Adrian waited for the last candidate to come. He was waiting for the one who had written honestly in the exam. Since it was not the other five candidates as he had tested them, then it had to be the last one. He wanted to meet her, he wanted to know if her words were honest or it was all a facade.
Ten minutes passed and the candidate was yet to enter. While Steve was becoming impatient, Ade sat calmly. At that moment, there was a knock at the door and the woman they were waiting for walked in, her face devoid of any nervousness.
"Do you take this interview to be a joke, Miss Williams?" Steve spat while Ade watched her like a hawk.
"What do you mean sir?" Mina asked confused. She did not know why she was being reprimanded for no reason.
"You are late by ten minutes."
"Oh, I apologize for making you wait. I had some emergency to deal with." Mina was sincere in accepting her mistake and apologizing.
"What were you so busy with that you made your bosses wait?"
Mina narrowed her eyes at the unreasonable man. He was making a mountain out of a molehill, while the other man in the room had not spoken a word.
"Do you really want to know the reason?"
Steve nodded. He wanted to know what was more important than an interview.
"Can you accept my answer without getting embarrassed?" Mina was still standing, with her back straight and shoulders wide. She was not scared when she was facing the two powerful men in the room. Instead, she appeared bold and confident.
Steve looked at her confused. Why would he be embarrassed about hearing her answer? Before he could say anything, Mina beat him to it.
"You do know that women have something known as a monthly cycle and it can occur anytime anywhere if it is the time of the month." She spoke without any glitch in her voice. Her answer took Steve by shock, he was utterly embarrassed now. He did not know what to speak. He coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment.
Adrian did not want to enhance the awkwardness in the air. "I apologize on behalf of him. Please take a seat."
Mina sat calmly, her face not reflecting anything. "Thank you."
Ade took over the interview this time. He asked her some questions about her and her education and experience in handling similar kinds of jobs.
"Miss Williams, why did you write this way for the question? Are you really not interested to work in King's Corporation?" Adrain pointed to her booklet.
"Sir, that is not it. I have some goals to achieve and being a secretary or an assistant is not one of them. Anybody would be privileged to work in this company as it is way beyond other companies, maybe I would too if I was qualified."
"What are your goals then? If you are comfortable, you can tell us." Adrian suggested. He wanted to know what she had in mind, he found her to be very interesting. All this while Steve had not uttered a word.
"Sir, I want to be a psychiatrist. But the fees is too much for me right now. I am doing part-time jobs to accumulate the money. I am almost there and by the end of next year, I can study what I have always wanted to do. I am ready to work for a year, but the contract in your company is for three years. So, I am hesitant to proceed with this." She answered honestly.
"Then, why did you apply in the first case?" Steve spoke after a long time.
"It was my friend who applied for it without my knowledge. I didn't want to disappoint her so, I gave the exam. But I never expected to pass the first round."
Ade nodded. "How about this Miss Williams? I will alter the contract to one year. If your performance is good in this duration, I will sponsor the fees for your education."
"No sir, I don't want to be indebted to anyone. But, thank you for your offer." Mina rejected immediately. She did not want charity, nor was she interested in taking help from someone she had just met.
Adrian was impressed. The girl was strong-willed, with a desire to fulfill her dreams at all costs. And to do so, she was not ready to break her principles.
"Okay, then. You may leave." He said with a polite smile. Mina nodded and left the room.
"We have only got two assistants then," Steve said when they were left alone.
"Who said we got only two?" Adrain asked, getting up from the seat and smoothening the wrinkles on his pants.
"Who is the third one?" Steve asked in wonder.
"Miss Williams. I have an exclusive contract for her."
The door to the conference room opened and the two men stepped out, making the six candidates stand up. They looked at the two expectantly, with their eyes wide and nervous. Steve chuckled seeing them.
"Okay, I have the names of people who will be joining us. Out of the six people we have selected three. It was a tough battle and you are quite talented. So, don't be saddened if you are not selected. It just means there was something in the other person which made them stand out. Before that, I thank everyone who came here to attend the interview. Now I will call out the names."
The candidates looked at him in anticipation, waiting for their names to be called out. While everybody was nervous yet excited about the results, there was one person who did not give it much consideration. Mina knew she was not going to get selected. So, she stood at the back with a smile on her face.
Steve first called out the names of the two men, taking all the ladies in shock. While the men were ecstatic, the women were unhappy except Mina who did not care about it.
"And the third person who will become an employee in King's Corporation is Miss Mina Williams. Congratulations." Steve declared loud and clear making Mina to go into a trance.
Mina was in shock. She had clearly stated her worries as well as her conditions for working in the company. She had expected them to rule out her name after hearing her words. But, here the situation was something she had not expected. They had selected her and she did not know what they wanted of her. Adrian smiled seeing her go in a shock.
More than Mina, Jennifer was taken by a storm. She had known about her friend's aspirations. She had just applied on her behalf to appear as a good friend who cared deeply about Mina when in fact, she loathed her. She had never expected her to get employed. Jennifer clenched her fists in jealousy.
'Why? Just why did she get selected?'