Unknown

Tristan Antonov
36
Welsh origins
Canadian nationality

Apartment 17
Southside Condos
31 Tippett Road
North York, Canada

Project Coordinator
Kerzillion
66 Wellington St
Toronto Ontario Canada

Any inquiries?

None

Proceed according to procedure

Understood

Tristan looked at the messages for the fifth time before finally deleting them. It was Monday, November 14, 2022. The time was 0800 and the average temperature was 4°C. This trip would last for 15 months. It was by far one of the longest missions he'd been assigned to. And he'd been sent at the most annoying time of the year, winter. He loathed winter. It was cold and full of celebrations. Both of which reminded him of how alone he was.

Looking up towards the calm snowfall, Tristan studied his new workplace. It was modern-looking with 57 floors, almost the whole exterior being glass windows. Tristan rolled his eyes at that; floor-length windows were always used to show off wealth. He didn't like them, they made him feel exposed, and that's another thing he despised. He took a deep breath, inhaled the cold air as he reminded himself that this would be his workplace for the next year and a quarter.

He smoothed his suit before entering Kerzillion with a charming smile. The lobby had the typical contemporary, sleek look you'd expect from a billion-dollar company. Various shades of neutrals dotted the area. Two waiting areas were on either side of the door, a front desk and two elevators were the only other visible objects. The flint, leather sofas looked rather uncomfortable to Tristan. It seemed whoever designed this place chose style over comfort, but then again so did all big company designers. About 7 people stood behind the front desk, 5 of which were busy talking to clients or making phone calls. "Kerzillion" was written in a huge, glossy font on the wall, "Invest For Your Future" was written underneath in a smaller but still unmissable font. Heading towards one of the free receptionists, Tristan extended a hand. She took it as she smiled at him.

"Good morning, Tristan Antonov. New employee," he preferred keeping his conversations short. There was no need to get too friendly. After all, he wasn't going to see these people after the mission was over.

"Good morning. Right, you were accepted," she frantically clicked buttons on her keyboard, scanning through her database until she found his name. "Last week? Position being project coordinator, am I right?"

"Yes."

She clicked one final button before getting up and shaking his hand again, "Welcome to Kerzillion, Mr. Antonov. I'm Rose Shaw. I'll accompany you to your level since a key card is required to use the elevator," she said getting up and heading to the elevator on the left of the desk. "Ms. Dahlia Garcia is your manager..."

She continued rambling but Tristan's mind was elsewhere. He'd already listened to these protocols from other companies. Other missions. The elevator dinged announcing their arrival on the 53rd floor. Tristan's eyebrows shot upwards as the doors slid open. The first thing he noticed was how warm it was compared to the lobby. The next thing was how cozy it looked. The whole office was much more vibrant and homier than he expected it to be. Each employee seemed to have decorated their desk to their liking. There were cartoon figures holding swords and fidget toys and even potted plants on some of the work areas. He didn't have time to take it all in though as Rose called out his name.

"Mr. Antonov, the manager's office is this way," she took a sharp right after getting off the elevator and Tristan followed still eyeing the office with interest. "Your manager will show you around the floor later, so I'll just take you to her."

Tristan realized that he didn't catch his new manager's name. He cursed himself for not focusing on the receptionist, but he didn't have time for much self-disappointment as the walls suddenly shifted from concrete to wood and he was walking on plush, fake grass. This was one of the more unusual companies he'd worked at. There was a small desk with a purple-haired secretary sitting behind it.

"Ms. Johnson, this is Mr. Antonov, the new project coordinator."

"Oh, have a seat," she pointed at the grass-covered bench behind him, "I'll inform her right away."

Tristan sat on the peculiar seat as Ms. Johnson knocked on the manager's wooden door rather joyfully. The manager must've answered her since she opened the door and entered before closing it behind her. He caught snippets of the conversation as his name was said.

"They got a new coordinator now?" someone said in a rather disappointed tone. Great. This would make the mission harder. First impressions were everything and it seemed this manager of his already disliked him. He got up and approached the door trying to hear what they were saying.

"Why don't you just give him the key card? You know I have an important call in a little."

"What about the tour?"

"Just give it to him yourself, Gloria, you've done it before."

"But I thought you-"

"I just don't have the time for a new probably incapable employee right now." Tristan scowled at that, whoever said he was incapable? The two women inside started arguing in hushed tones. Tristan waited for 2 long minutes until he decided that he had enough. He would just knock like any self-respecting gentleman and explain that he didn't need tutoring. This wasn't his first job in a big company, and he damn well didn't like being underestimated. Taking a deep breath, he knocked twice. There was a quiet reply (or so Tristan thought) so he opened the door.

Blood rushed to his face and his eyes widened at what he saw. The assistant, Johnson, had her back to Tristan. She was leaning down as her hands grasped the armrest of the manager's chair, caging the latter with her arms. Their faces were suspiciously close, and the manager had her hand resting on the other woman's chest.

"Do you like my new pixie cut?"

"Gloria-" the manager was cut short as she locked eyes with Tristan. This caused Gloria to turn around. She blushed when she spotted him as the other woman brought up two fingers to the bridge of her nose, grumbling something about coffee.

"Right away," Gloria told her as she rushed past Tristan and out of the office.

"Well, you're already in here, have a seat."

Tristan slowly approached her, "I'm terribly sorry, I thought I heard a reply."

She waved a hand at him, "It's fine, forget about it."

"Thanks, Miss," Tristan looked at her nameplate. Damn it! Is the i silent or not? He really should've listened to Rose. He opted for a silent i. "Garcia."

"Gar-thee-a," she corrected him, "Dahlia Garcia," she extended a hand which Tristan took as he face-palmed internally. He totally butchered that pronunciation. Worst. First impression. Ever.

"Tristan Antonov."

"Yes, our new project coordinator. I must say, it's great you're here. We're getting a lot of work nowadays. I'm hoping you'll help me make things easier for the team."

"Yes, of course," he put on his signature smile as he slid back into his businessman personality.

"I'd offer you something to drink and a tour, but I'm really busy right now. Gloria," she gestured towards the door, "Will show you around. Oh, and your keycard. It's very important." She handed him a minimalistic, shiny grey card. His name was printed in a bold, black font at the front with the words "Project Coordinator" underneath it. The company's name, motto and logo were printed on the back along with the address of the building.

"You don't have to wear it when you're here, most of the team doesn't, but just have it on you." Tristan raised a brow at that but took the key card and thanked her before excusing himself. He sighed as he left the office. He had to prove his skills to the manager for this mission and this was not how he wanted to initiate their relationship.