He leaned against the wall weakly and shut his eyes. What was Lindsey truly like?
Chapter 12
“Mom, I’m leaving.” Noelle wore a neat suit. She checked her resume, which she’d slipped into a briefcase, once more.
“Grandma and Grandpa are taking me to the zoo today, Mommy!” Ian threw himself into her arms. Thanks to Philip and Marie feeding him well, his face had become chubbier. His eyes were also brighter than ever. He looked adorable.
“Be good and listen to them, okay? I’ll be home tonight.” Noelle caressed his face and kissed his forehead.
“Good luck, Mommy!” Ian silently cheered Noelle on as he watched her leave.
Noelle got onto a bus and checked her phone for the interviews she’d scheduled that day.
“First up is Hartman Group…” She sighed. Her agenda for the day was packed–she had an interview from 9:00 am to 6:00 pmn.
“Good luck, Noelle Jensen!” She secretly cheered herself on, swearing to find a job as soon as possible. That was the only way for her to make more money so she could send Ian to a better school.
She followed the crowd of office workers to Hartman Group’s entrance. She stared up at the building as the sun shone down on her, unable to stop herself from saying, “As expected of Hartman Group. This is such an impressive building.”
A Bentley pulled up discreetly beside her, and a handsome man in a gray suit got out. He had a pair of glasses on, and they added a hint of erudition to his good looks.
The female employees around Noelle blushed at the sight of him and whispered among themselves.
“We’re so lucky today! We ran into Mr. Hartman!”
“Christian Hartman is the only reason I wanted to work at Hartman Group! I knew I made the right decision!”
“Tell me about it! God, he’s so rich and handsome. I’m so envious of him!”
The subject of everyone’s attention and whispers didn’t seem to notice any of this. However, when he swept his gaze over the crowd and met Noelle’s eyes, a hint of surprise flitted over his face.
“Christian Hartman?” Noelle hurriedly lowered her head when she met his gaze. His name and face sounded familiar. She wondered whether she’d seen
him on TV before.
Well, it wouldn’t be weird if he were so famous. She looked up and nodded at him with a smile.
Christian’s face was devoid of emotion as he brushed past her and strode into his private elevator. She shrugged and checked the venue for her interview on her phone. Then, she squeezed into a bursting elevator and went over her interview answers.
“Mr. Hartman, what’s wrong?” The HR manager, Joe Green, was concerned when he saw Christian looking flushed and breathing rapidly.
“Are there any interviews scheduled for today, Joe?” Christian asked.
“Yes, but there’s only one batch. They start at 9:30 am.
“Who’s the main interviewer? Switch them out. I’ll take their place.”
“What?” Joe was stunned. “Uh, I’ll send you the venue and list of candidates later.”
Christian nodded. He watched Joe leave the elevator before checking the list of candidates that had just been sent to him.
“Got you!” His finger trembled slightly as it stopped on the row that indicated Noelle’s name,
The elevator arrived at the top floor. He checked the time. “It’s already 9:10 am. I need to get ready.”
Christian hurried into his office. As his assistant, Lee Johnson, watched in astonishment, he bustled around as he straightened his suit and made sure he didn’t have a hair out of place.
“Lee, I’m going to interview a group of candidates later. Book me a table for two at the best Ivalian restaurant you can find,” he said.
Then, he strutted out of his office and into the elevator, all while Lee stared.
A
Noelle checked the clock on the wall and counted down the seconds. As she cheered herself on silently, the other candidates beside her suddenly grew excited.
“What? Christian Hartman is the main interviewer? I would’ve gotten up earlier to put on some makeup if I’d known!”
Christian Hartinan… I heard that he’s actually super strict, despite looking gentle.”
Oh, God. Doesn’t that mean we’re dead meat? I need to go over what I practiced again!”
Christian? Noelle couldn’t help sighing as she listened to their whispers. That was the man from that morning, and the knowledge of being interviewed by the company’s CEO put her on edge again.
“Good morning, everyone. I’m one of your interviewers for today. You can call me Mr. Green.” Joe nodded at everyone. “There’s been a change in our interviewer lineup due to sudden circumstances, and we’ll start calling candidates in randomly. Those whose names are called are to enter the room
alone. Everyone else will wait outside.”
The candidates started whispering among themselves again, but soon fell silent. Meanwhile, Noelle’s heart started racing. She had a feeling…
“Our first candidate is Noelle Jensen!”
She knew it!
Noelle sighed helplessly. She’d always had horrible luck since childhood. Whenever she needed to draw lots for anything, she would get the short end of the stick.
Even when it came to relationships… She hurriedly shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. She composed herself and hurried into the room.
