CHAPTER 58: BANK (7)

"Make some for me too," Adam said. "I was also at the bank since morning and I haven’t eaten."

The manager said happily "Of course director. Is all the work of the bank completed for today?"

Just then Kim, the manager and Adam’s eyes fell on Maria. She was still standing awkwardly by the door. She looked completely lost.

"You can sit down," Adam told her his voice now a little softer. "We still have a long discussion ahead of us. You have to understand everything about your new role."

Maria was very nervous. She looked at Adam. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. "But sir I don’t have any experience of anything," she said her voice trembling a little.

"Then why are you giving me such a big opportunity? I have only just met you for the first time."

Maria was very shocked. She was also incredibly surprised.

Until yesterday she had been unemployed. She had been doing a low-paying part-time job just to meet her basic household expenses.

But that was not nearly enough for her.

But then suddenly she had come to know about a job interview. It was for a new bank opening in the city. She had gone for the interview with very low expectations.

Maria did not even know how her interview had gone.

She had been so nervous she had barely been able to speak. But in the next few hours she had received a call telling her that she had got the job.

After which her life process changed very quickly. The very next day she had come to work in the bank.

But as soon as the bank had opened she had gotten an even bigger surprise. When the mysterious young owner of the bank himself had taken her away. He had given her a new position.

That too in an oil company. A crude oil company. And not just any position. The position of a CEO. She could not believe her ears. She felt that she was still sleeping.

That she was dreaming. Although she was feeling an incredible sense of excitement. But at the same time she was also very worried. She did not know how she would be able to fulfill such a big challenge.

And she was terrified of what would happen if she failed. The fall from such a great height would be devastating.

Adam smiled a calm reassuring smile. "Maria first sit down here comfortably," he said his voice now gentle.

"And take a few deep breaths. And why are you worried? Every human being does everything for the first time at some point in their life."

"This is also the first time for you. And don’t take too much pressure on yourself. You don’t need to do anything perfectly. If you make a mistake the manager Kim is here to help. Andrew is here to help. I am here to help."

"There are many people to support you. And anyway I will not send you to Solo City alone. I will send Andrew with you. Although he might seem a little unfriendly from the outside he is a very easy-going person. So don’t you worry. We have a lot of work to do now. You should prepare yourself for the challenge."

After hearing these comforting words Maria sat down on the floor at a short distance from Adam. She felt a little better.

The manager brought the food he had cooked and placed it in front of Adam and Maria. Maria raised her hand in refusal. "No sir I’m not hungry," she said.

The manager Kim looked at her with a stern but fatherly expression. "Eat," he said simply. "You have a lot of work to do. You will need your strength." Maria shyly thanked them and started to eat.

While they were eating the manager looked at Adam and then at Maria. He started to explain the situation. "I have done almost everything in Solo City," he said.

"The land is ours. The permits are in progress. I have also paid extra money for the installation and construction work to be done as soon as possible. I paid them in cash. So that we don’t have to mess with any unnecessary legal things for now." He then looked at Maria. "You have to monitor the initial process of the oil exploration," he said.

"You don’t have to do much of the technical work yourself. There will be many teams of experts under you. Which Andrew will put together for you. And don’t you ever doubt his capability. He is a very skilled human resource manager." Maria nodded her head while eating.

She was starting to feel a little more confident.

Just then Adam looked at Maria again. His expression was serious now. "Maria whatever you do do it from your heart," he said.

"Do whatever you feel is good in your heart. You leave all the worry of money to me. If there is a loss tell me immediately. I will handle it. Your target for now is not to build a profitable business."

"Your target is to earn a name. Do you understand? This means that even if you have to give oil away for free to build goodwill and establish our brand then you do it. But you must definitely make a name for yourself. For our company. This is all I expect from you for now." Maria also nodded her head understanding Adam’s words.

It was a strange business strategy but she was starting to understand his vision.

Adam then looked at the manager Kim. "Manager your work in Solo City is completed for now," he said. "So you should rest for a day. You have earned it. But I have more tasks for you."

The manager was even more surprised to hear this. He was exhausted. But he was also energized. "You are right," he said.

"But not for a day. I will just recharge myself with a few hours of sleep. And whatever work you have you can explain that work to me when I wake up in the evening." Saying this he finished his food.

He put his empty plate back in the kitchen.

He washed it and then without another word he went into Adam’s small bedroom to get some rest.

Adam shouted after him "Go and sleep at your own house. Not at my house." But the manager just closed the bedroom door.

The click of the latch echoed in the small apartment. Seeing this Adam was very frustrated. He had just lost his only bedroom.

Just then Adam’s eyes fell on Maria. She was still sitting on the floor where he had left her. She was staring into space thinking something.

Her earlier nervousness seemed to have been replaced by a quiet determination.

"Maria we have to start the work as soon as possible," Adam said his voice now back to its usual business-like tone.

"You need to go to Andrew right now. He is at bank. And take him with you to Solo City."

After saying this Adam stood up. He went to a small closet in the corner of the room. He took out a small unassuming backpack and gave it to Maria. Maria was a little surprised by this.

"This bag has some initial money for you," Adam said.

"Cash. Which you will need for the initial functionality of your new company. For expenses that need to be paid off the books."

Maria took the bag. She opened the main compartment. She saw that it was filled with many bundles of money. So many that she could not even count them all.

Maria just remained standing in her place after seeing this. She had never seen so much cash in her entire life. She looked at Adam with fear in her eyes.

"Sir is it safe to take this bag in public like this?" she asked her voice a whisper.

Adam just smiled a calm confident smile. "Don’t worry," he said.

"If you don’t show on your face that there is something important in this bag then no one will ever know. And even if they do come to know, what will people do? Such thefts don’t happen in broad daylight in our city. The police are very efficient. Yes but I am a little scared for you at night. So be careful."

After hearing this Maria just nodded her head. She slung the backpack over her shoulder. She said goodbye to Adam and left from there.

Adam saw Maria leaving.

The apartment was finally quiet. He was alone again. "Now I should also get some rest," he said to himself.

He was tired.