the one talking in that meeting,
how wish we could really switch places I swear...
The boardroom was huge. Too huge. The table looked like it could seat a whole village.
Men and women in suits sat everywhere, staring at me like I had no business being there.
My throat dried up immediately.
And there he was,Ray sitting at the head of the table like a king. Smiling. Not a friendly smile, no.
"let's see her crash"
smile.
I held the binder so tight I thought my fingers would snap.
My legs shook as I walked to the front.
"Uh… good afternoon,"
I started, my voice already shaky.
"I'm Helena. I'll be… um… presenting today."
Someone whispered, loud enough for me to hear,
"Where's the boss?"
Ray leaned forward, his voice smooth.
"I thought it would be… entertaining to let my new assistant handle it. Think of it as a test."
Entertaining. A test. Oh, I swear I could throw the binder at his face.
But I smiled even though I didn't mean it.
"Right… so, um, as you can see from the first slide, Manchester Foods has been growing steadily for the past three years.
Our customer base is up by 25%, thanks to, uh… stronger partnerships with local farmers."
Click. Next slide.
My palms were sweating. I wiped them on my skirt when nobody was looking.
"Moving on, we plan to, uh, work with international distributors so shortages don't mess us up too much."
I heard Ray's voice cut through.
"Helena, are you sure those numbers are right?"
My stomach dropped. All heads turned to me.
I almost froze....almost. Then I remembered Binaca's notes. Page 14. I flipped like my life depended on it.
"Uh, yes. They're, um, verified in Appendix C. Second quarter projections. Right there."
I held my breath.
Silence. Then one of the men nodded like I had just said something smart.
Okay. One fire out. Fifty more to go.
I cleared my throat.
"We're also starting a sustainability thing,partnering with eco-friendly farms, cutting costs, better image, customers will like it.
And by next year we'll move to biodegradable packaging. That'll, uh, reduce waste by forty percent."
A few people actually smiled at that. My confidence ticked up just a little.
But Ray wasn't done. Of course not. He leaned back in his chair, twirling his pen.
"And how do you plan to handle the rising logistics costs? Fuel isn't cheap these days."
Trap. Obvious trap.
I wanted to sink into the ground. But instead, I forced a small laugh,too high-pitched.
"Right… so, uh, we already signed contracts with two logistics companies to lock in cheaper rates for the next eighteen months.
That's in the binder… page 22, under, um, Cost Control Strategies.'"
More nodding. Some impressed murmurs.
And just like that, the panic inside me loosened its grip. I wasn't great, no. I stuttered, I messed up my words, but somehow, they were actually listening.
When I finally ended with,
"Thank you, um, for your time… any questions?" my knees were about to give out.
But the room didn't look hostile anymore. People were writing notes, whispering, some even smiling.
I risked a glance at Ray.
Smile gone. He just stared at me, eyes sharp, unreadable.
And me? I sat down thinking, Well, Helena, you didn't die. That's something.
Then my phone vibrated on the desk.
A new message.
"Meet me at The Hallow pot by 9pm if you want to save him."
My heart dropped straight into my stomach.
The Witch.