Impossible Task

People gathered in a hall room, they seemed like just those who would be in the sales department because they weren't too many. Standing forward to face everyone was a tall man with blonde groomed hair and a decent face. He smiled with all his teeth. 

Clarissa felt Liam behind her, and she flinched. He leaned closer, now standing beside her. "There he is. The numbskull CEO, Elan Smith."

Clarissa moved away from Liam a bit. She needed to stay as far away from him as possible. 'No distractions,' she reminded herself.

Elan gave a short speech, smiling and nodding at some of those in front. He was the CEO so maybe it was natural for him to know everyone. But Clarissa thought it to be annoying with the way ladies screeched and chanted his name while he flashed his teeth. 

After his speech, he stepped forward and began advancing to her. Desdra was a few paces away from Clarissa so Elan got to her first. 

No one must have seen her but Clarissa watched Desdra squeezed her face in detest but quickly faked a smile as Elan got to her. He said something then walked away, coming closer to meet Clarissa and Liam.

"What's up, everyone." He gave a big smile. 

Liam rolled his eyes and raised a brow. "The ceiling, sir."

Clarissa held it in not to laugh out. Elan gritted his teeth. "Well you fool, the ceiling? Of course I knew that!"

"Fool? If I'm a fool, then I wonder what you are for asking that dumb question just now, sir." Liam replied instantly.

Stella stepped in. "Well forgive us, sir. He's just having a bad day. We are all fine sir, and you?" 

"Bad day? This moron is always having a bad day!" Elan spat out. "How about you, mademoiselle? You're new here, aren't you?" His eyes lingered around Clarissa that it began to bother her. 

"Good morning sir," she managed to say. 

"What's that? No smiles at all? Come on, you're a pretty girl. You know what, come to my office. Lemme--" Elan was saying when Liam stepped forward.

"Sir, you're being disrespectful now. She's on our team so maybe you should use your head, if there's any sense left in there." Liam said.

Clarissa's eyes widened at the way Liam spoke to the supposed CEO! Was that even normal?

"So, you won't smile then, huh?" Elan ignored and focused on Clarissa.

Smile? What was that all about? "I'm sorry, sir? I don't understand? I mean, I will um, well, my name is Clarissa Hart. It's my first day here at work." She tried to explain.

"Good then. Welcome abroad. You have a boyfriend? You're such a pretty girl," the way he was talking, he had brought his hand forward smoothening her chin. 

Out there in public! Was that even normal??

Liam slapped his hand off. "What's this? That how you treat your staff, sir?" He leaned forward and whispered something in his ear. Anger flashed before Elan's eyes and he moved back. 

"Shut up, you fool!" Elan snapped. "Chris! Get here right now," he barked at a lanky man who ran in a flash. "We have a team for the task. The Sun mi task," the way he said it made him sound suspicious. "Make the announcement." He ordered. "You, you caused this. Now you'll all pay." Elan said to Clarissa before walking away.

"Me?" Clarissa blinked. What did she do? "This was on you, Liam." She protested.

The announcement from Chris was simple. A deal was to be made, and in just a matter of one week. Sun mi, a Korean pop star was to sign a contract with Smithons to help promote the company by buying around a thousand models of Smithons Motors, only, an issue had happened where Sun mi canceled the deal just a few weeks back. Their task was to meet Sun mi and convince her to sign the deal that was so obvious she had canceled it already!

Back in their office, Denis slammed his fist hard on the table in anger. "What? Why would he give us such a difficult task! See what we said about the CEO being unlikable?"

Liam sighed. "You really need to learn how to smile, Clarissa." He was staring at Clarissa now with that cool look of his.

"Me? It's not me, you know? Why did you have to speak to him in that manner?" Clarissa spoke out.

"Not really, this was on you, Clarissa." Stella said, causing her frown to deepen. "What? I'm not blaming you. The CEO can really be annoying sometimes, but it's all because you didn't smile back." 

Clarissa was fuming already but Liam stepped in. "Or cower at his feet and kneel. Mr Denis, did you hear her call him "young master"?"

Denis chuckled. "Clarissa, this isn't about you. Our team is like the poorest, most pathetic team in the company. We've never been lucky at all and everyone knows us as the loser team. He thought you would worship him the way other ladies did but you were so firm on your ground. Every lady here treats him like a god. I respect you, actually."

Clarissa was still trying to understand what was happening. She had seen Desdra smile when Elan gave them the impossible task. She must have been really happy back then. But, why did she have to be on the loser team?

"It's alright. We're used to impossible tasks like this. In fact, I blame both you and Liam for joining us here. Before when it was just Mrs Stella and I, with two other nerds, we were invisible to the company. But Liam joined us about three months ago and became all the lady's charm, and now you, today. People are starting to notice us already."

Clarissa gave it a thought. "So, all we have to do is not do anything? Since it's an impossible task?" She needed to ask. How was this the way Smithons company worked? She never read any of this online about the company before. A CEO who was a flirt?

"You're correct. We just do nothing. Worse case scenario, we get fired. Best case scenario, we don't get paid for this month's salary." Denis said casually like he was saying that the sky was blue. 

"What? Both cases are worse!" Clarissa's eyes widened in shock. She did not like that! So there really was nothing they could do??

Closing hour came, finally. To Clarissa, it felt like she had been working for days when it had only been a couple of hours. Nothing serious happened other than Clarissa being introduced to some others at the firm and getting judged by Desdra's minions--now that she thought about it, Desdra seemed to have excelled well at the company. 

Joining the loser's team, plus already being on the bad side of the CEO was not looking well for her. What if she got fired before one month was even over? She said her goodbyes and waited outside for Eve to come pick her up when a loud cry of her name was heard. 

Clarissa scanned the area to find out who'd been calling her and saw him standing just right in front. Tall, dark brown hair and a fine physique was Jared. Her ex husband.

What was he doing here?