Illusiveone
patreon
217: Redoing my Life, A Day in the Life of a Personal Assistant
🕑 Added 2025-06-18 16:30:20 +0000 UTCJulie Chen, Daniel Adler’s personal assistant, waited for her usual two coffees at the busy café across the street from the Midas offices. It was early, but not unusually so—Daniel liked starting his days around 9:00 when there wasn’t anything major going on, and Julie always made sure she had at least forty-five minutes at her desk beforehand. She’d been doing this for five years, ever since she accepted the job as PA to a then-teenaged Daniel Adler.
At first, it had felt like a gamble. Julie hadn’t moved to L.A. to work in the entertainment industry; her original plan was something in tech—maybe venture capital or operations at a fast-scaling startup. But a mutual friend had pointed her toward work as a PA when she came up short finding a job. She hadn’t expected much—maybe a year, something to pay the bills.
Five years later, she was still there—and honestly? It had been worth it. Watching Daniel rocket through Hollywood had been something she hadn’t foreseen when she first came to work for him, but as it happened, she’d found herself adapting too. Her ambitions had reshaped around the chaos of the business. She was damn good at her job, and Daniel trusted her. That meant something.
“July! July!”
She blinked and looked up. The barista was holding out her drinks.
“Every time,” Julie muttered, half-smiling as she walked over and grabbed the cardboard tray—one oat-milk latte for her, one black coffee (always too strong) for Daniel.
Back across the street, the front of the Midas offices was buzzing. A crew of workers was halfway through installing a new glass sign:
MIDAS PRODUCTIONS…in gold.
Julie gave the sign a glance, then walked in—nodding to security, exchanging quick greetings with the receptionist and a worker loitering in the lobby. The offices were slowly waking up; she was pretty sure someone had stayed overnight, since it was a very busy week for them—one movie releasing and another starting production, all in the same month.
Julie’s office sat right beside Daniel’s. She stepped in, set the coffees down on her desk, and opened her laptop. She ran through her routine like muscle memory—unlocking the master calendar, syncing meetings across devices, and flagging the overlap between Daniel’s upcoming call with Netflix and a press-coordination session with his publicist.
Then came the inbox: seventy-four unread emails, most of them CCs.
She prioritized:
Script packet from Julian Cross (flagged)
Internal update on “The Thing” shoot schedule (forward to Paul)
Reminder: Daniel needs to return a call to his mother—she made a note to remind him in person; he was notoriously scattered about personal matters unless they were urgent.
Everything was locked in. His morning was tight but manageable: a call with Warner Bros. Legal, a meeting with Lucy at 11:00, and lunch with “Mr. X.”
Julie narrowed her eyes. She’d always wondered who Mr. X was—Daniel was very tight-lipped about the person. He had been meeting with this mystery contact for the last six months. She shook her head and looked at the next entry: a meeting with Alejandro Iruatu in the evening.
She also added another reminder to bring the financial report from Maya to him before the end of the day.
Julie took a sip of her coffee, glanced at the clock—8:46 a.m.—and exhaled.
Just another day…
====
Daniel arrived late, wearing a T-shirt, jacket, and jeans; he looked as if he had barely slept.
Julie was already waiting, coffee in hand. Without a word, she handed him the cup.
“Julie,” Daniel said gratefully, his voice a little hoarse.
“All night writing again?” she asked, eyeing the shadows under his eyes. He had a history of pulling all-nighters but hadn’t done anything like that in months.
Daniel shook his head and smirked. “Nah—gaming with the boys. Some tactical decompression.”
Julie raised an eyebrow but didn’t press. They stepped into his office, and she launched into her briefing like a well-tuned machine.
“Your first meeting is with Warner. Mr. Pritchett will be on the line, too.”
Daniel nodded, sipping. “Alright, what’s the problem now?”
“They’ve flagged a few licensing issues,” Julie replied.
He grunted. “Of course they have.”
Julie continued, “Then you’ve got Netflix at 10:45. Victor’s on that call.”
Daniel groaned, leaning back in his chair. “This Wonder Woman animated movie has become a headache. Why am I even involved?”
“You are the Creative Head of DC Studios,” Julie reminded him with a pointed look.
Daniel threw up his hands. “I should only be handling the main DCU stuff. Victor’s animated projects? That’s for Dave and him to handle.”
He stood up and paced. “It was a mistake recommending Netflix to him—now I’m stuck playing negotiator between them.”
“You want me to cancel?”
Daniel shook his head. “No, no. I’m going to end this today.”
Julie moved on, rapid-fire. “Meeting with Ms Wallace at 11.00, Lunch with Mr.X at 1:30. Director Iñárritu will be here at four with his first finished script for Birdman.”
He nodded again, rubbing his temples. “Got it.”
“I forwarded all the important emails. And remember—call your mother.”
Daniel blinked. “Oh, fuck… I forgot.”
Julie smirked and turned to leave.
“What would I do without you?” he called after her.
“Miss meetings, lose money, forget everything—the usual,” she replied without turning back.
Daniel smiled, then asked, “Where’s the financial report I requested yesterday?”
“I’ll ping Ms. Singh again,” Julie said, pausing by the door.
He nodded. She walked off—not to her desk, but straight down the hall toward Finance. Directly to Maya.
======
Julie stepped into Maya Singh’s office. The door was ajar, and she could tell at once she’d walked into the middle of something heated.
Maya stood with her arms crossed, voice raised—not quite shouting, but dangerously close.
“This isn’t complicated! You’re accountants, professionals. Find the discrepancy, or I swear someone will die today!”
Whoa, Julie thought.
The three people across from her—two men and one woman—flinched under the pressure. Just then, Maya spotted Julie in the doorway and immediately straightened.
“Oh, good—Julie,” she said, her tone shifting. “Perfect timing. I was going to call you.”
Julie hovered at the threshold. “Is this a bad time?”
“No, no. Actually, I need your help,” Maya replied, stepping toward her.
“I’m here to get the financial report for Daniel—you know, the one that was supposed to be done yesterday,” Julie said, raising an eyebrow.
Maya sighed heavily. “That’s the problem.”
Julie frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Everything was fine until three days ago,” Maya said, running a hand through her hair. “Then we found a discrepancy—about three million dollars…gone.”
Julie blinked. “What?”
“You heard me,” Maya replied flatly. “Three million. Missing. And these three geniuses”—she motioned to the accountants—“can’t figure out where the hell it went.”
Julie stood stunned for a beat. “Well…that explains it.”
“Exactly,” Maya muttered. “I need you to stall the boss. Buy me the day. Just today. I’ll fix it by the end of the day.”
Julie shot her a sharp look. “Three million isn’t just some rounding error, Maya.”
“I know,” Maya snapped, then softened. “I know. But let me do my job.”
Julie nodded slowly. “Fine. You have until the end of the day.”
“Appreciate it,” Maya said, already turning back to the trio. “Come on,” she barked, “I’m supervising all of you today. No one leaves until we find that money.”
Julie lingered a moment, watching as Maya herded her team like a battlefield general. Then she turned and quietly slipped out, heading back to her desk.
=====
“Chen, I’m not asking you to rewrite Daniel’s priorities—just tell him to speed up on the Percy Jackson book, maybe give it more priority than the other one….”
Julie sighed, rubbing her temple. “Right. And I’m sure this concern came straight from Miss Wallace.”
Adrian didn’t deny it.
Julie’s tone stayed even but firm. “Let me be clear: Daniel told you—and everyone else—that he won’t finish the manuscript until July. You think I should talk to him? Fine. But I don’t work for you. I work for him. He made that very clear when he hired you.”
Tight silence filled the line.
Adrian finally muttered, “Chen, I’m just trying to—”
She cut him off. “Call me when it’s something actually important.”
With a tap she ended the call, dropped the phone on her desk, and exhaled sharply.
“Control freak,” she muttered under her breath.
Julie leaned back, took a long sip of the now-cold coffee, closed her eyes, counted to three, and reached for her mouse.
Her inbox was, as usual, chaos—subject lines stacking like dominoes, most stamped URGENT.
She opened the first flagged message: Sony wanted to negotiate an exclusive game deal with Daniel’s studio.
She clicked through a few more, flagging the crucial ones and demoting the rest.
The last unread email concerned Percy Jackson Season 2—casting notes asking whether Daniel approved of aging one character up slightly. Julie jotted it on her pad, and just as she moved on—
“Hey, girl.”
Julie looked up, blinking in surprise. “Haley? What are you doing here?”
Haley, in a sharp leather jacket and oversized sunglasses perched on her head, gasped dramatically. “Excuse me? Do I need to call first to see my best girl?”
Julie stood, smiling. “No, no—just surprised. You don’t usually swing by the office.”
Haley strutted in and flopped into the chair opposite Julie’s desk. “It’s an emergency.”
Julie tilted her head. “What kind of emergency?”
“Daniel. Tuxedo. Oscars,” Haley replied, leaning in. “Caleb says if Daniel shows up in a boring suit, he’s going to quit.”
Julie laughed. “Sometimes I don’t understand that man. Why hire Caleb Morrison as your personal stylist if you’re just going to ignore him?”
“Thank you!” Haley threw up her hands. “I don’t know why Daniel is being so stubborn about it.”
Julie shook her head, amused. Julie had become friends with Haley when she was dating Daniel and due to them amicably breaking up she and she was able to remain good friends . Haley’s chaos balanced Julie’s meticulous orderliness.
“Julie, when will Carter—” Daniel’s voice cut off as he stepped into the office.
He wasn’t alone. A striking, olive-skinned woman with deep-brown eyes and a sharp outfit walked beside him. She was mid-laugh when Daniel froze at the sight of Haley.
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “Haley? What are you doing here?”
Haley stood and planted a hand on her hip. “You’re wearing whatever Caleb wants you to wear.”
“Haley, it’s Caleb. The man can go a bit overboard,” Daniel protested.
“The Oscars have a dress code,” Haley shot back. “I’ve seen what he designed for you— it’s amazing. You’ll look great and stand out in a good way.”
Daniel groaned theatrically. “Fine, fine. I’ll stop by tomorrow.”
“Good,” Haley said with a satisfied nod. She turned to the woman next to Daniel. “Wait…have I seen you before?”
The woman smiled politely.
Daniel stepped in. “Haley, this is Lucia. You remember her—high school? It was always me, Matt, John, Joanna…and Lucia.”
Haley squinted. “Oh…yeah? Where’ve you been?”
Julie and Daniel exchanged a quick smile, sensing an opportunity.
“What do you mean?” Julie asked casually. “Lucia’s always been around.”
Daniel nodded smoothly. “She was at the Christmas party. You didn’t see her?”
Haley blinked. “Wait, what?”
Lucia smiled innocently. “I was the one who brought that weird bottle of pear wine Matt spilled on Scarlett’s coat.”
Julie kept a straight face. “You even told her the dress she wore was cute.”
“And she was at your birthday party too—you two literally sang together with Joanna,” Daniel added.
Haley frowned. “No, I—wait. What… Are you guys messing with me right now?”
Julie looked at Daniel, then at Lucia, for a beat—then burst out laughing.
“Okay, the gig’s up,” Daniel chuckled.
Lucia grinned. “I’ve actually been in the U.K. with my dad and went to university there. I just moved back last week.”
“And now she’s here for the job I promised her all those years ago,” Daniel added.
Haley rolled her eyes and gave him a playful smack on the arm.
Daniel winced theatrically, rubbing the spot. “Julie, could you call Carter and find out what’s taking him so long?”
Julie nodded and started dialing.
“Thanks,” Lucia said to Daniel, then turned to Haley. “We should catch up sometime—drinks?”
“Yeah, definitely,” Haley replied, still half-suspicious but smiling now.
Lucia and Daniel walked off as Julie finally reached Carter, who had just pulled into the parking lot.
Julie smirked at a pouting Haley. “Want to get dinner?”
“You’re buying.”
Julie sighed. “Obviously.”
=====
Julie finished the Thai take-out she and Haley had ordered. They were in Serena Walsh’s office—Serena was another friend and the company’s head of casting.
The midday sun filtered through the blinds, casting angled shadows across a whiteboard on the far wall. Pinned to the board were rows of actor headshots—Chris Hemsworth, Michael Fassbender, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and others—beneath a hastily scrawled heading:
“The Usual Suspects.”
Serena was regaling them with the tale of how she’d caught her boyfriend cheating.
“And there he was,” she said, “in bed with his dad’s new bimbo girlfriend.”
Haley choked. “His dad’s girlfriend? Ew, ew, ew.”
Julie winced, eyes wide. “That sounds like the plot of a really bad porno.”
Serena groaned, tossing her napkin onto the desk. “I almost threw up. We’d been together five months. Imagine if I’d found out a year in—or years in.”
“Are you sure it was his—” Julie began.
“Yes.” Serena nodded. “I knew something was weird when I found her in his apartment one day…but this?”
A beat passed before Haley added, more wistfully, “At least Daniel didn’t cheat on me. By the end, I seriously thought he might—you know he was friends with Scarlett Johansson, of all people.”
Julie gave her a sharp look. “Daniel would never.”
“I know, I know,” Haley said, waving her hands. “He never would, but back then I had all those teenage insecurities.”
Julie nodded. “Honestly, after you two split, I half expected him to date Scarlett. It would’ve made sense. Then Margot came out of nowhere.”
“Out of nowhere,” Haley echoed. “Funny how Scarlett introduced them.”
The door creaked open and a new face appeared—a poised young woman, strikingly pretty and, Julie guessed, not much younger than Haley. Dressed smartly, she clutched a manila folder to her chest.
Serena looked up from her half-finished lunch. “Ah, Cassandra, what is it?”
Cassandra, Julie noted—the nepo hire, granddaughter of one of Stardust’s executives.
“I have the file you asked for,” Cassandra said, her tone even and polite.
“Oh, that.” Serena waved a distracted hand. “Great. Give it to Julie—Daniel needs to see it.”
Cassandra’s face brightened. She hesitated. “I could drop it off now, actually. Ms. Chen is eating, after all.”
Julie offered a quick, practiced smile. “No, I’ve got it. Thanks.”
After a beat, Cassandra relented, stepping forward and handing over the folder a touch too delicately. Julie accepted it, noticing how Cassandra’s gaze lingered a second too long before she turned to leave.
When the door clicked shut, Julie glanced at Serena. “Is she…any good?”
Serena sighed, swirling her iced tea. “Very eager to learn. Polite, always early. And she’s got that killer instinct—the kind that either takes you far or makes you implode by next year.”
“The blonde hair doesn’t really suit her, does it?” Haley asked.
“Oh, she had gorgeous raven hair,” Serena replied. “For some reason she dyed it blonde.”
“And her skin—so smooth. I wonder what she’s using,” Julie mused.
“I know, right?” Serena agreed.
Haley gasped. “Wait—that’s the girl who gave me a full-on death glare when I arrived.”
Serena blinked. “Cassandra? Really? She’s usually a sweetheart.”
The conversation drifted on, mostly about the new girl—and, inevitably, about whatever miracle skin-care routine she might be using.
=====
It was mid-afternoon, which meant Daniel’s four-o’clock was fast approaching.
RING.
Her phone buzzed; she didn’t even bother to check the screen. Right on time, she thought as she answered.
“The receptionist’s voice was brisk and professional: “Director Iñárritu just arrived—he’s on his way up.”
“Thanks,” Julie said. She ended the call and headed for Daniel’s office.
Passing Accounting, she slowed. Behind the glass, muffled, tense voices carried—still no resolution on the missing three million dollars. The department had either made a colossal mistake…or someone was stealing. She prayed it was the former; the last thing this place needed was a scandal.
She picked up her pace, stepped into Daniel’s office—and froze.
Daniel and Margot Robbie sprang apart like teenagers caught. They were on the couch, disheveled but not indecent.
Daniel lurched to his feet; Margot smoothed her hair. Both looked sheepish.
Julie gaped. “Oh my God, Daniel—the door!”
Daniel and Margot glanced at each other and, in perfect sync, said, “I thought you locked it.”
Julie pinched the bridge of her nose. “I told you last time—remember? When I walked in and you were wearing even less than this?”
Margot blushed, tugging her sleeve down. “Hi, Julie,” she said weakly. “It’s been a week.”
Julie forced a smirk. “I thought you were still shooting.”
“Just wrapped,” Margot replied. “Finally done with the movie.”
Daniel—now mostly presentable—asked, “So Alejandro’s here?”
Julie crossed her arms. “Yeah—he’s on his way up.”
While Daniel straightened his collar, Julie stepped over and helped Margot tuck a few stray strands back into place. “So you decided to say yes?” she asked, referring to the film Iñárritu wanted to direct next.
Margot sighed. “After Tarzan I need something good. I think I lost some of the shine I got from Bonnie and Clyde.”
Julie nodded. “That Foxtrot movie you just finished—sounds promising.”
“It is. Small role, though,” Margot said. “This one’s meatier.”
Daniel headed for the door. “Alright—bring him in,” he told Julie.
Julie paused. “Am I done for the day after this?”
Daniel stopped and glanced back. “No. You and I need to talk before I leave.”
His tone wasn’t sharp or upset, just…different—more personal than business. Julie’s stomach rolled.
“Alright,” she murmured.
As she stepped into the hall, her thoughts spiraled. What on earth is that about?
====
Julie stood still while Maya glared daggers at one of the accountants.
“So… no one stole the money, right?” she asked cautiously.
“No,” Maya replied, still locking eyes with the man. “An idiot made a mistake.”
The man, pale and sweaty, stammered, “I’m not fired…am I?”
“In my office. Now,” Maya said coldly before turning on her heel.
Julie watched them disappear behind the glass door. The other two accountants looked as if they’d been through a battlefield; no one dared speak.
Clutching the iPad tighter, she headed back upstairs.
Daniel was at his desk when she entered. The glow of his monitor lit his face; he barely looked up.
“Finally,” he said, taking the iPad from her hands. “I thought I’d never get these.”
Silence stretched until Julie raised an eyebrow. “So? What is it?”
Daniel crossed to the mini-fridge, pulled out two cans of Coca-Cola, opened it, and handed one to her.
“I don’t drink—you know,” he said with a shrug. “So this’ll have to do.”
She accepted the bottle, confused. “What’s going on?”
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
“I need your help,” he said at last, “to find and train a new PA.”
Julie blinked; her stomach dropped. “What?”
“I said—”
“No, I heard you,” she cut in, her voice suddenly sharp. “You’re firing me?”
Daniel nodded once. “Yes.”
Julie froze, her hand still wrapped around the sweating Coke bottle. Instinct said she ought to be angry—offended, even—but what she felt instead was…nothing like that. Professionalism steadied her. She lifted her chin.
“I see,” she said evenly. “May I ask why?”
Daniel nodded. “Because I don’t think you can keep being my PA and handle your new role as Associate Producer.”
It didn’t register at first. She blinked.
“You…” Her voice caught. “You—”
“I’m promoting you,” he finished, grinning. “Associate Producer now. Producer later—that’s how it works, right?”
Julie just stared. Her breath hitched, then escaped in a half-laugh, half-sob.
“You asshole.”
Daniel winced theatrically. “Not quite the reaction I was hoping for.”
She sank into the chair opposite him. A lone tear slid down her cheek; she brushed it away.
“I’m sorry I sprang it on you like this,” Daniel said, still playful. “But you know me.”
Julie shook her head. “Fuck you.” Then, softer, “Thank you.”
Daniel raised his bottle toward her. “Cheers. But you do need to find and train your replacement.”
Julie huffed a laugh through her nose.
“You’re ready, Julie,” he said. “You’ve been ready for a long time.”
They clinked their Coca-Cola cans together.
Julie left Daniel’s office, numb and elated all at once. As soon as the door shut behind her, she pulled out her phone and called Haley without hesitation.
She had a reason to celebrate, after all.
.
.
Comments
Raven Blanchard
Oh no I'm sensing psycho yandere stalker vibes from Cassandra
dreadlord
pls don't tell me cassandra will be his new assistance, she's they obsessive stalker right.
Illusiveone
Glad you are enjoying it.
Illusiveone
Her chapter is coming...
Samuel Famakinwa
Ah Cassandra lurking in the background
June Soriano
nice chapter, its great the Lucia is back, the gang can play D&D again😁
Cajun sS
Just managed to read everything in like 3 days can’t wait for more great writing
Cajun sS
Thanks for chapter
Illusiveone
Next. Its only half done
Tyler Karp
Thank you for the chapter
Matias Arce
when we have the part 4 of big bang theory crossover?
