Death Do Us Part

Fitting in

Compared to the hullabaloo of the first day, the rest of the week went quite uneventfully. Rhea spent most of this time learning about the extents of her duties, which actually had no limits. From managing the appointments of Aron Korlin to appointing his maids, from proofreading his contracts to pest-proofing his house all fall under her responsibilities though, the man assured her that he would never ask her to do the latter.

He gave her so much information to remember that by the end of the week she had knowledge of not just the business of Korlin Group but also that of each and every one of its competitors. She knew their history, their plan for the upcoming ten years and everything in between. She knew which of the companies would go bankrupt by the end of the year and which of them would Korlin Group take over. She also knew which of the companies’ offers of acquisition will Korlin Group decline no matter how profitable the acquisition may become at the time of the offer due to the differences of principles among the organizational leaders.

Another thing that she found extremely impressive in Korlin Group is its work culture. While in all her previous work environments her unconventional ways were looked down upon and were often suppressed, no one in her new work place batted an eyelash as she did her work in her own ways. Every time she called for assistance from another staff, they obliged without a single extra question as long as what she asked for was within the bounds of her corporate rights. And as the assistant of the CEO, there was little that was beyond her executive access. Even the executive assistants of the CEO, who had probably worked their ass off to be at that position, did not look down upon her for having those exclusive rights, despite her being a new bee. Even Andrea whom she deemed non-cooperative due to her first encounter with her turned out to be an efficient and disciplined coworker. This made her work easier than she had expected it to be despite the stress that comes along for being the personal assistant of Aron Korlin.

She had no fixed work hour, which could have been even more troublesome as the man she works for isn’t specifically an organized and time-sensitive man. He worked at any hour of the day and expected his staff to be available at his convenience. He never asked them to slave for him or be present at the office 24/7, but he would call them at odd hours if he needs a document that he can’t find or for information that he can’t have a hold of. Yet, Rhea found working with him extremely fulfilling. He seemed to have a hold of any situation and knew his company and everything related to it like the back of his hands. He asked the right questions, took firm and uniformed decisions and rewarded his staff generously if he deemed it fitting.

Yes, the man was not how she expected him to be. It boggled her mind how a man could be such a hot pot of paradoxes. When he worked, he worked as if that is the only thing he knew, then one day he’d vanish from the office and no one would be able to contact him for days. He’d reward his staff like it was no one’s business, but he’d scare them to death with his mercurial mood on regular days. Even the women that hung from his arms so often, weren’t allowed to contact him unless he summoned them. Yet, his work had the mark of a seasoned businessman with an eye for greater purposes.

The more she worked with him better she became in understanding his style of doing business hence in assisting him and even before her second week in the Korlin Group could end, she already began to adapt to his needs. He asked her for little outside what he would ask his executive assistants to do. She was rather there to serve as a mediator and an extra layer of filter between the executive heads and top-level staffs of the varied range of companies that Korling Group operates through and Aron Korlin.

Neither Rhea nor Andrea were expected to do the mere clerical works that personal assistants and secretaries are generally accredited with. Yet Rhea would often fetch Aron coffee when he looked tired; coordinate with his driver to make sure that he does not get late on his appointments, text him short notes on the background of the people he was to have meetings with when she didn’t accompany him to the meetings. Although, every time she fetched him coffee or ordered his food Aron verbally emphasized on how unnecessary such actions were, with every passing day his objection grew weaker.