My Poor Roommate is a Billionaire

Chapter 002:The Interview

After receiving the interview invitation yesterday, Seraphina researched the company online. It’s a startup less than a year old, focused on data analysis and AI services.

Seraphina majored in Project Management in college, and after returning to New York, she decided to pursue a role as a project assistant.

However, despite attending nearly ten interviews over the past few weeks, she was still empty-handed.

This new opportunity brought her a mix of excitement and anxiety.

Early in the morning, she slipped into a tailored dark gray business suit, applied a light touch of natural makeup, and carefully styled her hair into an elegant updo.

As she stood before the mirror, gazing at the woman staring back—so different from the one a few weeks ago—Seraphina couldn’t help but feel a sense of bittersweet reflection.

Just weeks ago, she had been a waitress in a small town. She had once believed in love, in him, and had given up her own dreams for him—returning to that small town to live a simple, ordinary life.

But when he said, "I'm sorry", everything fell apart.

In that instant, she realized love was no longer hers to hold. From now on, she would have to fight for her own happiness.

She had to push forward. She had to get this job. Only then could she stand on her own feet in this city.

As Seraphina silently encouraged herself, she rode the subway, making her way to the company.

The company was small, with no dedicated front desk. Instead, the HR representative greeted Seraphina and took on the role of receptionist.

The initial interview with HR went smoothly. With the experience from her previous interviews, Seraphina had a clear idea of the typical questions HR would ask, which helped her stay calm and composed.

After the interview, the HR asked if she was available for an immediate follow-up interview.

“We urgently need someone for this position and hope to find the right candidate as soon as possible.”

The HR girl, who seemed to be about Seraphina’s age, kept a warm smile on her face, putting Seraphina at ease.

Seraphina immediately agreed. This was exactly what she needed! After nearly a month of jobless, landing a job as soon as possible was just what she wanted.

The HR girl then informed her that the next interview would be with the company’s CTO, who was the direct supervisor for the position. Since the CTO worked remotely, the interview would take place via an online meeting.

"I’ve never actually met him myself since joining the company." the HR girl said, walking over to the desk. She quickly logged into the video conferencing software and set up the connection.

"Please hold on for a moment. The CTO is busy right now, but he’ll join your interview shortly." After setting everything up for Seraphina, she offered an encouraging smile before leaving the meeting room.

Seraphina sat in front of the computer, noticing that the other person’s profile picture displayed the company’s logo. Since the CTO hadn’t logged on yet, the screen read "Not Connected".

Already nervous about the interview, Seraphina grew even more anxious as time passed. The waiting seemed to stretch on endlessly, making her feel almost lost in her nerves.

Worried that her anxiety might be obvious on camera, she tried to loosen up her face a bit.

She stared at her own image on the screen, treating it like a mirror. Making a series of silly and exaggerated facial expressions—scrunching her eyebrows, pouting, and pulling faces—she hoped to relax her features and avoid looking too stiff during the interview.

Then she recalled how customers at the coffee shop told her she looked too cold, too distant. With that thought in mind, she tried adjusting her face again.

She smiled at the camera, then scrutinized it. It felt a bit unnatural, so she shifted her angle and tried again.

"Hello, my name is Seraphina..." She cleared her throat, practicing how to greet the interviewer.

Thankfully, she was alone in the conference room. She faced the camera, making silly faces and experimenting with different smiles. The whole scene felt a little ridiculous.

What she didn’t realize was that on the other side of the screen, someone was quietly watching her every move.

On the screen, Seraphina was making silly faces, looking natural and unguarded. When she practiced her smile, it came out slightly stiff but sincere, making her seem even more charming and amusing.

The person watching couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

He watched as Seraphina grew more and more anxious with the passing time. She even slapped her cheeks lightly, whispering to herself：

“It’s fine. I can do this. I can do this…”

Seeing her nervousness reach its peak, the man on the other side of the screen finally switched his status to “online”.

“Hello, I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” his voice came through the computer, calm and clear.

Seraphina froze for a second, she noticed that the screen showed no image, only the company logo. At the same time, her mind racing as she felt like she recognized the voice. But she quickly forced herself to focus, calming her nerves, and softly replied:

“Hello, nice to meet you! I’m Seraphina, and thank you for taking the time to interview me…”

She tried to calm her nerves as she briefly introduced herself.

The CTO was different from the previous interviewers. No small talk. He jumped straight into a series of professional questions.

Seraphina did her best to stay composed, answering each question clearly and methodically, making sure to keep her calm.

However, the CTO didn’t offer any feedback on her responses. After each answer, he immediately fired off another question.

He seemed entirely focused on the work, asking each question with meticulous care, his tone cold and detached.

Although Seraphina couldn’t see his face, she could almost picture the serious, expressionless look he must have been wearing, based on his icy tone.

Then came the real challenge—one difficult problem after another, each requiring her to come up with a solution.

The questions grew increasingly complex, some even seemed designed to trip her up. Every time she provided a solution, he would immediately throw a more complex scenario at her, pushing her to keep going.

Seraphina could feel the pressure mounting, her nerves starting to unravel. These tricky questions were unlike anything she had encountered before, and her responses began to lose their certainty. Soon, she was stumbling over her words, her mind racing.

The CTO, however, appeared to be growing increasingly dissatisfied with her performance. His voice was cold as he asked:

“After all that thinking, this is the best you can come up with?”

The words landed like a heavy blow, shattering what little confidence she had left. She lowered her gaze, silent for a moment, a wave of indescribable disappointment and helplessness flooding her.

Just then, a notification popped up on the screen, signaling someone had joined the call.

Seraphina looked up to see a young man in an impeccably tailored suit appear on screen. He had a head of tousled golden curls, giving him a relaxed, natural look, and his blue eyes revealed an extraordinary presence.

“Hello, I’m Grayson Steele, the CEO of the company. Thank you for interviewing with us today. I’m just here as an observer for the interview, so please don’t mind me.”

Grayson Steele? Wasn’t he the infamous playboy everyone in the city talked about?

Seraphina was stunned. Though she wasn’t someone who kept up with celebrity gossip, Grayson Steele was a name she couldn’t ignore.

As the sole heir of the powerful Steele family, his name frequently made tabloid headlines. One day he was seen with a supermodel; the next, he was partying on a luxury yacht—stories that the media absolutely adored.

The Steele family ranked among the top five wealthiest families on the Forbes list. And as the only heir, Grayson had every opportunity to take any role in the family business. Instead, he preferred a life of excess, partying with other rich heirs.

So, how could he possibly be the CEO of this company? Why would he start a startup?

With his family’s financial resources, he could have taken any position within the family empire, enjoying unlimited privileges and resources. So why would he choose to build a company from the ground up?

Seraphina's mind was filled with questions, but she quickly refocused and greeted Alex Harris.

"Ignore him. He’s just here to cause trouble. Let’s continue." The CTO’s voice came again, cold and direct, with no trace of politeness.

Seraphina was even more confused now. After all, Grayson Steele was the CEO of the company, his superior, yet his tone was so casual, as if they were friends joking around, with no hint of respect for the hierarchy.

The CTO briefly introduced the company's background before asking the final question:

"We’re a company that was founded last year, mainly providing data analysis and AI services. Now, we’ve decided to apply our technology to the consumer market by developing an app. Our app, SavvySave, aims to help people make smarter purchases by tracking spending habits and finding the best discounts.”

Seraphina listened carefully, feeling deeply aligned with the app's concept.

"Now, let’s say we have two promotions running: one is ‘$5 off a $50 purchase’, and the other is ‘$10 for new users upon registration’. If a user requests to use both promotions at once, how would you handle it?"

Seraphina hesitated for a moment, but then she quickly remembered her new roommate Liam’s request to use both discounts at the coffee shop yesterday. His approach seemed to offer some inspiration.

She composed herself and replied calmly: “Since the user’s goal is to apply both discounts,I’d set a reasonable rule for this.”

“For example, the user could complete an additional task, like writing a review of their experience or recommending the app to a friend. This way, we not only gather valuable feedback but also boost engagement, potentially gaining new customers through word of mouth.” Seraphina continued, speaking with calm confidence.

Her eyes sparkled with confidence as she spoke.

“Not bad! I really like that idea!” Grayson Steele’s voice was filled with enthusiasm and praise, clearly impressed by Seraphina’s response.

However, the CTO offered no response or approval. After a long silence, he simply said coldly: “That’s all for today. We’ll inform you of the interview results.”

Before Seraphina could reply, his status switched to “Offline”.

On the other side of the screen, the person watching Seraphina appeared a little disappointed but quickly composed herself. She politely bid Grayson farewell.

Once Seraphina had logged off and only Grayson remained on screen, he turned to speak to the person behind the screen.

"Seraphina is really beautiful. She may not have the spotlight like a celebrity, but she definitely has her own charm..."

"I suggest you watch your mouth." came the cold reply.

"Alright, alright, I'll drop it... But I just don’t get it, Why are you being so harsh on her? It was just a regular interview. Why be so distant? She came up with such a great idea. Why not give her some recognition? Didn’t you see how disappointed she looked just now?"

"And this strange name you’re using, hiding your face—why all the secrecy? I just can’t figure out what you’re really up to..."

"Slap—" Before Grayson could say more, the man expressionlessly shut his laptop

Just then, his phone buzzed. He picked it up, and upon seeing the message, his expression darkened. He muttered to himself:

"My stepmother is really something..."

The message on his phone read:

"Your accounts under Harrison & Wells Bank have been suspended due to legal directives. For more information, please contact..."