Chapter 11 - Mark

CALISTA

“We are here.” Maco's voice jolted me out of my daze, and I glanced briefly at him before turning to look outside.

“Oh my.” My lips parted slightly at the sight ahead of me. A few steps away from the parking lot stood a towering skyscraper building, rotating slowly, with the words "Sparta Tech" imprinted at the top.

I didn't expect it to be this magnificent in real life. I felt a hard gaze on me, and I turned my head to look at Maco, seeing the coldness in his eyes. But when he caught me looking, a warm smile spread on his face, the coldness disappearing instantly.

Umm… What was that?

“Uh, thank you for the ride.” I forced a smile as I grabbed the car door handle and opened the door. He didn't answer, and I took that as a cue to escape from there.

I shut the door and turned to the building, my files pressed tightly against my chest with my left hand.

“Let's do this. Fighting!” I nodded firmly in determination and began walking towards the building. My heels barely balanced as I walked, and that frustrated me.

After much difficulty, I made it to the interview waiting room. I glanced down at the number badge on my blouse and sighed softly.

I hope this goes well.

Right then, I heard whispers around me, and I bit my lip. They started whispering immediately as I walked into the room, and I knew very well they were talking about me.

“Hey.” A soft voice sounded beside me and I turned to the person. A red-haired girl, probably in her late twenties, smiled at me, and my eyes fell on her badge which said “No 43”.

“Hi.” I smiled.

“Oh? I didn't expect you to answer back.” She exclaimed, her hand covering her mouth, but when she noticed the stares from others, she whispered, " Sorry, " to them and faced me again. “I'm sorry.”

“It's okay.” I bit back the urge to laugh. Here I was thinking I was the nervous one in situations. Looks like I have found someone much worse than me. “I'm Calista.”

“I'm Katrina, Kat for short.” Her cheeks flushed and she looked away while talking. I nodded along, then her next words came out. “You're gorgeous. I just wanted to tell you that.”

“Thank you, Kat.” I glanced at her. “You're not looking so bad either.”

Her head snapped towards me, her eyes widening in shock. “You think so?”

I blinked rapidly in surprise while nodding. “Yeah.”

Her eyes sparkled, her hands clasped in front of her chest. “Aw, you're not only gorgeous but kind too.”

I was startled by her behavior. However, before I could speak, the door to the interview room opened and our heads turned in that direction. A woman dressed in black formal pants and a white long-sleeve shirt, with round glasses on her oval face, stared at us.

“Next!”

I flinched at the loudness of her voice. At that moment, Katrina jolted off the chair as though her seat was on fire.

I glanced up at her as she grabbed her files chaotically and began walking to the room, but one of her certificates fell on the floor and she bent down to pick it up.

A snicker sounded in my ears and I turned in that direction to see some girls holding back their laughter, their eyes filled with mockery.

“Sorry, I'm sorry.” Kat's soft apologies filled my ears, and when I looked again, she had already rushed into the interview room.

The woman swept her gaze around us before following Kat and closing the door. Silence settled after she left, and one by one the girls started talking.

“I can't believe someone like that came for the interview. She should have stayed at home instead of coming here for a performance,” one of the girls whispered to her seat partner.

I sat there with a neutral expression on my face as they gossiped among themselves.

I felt a buzz in my bag, so I opened it and took out my phone. My thumb swiped the screen and clicked on the red icon in the message app.

My brows pressed tightly together when I saw who the sender was.

[Are you at home?]

Sender: Sera

I locked the screen instantly, glanced briefly at the remaining candidates, and stood up, walking out of the room. I looked around and walked up to the nearest person to ask for the ladies' room.

“Turn to your right and enter the last room at the end of the hallway,” the person answered.

I said thank you and hurried to the ladies' room.

I shut the door behind me and walked to the counter, dropping my bag and files, then turned on the tap. I placed my hands under the water and glanced at the mirror, my reflection staring back at me.

No matter how much I run away from her, there will come a day when we still have to talk about what happened.

I turned off the tap and cleaned my hands, but just as I turned, a sharp pain shot up from my leg and I grabbed the counter, feeling prickles on my skin.

I lifted my left leg and looked down, only to see a cut at the back of my leg, and the same cut on my right leg.

“Ugh, as if my day hasn't been shitty enough.” I hissed sharply and grabbed my bag, searching for a Band-Aid, but there was nothing. “Fuck.”

I snatched my bag and walked out of the room, biting my tongue to stop myself from crying out in pain, but just as I stepped out of the bathroom, I bumped into someone.

Quickly, a hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me forward until my feet regained balance.

“Are you okay?” a male's deep voice sounded in my ears, followed by a familiar perfume, and my eyes widened slightly as my heart began beating heavily against my chest.

Mark?

I lifted my head instantly to look at the person, but when I saw his face, the shock slowly disappeared.