Chapter 3. An interview

Ava looked at herself in the mirror, she was undecided whether to wear her hair down or up. She had put on the only black dress pants she had, the fanciest shoes with a tiny heel, and a plain white blouse with a thin black ribbon tied in a bun about to fall apart. She put just a little blusher on her pale cheeks and mascara on her long eyelashes. Then, at the last moment, she opted to wear her hair down. She thought that way her round face wouldn't be too noticeable.

"Already?" she heard her friend say impatiently outside the bathroom. Ava took a breath and let it out slowly between her teeth while still looking at herself in the reflection of the mirror. She noticed those dark circles under her eyes that the makeup barely covered. Why was she nervous? It was just an interview for a better job. She would have more money to send to her family, so Frank could go to college, just like her. "We have to be a few minutes before the driver arrives."

"I'm coming, I'm done," Ava announced, grabbed her purse, and left the bathroom. Alice watched her.

"You look great," Alice winked. After a few minutes, they had left Ava's tiny apartment and continued on until they reached the chauffeur waiting for the new staff arriving in town. It was a black van and it was armored. As they climbed inside, it was refrigerated. If those armchairs she looked at were comfortable, no doubt she would fall asleep like a bear in the dead of winter.

Two and a half hours later, they arrived at the Seasons Hotel. The facade of the place was impressive. It had a very large fountain that shot jets of water high, too high. The gardens were beautiful. When they arrived at an entrance that was not the main entrance of the hotel, the driver announced their arrival and that they could go down.

"Mrs. Laurent is waiting for them." There were six people besides Ava and Alice. They got off and headed for the hotel staff door. When the door opened, a beautiful blonde appeared. She was tall, slim, and wearing a navy blue suit - a pencil skirt, a white blouse, and a jacket of the same color as the skirt. Her stiletto heels made her look very, very elegant. She motioned for them to cross to the end of the hallway and turn right. Her cell phone rang and she started speaking in French. Ava was enraptured with the language the blonde was speaking. "They say French is the language of romance," she nodded definitively. The tone she used and how the sound unfolded in her ear made her sigh.

"I love listening to French, it's so sexy..." Alice confessed to Ava that she felt the same. Another woman indicated where they should take their places. Ava was the last one. "I'll leave you here. I have to go to the locker room to change for the uniform. I'll be back in an hour. When the interview is over, call me." Alice was thrilled that Ava, her lifelong friend from the village, was there. She wouldn't feel so lonely in such a luxurious world like the hotel. As she left, Ava's nerves immediately surfaced in the center of her stomach. She tried to do breathing exercises to calm her mind. She thought that if she passed the interview, she would finally be able to save. She wouldn't have to worry about bills at the end of the month or food. She could help her family more. "Please give me a chance to work here," she prayed to herself.

Christine had received another call from the club kitchen. There was trouble, and they would not let her do her job. The last young man she interviewed would be the

 last. She had to go immediately to settle the matter. As she left, she noticed one more person was missing. But as she subtly reviewed Ava from head to toe, she knew she would be ruled out immediately.

Ava, seeing her, stood up, but Christine held up a hand.

"I have to go out. The interviews are over." Ava arched an eyebrow. So long on the road and no interview for her? "We'll call you. Leave your details with my assistant." The blonde, who was at a desk a few feet from Laurent's office door, stood up. The assistant thought her boss was being rude. Before she could say anything, Christine withdrew, leaving her standing without letting her respond. The blonde and Ava stared at each other for a few more seconds.

"Don't worry, that's just the way she is. Would you like to leave me your details?" Ava felt annoyed.

"That's disrespectful," she whispered, but the assistant nodded.

"I apologize for her, she's usually like that."

Björn arrived at the security room where the hotel and club cameras were located. The head of security was surprised to see him enter unannounced and stood up abruptly.

"Mr. Hoffmann," he quickly clarified, tensing up. No Hoffmann had ever entered the place, so it caught him off guard.

"I'm just checking," Björn replied casually, glancing at the cameras in front of him. "Is that Mrs. Laurent's office?"

The man pointed at the screen.

"Yes, that's the office," he replied. Björn observed Christine, who had left her office, and saw her motioning to a woman standing at a distance. Although he couldn't see her face, he noticed her brown hair. The security guy noticed his boss watching the scene.

"She must be with the interviews. They arrived from the city about an hour ago with potential candidates."

Björn watched as Christine walked away, leaving the woman standing there. Then a blonde woman approached the brunette.

"Call and ask if she has finished the interviews," Björn ordered the head of security. The security officer picked up the phone and called Christine's assistant. After inquiring, he covered the speaker, looked at his boss, and said, "Mrs. Laurent's assistant just said that she had to cancel the last interview due to a problem in the club's kitchen."

Björn frowned. "The assistant said it was the last one."

"Let me send her to the head office. I'll take care of Mrs. Laurent's work," the man suggested. Björn nodded, and the security officer informed the assistant of Mr. Hoffmann's decision.

Björn had decided to help Bruno one last time. Bruno had left the country that morning for six months, and although Björn didn't mind staying for a while, he dreaded running into his father, who, like his brother, brought out the worst in him. This was one of the reasons he had grounded himself to control his anger.

He walked down the long hallway and informed the secretary that when a brunette woman arrived, she should send her in. The secretary nodded, and Björn entered, taking his place at the grand glass table. He leaned back in the leather chair, letting out a sigh. The secretary announced the woman's arrival, and one of the double glass doors opened to admit a young woman. Björn squinted his eyes and then stood up.

"Good morning," Ava greeted politely.

"Good morning, have a seat," Björn responded. Ava complied and Björn reached out his hand to take the folder she was holding. Ava handed it to him and then sat in the chair across from the large desk. They exchanged a silent gaze for a few seconds.

"Something is troubling you, Miss Gray," Björn said, catching a glimpse of her last name before addressing her.

"No," she replied in a serious tone, but Ava was annoyed by Christine's attitude. Did she think he hadn't noticed how she had scrutinized her from head to toe? Why wasn't she like Alice or the assistant who dismissed her without even reading her application?

"She's upset," Björn confirmed.

Ava looked at him carefully, trying to control her tongue. She had been in similar situations before, speaking her mind, and it had often ended badly. Now she wanted this job more than ever, whatever it entailed. She refused to leave without it, going back to the same old situation where her brother couldn't attend college.

"I'm not upset," she replied irritably, unable to contain herself.

Björn could sense her genuine frustration in her words. Had Christine said something to her?

"Are you normally this outspoken?" he asked with a hint of curiosity. She pursed her lips, revealing slightly pronounced dimples. Björn found himself captivated by that small detail on her face.

"Since when is speaking one's mind a problem?" Björn was surprised to see her respond to his question with another question. He had the power to leave this hotel with a job. Leaning against the back of the leather armchair, he let out an annoyed breath.

"What did Madame Laurent tell you?" he inquired, wanting to know more.

"She told me to leave my details with the assistant, and they would call me back. But I don't think they will," she spoke those last words without a filter, fully convinced that she would be dismissed without a second thought.

"Well, she's dealing with an issue, and I will interview you," Björn stated. He paused for a moment and then said, "Tell me, in your own words, who you are, Ava Gray." Björn patted the folder, indicating that he wouldn't be reading its contents, but rather wanted to hear it from her. Ava tensed up but quickly composed herself. This was her chance to prove that she could be a part of that hotel.

"I'm Ava Elizabeth Gray. I work in customer service at an A&T call center. I've been living in the city for two years, and I have a degree in Marketing and Management," Ava replied. Björn was surprised to learn that she was working in a call center, assuming that the salary was relatively low.

"Where did you study?" Björn asked, now more intrigued by the young woman sitting in front of him.

"I pursued a distance learning program at Harvard," Ava replied. Björn raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Ava noticed his reaction. She blushed slightly, and Björn couldn't help but notice.

"Why didn't you go to college directly?" Björn inquired.

"I didn't want to leave my family," Ava responded.

Björn nodded slowly, realizing that family came first for the young woman—something that didn't exist in his case.

"Well," he cleared his throat and gazed at her in silence for a few more seconds. "The position is to be my assistant."

Ava furrowed her eyebrows, but quickly regained her composure.

"No confío en ninguno de los miembros del personal actual en este hotel. Así que, dado que eres nuevo y me estoy instalando, parece una buena opción. La paga será buena, con beneficios similares al resto del hotel". personal del club y del hotel. Vivirás en el condominio con los demás, y es un turno de doce horas", explicó Björn. Ava asintió, dándose cuenta de que los detalles no importaban en ese momento. Ella haría cualquier cosa para asegurar este trabajo.

"Ya que todavía tienes tu otro trabajo, te daré el resto del día para dejar tu puesto actual. Puedes empezar mañana a primera hora, a las cinco de la mañana. Dejaré instrucciones y un resumen de tus funciones con la secretaria", le informó Björn.

"Muchas gracias, señor..." Ava se dio cuenta de que ni siquiera sabía su nombre.

"Hoffmann. Ese es mi apellido. Solo las personas cercanas y de confianza me llaman por mi nombre. Entonces, llámame Hoffmann", respondió Björn. Ava asintió. Llamaron a la puerta y Björn notó que era Christine. Le hizo un gesto para que entrara, sin darse cuenta

 que la mujer de espaldas era la misma persona que había despedido antes.

"Señor Hoffmann, ¿puedo hablar con usted? Es urgente", solicitó Christine. Björn asintió y luego miró a Ava.

"Espera afuera por unos minutos. Christine te dará un breve recorrido y te brindará información sobre la documentación que debes llevar para completar tu carpeta", instruyó Björn. Ava asintió, se levantó y, al darse la vuelta, se encontró con la mirada sorprendida de Christine. Se dirigió a la salida, con los ojos de Christine fijos en ella. Christine luego miró a Björn.

"Ella no es adecuada. No hay necesidad de hacerlo", comenzó Christine, pero Björn la interrumpió.

"¿Disculpe? ¿Quién la ha descartado?" La voz de Björn destilaba ironía y Christine se quedó en silencio. Después de unos segundos, su furia se intensificó al escuchar el tono que había usado Christine.

"Yo la contraté, punto", declaró con firmeza.