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“I’m really looking forward to learning from you two. Thank you for joining us,”

While Richard stood with a face void of any emotion next to me, we were welcomed by everyone in our new team. I had never had such words of welcome or compliment showered on me like this at the start of a project before. Being called an ‘elite’ made me feel slightly uncomfortable because I wasn’t certain if I was suitable for such a title. While I felt glad yet a little unsettled, Richard seemed used to this kind of reception that we were getting.

“Thank you. I look forward to working with everyone,” I said before showing what I hoped was a very friendly smile.

While being branded as one of the ‘elites’ in the company because I had a track record of being part of Project Alpha and an active member of the CEO’s office brought many compliments, it also brought with it a whole lot of expectations. Before, I thought that there were high walls that I had to scale in order to prove myself to get promoted, to get staff on bigger and more challenging projects, and to get opportunities to come my way. Then the boss at my previous department and then Ace stepped in and gave me so many opportunities to propel my career forward.

I smiled at the team members who were beaming at us while actively trying to hide the dilemma that I had come face to face with. It felt like behind the team members gathered in front of us were walls so high like I had never ever seen before. Their expectations of me seemed endless and I wasn’t at all sure that I could meet them.

Am I supposed to climb a wall that high?

“Ace…” I whispered his name.

“What is it?” he asked as he kept his eyes glued to my face.

For a brief moment, he seemed concerned. I pursed my lips tightly together as I tried to find the right words. In the end, I just let my instinct take over.

“How do you deal with people who have such unrealistically high expectations of you?” I asked as I stared back deeply into his captivating eyes.

“Hmm…is this what you were thinking about just now?” he asked as he seemed to think about how to respond properly to my question.

“Yes…sort of…” I replied softly.

“Well, first of all, what makes you so sure that their expectations of you are ‘unrealistically high’?” he asked before he grinned at me.

“Well, I…” I mumbled as I struggled to answer his question.

“Isn’t that just your opinion of things and not the facts?” he asked in a voice so gentle that I wanted to just throw myself in his arms.

Despite what I wished to do; my body did not move from the chair that I was sitting on. Maybe I was just over thinking things and worry too much again.

“I don’t know. It just feels like they expect so much from me, and unlike Richard, I’m not sure if I can live up to their expectations,” I replied a little sadly.

“Expectations can be quite scary, I think. Instead of assuming the worst, you should work to align on what they expect of you. Maybe then you’ll find out whether or not they’re asking for too much,” Ace advised.

“I’ll try…” I mumbled although I wasn’t certain if I could do something like that.

“Don’t be scared, Rina. People are just excited to work with you and you have to get used to that. You may not realize it, but I think you’ve levelled up quite a lot during Project Alpha. The you right now, isn’t the same as the you before you joined my team,” Ace said as he reached across the table and took my hand into his.

His warm touch gave me comfort, and more importantly, it gave me courage.

“You really think so?” I asked softly.

“I do. I really think so…” he replied without any hesitation.

His steady gaze as it held mine told me that he probably wasn’t just saying it to make me feel better about myself. Ace wasn’t someone who would pay lip service and I knew that well enough.

“Thank you, Ace…” I thanked him and found that I was able to smile naturally again.

“So, why are you still here this late at night?” he asked to suddenly change the topic.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I said.

“Well, I asked you first so maybe you could start by answering my question. The project just started so I don’t know why you’re still here this late at night,” Ace asked as he gave my hand a squeeze.

“I split up some research tasks with Richard and I’ve been working on that since late in the afternoon. Before I knew it, it was already this late…” I confessed before letting out a sigh.

“Did you make good progress?” he inquired.

“I wish…” I muttered.

Even if I did make a lot of progress, I doubt that I managed to cover as much ground as Richard did. That was probably why I worked even more diligently than normal so that I would have something solid to show him in the meeting tomorrow.

“Don’t worry too much. You’re doing really well, Rina,” Ace said warmly.

I glanced up when I felt a slight weight and warmth on the top of my head. With his large hand on the top of my head, Ace smiled down into my upturned face. I never knew that Ace could look so kind just like this. Although he was just encouraging me about my work, I couldn’t stop my heart from skipping a beat. The small little butterflies in the pit of my stomach started to fluster their wings and my face felt a little warmer than usual.

--To be continued…