Never Really Meant It When We Said 'Goodbye'

Tough Calls

"Ms Freeman, Mr Lee is asking to see you in his office." Amber raised her head in confusion, not entirely sure why her boss would be needing her.
"Is there a particular reason why he wishes to see me?" She asked, trying to figure out if it was that important for her to go right this second.
"He didn't tell me, so I'd suggest speaking with him yourself." His personal assistant said, narrowing her eyes. "In his office, where he's waiting for you."
The ravenette sighed, closing her laptop, guess the email she was in the middle of writing could be sent at a later time.

"Very well, I'll be in shortly. Thank you, Rosalyn."

The assistant didn't respond, just turned on her heel and left Amber's office, closing the door behind her. She was a middle aged woman and a very grumpy lady, though Amber suspected it was just a facade to avoid being asked for favors by the associates in the company. The ravenette pulled out her phone, going on the company's trusted app for communication and meeting to quickly send a text to the person she was supposed to send an email to, informing them she would respond after her meeting with the boss. Once that was out of the way, she got up and headed for the door, still unsure why her boss was so serious on seeing her.

She hadn't been at the company long, a little over a month, actually, and she was still working on getting her footing. Everyone here knew each other and had worked with each other for years, whereas she was a newcomer, still getting accustomed to the company's culture. While Amber didn't care much for friends, it was a little disappointing not having anyone to talk to or eat lunch with. The people did seem nice, even if none of them really knew her or talked to her. As usual, the corridors of the company were full of people, the air filled with constant noise from all the phone calls and meetings. Several meeting rooms were filled with associates of the company, the smart boards displaying slideshows or graphs related to whatever project the team inside was working on. It was hectic, but that made Amber feel at ease, a sort of reminder of her old job as a manager back at the restaurant. She wondered how the people there were doing.

"Mr Lee, you asked to see me?" Amber said after a gentle knock on his door before she opened it slightly. The older Asian man, who was currently on call, nodded and gestured for her to come in, phone practically glued to his ear. The ravenette obliged, coming into his office and standing awkwardly near his desk. It was probably the first time she'd been inside, since the two times she had her interviews here, they were held in one of the meeting rooms.
"Look, I don't care how you do it, just make it happen. I'm tired of this constant talk with no action. You have one week." Mr Lee said into his phone, hanging up on whoever he was speaking to. It wasn't hard to figure out he was frustrated, and that worried Amber slightly, as she wondered if she'd done something wrong. "Ms Freeman, sit, please."

She nodded, pulling out the chair across from him and sitting down, swallowing thickly as their eyes locked. The man in front of her picked up a cup of water, chugging it down as she patiently waited. It felt odd sitting in this office, right in front of the man who had built this company from the ground up. The one time they met was during her second interview, and even then she didn't have the chance to really speak with him, as soon after the interview was finished, he was back on his phone, talking to someone.

"Ms Freeman, I know you're probably wondering why I asked to see you." He started, his face expressionless. "I was taking a look at your records, as I must admit, you piqued my interest. Definitely an interesting person that you are, Ms Freeman, I don't believe I've hired anyone like you to work for me. As I understand correctly, you're the daughter of Andrew and Jen Freeman?"
"Yes sir, I am." Amber said, unsure of where he was going with this.

"I know them both quite well. We've crossed paths a number of times, and I do admit they're great people to work with. Though, I do want to know why out of all the places and companies, including the one your parents own, you decided to work for me? Your track record shows how many opportunities you've gotten, so please, share with me why you settled down here."