It was nine in the morning, and the first thing I saw after opening the door was Michael looming over a deeply horrified James.
Judging by the look on his face, Michael scared him even more than those huge guards last time.
"What the fuck is going on here?" I snapped, glaring directly at Michael.
Michael straightened and turned towards me with infuriating cheerfulness.
"Oh, there you are, darling! Long time no see." His grin widened as he gestured towards James. "Why didn't you tell me you'd acquired such an adorable tiny secretary? He's ridiculously cute. I want to squeeze him."
Those words only made James tense up even more. He quickly backed several steps away from him.
"The ears." Michael placed a hand dramatically against his chest. "Edward, look at the ears. And the whiskers, dear God." He leaned slightly closer towards James again. "This is officially the cutest secretary you've ever had."
"Get away from my secretary. James is not here for your entertainment," I said, looking at him with complete seriousness.
"Oh, come now." Michael waved dismissively before flashing James a shameless wink. "James and I are absolutely going to become friends."
I felt a bit sorry for James, as his face looked like somebody being harassed by an overly friendly middle-aged pervert.
"Stay away from my secretary," I repeated flatly. "And come with me. I need to discuss something with you."
Michael pulled such an outrageously theatrical expression of shock that James stared at him with complete certainty that the man had genuinely lost his mind, then hurriedly retreated behind his desk.
"My God." Michael pressed a hand against his chest dramatically. "Edward Moncler has finally admitted he needs something from me. Whatever shall I do with this honour? What possible assistance could I provide?"
"Shut up," I cut in. "Enough with the performance. Come with me. We need to talk."
I turned and headed towards my office.
Once we reached the door, I opened it, then paused and looked back towards James.
"Have you figured out the equipment in here yet?"
"I think so, yes."
"Good. Could I trouble you to make tea for this idiot?"
James nodded rapidly.
"Y-yes, yes, of course. I can do that right now." Then, after a tiny hesitation, he asked, "Sorry... black or green?"
He continued directing the question towards me rather than Michael himself. Probably because Michael still frightened the life out of him.
"He's so adorable," Michael said. "He can't even look directly at me. Ed, can I hug him?"
"Black," I replied dryly, ignoring Michael. "Today, he needs something stronger. No sugar."
Then Michael and I stepped inside my office.
"So," Michael said, settling comfortably into the chair opposite me and impatiently tapping his fingers against the armrests, "what exactly can I do for you?"
"Firstly," I said coldly, "stop harassing my secretary. He's already having a difficult enough time here as it is."
"A difficult time? What have you done to the poor thing? Are you burying him in paperwork? Forcing him to place documents on shelves far too high for his tiny little body?"
"That is not remotely funny," I replied. "Do you realise I had to start a massive argument with HR? I had to go downstairs personally to deal with both lower and upper management myself." I dragged my hands across my face before resting them behind my head. "For the first time, they actually resisted me. I'm their bloody superior. They are supposed to obey me."
Michael's expression became slightly less playful.
"It was absurd," I continued bitterly. "They did everything possible to avoid hiring James. Endless excuses, endless objections. Absolute nonsense." I exhaled. "And getting them to disable those damned filters nearly ended with me threatening to dismiss half the department."
"Filters?" Michael repeated. "What are you talking about?"
"Apparently, we have some automated résumé screening system or something similar." I rubbed at my temple irritably. "There's a filter built into it preventing hybrids from even being considered. If the system identifies somebody as a hybrid, the résumé will not be considered any further."
"Hm." Michael folded his arms across his chest, becoming noticeably more serious. "Well, I'd imagine most companies probably have something similar, considering the current situation and attitudes towards hybrids in general."
A low growl nearly escaped me.
"God, I hate all of this." I shook my head. "What's the point? If people continue separating them, looking down on them, treating them like some entirely different category of beings, then nothing will ever change. So I forced them to remove the damned filters."
At that exact moment, the office door opened quietly.
James stepped inside, carrying Michael's tea.