Chapter Text
Jane was hurriedly rushing around her apartment. Her long term boyfriend since high school, Micheal Weather, watched from his perch on the kitchen counter as Jane struggled to pull her loafers on while reaching for her bag. “What is this?” he asked, pretending to think for a moment before continuing. “The fifteenth interview this month?”
Jane placed a quick kiss on Micheal’s cheek before answering. “So glad you’re keeping count.” She quickly scooped up her keys and waved goodbye. She was officially off to her latest interview.
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A young man with black and white hair marched through the halls. “Scrap that.” “Hold this.” “Where are the sketches?” “Get out of my way, imbeciles." he barked at employees as he passed. Just as he was about to confront a random guy who looked not nearly busy enough, a hand landed on his shoulder.
“Carlos, I was looking for you.” Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Carlos sighed. “What is it now, Artie?” The two of them now walked side by side down the hall. “Cruella was just wondering where the sketches for her dress are.” The older man informed.
“I was just about to ask the second assistant, ms. whateverhernameis, about that. It’s her job to get them. Not mine.”
Artie’s eyebrows raised at that. “You don’t know?” He asked. “Cruella fired her two days ago.” Upon hearing that, Carlos barely batted an eye. “Oh and suddenly it's my job to take attendance of everyone who comes to the office.” With a fond eye roll and a snort, Artie hands over a file. “No. but it is your job to interview the latest applicant.”
Before Carlos can protest, Artie is already walking away. Accepting his fate, Carlos begrudgingly flips through the manilla folder. He didn’t read any of it, of course, but it made it look like he was doing something. The young man barely registered the ding of the elevator.
Jane already got extremely overwhelmed from the interaction she had in the lobby with the secretary so naturally when she stepped out of the elevator to the main floor, it felt like a whole new world. After taking in all the movement around her, she quietly crept up to a guy with white hair sitting at a desk. “Excuse me.”
He sat unbothered without looking up for another few seconds. Jane thought he must not have heard her. She was about to ask again when all of a sudden he looked up. “Save your breath. I heard you the first time.” He was British, and looked beyond unimpressed with everything. “Do you have an appointment?”
Jane clumsily tucked her bag beneath her arm so she could hold out a hand for him to shake. “Um, yes, I’m here for the assistant’s position. Well, the interview.” Instead of taking the offered hand, the stranger gave her a slow and extremely judgmental once over. “Oh, you must be lost.” There was almost a hint of a laugh in his tone, which she chose to ignore.
Carlos was on the verge of either laughing or pulling his hair out. First he’s stuck finding a new assistant and now there's some fashionably challenged woman sticking her hand in his face. Before he could tell her to get lost, his phone dinged. With a jolt he stood up. “Everybody! She’s coming!” All of those who were milling around quickly got busy and headed to their stations. “Sorry, who’s coming?” The grubby girl asked as he hurriedly tried to organize himself.
Stopping what he was doing, he looked at her almost as if he forgot she was here. He looked around to his left and then his right. Cruella needed an assistant now and so this girl would have to do. “You said you were here for the job? Congratulations, you’re hired.”
Jane could hardly process what this guy just said and before she could thank him, she was being dragged by the wrist to a desk that was across from his. “You. stay here. Cruella is coming and she expects everyone to be productive.” Setting her bag down and swiveling to face her computer, she looked back up and the now retreating man who hired her. “My name’s Jane, by the way.”
“Your name could be DewFord Dingus Duck and I still wouldn’t care.”
Offended, Jane let out a sharp gasp. Just as she was about to say something, the elevator dinged and a lavish woman with black and white hair and a long fur coat stepped out. “Carlos, get Deavor on the phone. Push my lunch meeting with Madame Leota back an hour. And I want Mode’s sketches on my desk when I get back.” The woman, who Jane assumed must be Cruella, ordered before throwing her coat and bag at her.
A man in a velvet suit trailed behind her. When he saw the look of confusion on Jane’s face, he leaned in. “she means you.” He quietly informed. Once Jane put two and two together and saw the look of urgency being shot at her from the guy at the desk across from her, she began hanging up the coat and bag.
After struggling to fit the large fluffy thing into the coat closet, Cruella could be heard in her office. “Where is my coffee?”
Carlos’ head shot up at the newbie. “Did you not get her coffee?” he whisper shouted. “I was just hired. How was I supposed to know to get her coffee?” With a huff, Carlos pushed himself up from his desk and stormed over to Jane. “You’re a De’Vil girl now. You’re just supposed to know these things.” He angrily scribbled Cruella’s drink order on a post-it before shoving it toward her. The new girl just stared at it. “Hello? Don’t just sit there gawking at it like a sack of potatoes, go get the coffee.”
With a hurried nod, Jane took the small piece of paper from his hand and rushed to put her coat on. After watching her struggle to put on the out-of-style trench, one of Carlos’ eyes visibly twitched. “Just leave the coat!” With a yelp, Jane did as told and threw the coat down on her chair before running out to get her new boss a coffee.
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“Artie, darling, do you have that spread from the old fall collection? I want to compare it to this year's winter line.” Cruella tapped her cigarette over a trash bin before continuing. “You know we can’t afford an accidental runway repeat.” Just as Artie was about to speak, a knock resounded in the large office.
“Excuse me.” A girl in an unfortunate powder blue sweater interrupted. “I have your coffee.”
Cruella looked at the girl before looking over at Artie. “Who the hell is that?” The man just sighed. “That’s the new assistant. She was hired this morning. Her name is Jane.” Upon hearing her name, Jane gave them a small wave.
“What happened to, um, whatever her name was?” The woman asked as she waved her hand around in a circular motion, trying to remember the previous girl's name. “You fired her.” Artie notified. “Huh. and, who in their right mind hired this one?” Before he could answer, Carlos stepped in.
“So sorry about the interruption, Cruella.” He apologized with a sugar sweet smile. “It won’t happen again.”
Just as Carlos began to drag Jane out, Cruella stopped them. “Wait.” Both assistants stopped dead in their tracks. “Come back here.” She crooked a finger at Jane to beckon her closer. Once she did as told and was now just a couple feet in front of her, Cruella simply looked her up and down. Slowly.
Waving her off, Cruella gave her a curt. “That’s all.”
Jane would’ve asked what she meant by that but before she could say anything, Carlos quickly dragged her out of there.
“What was that about?” The brunette asked as soon as the door closed behind them. Carlos looked like he was about to snap the pencil that he had in his hand. “Listen,” He started. “If you’re going to work here, you must act the part. Looking the part helps too but I’m not sure all of this,” He paused to motion at her general being. “Can be salvaged.”
Taking offence, Jane furrowed her brows at him. “That was rude. What’s so wrong with my outfit?”
Carlos turned back to gawk at her, looking like he wanted to blow his brains out. Before he could begin listing what was wrong, a tall man in a flat cap turned the corner with a rack of dresses. Obviously heading to Cruella's office. He stopped before entering. “Bloody hell. Are those cable knit tights?” He commented, gesturing down to Jane’s legs. “Didn’t know people still wore those.”
Carlos just barked out a laugh. “Oh, people still wear them. It’s just usually those people are five year old girls whose mothers dressed them for holiday photos.” The man in the hat gave him a high five before pushing through the door to Cruella's office.
“I suggest you get to work.”
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“Oh, those people are unbearable!” Jane griped, struggling to kick off her shoes and pull off her tights. Her first day had been so long and draining, so naturally the second she got home she had to relay every single detail to her boyfriend.
She had mentioned everything; her boss throwing things at her, the snarky remarks, and the incredibly mean first assistant.
“So quit.” Micheal offered once she was done explaining how horrid it was to work there. “I mean, everybody there sounds like the devil so I think it’s best if you- what are you doing?” His train of thought was interrupted when he saw Jane throwing her tights in the trash.
“Throwing these things away.” she said simply. “I told you what they said about them, right?”
Micheal shoveled another bite of mac ‘n cheese into his mouth as he nodded a confirmation. “Well, yes. You did.” He said after swallowing. “But when have you ever cared how you look?”
Shooting him a look, Jane sighed. “Thanks, babe, that makes me feel so much better.” she flopped down on the murphy bed that was in the middle of their living room. “You don’t understand. Every girl who works there is like a super model. They’re all tall, and thin, and fashionable.”
Micheal was too focused on his bowl of mac n cheese to notice just how distraught Jane really was. “Oh yeah? How about that Carlos guy? Does he look like Vannessa’s Secret model?” He asked, snickering at the thought. From what he’s heard, Carlos sounds like a very unattractive guy. Of course all he knows about him is that he’s mean and judgy.
“Well,” Jane began. Micheals attention peaked when his girlfriend didn’t immediately confirm that her coworker was ugly. “Well?” He prompted her to continue that thought. “Well, when he’s not trying to kill you with his eyes, he is also fairly attractive. But he’s mostly just an asshole.”
“Mm yeah that really sucks.” He mumbled as he looked back down at his food. “I really do think you should quit if you hate it there so much.”
Jane was on the verge of agreeing with him before she perked up. “No.” Micheal quirked a brow at her. “I won’t quit. Because that’s what they want. They want to see me give in. because then I would be proving them right. And I won’t give them that satisfaction.” Shaking his head, Micheal gave her a look. “Im pretty sure that's not a thing.”
Ignoring him, Jane got ready for bed. “Starting tomorrow, I am going to work ten times harder and prove that I am the right girl for this job.”