A Job Vacancy

Anjani Clarissa let out a long breath as she stared at the screen of her aging laptop. Her inbox looked exactly the same as it had for the past two days.

Empty.

Well, not completely empty. There were promotional emails, internet bills, and credit card offers she had never asked for. But the email she was desperately waiting for still hadn’t arrived.

A job opening.

She had already asked friends, relatives, and practically everyone she knew to let her know if they heard about any vacancies. Unfortunately, two days had passed, and there was still nothing.

She rubbed her tired face. It had been almost four months since she was caught in a massive layoff at her previous company. She had thought her position was secure.

She was wrong.

Her name had been on the list of employees who had to leave, along with a severance package that barely lasted a few weeks.

At first, she thought finding another job wouldn’t be too difficult. She was a graduate of one of the country’s most respected public universities. Her work record wasn’t bad either. She had spent years working in administration and project coordination.

Reality, however, proved far more brutal. Dozens of applications. Countless interviews. Every single one ended the same way.

With the same polished corporate courtesy.

“We’ll contact you again.”

And they never did. The same thing happened with the requests she made to friends and acquaintances for job information.

Nothing.

Her phone vibrated. Jani glanced at the screen. A text message from her mother.

Jan, I've spoken to the landlord. We’ve been given another two weeks.

Jani closed her eyes. Two weeks. Just two weeks.

After that, they would have to pay the overdue rent or leave the small house they had rented for the past six years.

Her fingers moved quickly across the screen.

Yes, Mom. I'll try. Hopefully something works out.

She stared at the message after sending it. Hopefully? She wasn’t even sure she believed her own words. She didn’t know where to begin anymore.

Her father had died three years ago. Since then, Jani had become the family’s sole provider. Her younger brother, Eki, was still in college and required more money every semester than she liked to think about. Meanwhile, her mother ran a tiny food stall whose profits barely covered daily expenses.

Everything depended on her. If she failed to find a job soon, everything could collapse. Their savings were already approaching critical levels.

The notification sound from her laptop snapped her out of her thoughts. Her eyes immediately darted to the screen. Hope. Fear. Desperation. All mixed together.

A new email.

The sender was Santi, a friend she hadn’t spoken to since their high school reunion more than three years ago.

The subject line read: “JOB OPENING FROM INTERGLOBE!!!”

Interglobe? Jani frowned. The company name sounded unfamiliar. But without hesitation, she clicked the email.

Her eyes widened.

To my BFF Anjani Clarissa,

I just got information about a special recruitment program for the position of Executive Project Liaison at Interglobe Shipping International.

This is a limited recruitment opportunity. The information is only being circulated among selected people.

First come, first served. Contact the number in the attachment if you're interested.

Ciao!

Jani read the email twice. Then three times. Then four. She even checked the sender’s address. Not spam. It was definitely Santi’s old email account.

That ruled out some cheap scam. She quickly opened the attachment. Her eyes widened even further. What appeared on the screen was an official recruitment flyer from Interglobe Shipping International.

The position came with a salary projection. And then there were allowances. And bonuses. Jani had to read the number several times.

It felt unreal. What kind of company paid that much for an administrative position? She immediately opened a search engine and typed in the company name.

Dozens of results appeared. Business articles. Investment reports. International expansion announcements. Corporate acquisitions. Import-export projects worth billions of dollars.

Her heart began to race. This wasn’t an ordinary company. Interglobe Shipping International was one of the largest shipping corporations in Asia. Headquartered in Jakarta, with offices across the Asia-Pacific region.

According to recent news reports, the company was preparing a major expansion into South America. Her palms grew damp.

Was this real? Or was she hallucinating? Something had arrived at precisely the moment she needed it most. If she got the job, every problem would disappear.

The rent. The debt. Maybe she could even qualify for a mortgage and finally buy a house for her family.

Maybe she could buy Eki the motorcycle he’d always wanted instead of watching him rely on buses and ride-hailing services every day.

At exactly twelve thirty in the afternoon, Jani picked up her phone and typed an introductory message to the contact number listed on the flyer.

Her lips trembled as she whispered a single word.

“Bismillah.”

In the name of God. Then she pressed Send. Afterward, she simply sat there staring at the screen. Her chest felt like a volcano waiting for a catastrophic eruption. She knew something enormous had just begun to move.

***

On the other side of Jakarta, far from the modest rental house where Jani lived, soft lighting illuminated a luxurious office. Glass walls stretched from floor to ceiling, revealing the sprawling cityscape below.

Alive. Powerful. Intimidating.

A man in his mid-forties set down his phone and resumed typing on his laptop. He looked every bit the elite executive. His tailored black suit was flawless. His gaze was sharp. Experienced.

Yet unmistakably exhausted. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, evidence of too many sleepless nights.

A knock sounded at the door. Someone entered. Nathan. Young. Confident. His expensive suit was far more colorful than the middle-aged’s man conservative black.

“It was a success, Uncle Bastian,” the young man said enthusiastically.

The middle-aged man, Bastian, looked up. “How did it go?”

“She’s interested. I scheduled her interview for nine tomorrow morning.”

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Bastian’s face.

“How did you send the information?”

Nathan grinned.

“Email. I hacked into an old account belonging to one of her friends that hasn’t been used in years and sent the flyer from there.”

For the first time all evening, Bastian visibly relaxed. “Good.”

Nathan laughed and leaned casually against the desk.

“You really are an expert when it comes to conspiracies.”

A faint chuckle escaped Bastian. “Tomorrow you’ll handle the interview.”

Nathan nodded.

“If necessary, get a few people from Marketing to pretend they’re applicants waiting outside your office.”

Nathan laughed. “That’s a nice touch.”

After a few more words, he left the office. The door closed behind him. Silence returned. Bastian turned his attention back to his laptop.

The photograph. Two photographs, actually. Combined side by side using an AI image editor.

On the left was Anjani. Beautiful. Naturally elegant. According to the background reports, she had been nothing more than a low-level employee at a local company in Bekasi.

On the right was the other young woman. A woman currently living on the other side of the world. Refined. Sophisticated. Raised within one of the nation’s most powerful political families.

Every time Bastian looked at them, his breath caught. Because the resemblance was astonishing.

The same eyes. The same facial structure. The same smile. They looked almost like identical twins. Or dopplegangers.

Yet another concern quickly pushed the thought aside.

Time. They were running out of it. Because those people would try to kill again. And when that thought crossed his mind, the office suddenly felt much colder.

***

Of course, Jani knew nothing about any of this.

She didn’t know someone was watching her. She didn’t know her name had appeared in confidential reports for weeks. She didn’t know her life had been examined in meticulous detail by people she had never met.

She only knew one thing. Tomorrow morning represented the greatest opportunity of her life. Perhaps the only one she would ever get. So she ironed the best outfit she owned. Prepared a folder containing all her documents. Checked everything twice. Even her university diploma. Just to make sure nothing could be questioned.

After that, she realized one thing. There was absolutely no chance she would be able to sleep tonight.