I Fall For Him Twice

The Interview

The conference room felt colder than the rest of the building, as though the tension between me and the man who had helped me on the bus was somehow absorbed into the air. He stood at the head of the table, wearing a charming yet calculated smile that only made my nerves even worse. I didn’t expect to see him again so soon, and certainly not in this context. His presence here, as one of the interviewers, was unsettling, but there was no time to dwell on that now.

"Ms. Collins," he repeated, this time without the smile. His voice was professional, all traces of familiarity wiped away. He gestured for me to take a seat as the other members of the interview panel entered the room. My heart was still racing, the encounter on the bus replaying in my mind. He didn’t acknowledge it, and I didn’t dare bring it up.

Forcing myself to focus, I sat down and adjusted my posture, determined to show my confidence despite the pounding in my chest. I needed this job for more reasons than I could explain. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on me. Here I was, sitting before a panel of people who would decide my future, while also harboring a secret mission of my own—getting close enough to Roshan to make him remember our past.

The interview began, and as expected, it was rigorous. The questions came hard and fast, each one more challenging than the last. They covered everything from technical proficiencies to problem-solving under pressure. I had prepared for this, but the pressure felt more intense than I had anticipated.

Jack—the man from the bus, now formally introduced—was leading the panel. He fired off one question after another, each one more difficult than the last. I answered each one as best as I could, though I could feel the sweat forming at the nape of my neck.

But it wasn’t Jack who threw me off balance. It was the sudden presence of another figure—someone I hadn’t expected. The door at the back of the room creaked open softly, and a chillingly familiar voice spoke from the shadows.

"What would you do if faced with a complete systems failure, with no external support, and your team looking to you for immediate action?" The voice was cold, calculating, and somehow even more intimidating than it had been in my memories.

My blood froze in my veins as I turned toward the source of the voice. It was him. Roshan. He stepped into the light, his tall, imposing figure cutting through the room like a knife. He looked even more commanding than the last time I had seen him, his black eyes as piercing as ever, his sharp features framed by his perfectly styled dark hair.

Roshan. The demon CEO. The man I once loved.

My heart pounded painfully in my chest. My mind went blank, the intensity of his gaze locking me in place. I couldn't think. I couldn’t breathe. The memories of our past—memories that he had forgotten—swirled in my head, each one sharper than the last. I had been waiting for this moment for so long, and now, face-to-face with him, I felt completely undone.

He didn’t recognize me. His eyes didn’t flicker with any sort of recognition. To him, I was just another candidate, another nameless face in a sea of employees.

“Your time is up,” Roshan said coldly, his gaze unwavering. “Disqualify her.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind from my lungs. Disqualified? No. Not after everything I had worked for, not after all the effort I had put into preparing for this. I couldn’t let him destroy my chances—not again.

The room was dead silent as the panel members exchanged uncomfortable glances, clearly taken aback by Roshan’s sudden and harsh judgment. My pulse pounded in my ears as I tried to pull myself together, to shake off the shock of seeing him again and the sting of his dismissal.

“I... I’m sorry,” I stammered, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “I was just taken aback. May I have a moment?”

Roshan’s eyes narrowed, as though he didn’t expect me to fight back. There was a pause, a moment of hesitation, before he gestured for me to continue. “Go on, then. Let’s see if you can handle this.”

His tone was icy, but something in his expression shifted slightly, as though he were testing me. My hands trembled beneath the table, but I forced myself to sit up straighter, to meet his challenge head-on. The answer to his question formed in my mind, and despite the fear gripping my chest, I spoke clearly, outlining a solution that, to my knowledge, was foolproof.

I could feel the tension thickening as I finished. For a few excruciating moments, no one said a word. Then, finally, Jack—the man who had helped me earlier—spoke, breaking the silence.

“Actually, that’s quite an impressive answer,” Jack said, glancing between me and Roshan. “I don’t think anyone has ever answered that question correctly before.”

A ripple of surprise ran through the panel, and I saw Jack's expression soften slightly. He gave a small nod, as if to say well done. But Roshan’s reaction was different. He stared at me, his eyes calculating, as though I had caught him off guard. For the briefest moment, his stoic facade cracked, and I saw something—recognition?—flicker across his features. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

“Fine,” Roshan said at last, his voice still sharp but lacking the finality it had carried before. “She can stay. For now.”

The panel members exchanged glances again, clearly relieved by his decision. Jack smiled faintly, giving me an approving nod. “Congratulations, Ms. Collins. We’d like to move forward with your application. You’ll be contacted shortly with the next steps. In the meantime, please wait outside while we finish up.”

I rose from my seat, my legs shaky but determined not to let it show. My heart was still pounding in my chest, but I had made it through. I had survived the toughest part of the interview—and, more importantly, I had faced Roshan without falling apart.

As I stepped out of the room and into the bustling hallway, I finally let out the breath I had been holding. I made my way to a bench in the lobby and sank down into the seat, feeling the adrenaline slowly ebb from my system.

A voice startled me from behind. “Well, beauty with brains. You really handled that one well.”

I turned to find Jack standing behind me, holding two cups of coffee. He offered one to me with a casual grin, clearly more relaxed now that the interview was over.

“Thanks,” I murmured, taking the cup and sipping the hot liquid. It was warm and soothing, the perfect antidote to the cold sweat still clinging to my skin.

Jack sat down next to me, a relaxed smile on his face. “So, tell me. How did you know the answer to that last question?”

I paused, hesitating. There was no way I could explain my real connection to Roshan, no way I could tell Jack the truth. “It’s... a secret,” I said with a faint smile, deflecting his curiosity.

Jack chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Alright, keep your secrets. But that was impressive, really. Not many people stand up to Roshan like that and get away with it.”

I nodded, though my thoughts were far from Jack and his compliments. My mind was still on Roshan, on the moment our eyes had met in that room. He didn’t remember me—or at least, not yet. But I wasn’t going to give up.

“See you at work tomorrow, then,” Jack said with a grin, standing up and offering me a hand. I took it, grateful for his kindness, though my thoughts were elsewhere.

As Jack left, I looked down at my reflection in the dark surface of the coffee. Tomorrow would be the start of something new. But it wasn’t just about the job. It was about finding a way to reach Roshan, to make him rememb

er the love we once shared—even if it meant risking everything.