Afternoon: A Crash Course in Financial Reports
Lily stared at the thick stack of documents on her desk like it was a pile of ancient scrolls written in a foreign language.
Profit margins. Revenue projections. Market analysis.
Everything looked like advanced calculus to her.
Melissa strolled by, sipping her coffee. She peeked at Lily's mountain of paperwork and whistled.
"Wow. Did Mr. Knight finally decide to crush your soul?"
Lily groaned and dropped her head onto the desk. "He told me to 'start learning' or I won't last the month."
Melissa winced. "Oof. Classic Knight behavior."
Lily lifted her head just enough to glare. "A little help here?"
Melissa took a dramatic step back. "Oh, no. I like my job. You're on your own, rookie."
Lily glared harder.
Melissa sighed. "Fine. I'll explain the basics, but if Mr. Knight asks, I was never here."
Lily clutched Melissa's arm. "You're an angel."
"Yeah, yeah, let's see if you still say that after this financial boot camp."
Melissa grabbed a pen and pulled up a chair. "Alright, let's start with profit margins—"
Lily immediately spaced out.
-----------------------
Mr. Knight's Office
An hour later, armed with newly gained knowledge, Lily marched into Alexander's office, holding a single-page summary of the report.
She had spent the last 60 minutes translating business terms into a language her brain could actually comprehend.
CEO speak? Too complicated.Lily's version? Bullet points and doodles.
She placed the document on his desk with confidence.
Alexander, seated behind his massive desk, didn't look up immediately.
He was reviewing an email, brows slightly furrowed, fingers tapping against the desk.
Lily stood there.
Should I clear my throat? Say something?
Before she could decide, his sharp blue eyes flicked up.
"Yes?"
Lily straightened. "I summarized the financial report for you."
Alexander picked it up.
A beat of silence.
Then another.
His gaze darkened.
Lily's stomach sank.
"...What is this?" he asked, his tone unreadable.
Lily swallowed. "Uh. A summary?"
Alexander tilted his head.
"Lily."
"Yes?"
"Why is there a stick figure on this page?"
Lily blinked. "Oh. That's you."
Alexander's eyebrow twitched.
"And the speech bubble next to it?"
She leaned forward. "That's you saying 'profits must increase' in a very authoritative way."
A tense silence.
Lily panicked.
"Look, Mr. Knight, financial reports are—" she gestured wildly "—a lot of numbers. I just made it digestible!"
Alexander exhaled through his nose, his expression unreadable.
Then, to her absolute horror, he leaned back and said, "Explain it to me."
Lily's soul left her body.
-----------------------
For the next five minutes, Lily stumbled through her explanation.
She used dramatic hand gestures, attempted corporate jargon, and even threw in a few buzzwords she barely understood.
Alexander watched.
Expression neutral.
Completely unimpressed.
Finally, he placed the summary down and folded his hands.
"That," he said coolly, "was painful to listen to."
Lily cringed.
"But," he continued, "you're not entirely wrong."
Lily perked up. "Wait, really?"
Alexander nodded. "Your understanding is... elementary, but your breakdown of the key issues is correct."
Lily grinned. "So... I passed?"
He deadpanned. "You didn't fail."
Lily narrowed her eyes. "I'll take it."
Alexander sighed. "Melissa helped you, didn't she?"
Lily gasped. "That's slander."
His gaze sharpened.
"...She did, didn't she?"
Lily avoided eye contact. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Alexander sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Go learn more," he ordered. "I don't expect perfection, but I expect progress."
Lily saluted. "Aye aye, Captain."
His eyebrow twitched again.
"Get out, Lily."
She fled.
-----------------------
As Lily exited, she spotted a group of employees huddled together, whispering.
"...How long do you think she'll last?"
Lily marched right up to them.
"Excuse me?"
They scattered like cockroaches.
Lily narrowed her eyes.
Oh, she was gonna last, alright.
In fact?
She was gonna win.
And Alexander Knight?
He had no idea what he'd just signed up for.