Chapter 8

Ayane spent the better part of the morning working diligently on preparing the presentation to the sales team while simultaneously fielding calls and organizing Minato's schedule. The two didn't speak much for the rest of the day, as they both chose to indulge in their work rather than to read into the moment they had shared earlier.

After lunch, Ayane was ready. With her laptop in hand, she entered the meeting room and was met with the eyes of the sales manager, several of the company's top sales representatives, and of course Shikaku. She gulped when she realized that many, if not all of them were older than her and of course, looking a lot more seasoned in their job.

"Good afternoon," she greeted the unfamiliar crowd as she made her way to the front of the room. She eyed the chair at the head of the table and the one directly right of it where she was supposed to sit. Turning to Shikaku, he motioned for her to take Minato's spot in his stead.

Ayane hesitantly rolled the chair back and took a seat, immediately feeling the tension in the room shift in response. She opened her laptop and projected the image onto the screen behind her before taking a sip of water and turning to the crowd.

"Good afternoon," she repeated again, "my name is Ayane Higashi and I'm Mr. Namikaze's new personal assistant. Unfortunately he wasn't able to make the meeting today as he has another emergency commitment so he tasked me with leading today's discussion."

She paused for a beat to scan the room, but as she expected, there wasn't much of a response.

"Anyways, let's get started. Should you have any questions, I'm sure Mr. Nara and I can help clarify a few things at the end." She turned to eye Shikaku who gave her an encouraging grin.

"I hope everyone had a chance to take a look at the sales summary that I sent out earlier today." She switched the slide to show the stats of the company. "Mr. Namikaze and I would like to congratulate you all on completing the goal for this quarter! He says he is proud of the work and the effort that his employees put out, and can't wait to see the company continuing to grow. However…"

Ayane paused to switch the slide again, showing the overall growth chart of the company since its conception. "If you take a closer look at this graph, we can begin to see that the sales, although making the projected goal, is slowly flattening on the curve overall."

She hated this part of her speech and she had anticipated from the moment she read Shikaku's report that she would be receiving criticism during this section. "What Mr. Namikaze has asked us to discuss today, is the projected sales for the future. Right now, it does not look like we will grow as a company for long-"

"With all due respect ma'am." One of the older men who looked to be about in his 50s spoke up, causing the entire room to turn to him. "You have only been here for how long?"

"Two weeks," Ayane replied with a strong tone of confidence. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch your name."

"My name is Danzo Shimura. I am the Vice President of External Affairs." The dark haired man spoke. The stern look on his face made Ayane wonder if he wore it every day, or if he was simply not pleased with her.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Shimura. Please, continue." Ayane offered a smile despite the fact that the man seemed hostile against her. Perhaps it was the fact that she was new. Perhaps it was the fact that she was a young woman. Or perhaps it was the fact that she had an air of confidence to her that could easily be considered passive aggressive behaviour. Either way, she knew it was an uphill battle from here.

"You see Ms. Higashi, you have only been here for two weeks, how are you so certain that the drop in sales in connection with my employees?" Danzo said with his arms crossed smugly. The other sales managers also nodded in agreement with small whispers amongst themselves.

"That's a good question. You see, in the details of the reports, you would be able to see each team's sales history. While our representatives have been doing a great job satisfying our old customers and expanding business with them, we are lacking in gaining new clients." Ayane replied, switching to a slide that had a clear outline of their biggest business partners versus their new ones.

"Nonetheless, Mr. Namikaze wanted to call you all here today to discuss future plans for marketing and possibly expanding more into the international market-"

"I'm sorry Ms. Higashi, you might have misunderstood what I meant." Danzo stood, his palms pressed against the table to support himself. He turned around to look at each member around the table before he continued. "I am saying our sales have been affected by the rumours and allegations surrounding Mr. Namikaze himself."

Ayane and Shikaku both froze. They exchanged eye contact as discreetly as possible, both wondering how on Earth Danzo knew and how much he knew. The last thing that Ayane wanted was for panic to ensue in the company even for those who were supporting them lower in the ladder. A lack of trust in leadership meant downfall even for the biggest companies in the world.

Gathering her thoughts in mere seconds, Ayane remained composed, at least from the outside. She took another sip from her water and took a moment to tie her hair up in a high ponytail despite the expectant eyes on her. Looking up, she scanned the crowd before speaking.

"I understand that you all have doubts about Mr. Namikaze, but I assure you, handling the press is my specialty. In the meantime, I hope that you all can trust in Mr. Namikaze and I, and should you have any concerns we encourage you to contact us directly." Ayane turned to Danzo and leaned back in her chair to cross her arms.

"Now, in regards to whether or not the sales this past quarter has been impacted by the CEO himself: you're right, I'm not sure. Probably. However, even before these two months of rumours, the sales team was tasked with creating a plan of action for the expansion into the international market." She turned to the rest of the team who froze in their spots, clearly having dropped the ball on the report.

"May I ask, Mr. Shimura, did the team not complete it? Or did the email get lost between yourself and Mr. Namikaze? I have asked him earlier, he had never received the plan of action, not in his records at least."

The older man's wrinkles creased further, his frown deepening at the research presented by the new assistant. Ayane simply smiled in return at the man's silence before she decided to jump in and save him from his own associates' lurking eyes.

"Nonetheless, Mr. Namikaze has simply requested that the plan of action be completed within the coming week so that we can begin to expand as soon as possible into the global market. He has emphasized that within the coming months, he hopes to not only satisfy our existing customers, but he would like to see competitive growth elsewhere as well, otherwise we would truly be falling behind to our competitors."

Ayane watched as the older man took a seat. His eyes were closed and his expression defeated as he responded. "I will make sure that will happen."

"Great! I am looking forward to seeing the report in my inbox come next Monday for review." Ayane replied with finality.

This caused Danzo's eyebrows to twitch. "But we always send our reports to Mr. Namikaze himself."

"That's a good point," Ayane replied. "Mr. Namikaze has requested that I take charge of the revisions, and to only pass it along once it has been approved. Don't worry, Mr. Nara and I will work in tandem to approve your reports."

"That's ridiculous!" One of the sales managers stood up, as he glared at the lady in anger. "You've only been with us for two weeks! What right do you have to approve our work? Do you even have experience in our field? I refuse to report to someone like you!"

Ayane was taken aback, letting her strong persona falter for a moment as she hadn't expected direct rebellion quite yet. Before she could counter though, the door to the conference room opened, drawing the attention to all eyes in the room. Everyone stood in unison as did Ayane to greet the newcomer.

"Good afternoon, sir!"

Minato stood at the door with a scowl on his face that was quite uncharacteristic of him. He couldn't help it though, as he had heard the final exchange just before entering the room.

"Do we have a problem here Ms. Higashi?" Minato asked. Though his question was directed at her, his eyes scanned the room before finally falling on the sales manager that had just spoken up.

"No sir, we were just finishing up." Ayane replied.

The frown on Minato's face didn't cease despite her reassurance. He stepped forward to stand behind the chair that was originally his assistant's, ignoring his own rightful spot at the head of the table.

"Ms. Higashi is very experienced with the cyber technology and security business in our country and around the world so I have no worries about her capabilities, and neither should you." The CEO spoke to the crowd with a charisma that was even stronger than Ayane's own. In an instant, the tension in the room had diffused and all eyes were trained respectfully onto him.

"Ms. Higashi is a direct representative of mine. I have my utmost trust in her, and anything she says, goes. Should you have an issue with that, you can take it up with me." Minato said, his words finalized, causing the room to either nod or drop their heads in submission.

"With that being said, I would like to thank you all for your hard work thus far. If you need any help whatsoever, please do not hesitate to ask as this is what your superiors are for, to help you grow in your field. Afterall, I too wouldn't have been able to get to where I am today without the help of my own mentors such as Mr. Shimura himself." The older man seemed to soften a bit, at his words.

With another one of his warm smiles, he addressed the rest of the room. "I'm looking forward to another great quarter with you all. Please continue to work hard, and thank you for supporting the company and supporting me."

Minato's smile was contagious as he thanked the members around the table. Ayane watched in awe as peoples' eyes seemed to sparkle with him around, and their own smiles returned to their faces.

She too, finally let out a breath of relief, thanking the heavens that the meeting was over and she could finally move on from the entire ordeal. A grin spread across her face as she took a quick glance at Minato and mentally sent a thank you in the CEO's direction.

The next day, Ayane arrived at work in the same manner. The click of her heels echoed in the parking lot after she had parked her Tesla in the underground parking. As she rode the elevator up to the office, she readied herself for the day, running the schedule in her mind as she went.

Due to her preoccupied thoughts, she didn't notice at first that something was wrong, but it didn't take long. Others who had joined her in the elevator had begun to stare at her in a way that attempted to be discrete, but failed. By the time she had reached her floor and Rin had greeted her with good morning and an awkward smile, she knew something was the matter.

On her guard, Ayane made her way to her desk and set her things down before knocking on Minato's door to debrief with him. It took a moment longer than usual, but eventually, his voice rang through, "come in!"

When the door was opened, she realized that Hiashi Hyuuga, the CFO of the company was standing in front of Minato's desk, a deep frown featured on his face. Shivering, Ayane turned back to Minato who also looked stressed.

"Sorry for interrupting. I just wanted to go through the day's schedule with you, but I can come back." Ayane apologized quickly.

With a quick glance at his watch, Minato spoke, "it's that time already? Wow. We'll just finish up here. Can you grab me a coffee Ayane?" When the assistant nodded, he turned to the CFO who failed to hide his discontent for the girl. "Anything for you Hiashi?"

"No, I'll be fine." His comment was cold and dismissive, sending chills down Ayane's spine.

"Thank you," Minato said, a soft smile on his face.

Ayane bowed politely and made her way to the staff lounge to grab a coffee. The day was just about to begin so the room had a few patrons, each looking for their morning breakfast and caffeine fix.

As the coffee was brewing and Ayane made her way to the snack table, she heard the hushed voices of people seated in the corner, who had barely tried to conceal their thoughts.

"That's her." One of the women said. Ayane could tell with a quick glance that they were all a bit older than her, possibly in their early 30s.

"They're right, she's gorgeous." The man said, a smile evident even from his voice alone. Ayane felt repulsed by the way she felt his eyes scanning her up and down.

"How else did you think she got her job?" The third, a woman replied in contempt. "My boyfriend works in sales. He said she was a total bitch during their meeting yesterday."

"I heard they're sleeping together." The first replied. "Her and the CEO. He even gave her the fancy car she's driving."

"Damn." The man whispered under his breath.

The entire time, Ayane held her tongue, refusing to fall to her angry impulses and defending herself. Had she been a bitch the day before? Maybe, but with the amount of eye rolling and disrespect going on, she had to stand her ground.

The only thing she hated though, was the fact that they questioned her credibility. That was exactly why she didn't want to accept the expensive gifts that Minato offered. Now that the rumours were starting, she wondered how long it would be before she would be removed from the company just when she was beginning to enjoy her time there. She began to not only worry about her job, but worry about the future of Minato's reputation and the impact on his company as well.

When the coffee was finished, she quickly grabbed the mug and filled it to the brim, adding just the slightest splash of milk to Minato's taste. She grabbed a pastry for herself and one for Minato, and hurriedly made her way out of the lounge, stopping just momentarily to glare at the table there. They turned away, as did she before the automatic door slid open and she walked back to Minato's office.

Though she was only gone for a few minutes, Hiashi was just leaving the office when she arrived. His eyes lingered on her in distaste before he walked off.

"Come in," Minato held the door open for her and his voice was as gentle as ever which made Ayane just want to break down and destress in his arms.

Walking into the modernized office, Ayane placed Minato's coffee and breakfast on the table while holding onto hers. Minato watched as she faltered slightly in her steps, something she had never done before despite the 4 inch stilettos she sported every day.

He closed the door behind them, and watched as she sat and slumped in her seat. Her usual morning energy was gone making him wonder if something was wrong. However, everything else seemed normal. His coffee was made with perfection, and as she pulled out her iPad to go over his schedule, she was productive and professional as ever. In the end, he decided that maybe his eyes were deceiving him so he let it go.

It wasn't until later on in the afternoon, after lunch, that he realized her mood had gotten even worse. He had asked her to go down to the canteen to bring him back some food, and when she returned, rather than sitting down and having lunch with him as she often did, she excused herself to go do work at her desk.

Ayane's mood had clearly continued to sour throughout the day and she looked more drained than usual. Everytime Minato talked to her, she seemed to reply in brief sentences. In fact, she seemed to avoid him almost entirely, never lingering more than necessary in his office. The CEO spent the last hour of the day wondering what had gone wrong and whether or not it was something that he did.

His thoughts were confirmed when Ayane came to his office at the end of the day at a time where she usually said her goodbyes. This time though, when she came in, she walked up to his desk and placed her palm down, leaving an object on the glass surface.

With wide eyes he stared at the key to the Tesla sitting on the table before turning up to look at her.

"Thank you for the car, Mr. Namikaze, but I decided I don't want it anymore." She spoke first. "I'm going to return this to you now. I don't want people in the company to misunderstand. You already pay me well enough, I can buy my own car."

Minato blinked once, and then twice, before he realized what she had intended. Confusion overcame him because he hadn't realized the car was a problem, in fact, it wasn't before. So why was it a problem now?

He stood up and approached the girl, who took a step backward, putting up her hands defensively to create a barrier between them. His eyes softened as the pain of her rejection was reflected in it.

"Ayane, what's the matter? This wasn't a problem before." Minato wanted really badly to reach out and caress her face or her waist, as it only seemed natural to ease whatever concerns she had, but he couldn't.

"The problem is that people are misunderstanding our relationship," she replied. "Rumours are going around the company that we are seeing each other. They think that you hired me because we are sleeping together! I don't want you to be my sugar daddy, Mr. Namikaze. So let's just leave it like that."

Minato furrowed his eyebrows. "Who is saying stuff like that?"

"I don't know!" The frustration that had built up from the entire day had suddenly combusted as Ayane lashed out unintentionally at the man. "Some people in the staff lounge, the sales team, people in the canteen. I don't know! By tomorrow everyone will know."

Minato stepped forward, using his long legs to close the distance in a mere second. His hand reached out to caress her upper arm. She tried to flinch away but he held on. "Ayane, rumours are rumours. They will happen. The important thing is though, no one really knows what happened between us and they won't. Not to mention, they're only starting this gossip because they're jealous of you."

Her warm brown eyes widened, looking up at the taller man as her guard seemed to slip a bit. "Jealous of me?"

Minato chuckled, "yes, of you. The women are jealous of your looks and of your power. The men are jealous of your experience and capabilities."

"Still," she countered though her face was tinted pink from the CEO's compliments. "I don't want these rumours around. They're not going to help in the long run with your reputation. Also, if word gets out to other companies (even if they are false), clients and stockholders will not take you seriously."

"Are you worried about me?" His smile grew wider as he took another step forward, and her backward, until finally, her back met the closed door. "Ayane, thank you for the concern. I know it's your job, but you don't need to protect me day in and day out. I'm used to this. People have been talking crap behind my back ever since I joined the company and began climbing. Afterall, I'm a 30 year old CEO of a huge company. You don't exactly get here unscathed of rumours and gossip."

"Just...let me get my own car." She placed a palm on his chest. Whether the intention was to maintain what little distance was left between them, or the feel his warmth under her fingertips, she wasn't sure. "I don't want to be dependent on you, or for others to see things the wrong way."

With a heavy sigh, Minato's grasp lightened on her arm, his form defeated. "Fine," he conceded. "But until you do, you can keep the Tesla to use. I don't want you bussing to and from work everyday."

Ayane rolled her eyes. "Minato-"

"Not to mention, I need you to pick up an important client from the airport on Friday. It's during the workday so I have a meeting to attend to before then so unfortunately I can't do it myself." Minato's voice left little room for negotiation.

Ayane too, finally let her guard down as she relaxed for the first time all day. For some reason, Minato's presence seemed to do that to her even though the problem was regarding him to begin with.

"Okay," she said. A small smile was present on her face because she truly felt that she had gotten her point across. It was easier than she had expected.

With a reassuring look, Minato stepped back. The lingering feeling of his fingers on her arm had her longing for more, but she shook the thought away. She watched as the CEO made his way to his table and turned off his own work computer. He grabbed his belongings and the car key that was left on his desk before walking back to his assistant.

"Let's go home." He suggested as he handed the key back to her. Once she had accepted it, he grabbed his jacket and turned to the door. As his hand rested on the doorknob, he turned back to the petite girl who was waiting expectantly.

"Just so you know," he said, "I hired you because you're smart, you have amazing experience, and a great work ethic. Now that I've seen how you work and what you can do, I'm even more glad that you're here."

As Minato continued to walk down the hall, Ayane quickly grabbed her stuff from her desk and stumbled after him. This time though, it wasn't her anger or anxiety that had her staggering, but his words of compliment and reassurance that made her stomach flutter.