Chapter 2. Interviewed by the CEO

"Small world, Ms. Grumpy."

Madeleine felt extreme embarrassment as she recollected how she called him a moron. That was the most unpleasant thing she'd ever done to someone superior to her.

'Seriously? I called this man a moron right inside of his own company?' She blamed herself but still strived to stay calm in front of him. Not now that she doesn't have the right to be coarse again, or else the CEO will kick her out of this place for sure. And she doesn't want that to ensue.

"I-I'm sorry, Sir... I didn't mean to be rude to you a while ago."

"Understood. You're avoiding being late, aren't you?" he asked, staring at her lips like he wanted to kiss them.

"Yes, S-sir..." Madeleine trailed off.

"But you were already late that time, weren't you?" he pressed.

Madeleine swallowed thickly. This man sure could be intimidating if he wanted to be. Nevertheless, he did look somewhat enticing too.

She nodded slightly before averting her gaze toward her feet and mumbled something incoherent before walking toward the chair opposite her and taking a seat. She has to be brave now to be hired, which means she needs to stand firm and not break down because he made her nervous. Not because he's hot, either.

"Let us begin. My name is Connor Harrington, CEO of this company," the man introduced himself as he opened a file on his desk and looked at Madeleine seriously. "And you are Madeleine Nevia. Did I pronounce your name correctly?"

"Yes, Sir."

"So, what should I call you?" he asked while reading her resume as he glanced at her from time to time.

"Anything you want, Sir."

He nodded in acknowledgment until he put aside the file and glared at her again, unmoving. "I honestly don't plan to inquire further questions, Madeleine. I just want clarification and assurance from you. But first, I want you to know that I like a person who works hard without objection to every task I give. Are you objective enough to do that?"

"I am consistent, Sir. And complaining wasn't part of my vocabulary," she replied confidently. "I have a lot of experience handling numerous people along with their profound concerns in my previous job. Also, my father had a business before, so I used to work in this kind of job."

Mr. Harrington crumpled his brows upon hearing her remarks as if he wasn't convinced enough, but he set it aside. "You know what, Madeleine? I should have rejected you by now because of your unethical behavior earlier, but I will oppose that. Just a simple reminder, having difficulty for whatever reason doesn't mean you have to be tactless to anyone. That's unprofessional. If I remember, you called me a moron twice."

Hearing those explications sent a shiver through her spine, but she had to stay collected, for her goodness sake.

After a moment of soothing herself, her gaze redirected to his eyes— undescribable eyes which confused her. She couldn't comprehend what his thoughts behind those eyes might look like. Those dark orbs were too difficult to discern, yet lovely to look into. However, she thought this job wasn't for her because of what she had done, which compelled her to speak her mind.

"I k-know you're m-mad, Sir. For treating you like that by someone inferior to you," Madeleine stuttered nervously, ashamed of what she had done to him. "Let's just disregard this interview. I'm sorry.”

She bowed her head and turned around afterward to walk out.

"You're not going, Ms. Nevia!" the CEO sounded infuriated, but he managed to collect his sentiments, making Madeleine halt for a moment. Soon she veered around; she caught him standing with a disgruntled look. "I'm not done yet. So, don't leave me when I'm talking."

Swallowing the bubble of trepidation, she said, "I apologize for my mistake."

"Everybody says that, and they don't mean it."

"But I'm not them," she retorted as she shook her head.

"Then prove it," he said as their eyes met, and this time they were both in a calm state.

Mr. Harrington was contemplating something because he kept looking at her as though he was pondering what to say next until his phone rang and interrupted the moment.

He excused himself and went to take the call from a distance, leaving Madeleine standing still while brooding. How would she explain herself if the CEO decided to fire her after all?

'This is not good.' She thought as her nerves got worse and worse. However, she managed to return to her seat calmly while the CEO was standing from a distance, still conversing with someone over the phone. Unfortunately, he couldn't decipher why Mr. Harrington was staring at her steadily as if he had been searching for something in her eyes. It was a short conversation, and the CEO ended his call soon afterward.

When Mr. Harrington returned to his desk, he stopped briefly to stare at Madeleine before speaking. "I won't ask you further questions. Just give me an answer."

She nodded, patiently waiting for his question.

"What can you do in my company that I'd be interested in hiring you?" he continued to stare at her.

"And please don't think I'm trying to find an excuse to fire you because of what happened. Set aside that matter and answer me."

She smiled forcefully, not faking but somehow expressing her sincerity to work in his company and to make the CEO realize that the scenario earlier may be unpleasant. Still, it doesn't define her true self and capability. "I will do everything you say, even if it's not included in my task here. In that way, I can express sincere devotion to serving you and your company."

That was just a simple answer, yet he liked it. But of course, he was in denial, so he didn't show his true expression.

"I see. Then you are not hired under the new management that I have formed recently nor the old one I took over last year." his tone became cold yet more authoritative. The result was Madeleine almost gulped on reflex. Did he reject her? So suddenly?

"I-is that means I didn't p-pass?" she stuttered, clearly disgruntled about herself, not to him. "Is that the final verdict, Mr. Harrington? Will you not ask me about my abilities or those things I could contribute here?"

Mr. Harrington was looking at her, wordless. Madeleine seized the opportunity to speak when he was about to articulate something. "I guess that's a yes."

She got up from her seat and bowed her head, she was about to take a few steps, but it stopped when Mr. Harrington continued, "You're hired as my assistant, a position which allows you to help me with anything I need."

Madeleine turned around and blinked several times before stuttering, "I-is that for real?"

"I'm not fond of jokes, Madeleine."

His words made her almost leap in bliss, and then she bowed again as a sign of gratitude. "Thank you, Sir!" she said happily while her bright eyes held his gaze.

"You can start tomorrow, and please..." he stopped when he realized that Madeleine was staring at him intently as if she was admiring his features. Then Mr. Harrington continued, and the following things he conveyed drove Hera to feel the strange sensation as if her heart was jumping in glee.