*DISCLAIMER* I DO NOT own The Phantom of the Opera, its storyline, or its characters. Please R&R.
I went back to work and finished everything that I needed to do today. It was about 4:45 when I looked up at the clock and still no sign of Centola. I suppressed the small grin that was trying to form on my face and continued to watch Erik pace back and forth in the middle of the waiting area. He looked over his shoulder and caught me watching him, I smiled and went straight back to work before giving him a reason to get on my case.
About 15 minutes later, the devil herself finally showed up with a folder in her hand. Erik quickly walked over to her and took the folder from her hands. "Come into my office so that we may look this over. Christine you too," he said as he made his way back to his office with Centola and I in tow.
Erik had an obvious frown on his face as he overlooked the documents that Centola had given him. What the hell is this piece of crap? This looks like something I would have barfed up, my freshman year of college. Erik looked up from the documents, giving Centola a foul look. "What the hell is this? This is complete trash in comparison to the pamphlets you supposedly made yesterday. Did you make the pamphlets," he asked. Centola looked at Erik with big buggy eyes. "I… I, uh." Erik looked up, a threatening look on his face. "DID YOU, OR DID YOU NOT MAKE THE PAMPHLETS," he spat at her.
Centola shook her head and Erik jolted up out of his seat. I can't even believe that I thought for a moment that Christine would ever purposely miss a meeting or worse, not complete an assignment for me. I owe her such a big apology. "Centola, I am suspending you from all of your committee duties until further notice. You are not to set foot on the premises until I contact you and tell you that you may do so. Before you leave, I want you to apologize to Christine."
Centola looked over at Christine. "I am sorry," she said as she gathered her things. She grabbed all of her stuff and walked to the door. Without looking back, she stepped out of the office and slammed the door shut behind her.
Once Centola walked out of the office, Erik had a new worry on his mind. I asked Centola to complete the assignment as a test. I didn't even bother to have a back up knowing that there was a high chance that she wouldn't complete it! Erik was beginning to grow anxious as he noticed the time on the clock was 5:15pm and he had promised to turn everything in by five.
Christine must have noticed the flustered look overcoming her boss's face. "Erik, is everything okay," she asked. Erik looked up at her with a worried look on his face. "I actually do need to turn a report in and I was supposed to do it 15 minutes ago. What on earth am I going to do now?!"
Erik noticed a huge grin span across Christine's lips. "What on earth could be so funny, Christine," he asked sternly. Christine walked out of the office laughing. Her laugh faded momentarily as she walked further and further away. Soon, the sound of her laughter came into reach again. She stepped back into the office, bearing a folder full of papers. "Here," she said.
Erik took the folder from her and looked through the papers. He looked up at her, a look of disbelief plastered on his face. "I knew deep, deep down inside that there was no way Centola could pull the assignment off. So, I made sure I completed one on the side just in case," said Christine with a big grin on her face.
Before he knew it, Erik was up and out of his seat and making his way towards Christine. Without even realizing it, he gave Christine a big hug, picked her up, and spun her around. He quickly snapped back to reality and put her down. "I am sorry, I think I just got a little bit too excited," he said as a hue of red began to become noticable on his face. At least the side of his face that was visible.
Christine giggled. "It's quite alright, I'm happy to help in any way I can," she replied. Erik quickly straightened up and went to take his seat once again. Erik motioned for Christine to take a seat. "Christine, you have proven yourself to be a great assistant. I must admit that I was a little hesitant to hire an intern assistant straight out of college, but you have proven yourself to be more than competent and ready for the position at hand. So, I want you to know that if you want to be my permanent assistant after graduation… the position is all yours. I do hope you agree to stay and grow within the company," said Erik.
A big smile spread across Christine's face. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you," she yelled in excitement. Erik smiled at her, and started to type something on his keyboard. As he was looking at his screen he looked towards Christine for a little bit. "With that being said, I would like to increase your salary to a number that I am sure shall meet your expectations," he said as he wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
Christine looked down at the number written on the post-it note. "Oh, Erik! This is more than enough, thank you so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate this." Erik smiled at her and sat a little further back in his seat. "You deserve it. It is my appreciation for your hard work and dedication, not only to me but to the company as a whole," he said.
Christine was out of words to say. Erik looked at his clock and noticed the time was well overdue for them both to be headed home. "Christine, why don't you head on home. You've done more than enough for today," he said. Christine quickly gathered her things and got up to leave. "Have a nice night Christine, I'll see you tomorrow," said Erik. "Goodnight, Erik," said Christine before walking out of the office. Erik hadn't noticed but Christine had the biggest smile on her face, the first time she smiled after her mother passed.