“What are you doing?” Neil snapped behind me.
I shut the window and swung around, hands clasped together behind me. “Nothing. Just letting some air in.”
He regarded me with narrowed eyes and pursed lips, veins popping.
I tried not to squirm or look away. What was so bad about opening a window? Jeez.
“I need you to do something for me,” he said at last. “Read this and summarise the key points.” He passed me the manilla folder he clutched in his grip.
“When do you need it done by?” I asked.
“Have it on my desk before you leave today.”
His mobile phone rang. He fished it from his suit jacket pocket and answered en route to his office.
I set the chunky file on my desk and opened it.
A few hours later, I had typed up a document of notes, printed it out, and stapled the neat stack together. At the same moment I stood to deliver it to him, Neil came out of his office. I presented it to him.
“Done already?” He furrowed his brow as he flicked through the document. “What is this?”
“Um, the summary you asked me to write.”
He frowned. “Summary? This isn’t a summary. I wanted a one-pager, not an essay.”
“Actually, you didn’t specify—”
He flicked to the back page and snickered. “You even included endnotes.”
“I thought—”
He slammed the paper down on the desk, making me flinch. “This is the business world, Amelia, not school. You might be able to impress a teacher with this, but not me. My associates are busy people. I can’t expect them to sit and read a two thousand word essay. They need bullet points. They need information in a way that’s concise and easily digestible. Can you do that?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“Good.” He tossed the document in the bin. “Now redo it.”
I cringed. I had spent so long writing that summary. It was perfect in my eyes. But not his.
After getting what he came out for, Neil returned to his office. I slumped into my chair in defeat. Now to start all over again. Ugh.
I had never been told off at work before. I was only used to praise. And now, Neil Kingston had scolded me twice in one day. It was confronting, but also strangely exhilarating. My heart was pounding.