Chapter 2 Unexpected Employment

Ellie White was standing in the lobby of Hunter Fashion Group, fidgeting with her bag's strap. The glass walls did not only encapsulate the sleek modern world that was the building but also reflected the bouncy energy of a city that never sleeps. At 10:15, she found out that she was fifteen minutes too early for the interview. Her watch said one thing while her heart raced as if she were nervously late.

This was her *big* chance – her chance at a career-defining opportunity. 

Having grown up in Ohio, she had always felt disconnected as though she were meant for something more. As a child, she would draw dresses on the sides of her textbooks which makes sense considering she wanted to be a fashion designer when she grew up. And now, Ellie stood in one of New York City's most reputable fashion brand headquarters.

She took a deep breath and relaxed. She fixed the front of her jacket and knew it fit perfectly. To save money, she had bought a second-hand jacket and then adjusted it to fit better.

As is clear from this statement, (s)he is off to an underwhelming start and victory is tainted.

In order to impress the hiring manager, she dressed in a black pencil skirt and white blouse.

Ellie suddenly came out of deep focus when a sharp voice yelled, "Miss White!"

A tall woman with a clipboard was striding towards her. She was impeccably dressed and Ellie could not read her expression.

"Yes, that's me," Ellie replied and smiled her pre-prepared forced smile.

"Follow me," the woman replied impolitely and promptly shut the door.

Ellie followed the woman who had a clipboard in her hand towards the lifts. She appeared very focused. The woman clicked on 30th floor button and Ellie's stomach churned as the lift shot upwards. How Ellie hated lifts! They were always so trapping and stuffy — like being inside a little box.

Ellie got off the elevator and found herself in a spacious office with walls made of glass, which offered an amazing view of Manhattan. The desks had modern sleek designs and were equipped with the latest technology, while the floor-to-ceiling windows of the skyscraper were awe-inspiring. Ellie felt like she was painfully out of place because everyone else in the office looked like they had just stepped out of a fashion magazine.

The woman pointed to a row of chairs in front of a locked door and said, "Wait here."

"Mr. Hunter will be right with you."

Ellie's eyes went wide. *Mr. Hunter?* What about Lucas Hunter, CEO of the company? She thought that she would be interviewed by someone from HR, not by the CEO himself.

She sat down feeling some agitation as she clutched her portfolio. For weeks, she had been preparing for this interview by rehearsing constantly, creating her resume and making design sketches to show. But being around Lucas Hunter made her feel completely unprepared for some reason.

When Lucas Hunter was thirty-two years, he took over his family's bankrupt fashion firm and turned it into a multi-billion dollar empire. He had to make a name for himself in the fashion industry where you earned everything and nothing was given to you. His tough business sense and standard operating procedures were well known as was his whole diabetic empire of a family. That wasn't hard to understand either. Additionally, his cold nature and ruthlessly low tolerance for incompetence made him unemotional.

Ellie prepared herself for the interview by reading all available articles on it. There was something weird about that man besides being impossible. He tended to be obsessive with everything he did, a workaholic who could go at any length to achieve goals and command above all from his employees....and now, she was going to meet him.

As soon as the door of his office opened, Ellie stood up from her chair and smoothed down her skirt. A man came out of the office looking angry and banged the door shut behind him. He muttered something under his breath.

Ellie barely saw him as he quickly walked by. As she walked, Ellie smelled his pungent masculine perfume that made her heart beat faster.

"Miss White," said a woman whose voice was as sharp as her pointing finger. She gestured to Ellie to enter.

Ellie took a deep breath and entered the room.

To her surprise, the room turned out to be just as beautiful as she had imagined, if not more. The room was quite spacious with high ceilings and a big desk in the centre where Lucas Hunter sat behind it. It was decorated in a minimalist yet elegant way.

In real life, he was even scarier than that.

Beneath his sharp jawline and slicked-back hair was his impeccably tailored suit. He wore a black power suit that matched his air of authority. His piercing blue eyes were locked onto Ellie's from the moment she moved closer to him, making her feel like he could see right through her soul. Now she could see how the sharp jaw held an unyielding expression on it.

"Miss White," he said in a deep and powerful voice. "Please, sit."

The moment Harry said that, Ellie sat down with her portfolio clutched tightly in her hands. It was the most reasonable thing to do, but she found it very difficult not to look away from him.

"Thank you for taking this time to meet me, Mr Hunter," she said, trying to sound calm and collected even though her chest was filled with anxiety.

He glanced at her, his gaze momentarily lingering on a few details of her résumé, which was neatly positioned on his desk. "I see you graduated from Parsons School of Design; you must have a degree in Fashion Design. That's rather stellar."

"Thank you," Ellie replied gratefully as she saw a glimmer of hope within herself.

"Though," he interrupted, "your work experience…" He paused for a moment. "…isn't really there. A few internships here and there, some freelancing—not exactly impressive."

Ellie was heartbroken at first. However, she quickly recovered from the disappointment. "With all due respect, Mr Hunter, I understand that my experience is not as extensive as some of your other candidates, but unlike other candidates, I can provide huge passion and commitment towards fashion, which is my utmost priority."

He raised an eyebrow with no particular admiration for her. "Passion and commitment are great attributes, Miss White, but they do not pay bills. This company operates at the highest level, and I cannot afford to hire someone who will need training."

Ellie's face, on the other hand, was red with embarrassment, though she remained firm within herself: "I know what this means, Mr Hunter. I am confident enough to say that these are challenges that I can rise up to. I came prepared and have brought along some of my work samples. My portfolio contains several design sketches; it would be such an honour to show them to you."

After a while, he gave her permission to do so.

Her fingers trembled slightly when Ellie pushed her portfolio towards him. Her heart was pounding with anxiety as he flipped through the pages, though his face showed no emotion.

They were like nothing else available on the market – inventive, daring and so much fun! These are just a few of the sketches that she had in her portfolio that were representative of who she is.

But would he notice?

He stopped at one page, squinting before tapping the drawing with his finger. "This one," he said. "Tell me about it."

Ellie leaned in closer, barely containing her excitement. "It's a modern twist on the little black dress. It's timeless but has clean edgy lines which make the embroidery bolder that grabs length. The inviting drape would be made of blended silk stitched in with leather, giving it a rebellious yet luxe feel."

He looked at the sketch for another moment before leaning back and saying unenthusiastically, "Interesting," as he put down the folder.

Now, Ellie's heart was beating for another reason entirely. Was she given a "cool" that's a fight state rubbish?

She didn't get a chance to ask as he fixed his gaze on her, leaning back. "Miss White, why do you want to work for Hunter Fashion Group?"

The intensity behind his eyes was something she wasn't ready for and it left her magnificently speechless.

"I have admired your brand for quite some time," she started. "You seem to be ahead of the competition, not only in trends but also in quality and innovation, which is just mind-blowing. I would love to play a role in this. I want to take part in work that is relevant, something that redefines the scope of fashion."

He did not respond immediately and the long silence made Ellie even more anxious.

"You are a very ambitious person," he finally spoke, with his voice not wavering. "But that is not enough. This business is cruel and if you cannot handle the pressure that comes with it, you will be crushed."

"I can handle the pressure," Ellie replied firmly. "I am not afraid of hard work."

He nodded after a short period of observation. "We shall see."

The interview continued for another fifteen minutes as Lucas quizzed her about her skills, experience and vision for the future. Though Ellie tried to give confident answers as best as she could, it was clear that Lucas had been unimpressed.

When the interview finally ended, Ellie rose from her seat feeling like a newborn deer in an unfamiliar world. "Thank you again for meeting me, Mr Hunter," she said, shaking hands.

As he shook Ellie's hand, his firm yet courteous grip demonstrated this point.

"Thank you for your time, Miss White. We will be in touch."

Ellie walked out of the interview room slowly, her mind was spinning like a top. She knew nothing about how she had done in the interview but there was one thing she was sure of: Lucas Hunter was as scary as they said he was.

By the time she got back to the lifts, Ellie's heart pounded so hard that she could feel it. It seemed like an experience that shook her to the core had just taken place.

And then it happened.

Ellie suddenly realised that she had been smiling at a man who carried a tray with two cups of coffee and who might have ruined her day. As Ellie bumped into him, something appeared to go wrong with his tray causing those coffee cups which would haunt her thoughts forever after to fall down.

The coffee burst out onto Lucas Hunter's pristine white shirt; now it looked like some awful shade of brown almost purple in hue.

As soon as Ellie's heart rate shot up through the roof, an instant shock froze into her bones.

Uh-oh.No, no, no!

She swallowed dryly and saw Lucas' eyes. Lucas's face was humourless; the thought of him smiling caused her unbearable pain.

"I—I am really sorry," Ellie gasped, panting heavily. "I should've known better."

He did not need to speak; he stood silently, preparing her for a more intense time.

Ellie's thoughts switched from handguns to hand grenades in an instant.

It was important that she settled it. She had to do something about it.

"Let me help you clean up," she offered as she took some paper napkins from the tray. She moved towards the spot to clean it but he held onto her wrist tightly and stopped her.

"Don't," said a low threatening voice.

Ellie's eyes were wide open and her heart squeezed. "I apologise Mr Hunter, I swear it was an accident I—"

"No need," he interrupted with a sneer in his voice.

In panic, Ellie shook her head and rolled over on her knees in order to start cleaning the floor. The coffee stain began to be absorbed by the napkin slowly. She felt many people in the office staring at her pitifully which only served to overwhelm her further with despair.

Lucas had vanished as soon as she turned with her napkin filled.

Ellie realised the interview was over and all hope for getting the job was gone while trying to maintain a flush on her face that was full of embarrassment.

She had blown it.

Ellie began moving towards the lift with her eyes cast downwards. Until she remembered where she was and hence, gradually stopped herself, tears stinging behind her eyes.

Not here. Not now.

The trembling ceased in an exhale, mouth fully open.

This was supposed to be the one moment that would change everything for her.

An opportunity to showcase her skills.

And she wasted it!

However, there was a shred of hope brewing within every stride she took through the crowded avenues of New York City.

It wasn't over yet.

It couldn't be over yet.

Things needed to be put right again somehow.