Chapter 2 You Got The Job

Chapter two: You Got The Job

Scarlett

"George?" I murmured and he smiled.

"What? You already forgot about me?" He shrugged but had a smile on his face, so I knew he wasn't angry.

"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't realize this was gonna be a highschool reunion." I said and laughed nervously, my palms were already sweating from nervousness. I had already messed up, what if he didn't like me because I couldn't recognize him? Earlier on the stage, I couldn't make out his facial expression clearly and while he appeared a lot like he did at highschool, it was still quite hard to recognize him from a distance.

"Well, I didn't recognize you either, honestly but when Olivia mentioned your name, I thought I had heard that name before.'' His response was somewhat relieving. It didn't seem like he was offended by it but I honestly didn't expect him to be here, much less expect him to be the CEO of a company. If I could remember correctly, he wasn't one to excel in academics, rather his interests laid in athletics. I wonder what changed?

"To be honest, I didn't expect to see you either. I thought you wanted to join a national sports team." My head was already spinning from anxiety and my breaths were growing faster.

I took a small sip from the glass of alcohol I was holding to keep myself together. It tasted funny somehow but it should help me to keep my calm in a minute. George scratched the back of his head and looked upwards for a second before turning back to look at me.

"Life is not as straightforward as it seemed when I was a teenager and sports doesn't make money for you when you are mediocre." He replied while having a weak smile on his face.

"Well, at least you are now the CEO of a billion credit company." I tried to laugh it off but failed miserably because it only came out as nervousness. I looked up at him again, he had a businessman-like attribute on him. With his trimmed rough beard along with the blue and silver suit he was wearing gave him a distinctive charm. His shoulders were broad, tightly packing his muscles inside of his clothes. When I realized I was staring at him blankly, I shook my head and brought myself back to reality.

"I am sorry, I was....hmmm, thinking." I couldn't come out with any good excuse. I haven't even talked about work yet and I was already showcasing to him my forgetfulness. I am sure getting the job now wouldn't be any easy.

"Are you okay Scarlet?" He asked, resting his hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, I am really sorry. I was..." I heaved a sigh and strengthened my resolve. I need to be confident.

"I was nervous. I believe Olivia, the general Manager had recommended me for the position of your secretary." He looked relieved as he leaned back, withdrawing his hand. All I needed to focus on for now was getting this job, we would have enough time to talk about our past and catching up later once we were done with it.

"Yes, I have spoken with Olivia. Honestly, I didn't expect that the Scarlet she was talking about was some I knew." I didn't know how to respond to him, so I simply took a nervous sip from the glass again.

"Do you think you can handle the job? Be honest." He asked.

To be honest, the answer was quite simple in my head, even if I wasn't ready, I didn't have a choice. The weight of this massive loan was on my head and I wanted to get rid of it, I had to do whatever it takes for me to pay it off, even taking a job that might be too much for me.

"I don't really know, all I can say is that I will give it my best." I replied as I couldn't lie, he deserved to know who he was going to have by his side all the time. Even if I said yes, the truth will be revealed through my performance. So, I would rather have him know the truth and try convincing him to give me the job than lie and silently suffer through work that I wasn't qualified for.

"I am sorry, I know I am not qualified but I assure you I would give it my hundred percent if you decide to give me the job." There it was, I have laid it all out and now everything depends on how he felt about my pitch. He stared at me for a second with a contemplating look, I wasn't sure of what he was looking at but I had crossed my fingers that he would find my wedding ring.

"What do you think about my shoes?" He asked and I was dumbfounded.

How was it relevant to anything we have just talked about? Still, I took a quick look at his shoes and tried to form an opinion on them. Surprisingly, he had decided to wear purple shoes to go with his suit. The colour totally contradicts themselves and on top of his shoes, it has small yellow dots on them.

"Theyyy, are hideous." I replied. I wasn't sure of what to say, so the first thought that formed in my mind was the only one I went with. I looked up and he had a smirk on his face. Did I answer it correctly? Was it a trick question? I was already dying from anxiety.

"I have asked a lot of people the same question today but you are the only one with the balls to say it to my face." Hearing his reply gave me relief.

"I want someone who can go against what I do or say, not someone who only knows how to nod their heads when I ask them something. Scarlet, congrats you got the job." He held his hand right in front of me, for a moment I couldn't believe I managed to do it. l blinked my eyes in disbelief before slowly reaching for his hand and shaking it. I couldn't help but smile like an idiot

"Oh my goodness, I was nervous." I laughed.

"Oh yeah, I could see that." He laughed with me.

When I looked at his smile, I felt at ease. I still couldn't believe George was going to be the CEO of this company. The last memory I had with him was in a game of basketball at our school. Once again I found myself staring at him, he had turned into the kind of man any woman would desire. A stable job, a muscular body along with an extremely likeable personality.

"Scarlet!" I heard him call my name, I was too busy thinking about him.

"Oh, I am sorry." I muttered. I could feel my head getting lighter and my feet were wobbly.

"Are you okay? Maybe I should get you a seat." He said putting his hands over my shoulder and holding me still. I don't know what was happening, all of a sudden, my mind was getting hazy. It felt as if I was hungover even without drinking too much at all. I needed to lay down, I could barely stand still.

"Is there a place where I can lay down?" I asked him as I was having the urge to throw up.

"Yes, don't worry. There is room for every VIP in this hotel, I will take you to mine." He replied as he helped me walk through the subsiding crowd.

My blood was pumping unusually and I could even feel my heart beating outside my body. My temperature seemed to be rising and I looked at the glass of wine in my hand. It tasted weird before, what was happening. I saw Olivia rush to me from the edge of my eyes, she held me from the other side helping George carry me outside the ballroom.

"What happened? Are you okay Scarlet?" She asked hastily and I couldn't answer because my mind was in too much of a mess.

"Shit!" She cursed under her breath and I felt her taking my purse from my other hand.

"Wh-what a-are you doing?" I managed to ask. I had to instantly cover up my mouth as I felt the urge to throw up again.

"It is your phone, it's vibrating." I saw her look at the screen of my phone and her face instantly dropped.

"Ah! damn it, it is your husband, Steven. Probably drunk and stuck somewhere." She replied.

There were many times when Olivia helped me pick up my alcoholic husband from time to time but today was probably the worst of timing.

"Do you want me to pick him up?" She asked and I simply nodded not wanting to throw up again. She helped George take me to the elevator before heading out to pick up Steven and drop him at home.

"Does this happen often?" George asked me as we stepped outside the elevator and walked through the hallway.

I wasn't sure of what to tell him, I didn't want to reveal about my alcoholic husband or the fact that I had Olivia help us with the situation quite a few times. Sometimes, people suspected that Olivia and Steven had something going on but I knew there was nothing in between them. If anything, Olivia was even harsher on Steven than me.

"Yes," that was the only reply I could say to him.

We moved in one of the rooms as George opened its door. Inside it smelled of lavenders and it helped me hold back my urge to throw up. He was helping me to the bed but I didn't even think I could make it to the bed before puking out my lunch.