Determination

Zeta's POV

Dad was discharged, and I watched him try to enjoy himself with the rest of the family.

When I told him I'd be leaving, he felt very sad. "If I could, I would stop you from going." He whispered into my ear, and I nodded.

"Yes, Dad. Don't go anywhere." I warned him. He must not die before I get the money.

"Yes, my love. I promise, I won't." He replied.

I took my bag and hailed a cab to Alpha Damien's house.

I was directed to his address. Apparently, almost everyone knew where it was situated except me.

It was situated in the best part of town. Flowers adorned the tarred road. Are they real? I wondered.

As the cab approached the house, it was as if I had stepped into an alternate universe. The lawn was well trimmed.

A fountain made from a sculpture of a warrior gives out its water at the right time. It was very beautiful to watch.

Well, he wasn't an alpha for nothing. I thought as the cab finally stopped in front of a magnificent house. In fact, it was a mansion.

I didn't know what I was expecting from a powerful alpha, but certainly not this.

This was a structure that I had only seen in movies.

I paid the cab driver and watched him drive away.

"Welcome, Miss?" A steward interrupted my thoughts.

"Zeta," I replied.

"You're here for the role. I assume?" He asked politely.

"Yes, sir." I replied. He was dressed so formally, like I had seen them do in movies.

"Then, please follow me." He said that and opened the door for me.

I stared at the magnificent chandelier giving off its light. Wow! This is huge. The living room was very large. It was larger than the sum total of my rooms in my house and even the lawn.

The floor was made of marble; you could see yourself in it. No wonder girls gushed whenever there was a ball at the pack house.

The woodwork caught my eye, and I almost gasped. This must have cost a fortune. This was pure mahogany. Very polished and neat.

Everything screamed class and wealth. These people weren't on the same level as us.

This was royalty standard, and no expense was spared.

When I touched the railing of the staircase, it felt exactly as I thought it would.

Is that gold? A shiny thing caught my eye. As the daughter of a miner, I could identify different metals correctly in my sleep.

I caught my mouth from falling open; it was indeed gold. I touched the bulb overlaying the wood subtly.

It demarcated one wood end from another.

We continued up the unending stairs. Just how many rooms are in here? I wondered. 

"Miss Zeta?" I heard my name again, and I snapped back to reality.

I'm very sure he must be wondering how poor I am to be staring at things this way.

I had to snap my mouth shut.

"We are here." He said that, and I looked around. It was numbered 104.

Wow, one could get lost in here.

"This is your room." He said this, handing me a card.

"It's your pass card." He explained.

"You'll be called upon when it's time." He said

"Thank you, sir." I replied, still a bit confused. I thought we were to apply to the Alpha. Aren't we going through it like an interview?

He walked away, and I was perplexed. After swiping it like I had seen in movies, the door opened. That's great. At least I finally had firsthand experience of how it is done.

I kept my bag in the wardrobe. It was very big. If this is how a guest room looks,how does the master bedroom look?

Wow, was all I could say. A lot of people are definitely living the dream. He should be a celebrity.

I snacked on a granola bar that I brought in as I sat down on the sofa in the room. The bed looked inviting, but I was too tense to try it out. The blue silk draped over the bed was expensive. If my mom is able to get these, she'll sell them and make a lot of money to help us survive.

I was careful about touching anything because there could be cameras watching us.

How would the interview go? What questions will they ask?

My name is Zeta Jones, and I am 21 years old. A college student

If asked why I chose to do this, I'd say

I want to help the kingdom bear a suitable heir.

I was apprehensive about the interview. I didn't like this, but I had to. I'm doing this for my dad. It will be alright. I chanted inwardly.

A knock jolted me out of my sleep. I didn't know that I had fallen asleep.

"Good afternoon, sir." I greeted another steward.

"Please be presentable; you'll be beckoned upon in ten minutes." He said that and walked away. This man was rude. He stared at me like I meant nothing. He was just a steward, for Christ's sake.

I looked at my dress. It was what I wore to prom, and I thought it was highly presentable.

I changed into a black pencil skirt and a white shirt. I probably looked like a waitress.

At exactly twenty minutes later, someone knocked. It was a female this time.

"Follow me." She said, and she walked rimrod stiff.

I followed quietly behind her with my bag in hand. Why were all of them so stiff? I know this is a palace, but they were too robotic for my liking.

"This is the study." She said that and walked away.

I entered and saw a large number of ladies sitting in.

~~~~~~~

All eyes were on me as I walked in. There was a lull in the conversation. The women in here were elegant. How could I compete with them?

My outfit didn't help matters because someone let out a snicker, and others followed suit. I looked homeless, like a stray that managed to find its way into a palace.

I found an empty seat, and the next person moved away while the room erupted into laughter.

"I don't want to catch something." She muttered, like I was some vermin she had to be wary of.

"I heard he likes thick girls." A woman spoke.

"No, he was rumored to like them petite." Another spoke as she stood up to admire herself.

The chatter continued until someone piped up.

"Can you ladies maintain a moment of decorum?"

"How dare you speak to me in that manner?"

"What gave you the right to lord over us?"

"You lowlife."

"Is this what this is about now?"

"Gold Digger."

Myriads of voices kept chanting and making noise.

I drowned out the noise with my noise-cancelling earphones. Thank God I brought them along. It was almost resulting in physical fights when I intervened.

"Can you all just shut up?" I screamed above their noise.

They all turned on me.

"Take a look at that; she reeks of poverty."

"A waitress wants to carry the heir of the palace."

The disgusting names were hurled at me, and I didn't mind them. At least they were not going to send us all out.

I needed this money if they had no use for it.

The door opened, and the room went silent. No one was aware of the connecting door.

"Ms. Anita, please come in." A woman called.

Anita was the loud-mouthed woman who almost assaulted me. She gave us a stinky look as she walked into the inner room.

Anita came out twenty minutes later, crying bitterly and cussing as she exited the room.

The room fell silent, and we wondered what was going on.

" Victoria." The voice called again, and another woman adjusted her dress as she marched into the room confidently.

She came out very pissed and exited the room, shutting the door with a bang that sent our ears tingling.

I was getting tense, and I prayed.

"Please let me be picked; I need this money."

" Betty." I was getting tired; it was almost evening, and it wasn't yet my turn.

I need to clinch this before evening so that I can return to my house.

It continued that way; many people came out angrily, while only two people smiled.

I guess the rule was not to reveal what the questions were. So they left without a word.

The woman with whom I formed a connection in the space of a few minutes looked at me, and I saw the apprehension in her eyes too.

" Jennifer." 

"I'm scared." She mouthed, and I nodded.

"Me too."

"You'll kill it." I gave her a thumbs up.

She grinned nervously and walked into the study.

Her interview took too long, and I was dozing.

The door opened again, and I opened my eyes.

She smiled at me and came to give me a hug. I was shocked at her action.

"I did it," she said.

" Congratulations." I replied. I thought they weren't allowed to speak to other applicants.

"Go and be great, dear." She smiled at me, and she exited the room.

I felt a dagger in the eyes of the other women. They must think that she told me something.

I sat down quietly and continued scrolling through my phone, pretending to be engrossed in it.

I was more than tired. The interviews were taking longer than I expected.

What did they ask them? I hope they didn't ask them to perform any sports to check their fitness. I have been very poor in PE.

" Amanda." I groaned aloud. Impatience is getting the best of me.

Why were they wasting time? I groaned. It was seven p.m., and there were still fifty people to be interviewed.

My stomach rumbled in hunger as I waited. The granola bar was well digested. I also wanted to pee urgently.

Lord, not now! I need to secure this application.

" Beverly." Another girl was called. At one point, my bladder was screaming, threatening to burst.

I ran out of the room and navigated my way back to my room. I emptied my bladder on the toilet and sighed in relief.

It was almost 8 p.m.I navigated my way back to the study. I opened a door; it didn't open; another one didn't open.

God, I missed my way. There was no number on the door.

I heard the sound of a door opening and closing, and I followed the sound. When I entered the room, everyone was gone. This is impossible.

I looked around and could not find anyone.

"The meeting has ended." A woman spoke.

"No, it can't end. Please, I need to do this interview today." I pleaded with her.

"I'm sorry, the power is not in my hands." She said.

How was it possible that they interviewed forty-eight people in the space of fifteen minutes?

"Please help me talk to him. Mine won't take long." I begged. I couldn't go home fruitlessly.

A light blinked from the door.

"He's watching me, isn't he?" I said this as I looked at the camera hidden in the door.

"Please let me see him." I begged.

"Miss, I have told you that there is nothing I can do to change his mind." She said it regretfully.

I picked up my bag and refused to leave.

"Ma'am, you have to leave." She said.

"No, I won't; I have to see him." I refused.

"This is ridiculous." She spat.

I'm sorry, but I'm not going anywhere. I came here for a reason, and I will accomplish it.

"You have to leave," she said.

"No, I can't go yet." I replied. 

She shook her head and said, "Do not let me call the guards on you." She threatened.

"I have been here since morning. All I ask for is an interview with him, that's all." I replied.

"You......" she started.

"Let her in, Sandra." A powerful voice cut in from the intercom.