CHAPTER 4 – The Interview

Elena barely slept.

Not because she wasn’t tired.

Because every time she closed her eyes, she imagined something going wrong.

She forgot her presentation.

Her slides malfunctioned.

She tripped in front of executives.

She embarrassed herself.

By the time morning arrived, she was already tired.

Still, she forced herself out of bed.

Today mattered too much.

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror for several seconds.

Professional.

Confident.

Prepared.

That was the goal.

Even if she felt none of those things.

Her navy blazer fit perfectly.

Her hair fell neatly around her shoulders.

And after a deep breath, she finally nodded at her reflection.

“You’ve got this.”

Her reflection looked unconvinced.

An hour later, Elena stood outside Wolfe Global Headquarters.

Her breath caught immediately.

The building was enormous.

Glass.

Steel.

Luxury.

Power.

Everything about it screamed success.

Employees moved confidently through the revolving doors.

Luxury vehicles lined the entrance.

The Wolfe Global logo gleamed above her.

For a moment, she simply stared.

Then she reminded herself why she was here.

Not to admire the building.

To earn her place inside it.

The reception area was even more impressive.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Manhattan.

Modern artwork decorated the walls.

Employees moved efficiently through the space.

Everything felt expensive.

A young receptionist smiled.

“Good morning.”

Elena returned the smile.

“I’m here for the graduate presentation.”

“Of course.”

After checking her details, the receptionist handed her a visitor badge.

“Twenty-seventh floor.”

Elena thanked her and headed toward the elevator.

The higher she climbed, the faster her heart beat.

The conference room was already filling with candidates.

Large screens displayed company information.

Executives occupied the front rows.

Several recruiters sat nearby.

Everyone looked intimidating.

Elena quickly found her assigned seat.

Then she focused on breathing.

One presentation at a time.

One step at a time.

That was all she needed.

Nearly an hour later, her name appeared on the screen.

Elena Hart.

Her stomach dropped.

This was it.

Gathering her notes, she walked toward the front.

The room suddenly felt much larger.

Much quieter.

She connected her presentation.

Turned toward the audience.

And began.

At first, her voice felt slightly shaky.

Then something familiar happened.

She forgot to be nervous.

The topic mattered.

The research mattered.

The solutions mattered.

And once she started talking about something she understood, confidence replaced fear.

Minutes passed.

Then more.

Questions came.

She answered them.

Challenges followed.

She addressed them.

By the time she finished, the room was completely silent.

Then someone nodded.

Another executive followed.

Several others began taking notes.

Elena finally exhaled.

Maybe she hadn’t ruined everything after all.

Across the room, someone smiled.

Ethan Cole.

“Interesting.”

The woman sitting beside him raised an eyebrow.

“You say that every year.”

“No.”

Ethan continued watching Elena.

“This one is different.”

The woman laughed.

“You say that every year too.”

Ethan ignored her.

His attention remained fixed on Elena.

A few floors above, Adrian Wolfe sat inside a board meeting.

Numbers filled the screen.

Executives discussed expansion plans.

Normally, Adrian would have been paying attention.

Instead, his phone vibrated.

A message appeared.

From Ethan.

Ethan: You should come downstairs.

Adrian frowned.

No.

Ethan: Trust me.

Still no.

Another message arrived.

Ethan: There’s someone you should see.

Adrian immediately rolled his eyes.

His cousin had been making ridiculous recommendations for years.

Restaurants.

Employees.

Business ideas.

Vacation destinations.

Most of them were terrible.

He returned his attention to the meeting.

Or at least tried to.

Then another message appeared.

Ethan: Future employee. Smart. Beautiful. Dangerous combination.

Adrian sighed.

That was enough.

He opened the attached file.

A candidate profile.

Elena Hart.

Academic achievements.

Scholarships.

Recommendations.

Outstanding evaluations.

Impressive.

Very impressive.

Adrian scanned the information quickly.

Then his attention shifted to the photo attached to the application.

Blue eyes.

Confident smile.

Professional posture.

Interesting.

Not because of her appearance.

Because Ethan was interested.

And Adrian knew Ethan.

Very well.

Too well.

A familiar memory surfaced.

Zara.

Pain.

Regret.

Silence.

The feeling disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

But it left something behind.

A thought.

An uncomfortable one.

Later that afternoon, final candidates were invited for private interviews.

Elena almost fainted when she saw her name.

Again.

She had made the final round.

The interview room was smaller than expected.

Less intimidating.

At least until she walked inside.

Then she froze.

The man sitting at the far end of the table looked familiar.

Very familiar.

Dark suit.

Sharp features.

Cold expression.

Adrian Wolfe.

The same man from the presentation screen.

Only far more intimidating in person.

For one embarrassing second, Elena forgot how to breathe.

Adrian noticed immediately.

Most people reacted that way.

Fear.

Nervousness.

Intimidation.

He was used to it.

Then something unexpected happened.

Elena recovered.

Fast.

By the time she sat down, her expression had steadied.

Interesting.

Most people took longer.

The interview began.

Questions.

Answers.

Discussions.

Challenges.

And somehow, Elena impressed him more with every response.

Not because she tried to.

Because she genuinely understood what she was talking about.

She wasn’t reciting rehearsed answers.

She was thinking.

Analyzing.

Solving.

Several times she even challenged assumptions presented by senior executives.

Politely.

Professionally.

But confidently.

That almost never happened.

When the interview ended, Elena thanked everyone and stood.

Then she looked directly at Adrian.

“Thank you for your time.”

Her voice remained steady.

Adrian nodded.

“Thank you for yours.”

The door closed behind her.

Silence followed.

Then one executive spoke.

“Excellent candidate.”

Another nodded.

“One of the strongest this year.”

Adrian remained quiet.

Already making a decision.

Later that evening, Ethan walked into Adrian’s office without knocking.

As usual.

“Well?”

Adrian didn’t look up.

“Well what?”

“You know exactly what.”

Adrian finally lifted his gaze.

“Ethan.”

“What?”

“You should learn to knock.”

“You should learn to have fun.”

Adrian ignored him.

Ethan smiled.

“Elena.”

There it was.

The name.

The interest.

The attention.

The beginning.

Adrian recognized it immediately.

And suddenly, years-old resentment stirred again.

Not because Elena had done anything.

Because Ethan had.

A long time ago.

Adrian closed the file in front of him.

Decision made.

“We’re hiring her.”

Ethan grinned.

“I knew you’d—”

“She’ll work directly with me.”

The smile disappeared.

Immediately.

Ethan blinked.

“What?”

Adrian’s expression never changed.

“Executive Development Division.”

Ethan stared at him.

Confused.

Suspicious.

And for the first time all day…

Adrian felt completely certain.

His plan had just begun.