I Ride the Chariot of Hell.

"Are you ready?"

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I'M NOT READY...!!!" my brain screamed so hard that make me scared if the pink springy thing inside my head would explode littering all the space.

"Hey, newbie, don't show me a dumb face like that! I ask you one more time, are you ready?" asked Steven again.

"I... I am ready, sir!"

"Ok, There's still time, 15 more minutes. Try to check all our pieces of equipment again. Make sure nothing is left behind. Documents, computer data, laptop accessories, chargers, cables, everything"

"Okay, sir!" Honestly, my hands feel so cold and my knees are starting to shake. I can't even barely sleep last night, because of thinking about today's events. I don't know why, but my chest felt heavy and made me breathless. Yes, Today is the day. The first time I meet clients to present the design ideas. I'm sure everybody will be nervous too if you have to meet important people from big companies. Ow, man… Audi, man, you know how big the brand is? European car brand, which is high class. I was afraid, I would faint in front of the CEO of the Audi Group Indonesia.

You must be confused, right? Why am I so nervous? Maybe you think, Sandra, no one knows if you who designed their showroom, right? So, chills don't be so nervous. I agree, 100%. I know, today I will shut my mouth. Like really tight! I won't say anything. I promise Steven, I will keep my mouth shut. Steven is not crazy enough to let a newbie do a presentation in front of his big fish. I just need to do a simple job today. Accompany Madam Devil and Steven as computer operators today. Because they are the ones who will talk a lot with the client this afternoon. However, this kind of feeling drives me nuts. What if the client doesn't like my design? What if my design fails? What if I disappoint Steven? I don't want to disappoint his trust. He did entrust this great project to me. And I don't wanna fail him.

"Hey, Hermione? How are you doing? You do not seem well. You do not seem as talkative as usual," asked Angga who saw me sitting so silently in my cubicle.

"Well, I don't know, Angga. You know... this day is the first time I do a meeting with a real client."

"Ah, take it easy, relax! You don't have to do anything, do you? Or maybe you are the one who presented the design today?"

"No," I said while shaking my head. I'm self-aware, even though this is my design and I'm pretty confident with it, I can't do anything about the presentation. The client won't trust me as much as they trust Madam Devil. Even though we may be talking about the same thing, her fame will make her voice heard more than a newbie like me.

"Then chill, you will be ok! They are not fierce lions who will bite you if you doing any mistakes. So, today you just need to relax and go with the flow. Just join them eating, drinking, and smiling."

If only, Angga knew what happened lately. If only, my job is just doing simple things. If only this building wasn't my first project design. It is good. But the reality isn't.

"Come on, Hermione, don't be so depressed. Today, it's not your battle. You won't meet Lord Voldemort, so cheer up! There are always new things that will soon become your habit. Your job is just to hold your head up and step boldly, and of course, learning a new important skill."

"Learn important skills?" I am not understanding the meaning of Angga's words.

"Oh, maybe you don't know yet. I swear you'll be fascinated by it. You should see how Madam Devil presents our work. She is very brilliant at it. And you can learn from her too. Watch her carefully when she talks about the design. Look at her performance, her body language, her act of negotiating. It's a valuable lesson that you can learn while you work with her. That kind of skill can't be found in any other company."

"Madam Devil's presentation?" I whispered. I think Angga was right, it seems fascinating. I've seen all the architects at Ruanna present their work in front of Anna Gunadi, but I've never seen her present in front of a client. Angga is right, it's time to learn a new skill.

"Come on, newbie! It's the time! Ma'am Anna is already downstairs and she won't be waiting for us!" said Steven telling me to follow him immediately.

"Good luck!" whispered Angga with a smile and I responded with a wave of my hand. Oh, God, why can't I just work on a project with Angga? He was much more kind and human than Steven or Madam Devil.

I quickly followed him downstairs. And soon enough, we stood in front of the car that had been parked at the drop-off, in front of the main door. Black luxury very expensive car. I don't know what type this is, what I do know is that this is an expensive car because there is a jaguar logo statue jumping on the edge of the car. Well, I don't know. I am not an automotive expert. One thing is for sure, I know whose car it is. I knew it very well because, when this cool car park is in the drop-off, all of Ruanna's employees are chaos running everywhere. Yup, this is Madam Devil's car. Just for today, can I call it the chariot of hell? Um, so cool right? I ride the chariot of hell.

"Sir, are we riding in the same car as Ma'am Anna?" I whispered to Steven.

"Yes, get in quickly! And sit next to the driver!"

"Um, really sir?"

"Or... maybe you want to sit next to Ma'am Anna?" said Steven with a mischievous smile.

I forced a smile and immediately opened the door next to the driver. Bowed down to greet the creepy woman sitting in the back, then immediately sat down quietly. I'm not going to argue with Steven's order just now, I can't bear to sit next to Madam Devil. I don't want her to suck my soul like starving Dementors attack the Azkaban's prisoner.

One thing I have to admit, Madam Devil's luxury car is indeed very comfortable. The seat feels so soft and the shape fits well on my back, really comfortable. This chair was like eating my body and soul into the god-level comfort. Sucking my back into the great pleasures. The fragrance of fresh jasmine flowers feels so relaxed, make daydreaming of flying around into heaven. The only thing I complain... love Yes, don't care how expensive her car is, she is still Cruella Devil. She loves to smoke everywhere she wants. If this were my car, I would close my eyes and sleep. My only hope, if I accidentally fall asleep in the chariot of hell, I don't want to wake up at the gates of hell.

"Steven, have you recovered yet?" said Ma'am Anna with a friendly tone when Steven got into her car.

Ah, now, I know where the gossip came from. Gossip if Steven is Ma'am Anna's mistress. The gossip must have come from their unusual closeness of this two. I've never seen Ma'am. Anna was so kind and gentle with any employee, as she treated Steven. Or maybe the gossip is true. Ew, disgusting... Ew... Ew...!

"Sandra!" Steven called my name because he seemed to notice my movements were starting to get weird.

Please, don't blame me! What kind of body language are you will be sharing if you think like that? What do you think your body will do if you think your boss has an affair with a big boss? And... pssttt.. they have a very large age gap? At least I still feel normal while I shake my head a little. And of course, my body too.. hahaha

"Yes, sir?" I replied.

"Don't look any trouble!" said Steven threateningly softly as if he knew what was on my mind.

"I don't dare, sir," I replied, pretending nothing had happened.

"Good."

"Sorry, Steven. I couldn't visit you at the hospital. But, is everything ok?" asked Ma'am Anna to her favorite employee.

"It's ok, ma'am, everything's fine," said Steven, nodding. "Thank you too, for paying for the best room with the best service, while I was hospitalized."

"Ah, At least that I can do for the most talented architect in Ruanna, that is nothing," said Ma'am Anna with a big smile on her face.

That room is nothing for her? Duh... do you still remember? Steven has ever been in a regular room for two days? A simple room I paid for with my savings? The price for the VVIP penthouse room that the office paid was almost 5 times the cost of the room I booked, and even then Steven didn't want to replace my money. Is that the behavior of the most talented architect in Ruanna? Boo... Okay, I agree he is talented, but sometimes IQ is not directly proportional to EQ.

"Thank you, ma'am. By the way, have you seen my email about the design today?" said Steven to ensure Ma'am Anna's preparation for today's presentation.

"Yes, you don't have to be worried!" answered Mrs. Anna.

"Do you like it?" asked Steven again.

"It is good! But not your best, but I still love it. The shape and proportions are ok, according to the sketch you showed at the last presentation. The floor plan is neat, a bit boring, but it's a showroom. Nothing less, nothing more."

"I agree, ma'am. I admit it isn't my best work. But I relieved that you like," said Steven, while glancing at me.

Of course, he glanced at me, he must glance at me, because he knew I was the one who did it. And the deal pissed me off now. But, I take it, sometimes Steven makes me learn a lot in silence. At least I know Madam Devil's honest opinion on my designs. If Madam Devil had known it was my design, I don't think she would be expressing her honest opinion. At least, she likes the shape of the building, it's just not perfect. A bit boring, I take that as a good critique.

"For the concept, ma'am?" asked Steven.

"I've prepared it," Madam Devil said with a proud smile.

There was no talk during the trip. We are busy with ourselves. Madam Devil is busy with her cellphone, so is Steven. I chose to close my eyes for a moment. I don't dare sleep, just rest my eyes that are exposed to computer radiation for a long time. As I got closer to Audi's building, my heart was beating faster and faster.

What if the client doesn't like the design I made? Will Steven still admit it's as his work? Or will he admit it was my design? Is he gonna throw me into the abyss alone? Why didn't I think about it when I made a deal with him? I believe Steven is not the type of person who would leave the team for his glory. However, I also can't guarantee that he will protect me and not make me a victim if there is any problem with this project.

Sandra, why do these negative thoughts arise? I never thought like this before. Does working with Steven give me a trust issue now? I can't understand what's going on in his brain. What's on his mind and in his heart. What is the planning? What does he want? I admit he is a perfect poker player. His every move was unexpected, and now, his skills were worrying me. The point is, in this car I realized, if I regretted having made the deal with Steven. I made a deal with someone I couldn't read, who I couldn't trust. It's like making a deal with the devil. I have to find another way, another plan, a plan B if things don't go smoothly. I'm not going to let someone drop me into the abyss and bring me down. If that happens, I'll make sure that that person will join the fall with me.