WHAT DID EVERYONE DO LAST NIGHT?

After that mess of a morning with my mother, I needed a moment to breathe, and clear my mind, I took a long shower and blasted my favorite music, 

By the time I got out, I got myself neatly dressed up, I wore a black pencil skirt, white blouse, light makeup, enough to show I cared but not enough to look like I was trying too hard, 

I looked like a woman ready to work!

This job was my way out and I was going to fight for it like my life depended on it, because it kinda did, this job was the only thing I had left that would separate me from the hellhole I called home, my mother, my uncle and my disgusting siblings, they'd have no hold over me if I got this, no more begging, no more being told I'm nothing,

I stepped out, hailed a cab, and got in before I could talk myself out of it, and the whole ride I kept my eyes on the buildings passing by but my mind was already at Voss Pharmaceuticals, When the cab stopped I paid, stepped out, and took a breath,

The building was massive with polished black glass with guards in suits everywhere,

everything screamed power, I walked straight to the entrance and headed toward the small booth near the door where they handed out tags, I reached for the red tag, those were the ones meant for job interviewees like me and I clipped it to my blouse,

I turned and made my way to the elevators, my heart was pounding a little harder now, this was it!

Just as I was about to press the button, my phone rang, it was Rosa, I was no longer conscious of my environment as i walked into the elevator,

"Hey girl, it's today, isn't it?" she asked with that excited voice of hers,

"Yep," I said, trying not to smile too much,

"You ready?"

"I was born ready," I whispered

She laughed, "That's my girl, you're gonna kill it"

We chatted for a few seconds more, mostly about how perfect this position was for me, especially since I didn't have a degree but had the skills to be a personal assistant (role I applied for)

I got to the 5th floor and proceeded to the waiting room, it was so full when I walked in,

There were people sitting everywhere, some tapping their feet, others staring at their papers or fixing their clothes, everyone looked so serious and nervous,

I found a seat in the corner and sat down slowly, trying to stay calm even though my hands were a little shaky, this job meant everything to me, and I couldn't mess it up,

I looked around, trying not to panic, when I started hearing people whispering,

"Did you hear the news?" a girl near me said quietly to another person,

"I heard the CEO is doing the interviews today"

My eyes widened,

"What? Are you serious?" the guy beside her asked,

"Yeah, someone from HR told me, he's never done interviews before," she said, 

another girl in the front looked like she was about to cry, "Oh no, I don't think I'm ready for this, I thought it'd just be the normal managers"

I sat up straighter, my heart beating so fast I thought it would explode,

The CEO himself? 

I wasn't just nervous now, I was full-on scared, my hands were sweaty and my legs were shaking a little, but I knew I couldn't let it stop me,

There were ten of us in total and only two would get picked, and the craziest part?

All ten of us would be interviewed at the same time, in one huge room, with a panel of people watching, some board members, the HR team and now THE CEO?

It felt like a movie, the kind where only the bold survive

I closed my eyes for a second and told myself, "you got this, girl… you've been through worse" because to be honest, I literally have, I have my mother literally spitting on my face every single day.

After what felt like forever waiting in that room, someone finally called all of us in for the interview, we stood up and followed one another into this huge bright room, there was a long table up front where the panel would sit and chairs for us facing them,

I tried to sit in the middle so I could stand out more, you know, show confidence, make a stronger impression...that thing people say, but just as I was about to sit, this girl shoved her bag into the seat and gave me a look like I wasn't welcome, I didn't have time to argue, so I just moved to the edge and sat down quietly, trying not to let it mess with my mood, I looked around, everyone was waiting but the CEO hadn't arrived yet;

The room was quiet, too quiet, everyone looked stiff and nervous, like they were afraid to even breathe too loud, including me...

Then finally, the doors opened and there he was, THE CEO,

He walked in like he owned the world, which he probably did, at least in that moment,

Everyone stood up right away, it was a reflex, 

There was a man beside him whom some members of the board greeted and they called him Niko, and behind them was a woman in a soft robe who didn't say a word,

They walked in and took their seats and then we all sat too, I glanced up at the CEO again, there was something about him… I couldn't explain it,

Why did he look so familiar?

maybe I've seen him on TV or something, I told myself...

he was handsome, no doubt about that, sharp jaw, intense eyes, expensive suit, he looked like the kind of man who knew exactly what he wanted and always got it, but I quickly shook the thoughts out of my head,

No, no, no, Focus, Isabella!

Number one: I NEED this job, It's my only way out

Number two: He's probably like 32 or something… and I'm 21, what am I even thinking? I'm not his type, I'm not anybody's type right now,

finally, the CEO spoke, his voice was deep, he started by explaining how things would go,

"Some questions will be asked individually," he said, "but some other questions would be asked for the collective to answer, in a situation like this, you'll all answer one after the other, from the person on the far left to the one on the far right, understand?"

We all nodded in agreement,

"Yes, sir," some of us said,

He smiled a little and leaned forward

"Perfect," he said,

Then, I could have sworn he had a smug smile on his face when he looked right at us and asked, "So…what did everyone do last night? Do share"

My heart dropped to my stomach, "LORD" was all I could say under my breath.