Chapter 3

Amara----

Amara Denz sat in Baze's waiting area, wringing her hands quietly without being overtly obvious about her nervousness. She sat alone in the waiting area, but she knew that meant nothing. There would be sure to be hundreds of other applicants for the personal assistant job she was there to interview for.

She looked unobtrusively around, taking in the bleakly modern monochrome decor and glass dividers. She could see people moving down the corridors in every direction around the waiting area. In one corner of the room, a receptionist sat behind a massive desk sporting an earpiece, taking call after call and routing callers to the proper lines without stopping. Amara would hate her job. Even without the presence of clients, the glass walls ensured that the receptionist was visible from nearly every corner, so her every step was visible to any passerby around the building.

But Amara really needed to work so that she could at least endure such a goldfish bowl working environment. Maybe the position she had applied for would not have her seated at the front like the receptionist. But if she had to, she was sure she could work alongside the glass. It was a price worth paying if she could get the job. Because, God, she needed it.

This was her third interview, and although she had prepared for the other two with extensive research as soon as she received the interview invitation, she hadn't received either of them. This time, she hadn't been able to do much research. She had been summoned for the interview a few hours ago, and there was no discussion about the date.

The woman on the phone had been quite stern. "This job must be filled immediately, and if you are not free, then I have someone else to call," she had informed Amara bluntly.

All Amara had been informed was that the company offered multimedia solutions to other businesses and had steady growth. And the CEO's name was Leo Joe, who was nothing, considering that she had submitted her application to become his assistant. It annoyed her a little that his first name was Leo, because the last Leo she had met was a total jerk and had given her grief, but she wasn't going to let the fact that he shared the same first name as the kid who had left a bad taste in her mouth stop her from getting a coveted assignment like this.

All she really knew about him was that he had started the company from the ground up and built it into an empire. And that he was a millionaire. She didn't figure HR would be impressed with the breadth of her knowledge.

She trained herself to concentrate on positives instead of negatives. She was not an expert on the company but an expert on the job. She had spent two years as the CEO's personal assistant in her last job. She therefore knew a thing or two about remaining organized and things going smoothly. She would concentrate on talking about that during her interview.

It was still going to be challenging since Baze was one of those companies everybody in the technology sector wished to work for. It was energetic, constantly expanding, and the benefits that came with the job were amazing. There would be plenty of stiff competition for this role. She was just praying the short notice would work in her Favor. It was a frayed straw to cling to, but at the time, it was all she had, so she was clutching it and hanging on with all her might.

"Ms. Denz?" the secretary in the corner asked with a forced beaming smile plastered on her face.

"Yes," Amara replied with a fidgety smile.

"Go ahead and go to your interview. It's in conference room D. Down the hall in front of you, straight to the end. You can't miss it."

"Thank you."

Amara continued on down the secretary's pointed hallway, thankful for the sturdy walls she found along the way. Having an interview in full view of the whole office did not fill her with joy. Proceeding along, remembering to hold her head high—which was not nearly easy to do when you were just a tad over five feet tall—she dried her wet palms on the skirt, mimicking smoothing down the fabric.

She proceeded to the end of the hall and reached a door that read conference room D. She took a deep breath, slowly let it out, then knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice from the other side of the door said.

Amara put on game face. She did not want to enter there acting as if this was her last option before she lost her house, which was not far from the truth, but the last thing she wanted was for the interviewer to pick up on desperation coming from inside of her. She needed to act like she was made for the job and radiate confidence, though she didn't feel it.

She pushed open the door, donning her business smile as she stepped inside. The room was huge and dominated by a large glass table capable of seating twenty. But only three individuals occupied it, however. One woman and two men. They were all dressed in suits, as she was, and she was a little more comfortable. This was her domain. It had been years since she graduated from school, and yes, other applicants would apply for this job, but that did not mean that she was not the ideal candidate for this job. Her "fake it until you make it" slogan was indeed finally paying off for her. Already, she could picture herself working here. She could picture herself fitting in just perfectly.

The three of them stood as she came into the room and walked to the table, extending her hand.

She extended a handshake first to the woman. "Ama Locks, assistant HR manager," she provided in a brusque smile.

"Amara Denz," Amara smiled in return.

She did the same to the middle man, Tyrant McKinney, the HR manager, and Pete Sky, an assistant HR.

“Take a seat, Amara. By the way, we’re all on a first-name basis here,” Tyrant said.

The three of them occupied one side of the table, and Amara sat on the opposite side of Tyrant, so she was between the two of them. She was in the minority, but she braved her fear and stood firm. There was a glass of water in her chair, and she picked it up and had a sip. Her mouth felt drier than the desert.

"Your resume is impressive," Tyrant began.

"Thank you," Amara replied.

Tyrant nodded barely and continued, "So you have a business studies degree from abroad," he read from her resume.

"Yes, I was sent abroad to study. It was a good, enriching experience."

He looked up. "And you've got plenty of experience as a personal assistant in this industry, but the start-up that you most recently worked for went bust, didn't it?

Amara nodded.

"Why do you think that was?"

Amara decided to tell the truth. If she tried to sugarcoat the answer, it would be like saying she didn't see what was right in front of her. "Well, the CEO was really short-sighted. At first, he loved the company and was excited to expand with more offerings, but as the market got tougher, that excitement just kind of drained from him.". It's my understanding that he panicked and instead of coming up with any new ideas, he coasted it home on the ailing one until it was dead.

"Right," replied Pete as he jotted a note on his pad.

Amara wasn't sure if that was what he was looking for, but he had asked her opinion and he had got it. If this job needed someone who would stay quiet and not make a voice, then it was not her job.

"So why Baze?" Ama asked.

“I took a chance on a start-up in my last job, and this time, I’m looking for a position within a company that is a leader in the industry.”

Ama and Tyrant looked a bit disappointed. Maybe that reply was not as great as Amara had hoped. How could she recover this a little bit? Her brain couldn't make it better. She could try some humour. "And let's be serious here. The benefits are pretty great," she teased with a smile.

None of them returned the smile.

Amara winced inside and took another sip of water, shoving aside the panic that was climbing up in her. Get it together, Amara, she told herself.

"Why do you think you'll be a good fit here, Amara?" Ama asked.

This was her moment. Amara continued on and on with a long monologue about her past experience and how she could utilize it in this role. They still did not appear to be impressed, and it was becoming quite clear she was not being hired, but she continued, trying to hit on the single bit of experience that made her different from the rest of the candidates.

When she finished, Ama smiled.

Amara wasn't deceived. Ama was attacking her with the complete force of an attack, and she knew it. "That's very good, Amara, and I'm not questioning for a second that you'll be great in this job. But your answer didn't really answer the question you were asked. I don't care why you believe you can do the job.". I'd like to ask you, then, why you, Amara Denz, think you'd be a fit into the current system at Baze.

Four of them were in on Amara's situation, and four of them recognized that she was not being given the job offer. But they also knew her, and there was no quitter. Ever. But words got around. She wasn't going anywhere yet, not before the fat lady sang. She took a deep breath.

"Slow down, Amara. We are not trying to trap you; we just need to figure out who would be the best person to fit onto our team," Pete said softly.

Amara smiled gratefully at him. "I'm proficient in my position," she answered. "And I'm versatile, so I can adjust to the way any business is run. I have no intention of causing any type of drama. I'd rather keep myself focused on the task."

"Thanks, Amara," responded Tyrant. "Next question. Where would you like to be working five years from now?"

At least that was something she could answer to the way she wanted them to expect. "I see myself here, Tyrant," she stated, trying to sound more assertive than she actually was.

"I'm going to get to the point here," Ama said. "And I don't want to be insulting, but I have the sense you've sent out a lot of resumes with the hope that one will take somewhere. You clearly haven't done any research on the company or how we do things. And that makes me nervous."

Bravo to her for understanding the situation properly.

Amara gulped. "I will tell the truth. I've sent my credentials to more than one company, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm not bloody brilliant at what I do and it certainly doesn't mean I don't know how to do this job. It wasn't about sending resumes to everybody and waiting for one of them to bite. It's about researching firms I'd like to work for and that I would enjoy working for and keeping my options open.".

"So, if we hired you, how could we possibly guarantee that six months from now, you might get a better offer and leave us in the lurch?" Ama asked.

"Can you ever be one hundred percent sure that won't happen with any employee?" Amara retorted. "I am a sure thing to stay.". You can see from my CV that I did take a little time at the beginning of my career to find the area that I enjoy working in. And when I did, I stuck with it. I have no intention of leaving in a couple of months.

As I said earlier, I see myself working here in five years' time.

All three of them looked at one another again. They weren't even bothering to take the trouble to put it in writing anymore, and Amara knew deep in her heart that she had blown it on this interview. The worst of it was that she would do a damned good job if it was offered to her.

"Thank you for coming in today and at such short notice, Ms. Denz," Tyrant finished.

Amara was sure now she had blown it. They were going back to Ms. Denz. And he hadn't even asked her if she had any questions for him. That was not a good sign. She thought about asking a question, but what was the point? Even if she came up with a question so insightful it blew them all out of the water, it was probably too late to change their minds about hiring her.

“You’ll hear from me by the end of the day if your application is successful,” Pete added, standing up.

Amara nodded her thanks and stood by his side, then extended her hand to him, shaking it graciously. With a turn to leave, the door opened and a man came in. Amara looked at the man and struggled not to show the shock and amazement inside her. It couldn't be. No way. Not him. He was all grown up now, but she could never erase from her mind those magnificent, cold eyes.

Leo Pluto.

Leo-----

Leo Joe stepped into the conference room; his mind already preoccupied with the interview he had just finished conducting. He had been reviewing the candidates for the personal assistant position when he had been called in to conduct the final interviews. He had been surprised to see Amara Denz's name on the list, but he had put aside his personal prejudices and reviewed her qualifications.

As he came into the room, he saw the interview panel—Tyrant McKinney, Ama Locks, and Pete Sky—rising to their feet to welcome him. They were professionals, and he held their views in high esteem. He nodded to them and sat at the head of the table.

"Thanks for coming in, Leo," Tyrant greeted him.

No problem," Leo replied, his eyes scanning the room. He noticed the empty chair facing him and understood that the candidate had left. "Did she just finish?"

"Yes," replied Ama. "Amara Denz. She was the last on our list.".

Leo nodded, trying to hide his surprise. He had met Amara Denz in high school, and he had always been fascinated by her. She had been the girl from money, the girl who had everything handed to her, but she had struggled to make a name for herself. He had heard of her professional success and had always been amazed at her determination.

"Did she impress you?" Pete broke in, disturbing Leo's daydream.

"Her CV is fantastic," said Leo, trying to be objective. "She's got loads of experience, and her referrals are good."

Tyrant concurred. "She performed okay in the interview, but I'm worried. She really didn't appear to be prepared, like she hadn't taken the time to do some background research on the firm."

Leo frowned. "True. But I believe we should give her a chance. She has the talent and experience that we need. And she is flexible and appears to be compatible with our group."

Ama was not persuaded. "I don't know, Leo. She did seem quite too quick to leave the interview. Like she wasn't interested at all."

Leo shook his head. "I don't think so. She's just nervous. We all know how intimidating interviews can be. I say we offer her the job and let her prove herself."

Tyrant and Pete exchanged glances. "Okay," Tyrant said finally. "We'll make the offer. But we'll keep an eye on her performance."

Leo nodded in relief. He had always wished to work with Amara, and now he was offered the chance. He knew it would not be simple, but he was willing to risk it.

As he emerged from the conference room, he couldn't help but think of the past. He had done the same when he had dropped out of school, leaving out his maiden name and taking on his mother's last name, Joe. It was an act of wanting to start afresh, of shedding memories of a painful past. But seeing Amara Denz again brought a plethora of memories, both good and bad.

He knew she had changed her name too, taking on her mother's surname, Denz. It was one way of breaking away from being a product of her family's wealth. He admired her for it, and he hoped working together would give both of them a chance to prove what they could do.

As he left for his office, he could not help but get the idea that this was more than merely an offer to take up work. It was a reunion, albeit professional one, with somebody who had once occupied a piece of his mind at all times. He felt optimistic about all possibilities, though, and simultaneously recognized that there was no helping himself but what was important remained priority. This was his chance to make a name for himself, and he was prepared to take it.