Chapter 1 - When I met You Again (Part 2)
Music: Nothing Left by Eunoia
Louie was scheduled for an interview at SterlingCorp. We arrived twenty minutes before his appointment time which was at 10 a.m. The building was massive and the lobby looked elegant with a huge silver letter S in the middle. Louie excused himself to use the restroom. My phone kept buzzing in my pocket. They were all notifications from the jobs I applied for the past few weeks. Most of them were rejections anyway, so why bother reading them?
A crowd formed outside the lobby when a black limousine pulled up. Reporters immediately rushed towards the car when one of the bodyguards opened up the passenger door. I recognized the guy that slipped out. Vincent Sterling. Of course. I keep forgetting that his father had already stepped down from being the CEO. We briefly met at a company BBQ years ago. We never really talked that day. I didn't like the fact that my father wanted me to date him even after he broke up with his ex-girlfriend. Besides, I also kept thinking how he was way out of my league, so we never really got the chance to know each other.
As soon as Vincent entered the building, another black luxury car stopped in front of the building and another guy came out wearing a Navy-blue suit with black hair perfectly combed back in place. He looked a little familiar. I stared at him until he entered the double glass doors. Where have I seen him before? He looked like one of those handsome male lead actors in Korean dramas. He had flawless porcelain like skin, almost like he was airbrushed to perfection and lifted up straight from a magazine. From the way he moved, you'd think he was a model walking down a fashion runway. In short, he was simply gorgeous. I might have seen him on TV or online, so maybe that's why he looked familiar.
Louie came out of the restroom and asked me if I was ready. The guy and his entourage were waiting in front of the elevator. I could feel Louie tugging at my arm as he pulled me towards the elevator. He followed the direction of my gaze. "What are you looking at?"
Before I could say something, the guy and his bodyguards had already entered the elevator. I decided to brush the question off my mind. "It's nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew."
Louie and I stepped into the crowded elevator. I peered up at him and noticed how he was sweating bullets. "Relax, Lou. You can do this. Don't be nervous."
"I'm not nervous," he said in a defensive tone. "I just can't stand it when an elevator is crammed with people. It triggers my claustrophobia."
"Oh, that's not good," I scrunched up my nose. "If you do get hired then you'll definitely be dealing with this every single day."
"That's what I was thinking. And all the mixture of different scents of perfume kills me," he pinched his nose, obviously voicing out his sheer displeasure with everyone around us. "I can't stand it. My sinus is acting up," a lady in front of us glanced at Louie over her shoulder. Louie flashed a smile in return. "No offense if you're wearing perfume. My nose is just killing me right now."
Applicants filled the whole waiting room. It wasn't surprising due to the fact that almost every person in the city dreamt of working for SterlingCorp. Word got around that the company offered great employee benefits. Decent salary, health insurance, life insurance, retirement plans, paid leave, and more. The company had zero tolerance for bullying, so for employees who do get caught easily gets the boot, right on the spot. People would easily kill for a job like that. I heard Vincent frequently does a company clean sweep. No wonder he's well loved by all his employees. As for me, I couldn't see myself working at a place like this. Especially if it was for my dad's company.
We both found empty chairs at the far back corner of the waiting room. Not even five minutes of waiting, Louie was already called in by the secretary.
He fumbled with his folder as he got up. "Oh, wow. You can really tell how nervous I am right now."
"Don't be. Good luck with the interview, Lou," I gave his arm a little pat for encouragement. "You can do this. Remember how we rehearsed when we did the mock interviews."
"Tulungan ninyo po ako, Diyos ko." He said in Tagalog while doing the sign of the cross. It's translated as Please help me, my God. I understood a little of Louie's first language which was one of the dialects of the Philippines. We first met back in the seventh grade. He sat down next to me when he saw me sitting down by myself at the cafeteria. I remember him opening his lunch bag and sharing the ham and turkey sandwich his mom prepared for him.
I learned he was originally from the Philippines and they just moved here from Atsugi, Japan. His dad decided to retire here in San Diego after twenty years in the Navy. Louie taught me how to speak a bit of his language since we met. It was hard at first, but now I could easily pick up a few phrases here and there. Spanish was the second language I've learned but never mastered it yet. I'm still learning, though.
There were magazines neatly placed at the sofa side table. Before I doze off, like what I always do while waiting for someone, I reached for one of the Home Improvement magazines. While reading, I couldn't help but hear a snide comment from one of the girls sitting a few chairs from my right side.
"Is she really going to the interview in those clothes?"
"I know, right?" The other agreed, followed by a low chuckle. "I bet she'll get turned down once she enters the door."
Seriously? This is the reason why I refuse to work in a place like this. It's an endless stream of bullshit between fake ass employees like these two immature girls next to me. There's just no human decency to just shut the hell up and have some respect for people.
"I'm not here for an interview," I explained, closing the magazine I was holding. A sassy quip is all you need to get through this. "I'm actually here to support my friend who will definitely get the job. And for your information, I'm Vincent Sterling's friend."
The two girls didn't bat an eye at that line.
"You're bluffing." The short haired blonde scoffed. The curly black haired girl just stared at me, unconvinced.
"Wanna bet?" I pulled my phone out and started dialing a number. "I'm calling his secretary right now. You guys might want to stick around and find out." I wiggled my eyebrows at them with a grin on my face.
The two girls laughed. I don't blame them for not believing me. But I wanted to see their faces after this.
"Hi there, Ms. Holt," I pushed the speaker phone and made sure the volume was up. "This is Raina Hart. Sorry to be a bother because I know how busy you are right now, but is it okay with you if you can please, pretty please bring me coffee right here in the waiting room?"
"Why, yes, I'd gladly do that, Ms. Hart. I'll be right with you."
"Thank you," I cheerfully ended the call with a fake smile plastered on my face. The girls were staring at me, wide eyed. Shocked that I've spoken to Irena Holt, Vincent's secretary. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. I forgot to ask if you guys wanted some coffee. Oh, wait, never mind. You might get coffee stains on your lovely suits. I wouldn't want to see you guys leave before your interview."
"Here you go, Ms. Hart," Irena came in with a silver tray in her hand. She placed it on the coffee table in front of me. "Mr. Sterling was just talking about you the other day. He said you should come by and hang out with them in their house in La Jolla."
"Please inform Vincent and Daphne that I'll surely visit them when I have the time." I raised my voice intentionally for everyone to hear. I think I just knocked it out of the park.
"You have a great day, Ms. Hart." Irena smiled before she stepped out of the waiting room.
The two girls, along with the other applicants stared at me in disbelief. The room was silent. Not even a tiny shuffle can be heard. I looked up from my mug. "Coffee, anyone?"
Author's Note:
Hey, lovelies! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. After nearly a year, I finally got my writing mojo back! I'll be doing regular updates since I'll be posting the chapters in parts. Thank you to everyone who have added this story to their libraries. <3
XOXO Katie