Chapter three

Elizabeth's point of view: 

The next day.

 

"Are you Ms. Elizabeth James?" the receptionist asked, her voice cutting through my haze. After what happened yesterday at the club, I spent the rest of the night applying for a white collar job, anything that would make me eligible for a loan from the bank,  

"Ms. Elizabeth James," she repeated, her tone sharp with impatience.  

"Ah, yes, that's me," I stammered, realizing too late she’d been addressing me all along. My heart raced as I stood, silently berating myself for zoning out at the worst possible moment.  

"The CEO will see you now," she said, giving me a look that screamed she had better things to do.  

'Calm down, Elizabeth. You’ve got this,' I tried to give myself a little pep talk, this was my last interview for the day and I had spent the whole day listening to the routine, "we would get back to you". After this I  had no backup plan, no safety net. 'Please God, help me get this job" I prayed silently as I  stepped into the office.  

"Good day, sir," I greeted the old man sitting at the far end of the large office, o managed to force  a polite smile, despite my jittery hands.  

"Elizabeth," he said, his voice as casual as if we’d known each other for years.  

"Yes, sir," I replied, walking forward. My exhaustion got the better of me, and I stumbled slightly, catching myself just in time.

"Please, have a seat," he said, gesturing toward the chair in front of him. I sat down, feeling small in the spacious office.  

He picked up my resume and scanned it briefly. "You have a master’s degree in accounting," he noted.  

"Yes, sir," I confirmed, trying to keep my voice steady.  

But you have no experience working a white-collar job?" he asked.

 

"No, sir," I admitted, bracing myself for the usual speech about why that made me unqualified.  

He placed my resume down, looking at me with something."And you want your first job to be as an assistant?" he continued,

 "Aren’t you a little overqualified for this job?" He said and my eyes widened, this was the first time, I had ever heard that word in these kind of interviews. 

"I’m not, sir," I said quickly, leaning forward slightly. "I don’t mind. I need this job. I’ll do anything—make the best coffee, plan your schedule, stay late—I can handle it all."  I pleaded like my life depended on it...my sister's did. 

His brow furrowed. "You do understand this role requires no degree, right? I need someone who can manage basic tasks—coffee, typing schedules, keeping me on track."  

"Yes, sir," I nodded, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.  

"But I can’t hire someone with your qualifications for something like this," he said firmly.  

"Please, sir—" I began, but he cut me off.  

"I’d like to offer you a different position," he said, his tone thoughtful.  

I blinked, certain I hadn’t heard him correctly. "Excuse me?"  

He leaned back in his chair. "You seem like a smart young woman, and I see potential in you. I’d like to offer you a project assistant role. You’ll work under the project manager for six months while our Beverly Hills branch is under construction. If you learn quickly and get good reviews, I’ll consider making you the branch manager. How does that sound?"  

How did it sound? Like a dream. Like a miracle. Like something that didn’t happen to someone like me.  

"Yes, sir," I said, barely managing to keep my voice steady.  

He smiled, satisfied with my answer. "Your employment letter will be ready tomorrow. Details about your salary will be included. If you have any issues, speak to your manager."  

I stared at the man in disbelieve, my heart fluttering as I wondered, "Are people really this kind?' ''Why is he offering me such a generous deal?' I asked myself... If there was one thing life had taught me, it was to be wary,people usually weren’t this kind.

"Really?" I blurted, quickly taking it back as I didn't want to jinx it, "Thank you" "thank you so much," I  smiled, taking steady breaths as I stood up,  quickly.

"See you tomorrow Elizabeth" the man said with a warm smiled and I nodded. "Yes, Thank you" I smiled, my mind swelling with joy,  as I thought as soon as I got employment letter, I was going to go to the bank with it, that way I could at least get the 15,000 dollars loan.

As I reached the door, I heard the old man called out to me"Elizabeth," he called, stopping me. "Before you go, could you get me a glass of water? The dispenser is over there." 

I followed his gesture to the far corner of the room, I looked at the distance between him and the dispenser, muttering under my breath, "No wonder you need an assistant." The CEO’s office was so large that all the important things he needed were on the other side. 

"Cold, please," he added as  I walked over to the dispenser, I grabbed a cup, and pressed the button for cold water. I watched it fill to the brim, gripping the cup tightly as I turned to head back to his desk. 'Don’t trip. Don’t spill. Don’t ruin this' I chanted silently to myself.  

But exhaustion was a cruel companion. My foot caught on the edge of the rug, and before I could regain balance, the water slipped from the cup, splashing directly onto his suit trousers.  

"Oh no," I gasped, horrified as I watched the icy water seep into the expensive fabric. The CEO stiffened, his body jolting slightly as a shiver ran through him.  

"I-I’m so sorry, sir!" I stammered, my voice breaking. Fearing this could cost me the job, I instinctively grabbed a tissue from his desk and knelt down. My trembling hands worked quickly, dabbing at the soaked material, desperately trying to salvage the situation.  

"It’s fine," he said, his tone more reassuring than I deserved. But I couldn’t bring myself to stop. Panic had taken over, and all I could think about was fixing what I had ruined.  

As I frantically tried to reduce the water, the door opened with a loud creak, and a deep, commanding voice interrupted the chaos.  

"What the hell is going on here?"  

I froze, still kneeling, my hands clutching the tissue against the CEO's suit. Slowly, I turned my head to see a tall man standing in the doorway, his piercing gaze flicking between me and the CEO. His expression was a mix of confusion and sharp disapproval, and the weight of his presence seemed to fill the room.  

The CEO shifted in his chair, visibly uncomfortable. My stomach sank as I realized how bad this must look—me, on my knees, huddled near the CEO's legs. 'Oh God. Could this day get any worse?' I thought, wishing the floor would just swallow me whole.