Chapter Three

The next morning, the two best friends leave the house early to pursue their individual fates; Emily will be seeing her boyfriend to plan for their scheduled out-of-town trip, while  Anna is bound to try her luck on the job vacancy she is told to apply for. 

“Please, for the love of God, just do your best and try not to make a scene in the interview room,” Emily said as soon as she pulled over the car. They are now stopped outside of what looked like a skyscraper twin building, standing about twenty floors each. 

Anna jumps out of the car and instantly gets struck by the two gigantic buildings connected by a huge arc with a name, SCENT REPUBLIC. “Are you sure this is the company I am applying for?” She looks up, jaw-dropping on the floor. 

“Yes, this is it. I can’t be mistaken.” Emily lowers her sunglasses onto her nose and rolls down the window. “As a matter of fact, that’s my friend waiting over there.” She excitedly leaves the car and drags Anna all the way to the man in an all-black suit standing under a waiting shed. 

Emily introduces Anna to her friend, which doesn’t take long. After exchanging names and letting her friend know that Anna is the applicant she referred to him, Emily is confident she can now go. “I surrender Anna to you, okay? I really need to go now because I’m already late.” Emily turns to her right to face Anna. “Good luck with your application. You can do it.” 

Confused but at least thankful, Anna smiles to her best friend. “Will you pick me up later?” 

“I can’t really promise, but I will try my best. Goodbye!” Emily blows some flying kisses in the air as she heads back to her car. 

On the other hand, Anna follows the man inside the left building. Everyone is staring at her, perhaps because of her unfamiliar face in the company. She has even been chased by the security guard when they reach midway but the man is quick to block the guard and wink at him. It’s a kind of non-verbal communication that only him, the security guard, and all the other workers inside can understand. 

While everyone is busy bustling around, Anna senses a familiar guy walking into one of the two elevators. The taper-fade cut is the first thing she recognized, and so is the athletic build that she could not resist remembering despite the fact that it's covered in a turquoise suit. 

The man leads the way again, this time into the elevator on the other side of the lobby. “I am so sorry if the security guard shocked you. You know, this building is only intended for specific people. It's off-limits, unlike the other one.” 

“Ah— it's okay. Which floor are we heading to, by the way?” Anna asks, eyes are still bound to the elevator where the familiar man went in. 

“Oh, yeah, right. I almost forgot to tell you.” The man stifles a laugh. “We are heading to the nineteenth floor;  or as we prefer to call it, the ELITES REPUBLIC.” 

The man opens the elevator and the two of them walk in. 

“That's some weird ass name to call a building's floor.  Why ELITES REPUBLIC?” Anna asks as soon as they get inside. 

“Well, it’s because that floor is only supposed to be exclusive for the CEOs and the high-profile businessmen; in other words, it is the floor intended only for the owners of this company.” 

“Which is who?” Anna asks. 

“You will find out later once you get there yourself.” 

The elevator opens and the two are finally on the nineteenth floor. It is luxurious, with all of the expensive paintings hung on the walls and chandeliers dangling on the ceiling. There are no less than ten people seen walking around the corners. 

“Talking about privacy and secrecy, this floor is surely on a whole new level.” Anna swallows as a spittle as she follows the man. 

They walk straight to the only office with two doors made of brass with two golden loop handles. The man stood before the doors, leaving some words for Anna before promptly opening them. “I can only go as far as here. I can’t get inside, which means everything is up to you. Don’t worry, the only person behind these doors is the interviewer.” 

Anna is left speechless, and all she does is to just nod in approval. 

“I will only be in the lobby in case you need something.” The man unlocked the door. “Good luck in your interview, Miss Anna Jones.” And off he leaves. 

Now contemplating on her choices, Anna pushes the doors open. A red carpet laid down on the aisle welcomes her in, and it stretches all the way to the rectangular table in the front. Behind the table is a man sitting on a swivel chair, under the dimming yellow lights of the room, his back facing the entrance. 

Anna proceeds to the front, the knocking of her heels against the floor is the only sound heard in the room. “Good morning,” she speaks. 

The swivel chair turns around, revealing a familiar face Anna has been so suspicious about. “Good Morning,” Noah Scott greets back, holding a glass of red wine in his left hand. 

“You again?!” Steam oozes out of her head upon seeing the man that annoys him the most. “Are you following me?” she says irritatedly. 

“The way I remember it, it’s you who came here to apply for a job, isn’t it?”  He puts his red wine down on the table. “So, how could you say I’m following you?” 

Anna rolls her eyes upon realization.  “What I mean is, why are you here?” 

“I work here,” he answers quickly. “And I am the interviewer assigned to you in this job interview. Now, are you ready?” 

Anna Jones looks at him in the eyes, fists are tightening, as if they'd been wanting to punch him in the face. She releases every single jolt of anger in her body as soon as she hears the question. “Yes, I’m ready.” 

“Can I see your documents, please?” Noah reaches for the envelopes that Anna placed in front of her earlier. He scans through every single paper found inside. “So, you previously worked as a waitress, huh?”  

“Yes.” 

“Are you aware that the job we are opening for you is a corporate job? Which means this is going to be a whole new level of responsibility. It’s more than just serving customers and cleaning trays,” the interviewer says. 

“And you think I don’t know that?” Anna answers. 

The interviewer smirks. “There are thousands of applicants who are eyeing to land a job here in the SCENT REPUBLIC. What sets you apart from them?” Noah leans forward, eyes leveling with Anna’s. 

Anna, on the other hand, takes a deep breath. There’s literally nothing in her mind right now except for bad words reserved only for Noah, which she unfortunately can’t say because he is the interviewer. “To be honest?  I deserve a  job in this company because I don’t know what else I would do if I don’t have work. I may not be as good as those who have applied, but I think I can catch up.”

The interview continues for the next twelve minutes. It only concludes when Noah Scott, the interviewer, tells her of the benefits she’d get from the company, the jobs that are available, and the odds of her getting hired. 

“I think that’s all for now. You did well in the interview, but the decision is still up for the boss. We will let you know of the result as soon as possible.” Noah Scott lifts his red wine and sips it all until the very last drop. 

Anna Jones retrieves her documents from the table. “Why can’t you just tell him to hire me already?” 

“We are following a very strict and thorough process. I can’t just sneak you in when you don’t even have good manners.”  

Anna sighs deeply. “Point taken,” she says as soon as she stands up and leaves her chair. “Thank you, I’m leaving.” 

Noah Scott remains seated, watching the lady in white dress walking through the red carpet, with her blonde hair bouncing on her back, bringing with her the documents and the paper-thin hopes of getting the job for herself. 

“I’m here now, my damsel in distress. You don’t have to worry anymore.”