Over the next forty minutes, Luca led Jessica through most of the building.
Starting from the executive office area on the 42nd floor, we went down.
Research and Development Department, Marketing Department, Legal Department, Public Relations Department.
At each department, Luca would give a brief introduction in one or two sentences and then observe Jessica's reaction.
He looked very carefully.
As Jessica passed the R&D department, she slowed her pace and lingered on the experimental equipment for a long time.
As she passed the security center, her eyes quickly scanned the model markings of the access control system.
This is unusual, since an administrative assistant shouldn't need to pay attention to this kind of thing.
This further convinced Luca that Jessica was a spy.
Moreover, with all these details combined, the answer is already obvious.
But Luca showed no emotion on his face.
He even stopped and chatted with a blonde female employee for a few minutes as he passed by the marketing department.
During this time, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Jessica was looking at the location of the fire escape at the end of the corridor.
Is this for confirming escape routes?
Okay, that's typical spy behavior.
It's getting more and more interesting.
Miss Jones.
Luca stopped in front of his office, swiped his card, and pushed the door open.
"The last stop. Your main work area from now on."
The door opened.
Luca's office occupies half a floor.
The floor-to-ceiling windows face the Pacific Ocean, and sunlight floods the room.
That office yesterday was just for recruitment.
This is where Luca usually works.
The desk was clean, with only a computer and a small tray holding a bottle of whiskey.
To the right is a huge bookshelf, crammed with all sorts of technical journals and patent documents.
There is a sofa on the left, next to a small bar.
Jessica looked around and finally fixed her gaze on Luca.
"I have to say, this place is huge," she said.
"Thank you, I think so too."
Damn, that's so ambiguous.
Jessica rolled her eyes and decided not to engage.
Luca went around to the back of the desk and sat down, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up on the table.
"Alright, that concludes the formal tour. Now let's get down to business."
"Pepper should have already told you about your daily work: schedule management, document organization, meeting minutes, and business trip arrangements."
"I understand." Jessica nodded.
"That's good, but that's basic work."
Luca picked up the red wine from the table and poured himself a glass.
"But since you're my personal assistant, you should have some... tasks beyond your basic duties."
Jessica's smile remained unchanged, but her body involuntarily tensed up.
For example?
"For example..." Luca stood up, holding his wine glass, walked around the desk, and slowly approached her.
Luca was more than ten centimeters taller than her, and from this angle, his expression had a condescending, playful air about him.
"We just finished patrolling, and my shoulders are a bit sore now."
"What?"
"I said." Luca turned and sat on the sofa, placed his wine glass on the coffee table, and leaned back.
"My shoulders are sore. I need a massage."
Jessica paused for a moment.
Fuck! He wants me to give him a massage?!
"Mr. Stark, this is outside my scope of work."
"Your work scope is defined by me."
"My contract states I'm a personal assistant."
"The contract also lists other reasonable work tasks assigned by the immediate supervisor. Page four, Article seven, second to last line. You should have seen it yesterday."
Jessica remained silent; she was speechless.
Yes, she did see it.
Moreover, she knew that such a clause was a legal gray area.
If the matter goes to court, the employee can argue that it is not within the scope of reasonableness.
The problem is, she can't take it to court.
What a joke! Even his real name is fake. Going to court would be a joke!
Luca observed the changes in her expression and gained a sense of what was going on.
When an ordinary female employee is made this request by her boss, her normal reaction should be anger or fear.
But Jessica's first reaction was not emotional fluctuation, but rather thinking and calculating.
This shows that she is weighing the pros and cons.
"If you feel this job isn't right for you..."
Luca picked up his glass, took a sip, and said lazily.
"The door's over there. The password is the door you used when you came in; you should remember the way. Handle your resignation paperwork with HR; Pepper will help you."
Jessica stood still, trying to remain calm.
Are you really leaving?
First day at work, leaving before even starting any tasks?
What should I say to the contact person when I get back?
"Report: The target asked me to massage his shoulders, but I refused, so I withdrew."
???
She could imagine the contact's expression when he heard that.
"There is no room for failure."
But if we stay...
It's just a shoulder; I was just massaging her shoulder, not doing anything to her.
Right?
She received training in combat, infiltration, and counter-interrogation.
At seventeen, she could lie in the snow at minus twenty degrees Celsius for six hours to monitor her target.
So, what's so special about a shoulder massage?
But... she had never been with a man.
Of course, the pushing, shoving, and choking during missions, which she had done countless times, are not included in this count.
Rather, it's this kind of close physical contact that carries an ambiguous connotation.
Damn it, she hasn't even had her first kiss yet.
The organization has trained top-notch agents for so many years; they are proficient in combat and skilled in all kinds of martial arts.
The only thing I never taught her was how to deal with a Playboy asking her to massage his shoulders.
" Miss Jones?" Luca's voice rang out again.
"Are you alright? Or are you already mentally navigating to the nearest subway station?"
Jessica took a deep breath.
"Sorry, I'm fine."
She walked over and placed her briefcase on the coffee table.
Then he stood behind the sofa, stretched out his hands, and put them on Luca's shoulders.
Through the fabric of the shirt, she could feel the muscles underneath.
Wait, why is it so hard?!
What kind of constitution does this person have? What are the effects of the Super Soldier Serum?
Or something else?
Jessica pressed the button while rapidly analyzing the information transmitted back after the touch.
These things are more direct than the results of any instrument scan.
The contact person needed this kind of firsthand intelligence.
But how to put it, her ears were burning.
Damn Luca Stark!
Why do I have to do this?!
"You can apply a little more pressure," Luca with his eyes closed, his tone like someone giving a spa treatment.
"You've been trained, haven't you? Your technique is quite professional."
"I studied a little about sports rehabilitation in college," Jessica lied without batting an eye.
"Sports rehabilitation?" Luca chuckled.
"I didn't see this item on your flawless resume."
Extracurricular activities should not be included in a resume.
"Really? You have quite a lot of extracurricular activities."
Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open.
" Luca, the materials for that meeting at 11 o'clock..."
Yinsen walked in carrying a stack of documents, looked up and saw the scene on the sofa, and froze.
His boss was leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed, and a dark-haired woman was standing behind him, massaging his shoulders.
Yinsen adjusted his glasses, his expression going through three phases.
Confusion, understanding, and then regret for why I pushed open that door at this particular time.
"Um... sorry to bother you."
Yinsen turned to leave.
"Don't run, Yinsen." Luca opened his eyes and said with a smile.
"Come in."
Yinsen froze at the doorway, his grip on the folder tightening.
He quickly prepared himself mentally.
I am an adult, and I am a medical doctor.
I've performed open-chest surgery in caves in Afghanistan; such scenes shouldn't make me uncomfortable.
The problem is that having surgery and witnessing your boss being massaged by a woman are two social incidents of completely different magnitudes.
" Yinsen, come here."
Luca waved, his smile gentle.
"Let me introduce it to you."
Yinsen forced himself to walk in, his eyes fixed on the documents in his hands, not daring to glance at the sofa even once.
"This is Jessica Jones, my new assistant. Jones, and this is Dr. Yinsen, the lead researcher in our biology lab, and the man who saved my brother's life in Afghanistan."
Jessica's eyes flashed, and she nodded politely.
" Dr. Yinsen, hello."
Yinsen finally raised his head and managed a forced smile.
"Hello, Miss Jones. Welcome to Stark Industries."
Then, he quickly placed the file on his desk, as if afraid of getting burned.
"The meeting materials are here, I'll go first..."
" Yinsen," Luca called out to him.
"Hmm?"
"You're blushing."
Yinsen's face immediately went from slightly flushed to bright red.
"No. This is... this is facial vasodilation caused by the high temperature in the lab. It's a perfectly normal physiological reaction and has absolutely nothing to do with the current situation."
Luca suppressed a laugh and didn't expose him.
"Alright, Dr. Yinsen. Your physiological response is very professional. Go back and continue with your facial vasodilators."
Yinsen felt as if he had been granted a pardon and turned to walk towards the door.
As he reached the door, he glanced back at Luca, then said nothing more.
The door closed a little harder than usual.
Jessica noticed Yinsen's last glance.
This person is not a threat.
A typical scientific researcher, introverted, with virtually no social skills.
But Luca clearly trusts him.
"Your researcher?" Jessica asked.
"That's just how he is."
Luca stood up from the sofa and stretched his shoulders.
"Extremely intelligent, but socially awkward. However, not a bad person at heart."
Luca walked back to his desk, sat down, and flipped through the files Yinsen had just put down.
"Not bad. The technique deserves an 8 out of 10."
Jessica paused for a moment.
"Thank you. What are the two points deducted?"
"Your hands are shaking."
Jessica was taken aback.
It was a very small detail, but Luca noticed it.
This guy did it on purpose.
From beginning to end, from the inexplicable massage request to the current review, everything was a purposeful probing.
She took a deep breath, and a perfectly timed smile returned to her lips.
"I was probably a little nervous, probably because it was my first day at work."
"Probably." Luca didn't press further; his gaze was already fixed on the document.
"Okay, first go through the materials for the 11 o'clock meeting for me and mark the key points."
Jessica sat down in the chair opposite him and took the documents.
Luca sat in a swivel chair, holding the materials for the eleven o'clock meeting.
But only 20% of his attention was on the documents; the remaining 80% was on the woman in front of him.
Jessica's speed in organizing the files was unreasonably fast.
The way she used a highlighter to mark important points didn't seem like that of an administrative assistant.
She knows what's important.
An assistant on their first day shouldn't know these things.
Luca mentally raised her spiest assessment of her from 95% to 99%.
The remaining one percent.
This leaves room for the low-probability possibility that an ordinary person in this world might actually have a perfect resume, exceptional abilities, extraordinary physical abilities, and just happen to be applying for an assistant position.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
He knew this game all too well.
You know who she is, but she doesn't know you do.
This is your biggest trump card.
The more eager you are to flip your cards, the lower your chances of winning.
Take your time.
He made her think he was infiltrating her, but in reality, she was in his grasp.
"Where is the meeting room at 11 o'clock?" Jessica's words interrupted his thoughts.
"Thirty-eighth floor, Area B conference room."
"Do I need to prepare in advance?"
"No need. You can come with me."
Luca stood up, picked up the folder, and turned back as he walked to the door.
"Oh, by the way, Miss Jones."
"What?"
"Wear a bright-colored outfit tomorrow. I'm not kidding."
He pushed open the door and went out.
Jessica sat in the chair, staring blankly as his figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.
This guy is much tougher to deal with than described in the files.
But a mission is a mission; there is no other choice.
She stood up, grabbed her briefcase, and followed him.