Chapter 2 - The Interview
The next morning was a blur of caffeine, anxiety, and a pounding headache. Maya had completely missed the banking notification in her rush to get Liam to daycare and herself to a corporate building downtown.
Two weeks ago, in a desperate fit of late-night ambition, she had applied for an entry-level administrative assistant position at Vance International, a multi-billion-dollar logistics and tech conglomerate. She had expected her resume to be tossed straight into the trash, but miraculously, she had received an automated email invitation for an interview.
Now, standing in the towering, glass-and-marble lobby of the Vance building, she felt entirely out of her depth.
She wore her only corporate outfit: a black pencil skirt she’d found at a thrift store for six dollars and a cream-colored blouse that she had spent an hour ironing the night before to hide the frayed cuffs. Compared to the polished, perfectly tailored women walking past her with their designer bags and iced lattes, she felt like a stray cat that had wandered into a palace.
“Maya Collins?” a sharp-looking receptionist called out.
“Yes, that’s me,” Maya said, swallowing the lump of nerves in her throat.
“Floor 44. Human Resources. Take the express elevator.”
The elevator ride made her ears pop. When she stepped out, she was led into a sleek, glass-walled conference room overlooking the Chicago skyline. Sitting across the table was a severe-looking woman in her late forties whose name tag read Eleanor Vance, VP of Human Resources.
“Miss Collins,” Eleanor started, looking down at Maya’s resume through thin-rimmed glasses. “Your work history is… eclectic. Cashier at a grocery store, waitress at a diner. No corporate experience. No college degree.”
“I had to leave college after my sophomore year when my mother fell ill,” Maya explained, keeping her voice level despite her racing heart. “But I can manage schedules, I’m highly organized, and I learn faster than anyone you’ll hire. I need this job, Ms. Vance. I will work harder than anyone else.”
Eleanor offered a cold, humorless smile. “Need is not a qualification, Miss Collins. This is Vance International. We hire Ivy League graduates, not people who spend their days ringing up milk and eggs. Quite frankly, I don't think you’re a cultural fit for this firm.”
Maya felt the room tilt. The rejection was swift, brutal, and entirely expected, yet it still crushed the breath out of her. Rent. Daycare. The numbers flashed through her head like a death sentence.
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the conference room swung open.
“Eleanor, do you have a moment to review the Q3—?”
The voice stopped dead.
Maya turned around and froze. Standing in the doorway was the man from the bus.
He was no longer wearing a casual gray T-shirt and a rain-soaked blazer. He was dressed in a pristine, bespoke three-piece charcoal suit. His hair was perfectly styled, and the aura of absolute authority he projected filled the entire room.
Eleanor Vance instantly stood up, her cold demeanor vanishing into an obsequious smile. “CEO Vance. Julian, I’m so sorry, we’re just wrapping up an interview here. I was just explaining to Miss Collins that she isn't quite what we’re looking for.”
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Julian Vance didn't look at Eleanor. His eyes were locked entirely on Maya, tracing the exhaustion still lingering under her eyes, the fierce pride in her posture, and the thrift-store blouse she wore like armor.
“Is that so?” Julian said, stepping fully into the room. “Because from where I’m standing, she looks exactly like what this company needs.”
