"... Good afternoon." Looking at his wristwatch the man returned my greeting almost reluctantly, while the woman at the back only nodded.
I peeked at the two of them standing behind me after I pressed the button for the second floor, where the biggest casino was, and suddenly, I started to feel uncomfortable with the cold vibe they had. For some reason, as if it was going to help my nerves I stared at the numbers going down since I wanted to run away, because the more time passed, the more I felt as if I was riding the elevator with a big shot of the company that I failed to recognise.
The elevator thankfully went straight to my floor without making stops and as soon as its door opened I rushed saying a fast goodbye… way too fast.
"See ya!" I said with little air as I got off. Fleeing the elevator without thinking I would be called out because of that.
"Wait," I heard the man say stopping the door before it closed. Ugh! Damn it… Please… Let him not be a big shot. Please, please, please…!! "... Yes, Sir?" Answering after I cursed my luck, I turned to face the elevator. Meeting the eyes of the man for a moment... A moment too long that... made my mind go blank.
Oh my god.
"... Are you a new employee in the Marketing department?"
It's Xavier. Gulping down I tried to act normal. "Ah, y-yes, I am. I've been working here for a little more than a month…"
Did he recognise me— "What's your name?" He asked, giving a step closer to look at my ID Card. But since he asked this… this cleared my doubts. Huh? He doesn't know who I am!?... Great! Nice!
It was a little depressing that he didn't recognise me at first. We had talked a lot and… Well. I do look different to what he used to see. Wearing my resting glasses, having less of a dishevelled hair and extensions at that… Wearing more feminine clothes… Even my voice is different since I did put in the effort to make it deeper every time I went to bars and pubs.
"The name's Layna Burry... May I ask your name sir? If it's not impolite that is…"
"Layna you say? You're at the Advertisement team..." He said, ignoring my question while looking at my credentials.
"Layna you say? You're at the Advertising team... Marketing Department."
"Yes, Sir."
"... Tell your superior to train you properly. You should know who the owners of the company you work for are. If you see me again my name should be the first thing coming out of your mouth to greet me."
"... I will pass the message to my manager... Sir." Peeking at him trying to hint I was still "ignorant" of his name, I answered while swallowing the wish to reply as sourly as I would at the bar.
There was an awkward silence but just as I was about to turn around and leave since it felt right to do so… He said his name.
The first name, I expected it, but his surname and position… I never imagined.
"Xavier Oslic. OslicMedia's CEO."
The CEO?!
"... I understand. I apologise for not recognising you and my slow learning, Sir Oslic. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Maintaining a straight face… I probably failed to do it. My eyes widened so much I thought they would fall out, but given my position in this company this reaction should be what he was looking for. It's more than excused… since I was being reprimanded by my company's big boss… right?
"When did you join the team?"
"It has only been a few days, Sir."
"Any prior experience in the field? Are you currently an intern or a temporary employee?"
"I did my internship at a startup company with smaller resources in comparison to OslicMedia yet it was in the field of Marketing and Advertising. This is my first formal job after graduating and I am currently in the testing period."
He had stepped out from the elevator and truthfully I don't think he did it for a nice reason. He felt different. Like someone I didn't know at all… Obviously.
After all, I never knew the him outside the bar…
Xavier felt… Not like Xavier I guess.
He glanced at the woman which must have been a signal, because as soon as she noticed, her hand came to the elevator's door so it wouldn't close.
"Testing period…? Have you recently graduated?"
"A year ago, Sir. I had the wish to enter this company for a long time, yet it took time as the marketing team is—"
"It's a hand-picked team. Of course."
That's right… I nodded as I acknowledged how much preparation and dedication I had to put into my job application to be able to get into the company. It felt good to see that he was aware that I was now part of that hand-picked team.
He stood there kind of trying to find something else to use in this unnecessary conversation while he also stared at me arrogantly. I didn't see any kind of hint of him recognising me whatsoever... but even if he was about to do it, his secretary spoke up right on time so his little idle stop could end.
"Sir, the meeting."
"... Right," he answered without taking his eye off of me, "I hope you get to learn and have a great experience at our company, Miss Burry… The marketing department is not an easy place to get into, much less your team… Your capacities must have convinced them. Congratulations."
"... Thank you, Sir. I will work so it is worthy of their expectations. Have a nice— *bing*.…. He's already gone."
That surprised me… I thought as his words echoed in my head while the silver door of the elevator shone right in my face.
Is this how he truly is?… Why even bother stopping me if it was just to show off his power, though?? What did I even do to him— I stopped my thought, since there might be something up. "Yeah... Maybe there IS something I did or didn't do that made him act like this after all… something besides the fact of not knowing who he was... I should ask Ben about it later."