So Hina, with some absurd sense of responsibility, vowed to follow her late father’s wish to become the CEO of the Biaz Group. Some of her siblings were explicitly hostile like Jiko, while some were not convinced but respected the late Mr. Biaz’s wish. Some didn’t care anymore as they have gotten enough share of the wealth to give up on the idea of contesting for any power in the company, and some just didn’t have any other option than to roll with it - like me.

I knew Mr. Biaz was very fond of his daughter. It’s not that she was his favourite child. I think he actually only really liked Hina and looked down upon his sons as just sons of a bitch, but maybe that said more about his wife than his sons.

But even then this was just insane. You can’t let a 19 years old girl with no work experience take charge of a company that is a pillar of this country’s defence industry. While the Biaz Group had some smaller, more specialised commercial services and products, its biggest business was in developing, manufacturing, and selling defence products. It has been like that for the past centuries, and Hina’s grandfather - Mr. Biaz’s father - was considered a national hero that funded the resistance movement during the sorry period in our history when we were once a colony.

I looked out of the car’s window to see if Hina was coming. Man, why is she taking so long? Maybe I have time for one more cigarette? But although I have known Hina since she was young it was not like I was ever an uncle figure to her or anything. She was just the daughter of my boss. Someone I should greet politely with a friendly smile when I see her, but irrelevant in my work life.

So that boss’s daughter is now my boss huh. I thought to myself and decided against having a smoke. Would not be the best first impression on her very first workday morning if she saw me casually chilling out and smoking while waiting for her.

Then the door of the mansion opened and Hina walked out accompanied by Ema, Hina’s personal assistant slash maid slash butler slash bodyguard slash tutor slash actual mother figure slash probably the only real friend slash whatever I don’t care anymore. Having been the right-hand man of Mr. Biaz for a long time, I knew of Ema well. I have seen her only a few times in the past decade or so, but I have overheard Mr. Biaz talking to her over the phone countless times as he frequently called to ask about how his daughter is doing. It seems that this Ema dressed up Hina with a rather good taste. Hina was wearing a jet black suit jacket and trousers with a pristine white shirt inside, not a blouse.

“Mr. Poob?”

“Oh please, call me Poos”

“Sorry”

“How are you today Ma’am”

“Please call me Hina”

“I can’t do that Ma’am, and the sooner you get used to it the better it is”

Hina turned around to look at Ema as if to ask what’s going on, and Ema gave an understanding nod which Hina seemed to have found reassuring without understanding.

“Ok, Poos. You are now... My chauffeur?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Among many other things”

“Like what?”

“Whatever you require, I will try my best to be of good use”

“But I have Ema for that”

“Miss”, Ema interrupted, “Please understand that there are differences between someone who runs errands for you, like little old me, and someone who will aid and guide you in your profession in the industry - like Poos” - well put Ema, although I knew that her definition of these errands was pretty broad.

“Fine. Let’s go to work then”

I just bowed my head and opened the back door of the car for her.

“I call shotgun!”, and just like that, Hina took the passenger seat in the front.

“Miss..”

As Ema was trying to correct her little girl I waved to her that it is okay. I got into the car and started to drive.

“So, what can you do?”

“What do you mean by that Ma’am?”

“Like, you were like my Dad’s henchman right?”

“Ma’am, I’m flattered you saw me as a close assistant to our late Chairman, but ‘henchman’ is not the appropriate word here”

“Hmph, but that’s what my brother said” - it could not have been Jiko, as he would have used a less kind word for me.

“Then let me put it this way - what was your job for my Dad?”

“Now, that’s a more appropriate way to put it. I did whatever Mr. Biaz requested me to do to help our operation”

“That sounds awfully like a henchman to me”

This girl is not gonna be easy to train, but if Mr. Biaz thought I should be the one, I shall be the one.

“Ma’am. We are working in a company. It is an organisation where everyone has his or her role, duty, and opportunity. Just as any good business should be, our company culture is built on meritocracy. The primary goal of any business is to make money and Mr. Biaz was extremely good at it. From your perspective, I could look like someone who ‘served’ your dear father. But if I was not useful to Mr. Biaz in achieving his business goals, like making money, he would not have kept me around. In that sense, you need to see that although there is a gap between the boss and his worker, in fact, we are working together - not FOR the boss. I have the deepest respect for Mr. Biaz and would not have minded him if he were my own father, that’s how much he meant to me - but I’ve worked for money just like any professional should do. Mr. Biaz hired me because he judged that having me around will make his business more successful than not having me around. Please understand that this is what ‘work’ and a company is. There is a fundamental difference between people hired to work at your house and people hired to work in the company”

“You make it sound all so business-like”

“Because it is”

“Well, then fill me in Mister, what business do I have today?”

“I am not your secretary”

“What are you then?”

“I’m your henchman”

That made Hina chuckle and she asked no more.