Alex's smile was more akin to a sneer, with the disdain dancing at the edge of his lips as he passed a hand over the armrest of the chair he was sitting in, and spoke:
"This seat that many are after, it is so alluring precisely because of the power it comes with. It doesn't need to beg for loyalty. Others instead have to beg for its favors."
Stopping, Alex gave Sharon a meaningful look:
"Do you know why the meeting of the board yesterday saw no drama?"
The blonde didn't even get the time to think about it. The answer came from the side, and she turned to see Lance carrying a smirk on his face:
"Because no one who climbed that high is stupid."
Alex didn't glance at him. He kept his eyes on his assistant, and continued:
"There is one bottom line no one will harm, much less my uncles, and that is harming the Group and its interests. Now, tell me, should I still worry?"
Sharon shook her head. Alex's gaze lingered on her for a moment, before he nodded, and leaned forward to return his attention to the monitor as he ordered:
"Have the archives of the Group digitized and added to the database of the system, all reports included. From the oldest to the newest documents which don't have digital copies. If needed, get a specialized team to take care of the papers that are too old and damaged. Now go, and make sure to bring all the documents that need my signature here today. I will not be at the office tomorrow."
With a deep breath, Sharon put any and all distraction to the side, and nodded:
"Understood, sir."
Having her doubts answered was already a mark of the kind of leader Alex was. Her job was already done after she had put those doubts forward. At the end of the day, she was just Alex's assistant, if things were considered neutrally, professionally. With nothing else to say, she closed her clipboard, and spun around to leave the office.
Lance glanced at Sharon's back as she closed the door, and asked Alex with a smile:
"A test?"
The task he gave had not included any restriction, leaving it up to Sharon to execute it to the best of her ability while controlling the parameters like personnel, expenses, quality, and so on. He had run enough errands for Alex to recognize a replay of his early days.
Alex only gave him a dispassionate glance:
"You said you were done with the planning I asked you to bring today."
"Cough… Yes, here it is."
It was his turn to hand over what he was holding after a cough to push his embarrassment aside. Right then, the door to the office was pushed open, and the two of them glanced over.
It was Jenny who was back, spry and glowing with energy instead of looking exhausted. With a bright smile on her lips, she skipped over to the desk.
Alex took his eyes away from her, and looked at Lance, but did not take the planning in the latter's hand. He instructed, his eyes placid:
"From now on, you will be Leyna's assistant at the logistics inspection. She will review your plan. You know what to expect if you don't do your best over there."
Lance's expression couldn't help but stagnate, before it took on a bitter hue. He really would not be able to slack off where he was being sent. He would not even be able to take it easy, not like at the top, beside Alex where the wind was cool.
He pulled back his hand, and looked at Jenny, who blinded his eyes with the sharp contrast between his dim expression and her sunny one. He couldn't help but sigh, as the bitterness grew on his face.
Jenny raised her eyebrows as they passed each other, then went to plop down on a seat across from her cousin. As he opened the door, he could hear her bright voice piercing through his fragile heart:
"Brother Third, what did you do to Lance? He looked more pitiful than usual."
And he had the misfortune of slowing down to hear the answer of his longtime friend:
"Nothing. He is just growing up. For some, it can be as painful as giving birth."
"Oh…"
His heart died with that flat expression of understanding. Dragging its ashes along, he stepped out of the office and let the door close behind him. The change in environment made him exhale involuntarily, trying to lighten his load of depression by sharing it with the air:
"Sigh…"
"What are you sighing for?"
"Ah!!"
Lance almost jumped out of his skin. He turned to the source of the unexpected voice, and felt like slapping himself for missing the human-sized presence at the side and setting up the conditions for killing himself with a cardiac arrest.
He held his chest in pain, and pointed at the blonde he had only known for less than two days, his face the foundation for a mixture of shame, grievance and frustration, and shouted in a low indignation-filled voice:
"What are you waiting here for!?"
Sharon looked at him up and down, and calmly replied:
"You. You were not done explaining things to me earlier."
"You! Sigh… Alright, let's go to your office. I still have to go down later."
With an exhale, Lance propped himself back into a less depressed form, and walked behind Sharon. Her beautiful form did the rest of the job in lightening the load in his heart, though he made sure to not look for long, and inappropriately.
When they reached their destination, Sharon went to put her clipboard down on her desk, before she turned around to sit on its edge and look at Lance.
"You told me about Alex's brothers. Can you tell me about their uncles now?"
Lance looked at her for a moment, then glanced at the sky outside, before he went to plop himself down on the sofa in the sitting area facing the desk across the office.
"Alright, since you are Alex's assistant, I will tell you so that you can protect yourself."