Hidden Talent

Hi guys...sorry, I know I didn't continue "Listen to the Heart"...I'm just out of ideas. But not for this one, cause it's another expanded short story, if you guys read the short version.

Anyways, gonna start working on it some more to keep the momentum going.

Here is the cast so far:

Amy Chan - Vivian Leung Siu Bing
Philip Cheung - Julian Cheung Chi Lam
Guest Roles:
John Wong – Nick Cheung
Liz Lam – Joyce Tang

Love you, Maniac!! Cause you always come up with the most beautiful Backgrounds for me... =) Thanks for this tip!

Chapter 1

Most people don’t believe in fate, due to the fact that they relate to all bad things as fate playing a joke on them. But for Amy, she believed that her life will be better, that is when her time has come. Her fingers danced across the keyboard as she typed away a document for her boss who is a laywer. The overbearing, chauvinistic of a man is what she and the other girls there call him. But they were better off than she was, they didn’t have to work for him. Amy’s mind began to wander as she daydreamed of a better life but reality soon took over at the annoyingly loud booming voice of her boss. “Amy!!” he cried from his office door.

She rolled her eyes before turning to him with an exaggerated grin “Yes, sir?”

“Get in here right now!” he bursted angrily.

The other girls gave her a sympathetic look but she was use to it. Sometimes she wondered how long she would be able to handle the man. “Did you need something, Mr. Lu?” she asked calmly and professionally once they were alone in his corner view office.

“What is this?” he threw her a blue file. “I mean, I told you to correct it yesterday and it still has mistakes.” He crossed his arms and glared at her with special annoyance “What do we pay you for? Making mistakes? Quite frankly, we could find plenty of those people around.” His tone was threatening and not to mention annoying.

Amy bit her tongue as she apologize “Sorry, sir. It won’t happen again. I will correct it now.” She picked it up from the corner of his desk where he threw it at her.

She turned to leave only to be hollered to again “Did I say I was done?” he barked. Amy turned but didn’t say anything, he quickly glanced at his watch “It’s almost noon. Get me some food from the café downstairs. Here…” he threw a hundred dollar bill her way “Bring me back the change. The last time I gave you a hundred, you came back with only 20 bucks. I didn’t deduct that 10 dollars you kept from your paycheck that time.”

“But, the sandwich you wanted was…” she didn’t even bother explaining as he waved her out of his office. She clenched her teeth and told herself to keep going. She returned after 30 minutes of waiting in the long line where everyone was ordering food to go. She dropped off his food and gave him the change.

Mr. Lu put his hand up indicating for her not to leave yet. He counted his change and eventually waved her away. In her mind, she was saying every nasty word she could think of. One of her co-workers shook her head “Amy, I don’t know how you can take that jerk. He doesn’t know how lucky he is that you’ve stayed for so long. All the other assistants left him within a month.” Julia, another secretary sighed “Why don’t you just stand up to him?”

Amy shook her head sadly as she returned to her tiny cubicle “I wish, then who would pay my bills and how about my apartment? My parents would have a heart attack if they knew I couldn’t keep a job.”

By the end of the day Julia’s word began to sink into Amy’s head as she daydreamed about finding a better job. Any where is better than this place. She promised herself the next time she took a day off, she would go looking for another job. Her dreams faded quickly from another beckoning “Amy!”

Julia rolled her eyes after she jumped from being startled at the man’s rude call. That man sure had a way of intimidating people. Amy got up and threw a glance at her friend before walking into his office. “Yes?” a slight tone of annoyance was easily detected. She’s had just about enough of his lip. Whatever he wanted would surely blow her over the top.

“Don’t give me that attitude.” He didn’t bother scolding as he pulled out a dry cleaning tab “You’re going home in 10 minutes right?” Amy nodded blankly, clearly wanting to get out of the place “Here, drop by the cleaners and pick up my two suits. The guy said it was ready.”

Amy sighed as she replied “Okay….” She was tired but didn’t want to stand up to him.

“Oh and can you run down and pick me up a sandwich? That lunch was not filling enough.” The old man demanded.

Amy closed her eyes as the last of her nerve was hit “Well, maybe if you chewed your food instead of inhaling it, it would sit in your stomach longer.” She snapped. Suddenly she caught herself, she didn’t realized what she just said until his eyes bulged out. “I…” she began to explain but was quickly cut off.

“What the hell did you just say?” he asked as he shook his head, unable to believe what he just heard.

“What, do you need a hearing aid now?” she snapped again. Her eyes moved away slowly and then a smile crept on her face as she realized how good it felt to talk back to him after holding it in for three years. The man raised his eyebrows as his faced turned a beet red. “Yeah, you heard me, you jerk of a boss! All you do is yell and complain. God, I feel sorry for your wife! Oh wait…” her head tilted, her face sarcastically sad “you don’t have one?”

“I could fire you right now.” He grunted, daring her to continue.

She snickered “Oh please, would you do me the honors?” she shook her head as she let the dry cleaner receipt drop to the ground “Whoops…aww….too bad. Now you have to bend over and pick it up yourself. God forbid you could dirty your precious fingers. You know what, I’m going to do something I should have done years ago.” She marched out of the office leaving the awestruck man in his seat unable to speak up. She returned with a resignation letter that she had typed up months ago, when she was ready to leave. “Here! Have fun reading. You need me to find someone to read it for you?” she asked with a smirk on her face.

“You’ll never find a better job out there!” the man growled.

Amy rolled her eyes at him “Oh please, anywhere is better than working for you. I’d rather pick up trash at the beach for 100 dollars a day!!” she cried and then stormed out. She reached her desk and only took a frame of her and her parents. She was no longer the young and innocent girl that was smiling in that picture. She was independent. She grabbed her purse and jacket while marching away with pride. Julia clapped her hands at her friend, realizing what Amy had just done. Amy nodded “We’ll keep in touch.” She smiled brightly before entering the elevator. She waved to everyone who was giving her a standing ovation. The metal doors closed and she sank back into the wall, her faced turned to worry as she knew now that she had to find a job.

She stepped out of the building feeling half relieved and half regret. What would happen to her now? Where would she live? How will she find a job so soon? She sighed as she continued walking down the crowded streets “Stupid!” she scolded herself for not having patience. ‘At least find a job before you quit!’ she told herself.

Amy began to break down in a cold sweat as she dreaded facing her parents when she would eventually run out of money and then crawl back to them for shelter. She would rather live in the streets than to come home to their disappointed faces. ‘No, I can’t…’ she pushed herself.

It wasn’t until she stopped at an unfamiliar part of the city when she didn’t recognized her surroundings. She had walked that long? She spun herself in circles and noticed the little crowd surrounding a bulletin board. She walked closer and saw a huge building behind that read ‘TVB’ with it’s logo in red, blue and green. Her eyes widened, she didn’t realize the station was so close to her old work. Why didn’t she ever visit there?

Surely, she wasn’t a star crazed maniac, but she always wondered what they looked like in real person. She walked closer to the board and saw someone posting up an advertisement. She pushed through the group of girls and read on. Some of them squealed with each other as they began dialing hysterically on their cell phone. She read it calmly but the minute she realized it was an opening for a personal assistant of Philip Cheung, the famous singer/actor that was well known to her as well as the public, her heart began to race. She quickly memorized the number where it showed to call for an interview.

Stepping away from the giggles from the girls beside her as she dialed on her cell phone the number. Amy closed her other ear as she pushed the tiny device by her ear “Hello?” she spoke into it.

The call was answered by an overly annoyed or overly tired woman’s voice “Hello?” she answered shortly.

“Hi, I was calling for the position-“ Amy was quickly cut off.

“Yeah, I know.” She snapped “Go up to the gate at the TVB station and tell the guard you are here for a screening, the code is 5467 and he’ll let you through. Go into the studio and follow the signs that lead you to Studio 5M. Then pick a number and have a seat until someone assists you. If you have any questions, you can ask those people in the red vests.” The phone went dead.

Amy pulled the cell phone from her ear as she raised an eyebrow “Looks like you’ve done this before.” She snickered and walked up to the gate where the line was forming. Amy stood behind a girl dressed in a black knee length skirt and a casual sky blue top. Her hair was twisted upward making her look very professional and classy at the same time. Amy looked at her own frumpiness as she tightened the black purse around her shoulders and pulled out a rubber band that was always in her purse. She tied her long mane back.

She looked around and noticed no one was paying attention to her. She also pulled out her pair of glasses in which she didn’t really need. They were just there for a more professional touch. It didn’t have prescription in them. She kept them after working at an Optometrist’s office where she answered the phones. Her boss had said they looked more professional when she wore them. She felt it was the perfect time to use them. Smoothing out her pinstripe pants and collar white shirt, she cursed herself for wearing such a bland outfit that day.

Soon it was her turn at the gate and before she even opened her mouth, the guard was looking tired as he waved her through. She followed the line through the studio doors and walked down the long full hallway. Amy’s head turned and followed the group of girls who looked disappointed as they walked away in tears. She saw another girl sobbing with her head glued to the floor. Amy gulped as she began to regret her choice. Maybe the interview was so horrible that the girls cried?

She had no time to think as a person at the door of Studio 5M shoved a ticket with the number 206 on there. “Have a seat.” He said repetitively.

Amy looked down at her number and then at the girls piling in as they took their random seats. She was number 206, which means 205 of the girls that have gone before her probably won’t get the job. She sat quietly and mentally prepared herself for the interview. She knew what answers they might be looking for and wondered if Philip would be doing the interview himself? She felt oddly at ease with no nerves at all, even after girls were escorted out until the room began to tone down a bit.

She waited her turn when the lady (Joyce Tang –guest role) standing in the doorway with a clipboard announced “Number 206!” she was a petite woman with a very strong voice. Amy stood up and gave the lady a bright smile as she handed her the number “Save your smile for the interviewers, honey. I’m no one special.”

Amy widened her eyes with defense “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss up.” she said sincerely.

The woman laughed loudly as she led her down the corridor “You’re funny.” She smiled “What’s your name?”

“Amy.” She replied brightly after realizing the lady wasn’t as mean as she thought.

“Nice to meet you Amy. Good luck to you.” She gave her a wink and led her through the next studio which was numbered 5N. She walked into the empty large hall with a long wooden table spread across the cemented floor. Behind were three seats with three men, they looked cruel as can be as they drilled the girl sitting in the hot seat.

Amy noticed the girl was twiddling her thumbs and looking down at the floor. One of the judges yawned as he waved the girl away. “I don’t think you’re fit for the part.”

The girl instantly cried as she got up and thanked them through sobs and walked outside. Amy’s heart began to beat fast as the judges noticed her. They waved her over as she took a seat. She felt like a prisoner being asked about how she was put in jail. She instantly recognized the name tags on one of the guys, he was the popular music producer of Philip Cheung’s last hit cd. “You’re John Wong!” Amy couldn’t help but cry out with shock. She wondered why he was doing the dirty job for Philip.

The guy (Nick Cheung- guest role) smiled at the young girl standing before him. He stood up and shook her hand “Well, it’s glad to finally feel like a celebrity. How did you know?”

Amy nodded to the other two judges, careful not to dismiss them because she recognized the producer. “Actually, I don’t know what you look like, but I do know your name.” she pointed to the little tag on his left chest.

John looked down as he smiled “Good eye.” He pointed a pen at her. “Okay, Miss..”

“Chan. Amy Chan.” She replied quickly.

He nodded with a smile “I like her.” He said to the other two interviewers with a smile.

“Why? Just because she recognized you and all the other 200 girls didn’t? Come on, Johnny don’t be so shallow. We’re here to help Philip remember?” the guy with the name tag that read Sam Chiu said with sarcasm. But there was definite humor behind his voice.

John laughed as he nodded “Okay, we have to be fair. So, Amy. What do you do?”

“I was a personal assistant to a lawyer for 3 years.” She said with a nod.

“I see. So why did you quit? Assuming that you are unemployed.”

Whatever she prepared was suddenly out the window. She didn’t expect them to get that personal. She quickly searched her mind as the judges began to look restless “Well, I thought that job was too repetitive and there was no room for advancement. I need some changes because I’m the type of person that likes to keep busy.”

John nodded with a laugh “God knows we all like change.” He muttered.

The third judge suddenly cleared his throat “Did you get along with your boss, Miss Chan?”

Amy debated on telling the truth or lying. In the end, she decided to keep half and spill half “Well, I didn’t hate him.” John burst into giggles at her answer “But honestly, I got along with him. It was very platonic, there was no emotional attachment when I left. Frankly, we all know bosses can be jerks. But then again, anyone can be a jerk. You just have to grow use to dealing with them. After a while, they become tolerable to you instead of annoying.” Her answer won nods all around.

John only tilted his head and smiled “I like her a lot.” He said honesty making Amy smile shyly.

Sam Chiu quickly pulled his partner back to reality with a loud “Ahem!” he turned to Amy with a short and curt smile “That’s great, Miss Chan. My next question is, how do you think you will handle the large amount of fans that will suddenly run up to Philip when he is in public?”

Amy smiled “I’m a very petite girl, but don’t underestimate my strength, I can beat up anyone. Even you.” She said with a teasing tone.

“I believe it.” John nodded.

“Although I can’t guarantee his safety from the mobbing fans, but I can guarantee that I will try my best to help him away to a safer place.” She spoke in her most professional voice.

“How will you handle the reporters that will harass Philip when he is out eating?” the third judge asked.

She tilted her head thoughtfully “I would ask nicely for them to leave and give Mr. Cheung time to eat before asking any questions. If they don’t leave, then I’ll call the manager of the restaurant and have the problem taken care of.”

John leaned back in his chair and clapped his hands proudly at his first pick “Congratulations, you’ve just gave the correct answer.” He leaned into the table playfully “Did you know some of the answers we got for that question was?” Amy shook her head “This girl said invite the reporter to sit down so they would not cause a commotion. I mean how stupid is that? You never want to converse with a reporter on a personal level.”

“Plus that would make the reporter feel like he/she was special and will continue to bother Mr. Cheung each time they see him. And it makes it look like he has a secret that’s why he didn’t want to cause a scene.” Amy said using her analyzing skills.

“Very good!” John nodded. He turned to the other two “Shall we?”

Sam nodded, finally smiling “You can move on to the next room where Philip will interview you personally. Whatever you do, don’t faint. We don’t want to call another ambulance.”

Amy laughed but when the three interviewers did not laugh, she knew it was serious. She dropped her jaw in shock “You mean they do faint??” she quickly shut her mouth before hiding her star struck face. “Sorry…” she apologized softly.

John shook his head “No, don’t be. Everyone gets a little star struck, even me. Go on.” He waved her through “Good luck to you. Don’t forget to thank me when you get the job!” he called after her.

Amy turned to him with a smile, but it quickly faded when she turned down another corridor. Down the hall were two men standing guard at the door. One guy put out his hand to see the number in her hand. “Go inside.” He said in a deep tone.

Chapter 2

She turned the knob and entered. She found Philip inside sitting on his leather chair with his leg propped up on the desk before him. He was looking bored. But the minute he realized he had an interview, he dropped his leg coolly and gave her a brilliant smile. Her heart fluttered, she was definitely star strucked. “Hi.” He smiled from his seat.

Amy gave him her biggest smile as she sat down in front of him. “Hi, I’m Amy.”

He reached over to shake her hand and accidentally knocked his glass of water along the reach. Amy reacted quickly to the spill as she pulled out a tissue bag from her purse and dabbed the spilled water. He smile secretly at her quick reaction. She put away the tiny bag and shook his hand “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” He said with a smile that could melt any girl’s heart. His dimple was in the most perfect position and the row of perfect teeth could easily cause anyone to be envious. “Now, Amy. What makes you think you can take on this job?” he sat back in his chair comfortably as he observed her quietly. She was very plain looking with the long hair tied behind her. The glasses were awful looking but it gave her style. He secretly wondered what she would look like with her hair down and glasses off.

“Well, I personally think I am calm in crazy situations. I am like a pharmacy, I’ve got everything you need in this purse.” She patted her big black purse.

“What is your longest job?” he asked with interest. It was not an important question, but he wanted to see how she would respond.

“Three years as a personal assistant to a lawyer.” She said.

Philip shook his head “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Amy laughed “You understand?” she was surprised.

He nodded as he leaned into the table “I use to be one until I decided to take an acting class. I tried so hard in there because I did not want to return to the law office and work for that awful man.”

She snorted “Was his name Adam Lu?”

Philip widened his eyes looking like a scared puppy “How did you know?” she raised her eyebrow and he began laughing “I’m just teasing. We didn’t work for the same guy. But we might as well have, they are all the same.” He sighed and continued on with the questions “Well, what else would make you good for this job?”

“Well, I’m very punctual.” She said proudly “And you can call me anytime of day or night and I’ll be there at your beck and call…” she faded away and realized what she wanted to ask “What will be my hours if I do get the job?”

He let out a comfortable laugh “I thought I was supposed to ask the questions?”

Her face turned to a worry wart as she shook her head vehemently “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“

He raised his hand and laughed “I was teasing. If you must know, your hours will be whenever I have to work. My personal assistant is someone that will help me with my needs. Things I do that take too much time and I don’t have the time to do. Do you mind that stuff?”

Amy recalled Mr. Lu asking her to pick up her dry cleaning and how much she despised that part of her job. “As long as its on my job description, I don’t mind doing it.” It was a typically good answer.

Philip nodded with satisfaction “There is something else though.” Amy’s face looked up seriously as he got up slowly and walked around the table. He propped himself on the edge, just inches from her crossed legs. “There are hundreds of girls that would want this job and not to mention more that would die to be in your shoes right now.” He was beginning to sound cocky but she bit her tongue so she would blurt it out. Amy only nodded in reply as she let him continue “I don’t mean to sound like a egotistical male, but I can have any woman I want out there. But I don’t chose to, you know why?” Amy shook her head “Because it causes too many controversies. This entertainment biz is very tricky, you have to give enough publicity so that you were reminded in the viewer’s heads. But not bad publicity where they will hate you.”

Amy did not understand where he was getting at but she nodded “I know.” She didn’t want to look stupid.

“You know the girl that had this job last was very distraught by the rumors that carried on for months. The reporters followed us everywhere and said that we were an item. She could not handle the pressures that’s why she gave up her job. Do you know why?” Amy shook her head innocently with her eyes big and round “I was too high maintenance.” He smiled as he bent down to her level. His face grazed her cheeks as he leaned in to whisper “My sexual drive was too high.”

It was not something she expected him to say as she pulled back suddenly “Excuse me?” she asked incredulously.

Philip laughed but he did not move away from her, he was only inches from her face “You heard me. Come on, Amy, why do you think I always have female personal assistants? Anyways, the girls are having their dreams come true when they’re with me. I give them everything they want and I buy them everything they want too.” Amy looked away in disgust. “So how about it? Would you like the job? We could start today.”

She could not take it as she reached up and slapped him clear across the face “How dare you! What do you think I am? Some kind of desperate slut? I am NOT a prostitute, so don’t you dare wave your money in my face! I do not want this job that bad.” She said haughtily and got up to leave when she heard a laugh coming from Philip. She turned with a shock look “What’s so funny?”

He clapped his hands loudly “That was great!” he rubbed his face where she slapped him “But that slap did hurt a little. Hey, but it’s worth it. I found my girl!” he said happily as he reached into his pocket and dialed a number. “Liz, I found my girl. Stop the interviews.”

“Really?” the girl on the other line asked with shock “Just over 200 girls? Why, Philip, you’re losing your touch. It took you three hundred to find me.” She joked.

Philip laughed loudly “Yeah, well she’s definitely a classic.”

“What number is she?” Liz asked with curiosity.

Philip leaned the phone away as he turned to Amy “What’s your number, sweetie?”

She looked at him blankly “206.”

“206.” He repeated into the cell phone.

The now ex-assistant was laughing “That was the girl I figured would get the job! I swear it.”

Philip laughed “Really? You and me both. See you in a bit.” He hung up the phone and turned to Amy who was looking more confused than ever. “So, when can you start?”

“Huh?” she asked looking like a lost puppy “I don’t get it. How did I get the job? I slapped you.”

He nodded “Yeah, because you slapped me. No girl dared to even think about slapping me. Can you believe there were only three girls that made it this far? All three took on my offer to be more than a personal assistant. But you…you have integrity…dignity. I like that. Actually, I’m starting to admire you right now.”

She gaped at him in shock “That was a test?!” she pouted “That was totally uncalled for!”

Philip laughed “Hey, how do you expect me to separate the bad eggs from the good? You’re the good egg, by the way.”

She rolled her eyes with an attitude that he didn’t know she had “I know that.”

He tilted his head with interest “So are you in or are you out?”

Amy sighed, know sure of what she was getting herself into “In, I guess…”

“Good! Now go outside and speak to Liz. She’ll show you the ropes.” He said.

“Who’s Liz?” Amy was confused again.

“The girl that took your number and led you through the first round.” He said matter of factly “I thought you knew.”

She shook her head “No, she said she was no one important and that I should save my smile for the real judge.”

He laughed “She’s a trip! Nope, that was my old assistant. She’s moving to Canada with her family that’s why I have to find a new one.”

“I can understand why. Who would want to be charmed by a star all day long?” she snickered.

Philip smiled “Okay, enough with the butt kissing. Go see Liz.” He brushed her aside and returned to his chair as he sat down and laughed to himself. Amy left feeling strange about the whole situation. She closed the door behind her after stealing a glance of her new boss. He was a bizarre guy. She concluded that all entertainers were that strange.

She retraced her trail and spotted John speaking to Liz. They turned to her with a large grin. “What did I tell you? Ahem…I think you’re forgetting something.” He teased Amy.

She laughed and nodded “Thank you, John.”

Liz wrinkled her forehead. “For what?”

Amy smiled “He told me that I had to thank him when I got the job.”

John nodded proudly “Yup! I had an eye for quality.”

“Whatever, I said she would make it too.” Liz snapped. She turned to Amy “Come on, you’re first job is to announce the cancellation of this interview.” She began walking away, thinking that Amy would follow instead the girl was glued to her spot “What’s wrong?” Liz asked turning back.

“I have to make an announcement?” Amy asked with fear in her voice.

Liz nodded “Of course, you have to do a lot of public appearance and you have to speak on behalf of Philip all the time. Don’t tell me you can’t do public speaking.”

“It’s not that scary. If you need help, just ask me.” John offered.

Liz rolled her eyes “Oh please, Johnny, you don’t have to hit on all the girls.”

He laughed “Nah, just this one, cause I think she has a great attitude.”

“That’s not what my last boss said.” Amy said sarcastically.

John turned to Liz and pointed to Amy “See what I mean?”

“Come on, it’s not that scary. I’ll be there.” Liz reassured her. Amy nodded in reply “Great, come on and let’s give them some bad news.” Amy followed the two to Studio 5M. Inside the girls were bustling around and chatter were spread throughout the room causing almost chaos sound “Girls have a seat!!” Liz clapped her hands to get their attention. “We have an announcement.” She turned to Amy and whispered “I did the hard part, now your turn.”

Amy cleared her throat and spoke softly “The position has been filled…” soon after she said it the crowd bursted in angry comments. She turned to John and Liz with a scared look. “I can’t do this…” she muttered and return to the group which was getting angrier by the second.

Liz patted her on the shoulder “It’s okay. It was hard for me the first time too. Just don’t let fear take over. Remember, you’re the boss.” Amy nodded but she did not budge nor did she open her mouth. Liz knew the girl was not ready yet so she helped her out “Hey!” she called out to the noisy room “On behalf of Philip, I want to thank everyone who came here today. Sorry not all of you could go through to the next round. Have a safe trip home!” she ended it quick and firm making everyone file out of the room.

Amy turned to Liz with a look of admiration “How could you stay so calm, they looked like an angry mob.”

Liz laughed “Sweetie, that’s not even half as angry as the fans that want his autograph and me pushing them away. I’ve got bruises to prove it.”

Amy widened her eyes fearfully and John scolded Liz “Don’t scare the girl! You know how long it took Philip to find her?”

She flicked an eyebrow at him but turned to Amy with a reassuring look “Don’t worry, you’ll do fine and you’ll get use to it. I can see it in your attitude. You’ll be just fine.”

Chapter 3

Suddenly, her eyes popped open and she saw the time. She was an hour late!! She looked like a mad woman racing to the bathroom as she brushed her teeth and combed her unbelievably messy hair. That must have been some sleep. There was no time for a shower as she sprayed her body full of fragrant mists called Freesia. Amy quickly changed as she stumbled to put on her black slacks and collared blue shirt on at the same time. She looked around for her purse which had her keys and everything important to her inside.

‘Maybe I dropped it outside.’ She thought to herself as she rushed out towards the living, instead she tripped over her bag on the ground. Her hands broke her fall but her right wrist was throbbing in pain at the contact with the floor. She pushed herself up and grabbed her purse and flew out the door.

When she got to the station, the guard looked at the out of breath girl with suspicion. “Do you have an appointment?”

Amy grasped her chest as it heeved up and down “I…I’m…here to…my..first….day.” she eventually leaned on her knees to catch her breath. She held up a hand for a pause, she took in one deep breath and stood up straight to explain when she heard the familiar voice.

“She’s my new assistant. But I might think twice about keeping her for long.” Philip’s voice was threatening, but his eyes had a twinkle that she did not recognize as teasing.

The guard let her through but warned her “Get a tag at the main office and this won’t happen again.”

“I will!” Amy waved happily despite her boss’s sour mood. She turned to Philip who had his hands on his hips. “I’m sorry!” she said in her defense “I was so tired yesterday that I forgot to turn on my alarm. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Philip shook his head at her “Punctual, my butt!” he laughed and walked down the hall towards the main office to get her a tag. She smiled as she skipped along behind him. When he got to the counter, he leaned on it playfully as he threw a charming smile at the receptionist “Hey, Angie can you get my assistant a tag?”

The girl smiled shyly in return “Sure.” She quickly made one for Amy and handed it to Philip.

He smiled sweetly at her as he grazed her hand purposely while grabbing on the name tag. “Thanks.” He purred. Amy noted that he was definitely a big flirt, she wondered why Liz did not mention that to her. He turned around and took the metal chain as he pulled it over Amy’s head. “There, now don’t lose it or it’ll cost you $1000.”

Amy widened her eyes “Really?”

He shook his head “No, I just like to say that to scare my assistants. It works, no one has lost one yet.” He waved for her to follow him. They walked down the halls, which were constantly full of people. She spotted a few stars but none that she cared to know.

“So, what do I do this morning?” Amy asked, ready to take on any job he had for her. She pushed the black frames into the bridge of her nose because it was slipping.

“I have a conference with the press for an hour. We’re starting production on a new movie I’ll be doing. I’m playing a doctor role, so it should be interesting.” He smiled at the thought.

Amy nodded in reply “Is that all?”

He stopped in his steps and looked at her “That’s not busy enough for you?”

She smiled “It’s not that, Liz made it seem like you were constantly running around doing new things.”

Philip shrugged as he continued down the long hall “Maybe. Well, what else did she tell you?”

“She told me everything that you liked and disliked. Things about you that I should know in front of the press.” She saw a yellow sign that red ‘wet floors’ ahead as she quickly pulled at his arm and shifted him to her right. He looked at her strangely but she pointed to the yellow sign and he nodded.

“I’m curious, what did she tell you?” Amy shrugged not knowing where to start. Instead he decided to ask specifically “What’s my favorite color?”

“Blue.” Amy answered quickly like she was taking a quiz.

“Gray.” He spoke clearly and Amy frowned in confusion, she swore that Liz told her it was Blue. “What is my favorite kind of food?”

“Sushi?” Amy answered in a question form because she was unsure now.

Philip shook his head as he opened another door leading down yet another long hallway, he let her through before answering “I can’t eat raw meat, I like good old Chinese food.” He paused before asking another question “What’s my favorite drink?”

“Beer…” she was no longer confident.

He shook his head “Red wine.”

“But she told me….” She faded away unsurely.

Philip smiled “Do you think she sabotaged you on purpose?”

Amy shook her head “No, she seemed very sincere when she was telling me. Did you do something to her that would make her lie to me?”

He laughed “Why do you assume that the problem is on my end on not hers? Can’t you think that maybe, she had fallen madly in love with me but I did not return her love so she got upset and moved to Canada abruptly, leaving me with no assistant and when I found one, she would pull this prank?”

“You’ve got some imagination, Philip.” She snickered.

“So you would believe her than your own boss?” he asked in amusement.

Amy seemed to pondering an answer “Well, I don’t see why she would lie to me and why you should either. But at least she didn’t play that horrible trick on me. I would stand on her side.” She nodded firmly.

They reached the conference room and before he opened it, he smiled “Good analyzing skills, she’s right. Everything she told you was right. Just another test.” He said casually and opened the door to let her through.

Amy smiled “I’m beginning to see a pattern.” But the minute she walked through the door, the cameras flashed from all directions blinding her. She quickly covered her eyes but the flashes appeared in everywhere. Her smile turned to fear as she turned to face Philip.

He was calm as can be as he waved for the reporters to quiet down “Hey, don’t scare her away, it’s her first day on the job.” He joked causing a ruffle of laughter ripple through the crowded room. He pointed to the front stage where a long table with microphones spread out ready to used. “Shall we start?”

Amy followed close behind and ended up standing behind him while he took the center seat. Next to him were other well dressed men that looked very important. They were probably producers and directors. She glanced down the way and spotted John at the end seat. He gave her a quick smile and nod as she returned it.

“So, fire away.” Philip said with ease as he pointed to a raised hand.

The reporter was a girl “Any reason why you were late to this conference? You’re usually on time, Mr. Cheung.”

“Please call me Philip.” He turned and looked at Amy teasingly “It seems that I overworked my new assistant yesterday leaving her exhausted that she couldn’t even wake up this morning.”

“So you had to pick her up?” the girl asked as she jotted down notes.

Amy wondered why it would be any importance but of course it was her first day in the entertainment realm “No, but I didn’t want her to be wandering down the halls of the studio getting lost. So I waited for her in the front entrance.” Philip explained.

“What a gentleman.” The girl was touched by his sweetness.

“Thanks.” He gave her a slight wink and a crooked smile that showed off his dimple “Next question.” He pointed to a young male in the back.

“What’s your next movie about?” he called out over the crowd.

This time, Philip allowed the director on his right to answer “He will be playing a role of a brain surgeon. It will be very complex due to the difficult personality and his lack of confidence. He will overcome the fear of failing with the help of his love interest.”

“Who will play that role?” the reporter continued.

Philip smiled “We have not thought about it yet. But we are starting to film today, so I guess the casting director better get a move on it.” He joked. The distinguished man next to him smiled brightly. Indeed he already had someone in mind, but didn’t want to say too much to keep the mystery going. He pointed to a girl in the front row “Yes? You had a question?”

“There were a lot of rumors about your choice in your new personal assistant, any reason why you chose her?” the girl was straightforward with her question making Amy blush from behind him.

Philip turned around and looked at Amy “My reasons are not personal nor are they favorable. I thought Miss Chan would be a great assistant because of her quickness.” He reached over his glass of water and took a sip, he let it slip from his hand as it fell towards the ground. It was saved by Amy’s quick hand as she caught it from under him. As if she did some kind of magic, the group began to clap loudly. She looked up with a strange expression wondering what she did to deserve the applaud. Philip smiled proudly “Need I say more?”

The reporter in the front smiled as she wasn’t finished “Any particular reason why you decided to fire your last assistant? Is it because of the rumors that came along after you changed her image?”

Philip frowned “I did not fire her, she had to move to Canada to be with her family. There will always be rumors about me and any female that is by my side. Isn’t that what this industry is all about? Rumors? I’m sure you all had a hand in it.” He smiled curtly but not rudely “I never changed anyone’s image, I simply commented that she should look a bit more feminine. As for Amy here, I like the fact that she’s plain. Hopefully, your articles about her won’t be as cruel as it was for Liz. I should blame Starz Magazine for that vicious article about Liz sleeping over at my house on Christmas day last year. For all you know, it was probably that article that scared her away.”

“So are you scared that Miss Chan will leave abruptly?” someone blurted out in the crowd.

Philip motioned his index finger for Amy to bend down “Why don’t you ask her yourself?” he spoke into the microphone. He shifted his seat to give Amy room to talk.

She wrinkled her eyebrows, she didn’t know what to say, but she knew it was rude if she didn’t comment. Her face was probably as red as a tomato “I…I am quite loyal to my boss if they treat me well.” The crowd erupted with laughter at her comment “I believe Philip is a great boss!” she quickly added. She pulled away from the microphone before she did anymore damage.

“I’m a great boss. In the words of my new assistant who has just started 1 hour ago!” he pointed to her and clapped his hands causing everyone to clap with him. She hated being put on the spot and she felt like they were teasing her. She could not defend herself only smile in return and nod randomly at the crowd. “Can we move on to questions about my work? This is an open conference about me.” He had a way of turning back the spotlight and Amy silently thanked him for it.

The meeting continued on for another hour until people eventually left the room, all were being escorted to the front gate. Amy lingered behind watching Philip carefully as he spoke with the director and producers. John came up behind her as he tapped on her left shoulder. She turned in that direction but heard his voice from the right “Hey, over here.”

Amy turned to her right and smiled “Hey.”

“Did someone forget to take their happy pill this morning?” John teased.

“Yeah…something like that.” She turned to him abruptly “Is it suppose to feel this uncomfortable in front of the media? Why do they ask such personal questions?”

John laughed “They will always ask personal questions because that’s their jobs. You’ll get use to it. I see you don’t like being in the spotlight.” He saw her blush earlier and wished that he could help her, but he knew she needed to learn on her own.

Amy shook her head in reply “The last time I was put on the spot I cried and ran off the stage.”

He raised his eyebrows “Wow, was it a recital for college or something?”

She laughed “God no! I would never join any type of public speaking in college. It was a play that we did in junior high. I had to say two lines but I froze and practically jumped off stage. All I heard was laughter behind me.” She sighed as she recalled the situation.

“Well, kids can be cruel.” He said casually.

“And adults.” Amy added. They both laughed as they knew it was true.

Philip waved goodbye to the director and caught some laughter behind him. He smiled as he saw John and Amy talking. He knew John was friendly and had a way of making anyone feel at ease. He walked over to them with his hands clasped behind him “Ahem.” He cleared his throat causing the two to stop laughing “Johnny, what did I tell you about flirting with my assistants?”

“That I should do it more often if it makes them more comfortable?” he joked openly with his friend.

“Very smart.” Philip quipped. “Come on Amy, we have to go now.” He turned to John “And get working on my new album. I’ll see you in a few weeks.” They were planning a meeting soon to talk about his next album.

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