My Boss is Felix: Alternative Miraculous Ladybug Tale

Ch3: Rules

The moment Natalie left, Felix's gaze refocused on his monitors. He was clicking and typing quickly. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing.

Should I interrupt him and ask? Or would that only confirm his belief in my incompetence? Plus, I was low-key scared to make eye contact again. As long as he was staring at his screens and not at me, I felt safe.

So...like an idiot...I stood there, tilting my head and staring out the window. The sky was a deep blue and streaked with thin clouds. It must have been around ten o'clock based on the position of the sun. Never before had I been so high up, looking down. Well, except when I was Ladybug; but I was always on top of buildings and never inside, so this felt new and exciting to me.

Time passed and my awkwardness grew. I guess I had expected him to say something to me by now. How long should I stand here? Maybe I could make the excuse of having to go to the restroom and run to Natalie for refuge. After a solid twenty minutes of being a coward, my calves were shaking. My poor legs couldn't bear to stand anymore. I needed to sit down or walk. Anything but stand.

So, I decided to be brave and engage the beast.

"Felix," I said on a high note. Darn. I sounded so unconfident. And was it okay for me to call him just Felix?

The typing and clicking ceased.

He peered through a space between two of the four monitors, his eyes wide. Why was his gaze so intimating?

My stomach flopped as adrenaline raced through my body.

"Yes?" He said, raising a brow.

"I was wondering...I mean maybe I could...its just I..."

"I don't have all day. Out with it."

I swallowed and stared at my heels. Maybe if I wasn't looking at him, the words would come.

"What should I be doing right now?" I managed to say.

Rising from his desk, he leaned over and blew out the vanilla candle's flame. A string of smoke streamed into the air, dancing and twisting against the flow of the air conditioning.

He made his way over to the kitchen section of his office and pulled out two black mugs from the white cupboards. I hesitantly followed him, lingering a few feet away.

I felt awkward in this silence.

"I like your candle," I said, desperate to break my inward tension.

He placed the cups against some sort of high tech coffee machine connected to the wall, and coffee instantly poured down.

Obviously, he was going to ignore my efforts at "small talk." Maybe he was above it. Above me. So much so, I wasn't even worth a conversation.

"What's your last name?" He asked, his gaze meeting mine.

"Dupain-Cheng."

He handed me one of the cups. I stared down at the steaming coffee. Truth be told, I had never drank coffee before. I relied on soda and tea for my energy instead. After blowing on it, I took a tiny sip. It was bitter! My eye twitched.

"Not much of a coffee person, I see," he said, leaning back against the granite counter.

"Oh, I...umm...I don't..." I had to look down.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, there's nothing on the floor worth staring at."

My face flushed. Why was he calling me Ms. Dupain-Cheng? That seemed so formal. Did that mean I had to call him Mr. Agreste? And was it that obvious I couldn't make eye contact?

"Right. Sorry."

Under the counter's artificial lights, his skin looked pure white. His gaze fell on me.

"We need to set some rules if this is actually going to work," he said, sipping his coffee.

"Okay!" I said, feeling hopeful that there may even be a chance that Felix and I would get along.

"First rule. Keep your interactions with me at a minimum. If you have questions, ask Natalie. Second. Outside of work or during lunch hours, I have no obligation to engage you in conversation and vice versa. Lastly. I want to see as little of you as possible, so keep that in mind when dressing yourself. Do you understand?"

What? Those "rules" were so vague and I wasn't even sure what he meant by the last one.

"I think so," I said, ending on a high note.

His eyes narrowed as he put down his coffee cup and crossed his arms.

"Your lack of confidence is disturbing."

I was at a loss for words. How should I even respond to that? I nodded, my body suddenly shaking. I couldn't tell if it was because of the cold air or my nerves.

He sighed, suddenly placing his hand on my shoulder. I tensed up, my body becoming stiff.

"It's obvious," he muttered, almost sounding disappointed, "you're just like all the rest."

His hand fell to his side. Walking past me, he headed over to his desk. He pulled his computer from its docking station and placed it in a black briefcase, along with a legal pad and two pens.

Before leaving his office, he stared at me. His face looked irritated or dissatisfied or something.

My ankle momentarily gave out and I stumbled. I was able to stabilize myself before I completely fell. He frowned, his gaze lowering to my feet.

"If you can't handle it, don't wear them."

"Okay."

"Also..." he began.

I clenched my hands, digging my nails into my palm.

"Your skirt is ripped in the back."

"Thanks for letting me know," I said, feeling humiliated that Felix was the one telling me. To be honest, I had forgotten. Too many things on my mind.

He held the office door open, wearing a blank expression, "on your way."

As I hobbled past him, I realized he never answered my original question. What should I be doing? Now I understood why all his previous secretaries quit. After that interaction, maybe I should too.