Music: Only This Matters by Ten Towers

Deidre stepped in the kitchen with a folder in her hand. I didn't miss that mischievous smile when she handed it to me. "What's this?" I looked at her suspiciously, placing the coffee mug down on the table.

"An application," she sat down on the stool right next to me. "The boss is requesting an official interview with you."

"Okay, cool." I bit my cinnamon raisin bagel and continued to scroll through my phone.

"Today."

"Today?" I started coughing. I grabbed my coffee mug and started drinking to clear my throat. It was a good thing that my coffee wasn't scalding hot.

"Yes, like, right now," her eyebrows wiggled up and down. "Hurry. He's up in his office waiting for you."

My world felt like it was starting to crumble down on me. This wasn't how I envisioned my plan. First off, I don't have my resume with me. Freak out mode activated. He's definitely going to ask a ton of questions, do a background check on me, and he's going to find out the real reason why I'm here. Damage control. I need damage control. Stat.

"Geez, Rainy. Are you okay? Your face is so red. Are you sick?" She placed her hand on my forehead. "You're pretty warm."

"Give me a minute," I started fanning myself. "I need some time to process this."

"Don't be scared. Mr. Sterling's not a monster," Deidre reminded me. "He's not going to eat you."

I bet he will after this. He's going to rip my head off, that's for sure. "I'm kinda dizzy. Is it okay if we postpone the interview?"

"Are you trying to wiggle your way out?" She inserted her arm around mine and pulled me up from my seat. "This is your chance. Now, come on. You don't want to keep him waiting," she grabbed the folder and pressed it against my chest. "Go, before he changes his mind."

I dragged a hand down my face, clearly frustrated with myself for not having a backup plan. This guy will find out sooner or later. How long will I keep this lie going? I don't think he's the type that could easily be duped. I won't last a day here.

"He's a nice guy, trust me," Deidre guided me out the kitchen door with both her hands on my shoulders. "As long as you play nice."

"If you say so." I rolled my eyes and made my way toward the stairs. Play nice. Yeah, sure.

Before I knew it, I was standing in front of my soon-to-be-boss's office. Not sure how long I was standing there, though. My mind was too busy thinking of things I shouldn't say to avoid embarrassing myself. I let out the breath that I had been holding. Soon enough I finally got the courage to knock on his office door.

"Come in."

I closed my eyes for a brief moment. You could say I was nervous as hell. I was in the belly of the beast, after all. I needed to prepare myself for what's about to come. I smiled upon entering and closed the door quietly behind me.

"Have a seat, Ms. Raina." He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. He didn't even bother looking at me. He was busy typing something on his laptop.

"Thank you, Mr. Sterling," my heart continued to race as I sat down. Nausea rose in my throat. My conscience was eating me alive with each passing second. Refusing to look at him, my eyes were fixated on my twiddling thumbs down on my lap. When I couldn't handle it any longer, I looked up and we made eye contact at that very moment. He smiled. I wasn't sure if that smile meant to be good or bad? He continued whatever he was doing on his laptop. Complete silence. Nothing but the light sound of his keyboard taps. Crap. Did I ruin this chance of getting a job? Me and my big mouth.

"I hope you excuse my rudeness, Mr. Sterling, but are you just going to keep typing on your laptop?" Again. Me and my big mouth. Pump the brakes, Raina.

He cleared his throat. "I like your personality already, Ms. Hart."

"I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head. My face immediately warmed up in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that—"

"No need to apologize," he reached for the folder on the desk and opened it. When he realized it was blank, he closed it and slid the folder back to me. "All I ask is for you to fill out this application. Once you've completed it, hand it over to Deidre and I'll decide if you have all the qualifications to work for me. Like I said, I like your personality, but don't let those words get into your head."

I bit my bottom lip as I stared at the folder on the desk. In my head I was contemplating whether I was going to continue with my plan or simply drop the whole thing. Do I even have the chance? If he wanted me to complete it, I must have a chance, right? I didn't want to count my chickens until I was sure enough to get this job. It was the only way that I could stay here. A month is all I need. I took the folder and stuck it inside my bag. I stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Sterling."

"Please don't do that." He said before I even had the chance to turn around.

"What do you mean by don't do that?" I asked. Something I did had offended him already. Interesting.

"You don't need to bow in front of me." He explained. Of course. I was only doing it because that's what they usually do in their culture as a way of showing respect.

"Oh, okay," I nodded. "I'll make sure to remember that next time."

I turned around and headed toward the door with my heart still pounding.

"And Ms. Raina?"

"Yes?" I glanced at him over my shoulder.

"Don't ever bite your lip in front of me again."

*

I was breathless all the way back to the kitchen. I could only breathe again when I reached the refrigerator for a bottle of cold water.

"Don't ever bite your lip in front of me again." Those words echoed in my mind. What the hell was that about? That guy seemed like he could easily be offended by anything.

"Well? How did it go?" Deidre asked, excitement laced in her voice. She waited patiently until I chugged down the whole bottle.

"Ah, so good," I wiped my mouth using the back of my hand. My heart slowed down after I sat down. "I don't know yet. We'll see."

Deidre took the folder from my bag to inspect it. She looked disappointed when she saw that it was still blank. "You should fill this up so you can submit it today."

I sighed, taking the folder from her. "I know."

Deidre handed me a pen. "Remember, you're on a mission. Don't let this opportunity pass, or else there won't be a second chance in the future."

"You're right about that." I opened up my phone and started going through my notes.

Dale came in and started talking to Deidre. Dale's voice dropped down to a whisper and they both stepped out of the kitchen.

Filling up the application should be a piece of cake. I didn't have a lot of work experience since I was mainly a full-time student. Bagging groceries at the grocery store down the street from where we lived was my first job when I was sixteen. Shortly after that, I started working for a taco truck downtown near my dad's building. Big mistake. Dad eventually found out and offered to teach me the ropes at his company. I never got paid, but the experience was great. I was about to write down my dad's company in the blank section when I suddenly remembered about my plan. I didn't want Rainier to find out about my background. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: 

There's a reference here from the first Sterling book. If you recognized it, let me know what line it is. FYI, I'll be concentrating on this book since it'll be my main one. I've experienced Impostor Syndrome ever since I started writing online. Not gonna lie, it's a daily struggle. It's something I really need to work on. I know reader engagement has plummeted since Wattpad has done changes. Because of those changes, I lost interest in writing. I apologize if I kept you guys waiting. I had to focus on my mental health. I figured the loyal ones will stick me no matter how long it took me to write my novels. A lot of things happened offline and it really took a toll on my health. I gained so much weight from emotional eating. But now I am slowly trying to get back to reading more books, engaging more with my readers, writing more faster this time, eating healthy, and exercising more. If you're still here with me, thank you so much. <3 I appreciate you all. 

Send me a private message here in my inbox if you are interested in being notified if I have updated this story. I'm sure some readers don't really read the announcements in the notif section. I'm guilty of it, too. :P Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed this part. 

XOXO Katie