1

At spite of the relatively low temperature in my place of employment, I can see a bead of sweat forming on the top of the head of the individual who is sitting in front of me. Instead of putting a stop to his misery, I continue to give him the cold shoulder and stare him down. I know I should be helping him, but I'm not.

He stutters through the words, "I... the fund... we... we... are extremely thankful for your continuous support," but it's clear that he means it.

That's exactly as it should have been. A portion of the money that my family and all of our clients have put in various locations across the world is held by his firm. These investments total in the billions of millions. This is certainly not a little sum of cash.

The investor responded, "I never suggested that I would continue investing in you," which was an interesting take on the situation. My tone is forceful, and despite my best attempts to infuse it with some compassion, it does not contain any of that quality.

He starts tapping his foot, and I watch as a drop of sweat runs down the side of his face. During this period, I have also seen that the rate of his breathing is quickening with each passing second.

"A-are you not satisfied with how well we have done so far? This year, there was a twenty percent increase associated with each share of our company's stock.

Elise, who serves as my executive secretary, takes over at that point, and as is customary for her, her timing is spot on. My office has been scrutinized in great detail on many times, and it has been determined that she does not, in fact, have a listening device in this space. There is nothing here that makes me suspect. My security staff has performed a large number of tests to guarantee that our phone system does not provide her the opportunity to listen in on any of our conversations. I have no clue how she does it, but she is always there before I ever get the chance to question about her whereabouts. I have no idea how she does it.

I lift my head to look at her and take in the calm expression that she has on her stunning face. My attention is drawn to the beauty of her features. It's not hard to see why people talk about her behind her back as "The Ice Queen," since the name fits her icy demeanor perfectly. Despite the fact that it is abundantly clear that she is gorgeous, she is as emotionless as a block of ice. I have personally seen her bring down more than one reputable company, and she does it without displaying the slightest amount of remorse or compassion for the people she hurts in the process. She lacks feelings just as I do, and I couldn't be happier about it. Neither could I. It works out well for the two of us.

After she has finished placing a paper in front of Jackson Smithson and smiling politely at him, Elise walks over to my desk and stands there for a while before moving on. Her arrogant smile has never failed to make me cringe within. Despite the fact that there is nothing clearly wrong with it and that it does not seem to be fake in any way, it nevertheless manages to upset me to the point that I can't help but feel outraged by it.

She gives me a fleeting look before putting another copy of the book on the table in front of me without so much as a word. When my eyes rest on the pink post-it note that is perched atop the stack of papers, I can't help but give a painful clench in my jaw. The only thing that is written there is "WILLIAMS GROUPS." There is no additional background information offered; nonetheless, the fact that it is she is all that I absolutely need to know about the situation.

As I glance up at her, I give her a look that conveys a trace of annoyance. I am certain that she opted to produce all of her stationery in the color pink on purpose so that she could bother me. She is well aware of my antipathy to the color pink and knows that it is one of my least favorite colors. It is indisputable that she is taking her vengeance on me in this manner in order to make up for the mental suffering that I have given her over the course of the last several years.

Elise has been working as my personal assistant for the last eight years, and ever since my grandmother recommended her for the role, she has been getting on my nerves more and more. I've tried everything I can think of in order to get rid of her, but she always seems to be one step ahead of me. I've used up all of my alternatives. We have been caught in a dispute that can never be settled, and no matter what I do, I always end myself on the side that is responsible for the loss of the argument.