Chapter Five

★★★★★

MONTERIO'S INVESTMENT

Hailey alighted from the cab when the car stopped just outside the company.

"Thank you" she smiled after paying the cab man. There was a huge traffic jam on the road so she arrived a bit late.

"Hope this should be different," she said to herself. She inhaled deeply for a while, and after gaining a lot of courage that she thinks is enough for her, she made her way into the company.

"Whoa! This is so huge" she gushed, gawking at how beautiful the company is.

She kept looking around in awe till she bumps into a guy. Her bag fell and the contents in it spilt out on the floor.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry" she muttered as she bent to pick her bag up.

"It's fine," Jace said. He helped her to pick up some stuff and handed it to her.

He tried to walk away but she quickly stopped him.

"Erm..., I came here for an interview and I can't seem to find my way here. Can you please help me?" She asked.

"Take a lift and go to the eighth floor, the interview is taking place there," Jace said.

"Thank you so much" she smiled and left instantly. She was already late enough as it is.

Jace stared at her as she walked away and smiled.

"She's beautiful," he mumbled to himself.

****

Hailey arrived 30 minutes late for the interview and was met with a lot of ladies to be interviewed. She felt goosebumps all over her. Every lady was dressed neatly and classily unlike her who was in a simple black gown.

She made her way to the first badge, her eyes widened when she saw the number of ladies there.

"200??" Her heart skipped a beat. Would she be able to get this job? Not with these ladies around here.

She wrote down her name and necessary information before going to sit in a vacant seat.

"Are you here for the interview?" A girl asked beside her.

"Er... Yea" Hailey replied awkwardly.

Somehow, she felt disturbed. How was she able to be invited for an interview when didn't even apply for the job? What if someone was playing a trick on her?

"I've been here for a long time, but it seems the interview won't be ending today as we're so much," the girl said.

"But you know, most of the girls here aren't here for the job"

Hailey turned to her.

"Really? Then what?"

"They're here for the CEO. Heard he's a wealthy Billionaire and a womanizer, I guess they came here for him to notice them"

Hailey shook her head in pity.

"Some girls can be pretty jobless at times" she muttered.

"Are you Hailey Brooklyn?" A guy in black asked as he walked over to her.

"I am... Why?"

"The interviewers will like to have you," the guy said.

Hailey glanced at the girl beside her whose name is Sarah in shock.

"What? It's not yet my turn, my name is 230 and..."

"You should go," Sarah said to her.

"Okay," she stood up and was led out by the guy. One thing she's sure of is that something is wrong somewhere.

"I was here before her, how come she's going before me?"

"She just arrived not quite long"

Loud murmurings filled the whole place and Hailey felt guilty. They were right after all, she met them here.

"This way please, "the guy said, jolting her back to reality.

"Oh, yea" she chuckled nervously.

Hailey opened the door as the guy instructed her to, she met the interviewers and she suddenly grew scared. What if this was all a trick?

"Miss Hailey, right?" One of the interviewers asked.

"Yes"

"Please kindly fill in the information and hand over your files, we need to take a look at it"

"Sure" Hailey hands over her files to them and fills in the necessary information she was to fill.

The interviewers sighed softly after reading her files, they both looked at themselves and did the eye contact thing.

"Congratulations, Miss Hailey. You passed the interview"

"Oh my goodness!" Hailey was close to crying. As much as she was excited that she got the job, she was also curious as to how she was invited for the interview. There's no way she could have gotten the job amidst the crowds outside waiting.

"Thank you so much, thank you," she said repeatedly. This was a dream come true for her.

"You'll be taken to the CEO's office, he'll be the one to direct you to your duties and other things"

Hailey nods her head absentmindedly. She was so happy, her mom would be so glad to hear this.

"Follow me, please," a lady said.

Hailey faced the interviewers and bowed her head.

"Thank you so much," she said and then followed the lady out of the room.

"Isn't this kinda suspicious? How could the Boss ask us to just employ her as the secretary when there are thousands of candidates waiting outside" one of the interviewers said.

"Well, she isn't bad either. And her credentials are okay" the other one said.

"You're right tho"

****

Hailey kept following the lady behind till they got to a door with words inscribed on it.

"That's the CEO's office, you may go in," the lady said.

"Huh? Alone?" Hailey asked but she was already gone.

"What the hell!" Hailey looked around in confusion.

"CEO Charles Monterio?" She read the word on the door aloud.

She raised her hand and knocked on the door slowly.

"Come in" she heard a deep voice.

She inhaled sharply and opened the door. She entered the office slowly and cold air hit her skin immediately.

Her eyes went to the figure who was sitting on a chair, backing her.

"Good morning sir, I'm Hailey Brooklyn and..."

"I know," Charles said, cutting her off.

Hailey furrowed her brow in confusion. Oddly, his voice sounds familiar.

"Sir?"

Charles twirled the chair around and Hailey's eyes widened when she saw the person she was least expecting at that moment.

"You?"

Charles chuckled.

"Surprised, aren't you?"

"What's the meaning of this? Did you follow me here too?" Hailey half yells.

"And I'll be here sitting in the CEO's office?" Charles asked back.

Those words alone were enough to drive Hailey into a state of confusion.

"Or.... Do you want me to explain further?" Charles asked as he got to his feet.

"This... Is this your doing?" She asked slowly.

"What do you think?" He shrugged.

"Why?"

"You already know the answer," he replied with a smile.

Hailey scoffed in disbelief.

"Then I'm sorry to burst your bubble, I won't be accepting this job because I refuse to be a rich man's prey!" She fired.

"I believe that must be a joke"

"Well, it ain't a joke because I'm f**king serious! I don't care about the way my life is but I'm never working with you! Not even in my wildest dream!" She glared.

She turned to leave but his next words stopped her.

"Then, how do you intend to do it? Remember you lost your job last night" Charles smirked.

"I'm doing you a favour so I don't think I'm the bad guy here. This is a very good opportunity for you...." He moved closer to her and bent towards her ear.

"Think deeply, Hailey," he whispered. He stood straight and then went back to his seat.

"You're dismissed," he said authoritatively.

Hailey walked to him in anger, she raised her hand and hit him very hard on the cheek.

"Damn you for taking me as a cheap slūt! To hell with you and your f**king company!" She shouted. She glared at him and left the office in anger.

Charles stared into space in shock, he raised his hand and touched his left cheek which was stinging so badly.

This was the second time she was going to hit him again and surprisingly, he couldn't even do a thing.

"You'll come back, trust me"

****

Hailey walked out of the company in anger, she felt like hitting him till he passed out but she controlled herself. She wouldn't want to bring any problems to her family.

"F**k him! Just when I thought I finally got a job only to receive this"

She flashed down a taxi and entered it.

"Kelso, J&H restaurant please," she said.

The taxi driver nodded and the car zoomed out of the place.

They arrived at the restaurant, and after paying the can man, she alighted from the car and entered the restaurant.

She met Leah sitting on one of the chairs looking disturbed, she quickly rushed to her.

"Mom, what's wrong?" She asked.

Leah turned to her and smiled.

"You're back. How did it go? Did they employ you?" She asked.

Hailey bit her lips.

"Actually..." She looked around the place.

"Where's Dad?" She asked.

"He stepped out for a bit. So, how did it go?" Leah asked again, staring at her eagerly.

"It's a long day mom, I'm so tired," she said

"Something went wrong, isn't it?" Leah asked after studying her for some time.

"Huh? Like what?"

"You know, you don't have to do what you don't like just for us. We can still manage, and your Dad and I are going to work hard to make sure Jaime finishes his school. Don't overwork yourself just for us, okay?"

Hailey stared at her for a while before smiling.

"I got the job, mom"

"What? Are you serious?" Leah asked happily.

"Yes mom"

Leah pulls her into a hug.

"That's great! It's good news" she said.

"Yes mom" Hailey muttered, she couldn't even bring herself to tell her mom that she declined the job.

After losing two of her jobs, she couldn't afford to lose this one too.

She just needs to put that perverted boss of hers in his place. She needs to make sure she's never going to fall for his demands.

****

WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN HIGHSCHOOL***

"Hey Jaime, it's lunchtime," Lilian said as she walked to Jaime's seat.

"Yeah... Have you seen Layla around? She didn't come to class" Jaime said.

"Worrying about your crush again?" Lilian asked, smiling teasingly.

"I already told you she's not my crush, she's just...." Jaime stopped not knowing what to say.

"Just what? A friend? C'mon, you can't fool me" Lilian said.

"Seriously, I don't like her. I don't have a crush either" Jaime said.

"Umm, yes you don't," Lilian said, mocking him silently.

"You don't believe me?"

"Why should I?" She grinned.

"You can't fool me, Jaime" she stuck her tongue at him and went out of the class.

"Hey, Lilian!" Jaime called as he ran after her.

He caught up with her in the school hallway, but she was staring at something else.

"Hey, I'm serious. I don't like her, I'm..." He stopped talking when he saw a shocking scene before him.

Layla and Wyatt, his greatest rival in school, are kissing each other.

He took slow steps backwards and ran out of the place.

***

MONTERIO'S INVESTMENT***

"Did you mean all those?" Jace laughed after Charles had finished explaining his encounter with Hailey.

"That's surprising, I mean, no girl would ever do that in her right senses. I believe she doesn't even know who you are"

"She did, and she surprised me," Charles muttered, remembering the occurrence that morning.

"But I'm still confused, you don't f**k your employees but why then did you offer her a job in your company?" Jace asked.

Charles went silent. Jace was right, he doesn't do his employees, why then did he employ her when his main aim is to f**k her.

What was he thinking?

"You even went as far as paying her boss five hundred thousand dollars just to fire her. Doesn't that weird to your ears?" Jace asked.

"And to think she even rejected the job after everything, she must have the guts. I'd love to meet her someday" Jace said.

"Just keep shut, you're beginning to annoy me," Charles said.

"I need to see him, I came here earlier this morning for an interview" they suddenly heard an argument.

The door opened and Hailey entered with a guard beside her.

"I tried to stop her but she's being adamant," the guard said.

Charles smirked when he saw her. He knew she was surely going to come back.

"I'm gonna accept this job but on one condition, if you dare try any shit with me, I'm gonna cut off your d**k and feed it to the dogs. Trust me, I mean what I just said now" Hailey said, staring at him boldly.