CHAPTER 3: THE CALL
1023 Words
The next morning came earlier than Elena wanted.
The moment her alarm went off, she hoped for just a second that she could pause time as she was clearly tired and staying in bed looked very tempting.
Reluctantly she stood up, went to the twins room. Seeing them sleep so peaceful felt so satisfying to watch.
After a few seconds, she gently tapped them, the twins tossed and turned, the moment their faces met Elena's they smiled and greeted her.
“Good morning Elena”, The twins said with a big smile across their faces.
“Good morning babies, hope you all had a wonderful night?.” She said with a smile
They nodded their heads in agreement and said their morning prayer before heading to the bathroom.
She stood in front of the small mirror in her room, fixing her hair while listening to the twins argue over who was going to sit by the window.
“I'm sitting there today!” Noah said enthusiastically.
“No, you sat there last time!” Lily said pouting
Elena sighed.
“Both of you, stop arguing before I come there.”
The room went quiet.
For about three seconds.
Then they started again.
Elena couldn't help but smile.
“Come on, you two. We're going to be late.”
A few minutes later, they were all downstairs and ready to leave.
The drive to school was surprisingly peaceful. Music played softly through the car as the twins sang along to a song they barely knew the words to.
Elena laughed as she watched them through the rearview mirror.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
No bills.
No worries.
No thoughts about how much money she had left.
Just her and her siblings.
After dropping the twins at school, Elena continued toward work.
She was already thinking about the long day ahead when her phone began to ring.
She glanced at the screen.
Daniel Reed.
Her eyebrows furrowed.
Why was Daniel calling her?
She answered.
“Hello?”
“Elena?”
“Yes.”
“Can you get to my office in the next fifteen minutes?”
She almost laughed.
“ Your office?”
“Lang Enterprise,” Daniel said sarcastically. “You know where my office is.”
“I know. I just— My shift isn't for another thirty minutes.”
“I know.”
There was a short pause.
“Come to my office immediately.”
Elena hesitated.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. Just come.”
She wasn't convinced, but she agreed.
“Okay. I'll be there.”
“And Elena?”
“Yes?”
“Bring your CV. And any documents you have concerning your qualifications.”
She froze.
“My qualifications?”
“Yes.”
Before she could ask another question, the call ended.
Elena stared at her phone.
“What is this about?”
She had no idea.
Still, she turned the car around and headed home to grab her documents before heading to Lang Enterprise.
Fifteen minutes later, Elena stood outside Daniel's office, clutching the folder containing her CV.
She knocked.
“Come in.”
She opened the door.
Daniel looked up from his desk.
“Sit down.”
Elena sat.
Daniel picked up the CV she had handed him.
“This is impressive” Daniel said looking through it,
Elena nodded.
“And you have a degree in Business Administration.”
“Yes.”
“You graduated from Crestview university?”
“Yes, with a first class.”
Daniel looked at her for a moment.
“So why are you working as a cleaner?”
Elena looked down at her hands.
She had been expecting that question.
“Because I needed a job.”
Daniel waited.
She continued.
“I've applied for jobs before. A lot of them. But things didn't work out.”
“And you decided to work here?”
“I needed money.”
There was no shame in her voice.
“I have siblings to take care of. Food has to be on the table. School supplies have to be paid. It didn't really matter what the job was.”
Daniel leaned back in his chair.
“You know you're qualified for more than cleaning, right?”
Elena gave a small smile.
“I know.”
“Then why didn't you apply for something in administration?”
She shrugged.
“Maybe I didn't think anyone would hire me.”
Daniel studied her for a moment before looking back at her CV.
“There may be an opening in one of the departments.”
Elena looked up.
“What kind of opening?”
“An administrative position.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
Daniel continued.
“I'm not making any promises. But based on your qualifications, you meet the requirements.”
Elena didn't know what to say.
“You're serious?”
“Yes.”
Daniel handed the CV back to her.
“Give it to the receptionist on your way out.”
“I'm going to have someone look through your application properly. If everything checks out, you may be given an interview.”
Elena took the CV.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
She stood up.
Just before she reached the door, Daniel spoke again.
“Elena.”
She turned.
“You should give yourself more credit.”
She smiled faintly.
“I'll try.”
Then she walked out.
As she headed back toward the cleaning department, Elena suddenly remembered something.
Her conversation with Daniel.
She had told him about her degree.
She had told him about her situation.
And she had shown him her CV once before.
She had completely forgotten about it.
But apparently, Daniel hadn't.
For the first time in a long while, Elena allowed herself to imagine something different.
A better job.
A better salary.
Maybe even a better life for her siblings.
She quickly pushed the thought away.
She didn't want to get her hopes up.
Still, as she picked up her cleaning supplies, she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
Maybe this call wasn't just a call.
Maybe it was the beginning of something.
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