Chapter 2 1

The sound of shoe heals clicking against the translucent marble floor around me resounded in my ears as I sat patiently on the cold chair. Every second that passed, my fingers gripped harder around the brown paper in my hands, laid gently against the front of my legs. I hated how my knees were exposed to the harsh cold in this room. What kind of airing system do they have here? I was never a skirts person, I was more of a jeans person but if you needed a job, especially from a company called Alpha Line, you've got to stick to their dressing preference.

Alpha Line company was a company that dealt with all things and owned many other branches around the world. It dealt solely with creating digital products and provision of online courses. It was also the highest and most popular company that sold the nicest print-on-demand outfits and most of all, it dealt with physical and online fashion boutique.

The very first day I found out about Alpha Line, I'd been freaked to know that a company as famous and successful as this would merely be making it's money from fashion. And what was more freaking? When I curiously dug more about the sole owner and CEO of this company after an ad of him popped up while I was surfing through his website, and I discovered he was indeed not what I was expecting.

Damon Matteo.

Damon Matteo was the sole owner of Alpha Line and no matter how I searched, I never found any family related to him on the internet. Damon Matteo was a mystery to me and to every other people as I've seen from comments during my wild searches of him. Images of him were all over the Net but many claims to have never seen him physically. Damon Matteo looked good, a bit too handsome for his own good. He looked tall, probably measuring up to 6'5 feet. He had hair that was stylishly brushed forward. His eyes had different shades of green, brown and blue from the many pictures of him that I've seen so it was hard to point out the true color of his eyes. On all of the pictures he was barely trying hard to smile at the cameras and on the others that felt taken when he wasn't aware, he kept a straight focused face.

There wasn't really much I could find about him except the fact that he was looking for someone to hire for a particular job. It said an errand person and there wasn't really much details provided after that.

So I decided I wanted to give this job another try. I've been haunting for a decent job for the past four years after my graduation from NYU but so far I'd never been lucky to even get a single job. I'd made up my mind to stop job haunting here in France and move to the UK to start anew when I heard about the mighty Alpha Line looking to hire someone. I knew I didn't have a chance because countless people were going to be running to work at this company so why would Damon Matteo ever think to choose me? But on my scheduled interview date, I still dressed up in my newly purchased grey suits and walked into the massive skyscraper to be interviewed.

I'd made sure to pull my hair into a ponytail as was recommended by the person who was in contact with me before this interview date got fixed. I needed to wear office skirt that stopped above my knees. Everything was crazy but I wanted to give it a try anyway.

I looked to the side to see everyone running around, working. Everyone were so serious with what they were doing, it instantly gave me chills. Maybe It was just the cold blasting in from their airlines or something.

"Miss Olivera?" I heard my name and snapped back towards the receptionist table immediately. There stood the woman that I presumed to be Damon Matteo's P.A, half of her body still inside the room she'd just walked out of.

"Yes?" I rose up immediately, reaching to adjust my bag straps on my right shoulder.

I saw how she looked down, then hesitantly stepped out completely and started towards me. I saw the worry on her face. Something was obviously wrong.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Um..... Yes. There's been a bit of a problem," she started "you see, Mr. Matteo will not be able to see you today."

My face literally dropped.

"Not at all for that matter." She completed.

"Hah?" I gasped, my shoulders slumping in disbelief. What? I have seated here for the past 2 hours waiting for this interview and he can't see me? Just like that?

Before I could say another word, I saw someone stepping out through the same door this woman had stepped out from. But I hadn't looked fast enough to see his face. By the time I looked up, I was met with his side view as he continued to walk towards the elevator, three men dressed in suits following close behind him. Damon Matteo is fixing his suit button, his back now fully turned to me.

I didn't even realize when I let out a loud scoff, my hand dropping from the envelope in my other hand.

"Excuse me!" I yelled at him before I could stop myself. I felt angry. How could he just walk out carelessly like he didn't keep me here waiting for the past hours?!

I heard the lady gasp before me and couldn't care less.

"Hey, Mr. Matteo, I'm talking to you!" I called louder, my eyes watching him as he stopped right before he pushed the elevator button. Everyone in the room stopped to watch me.

My heart drummed in my chest as I waited for him to turn around and face me. I was preparing myself mentally to face someone who just kept me waiting for hours? Man up, girl. I dragged a handful of air into my lungs and waited.

"Someone has been here waiting for you all day!" I blurted out "we all got stuffs to do too, you know...."

"I'm sorry you need to leave" the woman beside me said as she tried to grab my hand but I quickly wiggled out of her grip.

By the time he turned around, taking his time of course, I was silently gasping, my heart racing inside my ribcage.

Damon Matteo was hotter than what the internet had shown us. They lied to us.

"I'm sorry, what?" His voice was deep and intentional, his eyes watching me like a hawk as he took slow calculated steps towards me.

"I'm sorry Mr. Matteo, she was just leaving." The lady speaks again."

"No I wasn't. " I replied "and I said that I've been waiting out here for the past two hours, how can you just discard me like that, walk out and pretend like I'm not even here?!"

I wanted badly to look away from his burning eyes but I feared I would lose my cool. What he did wasn't right and I'm gonna tell him that.

But he doesn't say anything. Instead, he started advancing towards me, only stopping a few inches away from me. At that slow moment, I saw his eyes and felt the chills. There was something strange in them. But I refused to be intimidated.

"You were asked to leave, what's the fucking problem?" His voice was venomous, the type that would sting your heart without leaving the slightest idea about what the fuck you did wrong.

I dragged air into my lungs quickly before replying "the problem is that you left me waiting here all day, only to ask me to leave without even interviewing me."

If i wasn't paying so much attention to his lips, I would have missed the twitch at the corner of his lips as he smiled, only for a split nano second before he spoke again "I already hired." He said effortlessly, wounding my ego. Then his eyes roamed over me mockingly, from head to toe before his eyes found my face again and he grinned. A mocking grin that made me wish the ground could just open up and swallow me.

"Let's go." He said to his bodyguard-looking-men before turning around and walking towards the elevator, leaving everybody watching after him and me who stood there like an idiot.

I watched him until his back disappeared and the elevator closed, our eyes watching each other for the very last seconds before the elevator doors shut close. Shut me out.

The silence in the room was deafening and at the same time reminding me of how I'd just humiliated myself in front of everyone here (there are about fifty of them). I've never felt so insulted before.

But I blinked it away and wished everyone would go back to their busy works and stop watching me as I made my way towards the elevator.

I was done.