CHAPTER 2- THE INTERVIEW NO ONE SURVIVED
781 Words
"What makes you think you're qualified to work for me?"
The question hung between them.
Aria straightened in her chair, refusing to let the silence shake her. She had expected questions about her qualifications, her previous job, maybe even her education—but not one that sounded more like a challenge than an interview.
"I don't," she answered honestly.
Adrian Blackwell rested his elbows on the desk.
"You don't?"
"No." Her voice was steady. "I don't know the other candidates. I don't know what they can do. It would be arrogant to assume I'm the best."
For a brief second, something flickered across his face.
Interest.
"Continue."
"I believe I'm qualified enough to earn a chance. What I lack in experience, I make up for in discipline. I learn quickly, I work hard, and I don't quit when things become difficult."
His fingers tapped lightly against the polished wood.
"Those are admirable qualities."
"They're necessary ones."
Adrian opened the folder containing her résumé.
"You worked for Monroe & Hayes for two years."
"Yes."
"You resigned."
"I had to."
"Why?"
Aria hesitated.
"My father passed away."
The room fell silent.
"I became responsible for my younger brother. His school schedule changed, and my previous employer wasn't willing to accommodate it."
"You chose family over your career."
"I chose responsibility."
Adrian closed the file.
"Many people use family as an excuse."
"My brother isn't an excuse."
The firmness in her voice surprised even her.
"He's the reason I keep going."
Adrian studied her without blinking.
Most people looked away under that stare.
Aria didn't.
Outside the office, rain began to drum softly against the glass windows.
"You've been unemployed for four months," Adrian said.
"Yes."
"And you've attended twelve interviews."
Aria frowned.
"You know that?"
"I know everything on the résumé sitting in front of me."
A small smile tugged at her lips.
"I guess I should've expected that."
"It's my job to know."
He stood from his chair.
The movement was slow, deliberate, commanding.
At well over six feet tall, Adrian suddenly made the office feel much smaller.
He walked toward the windows overlooking the city.
"You know what the average employee lasts under my supervision?"
Aria shook her head.
"Nine months."
She blinked.
"They either resign..."
He turned to face her.
"...or they aren't good enough to stay."
His words weren't cruel.
They were factual.
"I don't enjoy replacing employees."
"No employer does."
"I do when they're incompetent."
Despite herself, Aria let out a quiet laugh.
The sound escaped before she could stop it.
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"Did I say something amusing, Miss Monroe?"
She covered her smile.
"No, sir."
"Then why are you laughing?"
"Because..."
She inhaled.
"...you're trying very hard to intimidate me."
Silence.
The kind that made her wonder if she'd just ruined her only chance.
Then...
The faintest smile touched Adrian's lips.
It disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
"You're observant."
"I work with what I see."
"And what do you see?"
Aria looked around the office.
"The awards say you're successful."
Her eyes shifted to the neatly arranged desk.
"Your workspace says you're disciplined."
She met his gaze again.
"But your questions..."
She paused.
"They're not about skills."
His expression remained unreadable.
"They're about character."
For the first time that morning, Adrian seemed genuinely impressed.
"Interesting."
He returned to his chair.
"Tell me, Miss Monroe."
"If I offered you two jobs today..."
She frowned.
"...one with a higher salary but no purpose..."
He leaned forward.
"...and another that demanded everything you had but gave you the chance to become extraordinary..."
He folded his hands.
"Which would you choose?"
Aria didn't answer immediately.
She thought about the overdue bills.
Lucas.
The debt.
The empty refrigerator.
Then she thought about the woman she wanted to become.
"I'd choose the second."
"Even if it paid less?"
She nodded.
"Money solves today's problems."
Her voice softened.
"But growth solves tomorrow's."
Another long silence.
Adrian reached for a black fountain pen and wrote something at the bottom of her file.
He closed it.
"I've interviewed forty-three candidates this week."
Aria's heart pounded.
"Congratulations."
Her brows knitted together.
"For what?"
He stood once more, buttoning his suit jacket.
"You're the first one who answered every question without pretending to know what I wanted to hear."
Hope flickered inside her.
"So..."
"Does that mean I got the job?"
Adrian walked toward the office door.
His hand rested on the handle.
Without looking back, he said quietly,
"No."
The single word struck harder than she expected.
Before disappointment could settle in, he added,
"Because the position I have in mind..."
He finally turned to face her.
"...isn't the one you applied for."
- Writer
