HOW AND WHY?

With that, he stormed off, dragging his other friend along.

"She's not my— Hey, Joe!"

Kael called after them, but neither man bothered to turn around.

He watched them disappear before slowly turning his attention back to me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he shook his head.

"You're unbelievable."

I frowned.

"But he started it. You didn't even defend me."

"Defend you?"

He let out a short, humourless laugh.

"Why would I defend you? Because he told the truth?"

"The truth?"

"You heard me. You need to lose some weight, Bianca. You are disgustingly fat. I thought you'd have at least glowed up after high school. That was why I made you that promise in the first place."

He looked me over one last time.

"You're just as ugly as I remembered."

And with that, he walked away.

For a moment, I simply stood there, staring at the empty space where he had been.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't even blink.

His words kept replaying in my head, each one cutting deeper than the last.

Disgustingly fat.

Just as ugly as I remembered.

I swallowed hard, fighting the sudden lump in my throat.

I knew Kael could be cruel. I had experienced his indifference back in high school, but somehow, I had convinced myself that things would be different now.

That perhaps, after all these years, he would have matured.

That perhaps, he would remember the little promise he had made to me and, at the very least, treat me with a little kindness.

How stupid of me.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

Of all the things I had prepared myself to face today, running into Kael hadn't been one of them.

I looked down at the folder clutched tightly against my chest.

My fingers were trembling.

I wanted to cry but I have no tears left to cry.

I had spent enough nights crying in my bedroom, listening to my parents talk about me like I was a mistake they will spend the rest of their lives regretting.

I forced a smile and looked around me.

I just need a job maybe it can distract me from everything else.

Soon, a recruiter called..

"You..."

I turned.

"Sorry me?"

"Yes, you... wait over there," she said, pointing toward a separate entrance. "We'll call you when we're ready."

I looked at the other applicants.

They were still standing together, and I was the only one being sent away to the other side.

My cheeks burned, but I forced a smile.

"Oh... okay. Thanks."

Clutching my folder, I walked toward the side entrance.

Perhaps they wanted to interview applicants separately.

Even though a part of me knew that wasn't the case. It was all about my physical appearance... not my outfit, of course, but my weight.

I didn't care if I was going to be humiliated or bullied again. I had to get this job... I had to.

I had barely settled against the wall when the heavy double doors beside me swung open.

And another woman walked straight to me.

"Follow me."

I swallowed tightly.

That was unusual.

"Sorry, ma'am. Did I do something wrong?"

"Just follow me."

She turned and walked away without another word. I hurried after her, clutching my bag.

The woman led me into an elevator, pressed a button for one of the upper floors, and remained silent throughout the ride.

My stomach twisted.

The higher we went, the more expensive everything looked. Even the walls seemed to scream money.

When the elevator doors opened, she led me down a quiet hallway and into a conference room.

Two people were already seated at the table—a male Alpha and a female Alpha.

Their scents reached me almost immediately, but thankfully, they weren't nearly as overwhelming as the one that had nearly destroyed my dignity downstairs.

Thank you, prescription-grade suppressants that I took this morning.

"Have a seat," the woman instructed.

I sat down carefully, trying to appear calm and professional.

She placed her tablet on the table and took the seat opposite me.

"Let's begin. Please state your full name."

"Bianca… Bianca Hats."

"Age?"

"Twenty-two."

"Marital status?"

"Single."

"Designation?"

"Omega."

She entered something into her tablet.

I didn't know why I was being called in here, but I was too anxious to keep the fear inside.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," I blurted out. "But I am confused."

She raised her eyes.

"You are hired."

I stared at her, my heart was racing so hard I felt faint, maybe I heard wrong.

"I'm sorry?"

"The CEO has personally requested that you be hired as his personal assistant."

Silence.

For a moment, I genuinely wondered whether the suppressants I took this morning had affected my hearing.

"The what… his what?"

"Do you have hearing issues?" she asked with a flat tone and a face that said she was not in the mood for jokes.

I stared at her.

Then at the two people beside her.

Then back at her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I think there's been a mistake."

"There hasn't."

"But I applied for the cleaning position."

"Do you want the job or not?" she snapped, almost as if she was impatient.

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

What?...

How?....