Three
At 7:30 AM, Veil was up and preparing for a 9:00 clock interview. She had her shower, made breakfast, ate, and used the rest of the free minutes taking in deep breaths. Once it was 8:20 AM, she dressed up. In a white polyester V-neck long-sleeved shirt, a knee-length black skirt that accentuated her perfectly defined curves, and a pair of heels, she looked almost ready to rock. What was she missing…
…. Yap! Her hair. She brushed the waist-length hair and packed it to the back. She’s never been a fan of make-up, so she didn’t apply any, besides, her skin was pure and smooth. She picked up one of the bags they had gotten the day before, a Channel. Hurrying to June’s room, she knocked on the sleeping girl’s room and made her aware of her departure, before leaving. In a hurry, she almost flagged down a Bentley, but thank heavens she was quick enough to withdraw her hand…
… But. Why did the car feel familiar?….
In the passenger seat of the black Bentley that had just passed Veil, a prince charming was seated with his head resting on the soft leather headrest, his eyes were shut closed, and long dark lashes blinked on their own. On his perfect face, there was not a single expression. Not a frown, or a smile. Just calm and peaceful. He breathed calmly in and out, as he took a few minutes rests.
The front seats were occupied by an advanced male driver and a brown-haired one a bit younger than the grey-haired driver.
“Mrs. Harriet De Acosta would like you to join her for lunch, master Orleans.” The brown-haired man informed. He waited for a couple of seconds for an answer, but none came from the man behind.
“Master Orleans. Do I tell her that you’d be joining her?” The brown-haired man asked again, and this time, he got a deep sigh for a reply.
“It’s ‘Mother’ PA Garth. You don’t need to address her with so much formality when speaking to me. I’m her son, and she’s my mother” The young man behind me said in a soft tone. “And yes, I’d join her for lunch” He asserted. “Now, can I go back to rest?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“Yes, master Orleans.” PA Garth answered respectfully, earning a sigh from the young man.
Veil finally found a taxi. She gave the driver her address and then got in. All through the fast-paced ride, all she did was take in deep breaths and mutter words of encouragement to herself.
“We are here Ms.” The driver announced as the car stopped. She paid the elderly man and just as she was about to alight, the elder man said…
“You can do it, dear.”
She glared blankly at the man and then her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment in the next minute. So she hadn’t been muttering silently to herself all along? But, she appreciated his being kind enough to say those words to her. She needed to hear them, especially from an elderly person. If only she was with her parents…
“Thank you.” She smiled at the man and then alighted opposite the gigantic building of the renowned RM group.
At the sight of the magnificence which she had only heard of, and seen only in pictures, all she could mutter was a mouth-dropping ‘Wow’.
With deep breaths and continuous muttering to herself, Veil walked into the building. Entering the first floor of the forty-something-story skyscraper, she swallowed hard. More than a hundred people walked around and many others walked in and out of elevators and through stairs.
Being one that has always known how to uphold her confidence, it was almost difficult for Veil this time. Although she was already falling in love with the work environment and the serious-mindedness of the staff. She’d rate them a hundred, seeing the way they carried out their duties smoothly without the aid of a supervisor. Little wonders RM Group is at number 1 in the global market ratings. Also, she silently muttered a ‘thanks from her heart to June. If she had gone ahead to insist not to be shopped for, she was certain she’d have certainly felt embarrassed if she had worn anything less.
Apart from being awe Stricken, Veil stood there wondering where to go from that point. The building was way too vast to try guessing her way at the moment. She was sure that if she should get lost in a place this vast, finding her wouldn’t be so easy.
“Hello, ma’am! Do you need help with something?” A young male approached her from behind.
Veil turned around almost immediately, nearly bumping into the young man.
“I’m so sorry!” She grimaced apologetically. But the young man only smiled sweetly at her, in other words, letting her know he took no offense.
“You’ve been standing here for a while now, do you need help with finding your way around?” He inquired.
Veil looked up at the young man, taking note of his facial features. He had dark short hair and looked average. He wasn’t especially handsome, nor bad looking, just average.
Veil offered a small smile first before answering…
“Uhmm… Yes! I have an interview today.” She told.
“Oh! this way please!” He offered, leading the way to a lift just on the left.
Veil nodded and followed his lead. While behind, Veil took the opportunity to access the young man.
He was wearing a pair of finely tailored suits and a pair of nice leather shoes. Plus, he walked finely. If appearance spoke the truth, then she’d say he was a gentleman.
Veil was led through several lifts and when she thought they’d be using another, the young man took a right turn on what Veil guessed was the fourth floor. They walked down a busy hallway and stopped in front of a door. The young man stepped aside and helped Veil with the door.
“You should go inside now, you’re almost running late.”
“Thank you for the help.” Veil offered a smile.
“Good luck with your interview.” The young man replied in like manner and then walked away. Veil dragged into her lungs, deep breaths as she tried to calm her racing heart. Finally, she found a little relief, counted to three, and then pushed the door open, only to find a large number of people waiting.
‘Wow! Just Wow!’ Here she thought she was being led to her interview direct. At least, she could gather some more courage while she waited. That is if they ended up not asking the rest of them to leave without giving them a shot at the interview after deciding on a winner. She wouldn’t blame the interviewers, because the number of people was just crazy. Her chances of getting this job were slim because she was certain there were more qualified people in the room than herself.
Outside the waiting room…
A certain dark-haired, average-looking gentleman was on the phone with someone
“Sir! She’s here!” He informed the person at the other end.
“Good! Make sure she gets the job.” A ruthlessly handsome voice ordered.