Presidential Client...

“Oh no. This cannot be happening right now. Clara, this is exactly what you told me would not happen. You informed me there would be no more meetings today. I’m exhausted, this was not in my schedule, and I hate being caught unaware. You know that. You and I both know that.” 

My voice rose with every word as I paced the length of my office, my heels clicking sharply against the polished floor.

Clara had just informed me that I was supposed to be in another meeting right now and Mia had to excuse us.

Another meeting.

The words alone made irritation crawl beneath my skin.

This was not what we agreed on.

There were supposed to be no more appointments for today. My entire evening had already been mentally arranged. I had planned to go to the club with Mia, and if this dragged on any longer, I would be late.

Clara moved toward me anxiously, wringing her hands.

“I know it’s impromptu, and I’m so sorry,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have accepted it, but it all happened in the moment. They called at the last minute and insisted it was extremely important. They sounded impatient, and by the time I saw the email, they were already here, so I didn’t really have a choice. It seems like this is their first time working with us, and I didn’t want us to make a bad first impression. They promised it was urgent and that the meeting would be as brief as possible.”

I stopped pacing and turned to face her.

“Oh, please. Don’t give me that bullshit, Clara.”

The words came out colder than ice.

“You know my work ethic. You know how much I hate impromptu meetings. I am not prepared for this, and I don’t even know what kind of clients they are, for God’s sake. What exactly did you expect me to do? Walk into that room completely blind and sit there while they tell me what they want? I don’t know who they are, what they do, or what kind of contract they’re bringing to the table. This is not okay, Clara. You messed up. You really messed up this time.”

Her fingers fumbled together nervously as she glanced at her wristwatch.

“They’ve been waiting for thirty minutes, ma’am,” she said softly. “I’m truly sorry. I know this wasn’t handled properly, but maybe you could at least hear them out. They seemed like very important clients.”

I let out a sharp breath.

“It’s not about what they seemed like, Clara. It’s about the fact that I’m not prepared for this meeting.”

I folded my arms tightly across my chest.

“All my clients are important to me, no matter how small their contract is. You, of all people, should know that by now. I’m just not in the mood for another meeting.”

An idea struck me, and I turned toward my desk.

“Fine. Do this instead. Replace me. Stand in for me and tell them I’m occupied. That should buy us some time.”

I walked back to my chair and sat down, nodding to myself.

Yes.

That would be better.

At least it would give me some leverage.

Maybe then this whole mess would feel less like a disaster.

For some reason, I was especially irritable today.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know what to say in a meeting. I had spent years mastering the art of conversation, persuasion, and negotiation.

It was the ambush of it all.

I had already arranged my day in my head. I had already mentally closed the office for the evening.

And now this.

Clara hesitated.

“I’m afraid we can’t do that, ma’am.”

I slowly lifted my eyes to her.

“What do you mean, we can’t?”

Her voice dropped lower.

“They specifically asked for you. I don’t know why, but the woman insisted that you had to be present. I offered to stand in because I know how much you hate being caught off guard, but she refused. She said this isn’t just a fashion appointment. She called it serious business. I asked if they could come back on Monday, but she insisted it was urgent. She said something about being on a timed budget. I’m not entirely sure what that means.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“And yet you still agreed to an exclusive meeting without informing me first.”

My voice was quiet now, which somehow made it worse.

“Tell me, Clara… how exactly does that sound to you?”

I knew I was being hard on her.

Maybe harsher than necessary.

But I had to be.

This company had not come this far because I let things slide.

Mistakes happened, yes, but this was not a minor oversight.

This was a breach of structure.

“You need to be more thoughtful and more professional,” I said firmly.

“An appointment is an appointment. Everyone has to have one. No one gets to walk in here and demand access to me because they claim it’s urgent or because they’re working on some mysterious time budget.”

I leaned forward slightly.

“This establishment has rules, Clara. Rules that exist for a reason. They deserve to be followed, and they will be respected.”

Her face fell.

“This has to be the last time something like this happens. The last time.”

I let the silence settle before continuing.

“You’re here as an intern. If I don’t correct mistakes like this, then I’d be failing to teach you the basics of being a proper secretary.”

I exhaled slowly.

“Now go tell them I’ll be there in five minutes.”

She nodded quickly and left the office.

The moment the door shut behind her, I dropped my face into my hands and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

God, I was tired.

The thought of enduring another long and possibly painful meeting made the fatigue press even harder against my skull.

Don’t get it twisted—I loved working.

I loved what I had built.

No one could ever call me lazy.

But impromptu meetings?

Those were my weaknesses.

I functioned like a machine built on order, and the moment that order was disrupted, something inside me tightened.

It made me feel disorganized and restless.

Like darkness creeping under a perfectly closed door.

I reached for my phone and quickly texted Mia, telling her I’d be staying an extra hour at the office and might be late getting ready.

Once I was done, I rose from my chair and stepped out of my office in search of the conference room.

The hallway felt unusually quiet.

The dim lighting cast long shadows along the walls, making the entire floor seem heavier somehow, as though the building itself was holding its breath.

When I got to the conference room, I paused outside the door.

For a moment, I simply stood there, one hand on the polished handle, forcing myself to breathe.

Pull yourself together, Ana.

I just hoped this meeting would be as quick and sharp as the breakfast I had that morning.

With a steadying breath, I pushed the heavy door open.

I expected the usual.

A standard client.

A designer consultation.

Perhaps a demanding executive with a difficult taste.

Instead, the sight that greeted me made me freeze.

Three impeccably dressed men occupied the room, all in dark, perfectly tailored suits that looked almost too expensive to touch. Their presence filled the space with an unsettling authority, the kind that did not need to announce itself.

Beside them sat an elegant woman, poised and composed, her expression unreadable.

The air in the room felt different. Darker. Heavier. Dangerously still.

My heart skipped.

A strange chill moved down my spine, and for one absurd moment, my mind raced somewhere impossible.

Could it be?

Was the President of the country himself my client?