Chapter 2
716 Words
Chapter Two: "Wait... You're Looking for Me?"
Silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that squeezed the air out of the room until breathing felt illegal.
Arinola stared at the man seated at the head of the table.
Her brain had officially clocked out.
"I've been looking for you."
Excuse me?
Looking for me?
She blinked once.
Twice.
Then pointed awkwardly at herself.
"Sorry... me?"
A few members of the interview panel exchanged curious glances.
The CEO leaned back in his chair, calm as ever.
"Yes. You."
Maya would've fainted.
Arinola wanted to.
Instead, she forced a laugh.
"That's... funny."
No one laughed.
"...Right."
Fantastic.
She was bombing an interview before it had even started.
One of the directors cleared his throat.
"Sir, perhaps we should begin?"
The CEO's gaze remained fixed on her for another second before he nodded.
"Proceed."
The interview finally started.
At least, that's what everyone else thought.
Arinola barely heard the first question. Her thoughts kept replaying the same sentence.
I've been looking for you.
How?
Why?
Did she accidentally offend a billionaire online?
Had she unknowingly gone viral?
Or...
Wait.
Did she owe this man money too?
"Miss Daniels?"
She blinked.
"Sorry?"
"We asked about your previous work experience."
"Oh."
Smooth.
Real smooth.
She took a breath and answered confidently. Once she got talking, the nerves slowly disappeared. She explained the projects she'd worked on, how she handled difficult situations, and why she believed she could contribute to Nova Holdings.
The panel seemed impressed.
Even the woman with the intimidating glasses nodded several times.
Then came the final question.
"If we hire you today," another interviewer asked, "why should we choose you over hundreds of other candidates?"
Arinola smiled.
"Because I don't believe experience is the only thing that makes someone valuable."
The room grew quiet.
"I learn fast. I take responsibility for my mistakes. I don't give up easily, and if I don't know something, I'll learn it instead of pretending I do."
She paused.
"I can't promise I'll be perfect."
A small smile appeared.
"But I can promise I'll never stop improving."
Silence.
Then someone scribbled something on a notepad.
The CEO finally spoke.
"Interesting answer."
She looked at him.
He wasn't smiling.
But his eyes...
They almost looked... proud.
Which made absolutely no sense.
The interview ended twenty minutes later.
"Thank you for your time, Miss Daniels."
She stood.
"Thank you for having me."
She turned toward the door, desperate to leave before anything else weird happened.
"Miss Daniels."
She froze.
"...Yes?"
"I'd like a word."
Every member of the panel looked surprised.
One by one, they quietly left the room until only the two of them remained.
The heavy door clicked shut.
Arinola swallowed.
"So..."
The CEO stood, buttoning his suit jacket.
"My name is Adrian Cole."
She nodded.
"I figured."
"No, you didn't."
"...Fair."
A ghost of a smile touched his lips.
He walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city.
"You resemble someone."
Arinola frowned.
"I'm sorry?"
He turned to face her.
"My late mother."
The words landed gently, but they carried years of grief.
She didn't know what to say.
"I've spent months trying to find the woman in an old photograph," Adrian continued quietly. "Today, I stepped into an elevator... and saw you."
Arinola's heart skipped.
"That's why you said you've been looking for me?"
He nodded.
"You have the same eyes."
The same smile.
The same stubborn expression.
It wasn't possible.
Yet here she was.
Arinola let out a nervous laugh.
"So... you're telling me I got called into the CEO's office because I look like your mom?"
"When you put it that way..."
"It sounds insane."
"...A little."
For the first time, Adrian laughed.
A real laugh.
Warm.
Unexpected.
And somehow...
It made him look less like the untouchable billionaire everyone feared.
For a split second, Arinola forgot they had only just met.
Then a sharp knock interrupted the moment.
The office door burst open.
A stunning woman in red heels walked in without waiting for permission.
She stopped the instant she saw Arinola.
Her smile disappeared.
Her eyes narrowed.
She looked from Arinola...
...to Adrian.
Then back again.
Finally, she asked the one question that made the atmosphere turn ice cold.
"Adrian..."
"Who is she?"
End of Chapter 2.
- Writer
