"You finally fired her?" Akako asked, while sipping on her coffee, "God, I was waiting from the very first day when she fucked up"

Daphne looked shocked as if she didn't hear me rant about this girl when she was first hired by Ruby and HR. As the server brought us out more food for the three of us, I could tell they were waiting for me to tell the story of how I "finally fired her ass" According to Akako.

And so, I did, as both Daphne and Akako dug into the somewhat decent food, they listened in on how crazy the morning went, from her pleading on the floor, to screaming at me, then her being dragged out of my office by security.

By the end of my story, they could tell by my facial expression that I was over it. To me, I rather not revisit the past, I just move on from everything, even if it's bad or crazy enough to scare me into not sleeping at night.

I took a bite of the sugared bread whilst I let the both of them think about their responses to the whole thing. From knowing them for a long time, I already know what they're about to say.

"I feel bad for her" Daphne said, commiserating with my ex-assistant, her big doe eyes having the same look for when people see homeless people out on the streets.

"I mean," She continued, "Sure, she messed up two times but–"

"Three actually" I cut her off, reminding myself of this morning, "I soon found out after I fired her, she fucked up my schedule so bad that I had to erase the entire day today, so three times to be perfectly clear"

Daphne gave me the look of a tired out mother, taking in a child's bullshit reasoning for doing something stupid.

"Listen, okay, it was three mistakes, but everyone makes mistakes" She said, trying to justify the situation.

"Um really?" Akako cuts in, "You're really trying to save some girl's ass just because she didn't know what she was doing or that she took her job as a joke?"

"I'm not trying to, all I'm saying is that she shouldn't be too hard on her, maybe the stress of trying to be perfect got to her and it made her slip a little bit"

"Made her slip a little bit, the girl had like weeks to prepare to work with Hailey, but in the end, she was unreliable to Hailey, and she got tossed in the garage with all the other pieces of trash"

At this point, they both put their food down to full on argue with each other. Somehow, wherever they are together, they always find something to argue over, even if it's just a small thing, they will try to get their point across.

But at the end of the day, it's all just for fun, I think that is how they keep each other on the edge of their seats, it's a fun game they play.

Somehow, I don't mind, the ability of being able to hear other people let out their personalities and give them opinions is peaceful to my mind.

Unlike my office, where people are quiet when I'm around or don't show an ounce of their true self until outside of work.

It's not like I don't notice when people are taking their lunch break and they are conversing like friends, but when I'm around, they become fearful of their lives.

But I'm not the one to blame them, I created that environment, I made people fear for their life when I'm around. Like I stated before, I would rather people fear me than try to take advantage of me.

Especially in the position that my company's in right now, we are competing with some of the biggest companies in the world, and I have no time to worry about people's feelings about me, not when every other company is betting just for me to fall off my podium.

I rose to the top and I'm determined to stay at the top.

So no, I won't give a shit. If people have a problem with me expecting the best from them, then they can simply be replaced, everyone is replaceable.

"...so what? You're perfect or something" Daphne teased.

"Yes, yes I am" Akako quickly responded, tossing her hair over her shoulders.

I ducked my head, hiding my face between the strains of my hair, I couldn't laugh, not in public.

So instead, I compose myself, taking a deep breath in, I do that before I lose control of myself.

Being the person that I am, I have to keep an image that can show that I'm someone not to be messed with, I have to show the public eye that I, Hailey Cantrell, is intimidating.

There was one point in my career where I didn't have the full control of my image. When I started out with my company, the public twisted so many stories about me and how I started my career, they created sick and awful things about me that made me want to give up before even starting.

But even at my lowest point, I realized companies around me were just scared of me and the possibility of beating them in the corporate world.

Now that I made it where I am today, another problem stirred up, trust.

I already learned this lesson from a very early stage of life, but it became even more intense when I started college. People would act like you're friends and that you can trust them but before I knew it, I was being stabbed in the back more than hundred times.

Obviously, every person in my life will become a lesson to me, including myself.

The trusting issues became worse when people started to notice that I was catching up with semi-smaller companies. Everyone would want to get to know me, build friendships and trust between us and then they would run back to whoever they are working on and try to end me.

I can't tell the amount of times where my company almost ended because some other shitfaced company tried to take my ideas, because I was stupid enough to share them with someone who I thought I could trust.

Obviously, I put them in prison for treason when I had a good standing position of power.

Now that is why I only have two friends in my life. I only trust these two, plus my mother.

Whilst they are still arguing, I look around my surroundings, inspecting some things.

This is my usual routine, just to keep sure that I'm good and safe, never know what can happen to you when you're not paying attention.

The cafe that we settled is a small corner cafe, it was a flower shop before this, it was run by a old lady, but unfortunately, it wasn't doing good, so they had to shut the place down and make something new out of it, now it's a cafe, best part about it is–it still smelled like flowers.

The people around us, we're sitting outside so evidently, people would pass close to our table, but thank god I have a bodyguard to watch over us, and step in whenever there is a situation.

Surprisingly, Daphne and Akako are still arguing, this time with a new topic, right when I was about to let them be, a new topic of my own came to mind.

"I have some news though" I suddenly said.

Daphne and Akako immediately stopped talking and looked towards me, with so much curiosity, like I'm about to tell them that I'm about to get married.

"I will be getting a new assistant"

They both looked at me then at each other.

Not a word was said, it was just them repeating this motion of looks.

"Well, clearly Hailey, let's be honest," Akako said, cutting the silence short, "You would not be able to manage yourself or your schedule"

I squinted my eyes at her and she held her hands up in surrender like she didn't just say the most out of pocket thing towards me.

"I would have to agree with Akako, Hailey, your work life is so hectic that even the average person would literally die on the first day, so I'm glad you're getting a new assistant though"

"Wow, such a backhanded thing to say to me, I could handle my own thing if I wanted to" I said, while crossing my arms.

"No, you can't and don't even try to lie to yourself saying that you can" Akako retaliated towards me, "That's why they are called assistants–they assist people with busy lives like you to help manage it, there's no shame" She grinned at me.

Before I even got started on why she was wrong, even though she is right about that, Daphne beat me to it.

"So do you know who it is?" She questioned, but then she gasped, "Oh my god, is it that Ruby girl that works the front desk?"

"Oh yeah, I heard really good things about her and you even took a liking to her" Akako chimed in.

"Sadly no" I said, "I did ask her about the position, but she rather work the front desk"

"That's too bad" Daphne shrugged her shoulders.

It was too bad, Ruby is one of the only people that knows the ends and out of the entire company, she would've been a great assistant for me, preferably.

"So, if it's not Ruby, then who is it?" Akako questions, chugging on her second coffee of the day.

"I don't know yet, HR and Ruby have to look over the who's the best fit for the job, and when they do hire someone, I'll make sure to test them, to see if they are truly the right fit"

It was true, whoever gets hired will have to go through trials by me to see if they can keep up with me, the company and their sanity, especially after the last girl, I have to bring on my A game.

"Okay, but make sure you don't push you or them too hard, I don't want you to lose yourself trying to be perfect all the time" Daphne stated.

"Yeah, and it might be better if you do a background check on the new hire, who knows, they might be working for some other companies in their favor" Akako suggested.

I nodded at both suggestions from them, they are like the completely opposite people, but somehow, we make this trio friendship work.

Daphne is like the quiet, nice person in the group, she keeps to herself most of the time but expresses herself to us. I first met her in high school, freshman year.

She's just as determined as me but she is less intense per say, she works as an assistant for a fashion designer.

Daphne is like the cheerleader of the group; she cheers on me and Akako whenever we both need it. I trust Daphne words of wisdom as she has the most experience in that field and her advice usually works out.

Akako, on the other hand, is the complete opposite from Daphne, she is my one other friend as well as I met her in high school as well.

She is the most extroverted, the type of extrovert that will randomly walk up to a person and start a conversation with them with no trouble whatsoever.

Akako works as a biochemist, which I don't know much about, all I know is that she sits in a lab all day wearing a white coat and gloves. I trust her line of judgment of people, unlike me and Daphne–she can easily spot how a person is going to be, it's like a superpower that I wish I have.

But I'm working on that.

Daphne's phone dings and she sighs, "Look like my time is done, my presence calls for a fashion emergency"

"Seriously?" Akako asked, "Can't the lady dress herself? I mean she is the designer"

"She needs a second pair of eyes" Daphne chuckles, she stands up and so do we, indicating that we are about to go our separate ways.

"I could buy a new coffee machine, mine broke down, again" Akako declared.

As I waved goodbye to them, my bodyguard ushered me inside the car before closing and hoping into the driver seat.

                                          *

Back at home, after I showered and sent my housekeeper home for the night, I opened my laptop to do a final sweep of emails that I need to respond to before I head off to bed.

As I scrolled down the list, passing junk, advertisements and random sign up mails, I came across one from HR and Ruby, sent just a few hours ago.

Hello, Ms. Cantrell

Your new hire for the assistant position has been filled, after orientation and any information given to them, they will be sent to your office at ten o'clock sharp for training.

-HR and Ruby Varden, Cantrell Corporation.

Well, that was fast.

Let the test begin then.

Alexa, play 19th century music for Hailey.

-Summer Roe