Beneath the billionaire's stare

Chapter 4

Ava stormed out of the building, her chest tight with regret. The cool evening air did little to calm the heat rising in her cheeks. "What was I thinking? Talking back to the CEO of KYZ?" She clenched her bag straps as if they were the only thing holding her together. Dean’s face flashed in her mind , pale, weak, lying in that hospital bed. Her throat ached. If she had just kept quiet, maybe she wouldn’t have ruined the one chance she had to secure his treatment. "Where would I find a better place to make money for Dean's treatment? I just had to blow this one chance I had." She bit her lips as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She dragged her feet and sat on a bench nearby not wanting to face Dean.

"Oh snap, it's 6p.m already. I can't believe I've sat here for four hours." Ava said as she made her way to the hospital.

Dean greeted her with a hopeful smile, his voice faint but warm. “How was the interview?”

Ava froze. For a moment she considered telling him the truth that she had just offended the most powerful man in the country. But the words wouldn’t leave her mouth. Instead, she forced a smile. “It went… okay. Let’s hope for the best.”

Ava swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to the floor. She couldn’t let him see the tremble in her hands. Lying to him felt like swallowing glass, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him what happened.

But as she lay awake that night, the echo of Lincolnshire’s cold voice haunted her. You’ll regret saying that. " I better start looking for a new place to work. But how will I face Miranda after helping me? I screwed up big time." She wiped the tears that fell.

She barely slept that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Lincolnshire’s cold stare drilling into her soul. His voice echoed in her head, sharp as shattered glass: “You’ll regret saying that.” Ava tossed on her thin mattress, staring at the cracked ceiling.

What if he blacklisted her? What if he told HR to reject her? What if she had ruined everything, not just the interview but Dean’s future too?

Her chest tightened painfully. She tried drowning her fears with hope, but hope felt too small. Too fragile. She pressed a pillow to her face to muffle the tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

Ava woke up to her phone ringing, her heart jumped as she saw it was Miranda calling. She took a deep breath before answering. "Good morning"

"Good morning to you too Ava. I called yesterday to ask how the interview went but your line wasn't going through. So how was it?

" It we..went fine. But I don't think I would stand a chance to work there. Most of the interviewees are elite. I doubt I would be favoured over them." Ava said as she couldn't bring herself to tell her that she overstepped her boundaries with the CEO.

" Don't lose hope yet. I believe you would also stand a chance. You got what it takes to be there. " Miranda encouraged her.

"Girl, don’t let those elites intimidate you . Half of them don’t even know how to switch on a printer. You? You’ve survived worse." Miranda added with hope of making Ava feel better.

"Thank you so much Miranda. Talk to you later. "

Ava stared at the window after dropping the call with Miranda.

As she prepared to go to her shift at the bar, her phone beeped and the next thing she saw made her look at her screen in disbelief. The message goes like this:

"Miss Ava,

Congratulations. We are delighted to inform you that you have passed your interview and have been selected for the position of Executive Office Assistant. Your attitude, determination, and potential greatly impressed our team.

HR will reach out shortly with the next steps.

Welcome to KYZ enterprise. We look forward to working with you.

Warm regards,

KYZ Enterprise.

Her hands trembled so much she almost dropped the phone. She reread the message, blinking fast, convinced her eyes were playing tricks. She pressed a hand to her chest as her heart pounded against her ribs like it wanted to escape.

Ava covered her mouth with her palm, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes,this time from relief. Her knees weakened, and she slowly sank onto the edge of her bed. A shaky laugh escaped her. “This can’t be real,” she whispered. “It can’t.” She read the message again and again, tracing each letter with her thumb as if it would disappear if she looked away. Part of her wanted to scream in excitement; another part felt a chill run down her spine. Nothing about this made sense.

" I passed, I passed, I can't believe it." she kept staring as she repeated that.

" But wait, how did I pass? After what I did to the CEO. I'm very sure he knew I came for an interview as I was wearing the tag. Maybe he is not as bad as the media paints him to be." Ava thought as she sat down .

" Well, I'm so excited this is the beginning of a new chapter in my life and I'm going to do what it takes to be successful." Ava said with a smile.

"I hope I won’t ever have to face that CEO again," she muttered. But even as she said it, unease curled in her stomach. She couldn't shake the feeling that there's more to it.

Meanwhile, in the other part of the city, the light dimmed on Lincolnshire's face . " Have you done what I asked you to do regarding the lady?" He asked his secretary, his voice calm yet cold.

" Yes, I told the HR and she has been hired as an assistant." His secretary responded.

You’re dismissed,” he said.

When the door shut, Lincolnshire leaned forward, fingers steepled.

“She wants to talk back?” he murmured. “Good. Let’s see how long that fire lasts once I’m done with her.”

His reflection stared back at him in the glass, sharp, unreadable, dangerous.