*Flashback*
A broken mug lay on the floor, the hot coffee spilled everywhere. Alisa stood watching like a ghost, her lips white and quivering. The man in the expensive suit standing in front of her only laughed.
"What did you think would happen, Alisa? We would fall in love and then ride off into the sunset? Get a hold of yourself, we only spent one night together. This is the world of business! Someone had to take the fall, honey."
The man tried to grab Alisa's hands and give them a squeeze but she shook him off angrily. She took a step back and a piece of broken ceramic crunched under her heel.
"You were the one who drunkenly posted the company's server details on the business blog. Which made hackers take down the security wall and steal a million dollars. You! All of it was your fault. Why should I take the blame for it, Rob?!"
Rob sat down again behind his giant elegant white polished desk. He placed his fingers under his chin, "Deary, I am going to have to ask you to leave now. Pointless arguing isn't going to get us anywhere. The world knows that it was you who posted that information because you were jealous of me and my wife's success. So, that is the truth no matter how much you whine."
Alisa clasped her arms in front of her chest and said in an icy tone, "And does your wife know you cheated on her with me? How many sins are you going to bury under more lies and deceit? One day, all of it is going to come out."
This comment angered Rob, blood rushed to his cheeks but he gave an odd, cold grin, "You don't understand what's at stake here do you? The article which slanders you for illegally posting company information is already trending worldwide. After this, I am sure getting a job for you would be hard as hell. Now if you add, 'Secretary accused of committing adultery with CEO' to the list, I can guarantee that you will never ever get to work again. If I were you, I'd shut the hell up and pack up my things without another word."
Alisa wanted to scream, kick and punch when she heard what was said but deep down she knew he was right. Even though the loss of a million dollars was his fault, she would face the consequences for that. Now, if she impulsively tells the world about how they had slept together, she would end up facing the punishment for that too. She knew she needed to leave and the sooner she did so the better. She turned around to gather her bag from her small desk while angry, hot tears streamed down her face. When she was done, she placed her hand on the knob when she heard his vile voice again,
"Just a second. You are not gonna leave without giving me a kiss, right?"
This was reaching its limit. Alisa balled her fingers into a tight fist, her nails cutting into her palm.
"What in the name of hell do you mean?!"
In the time that she finished yelling, Rob had already slinked away from his desk and was standing right behind her now. One cold hand snaked around her tiny waist to turn her around. Alisa seemed to be frozen to a stop, she didn't know what to think, let alone what to do. He placed his left hand on her wet cheek and pulled her face close. In another instance, his thin lips were attacking hers. She tried to move away but his grip on her waist was strong. He forced his tongue into her mouth, sloppily roaming around every inch of her mouth before finally he let her go. A thin string of saliva stretched between their lips and then broke. Alisa was dumbfounded.
"You may leave, sweetheart." He whispered before turning.
*The Present*
"Miss, let me repeat myself, which company have you worked for previously?" The old man yawned and asked from behind his table.
Alisa cleared her throat softly, "Uh…it was Pine Grove real estate company sir. I was the secretary to the…to the CEO."
"Excellent. And why did you leave your job?" he asked, barely looking up from his pile of notes.
Alisa took a big gulp, the past was rushing back to her in waves. "I had to leave because my mother fell sick. I had to take care of her." She lied. She felt terrible doing so but was helpless. She really needed this job as all of what she said wasn't a lie, her mother was truly ill and she needed a job quickly to cover the hospital fees.
"I see. And why do you want a job in the entertainment industry? It's hell and heaven different from the real estate world." he said, flipping his clipboard around.
"I would very much like a change. That's why." She replied honestly and firmly.
"Very well. We will contact you in two week's time if you are selected. Thank you for your time. StarWorld Entertainment Corporations appreciates you coming in." He drawled on, shutting his brown briefcase close.
Alisa stood up shakily and exited the stuffy conference room. The office she was in was indeed stunning, with big glass windows overlooking the city and murmuring workers in their roomy cubicles. Oh how she would love a nice job here, where she doesn't need to think about her past nor have money issues hanging over her head like a sword. She gazed dreamily at the beautifully lighted sign 'StarWorld Entertainment'. The elevator button dinged, pulling her out of her thoughts. The doors slid open to reveal a young, slender man in large black glasses, carefully balancing three coffee cups while also speaking into his headset.
"But, Kai, I already picked up your coffee. It is too late for me to go back to get a cocktail. And frankly maybe drinking in the office isn't the best idea…oh hell!" The man yelled loudly as one of the cups started to slip from his grasp. Alisa ducked into the lift in a second and caught the drink before it fell. The man sighed loudly and handed her the rest of the cups too and switched his headset off.
"Thanks, lady. If that drink had spilled I would have had to walk another mile." He smiled a cute, dimpled smile.
"No worries. I can help you carry the cups to the office where you are taking them." She offered helpfully.
"I will be so grateful, thanks again." He replied as they set off down the hall, Alisa holding one cup and him the other two. He pushed his glasses up his nose as his luscious blond hair fell down on his forehead.
"What are you here for, uh?"
"Alisa. Alisa Goldfield. I came here for an interview."
"Oh, nice! Which position are you gunning for, Alisa?"
"Maybe a sales tech if I am lucky. I just finished talking to Lee…"
A funny expression crowded his face at that, "Lee…oh wait, I need to go inside!"
A big and majestic office had loomed to their right, inside, through a section of glass on the door she could see a young Chinese man seated in a large comfortable sofa. She couldn't make out much of his expression but he was wearing a shiny blue suit and had a cunning smile spread on his face. The door opened and he turned to look towards them. His eyes set on Alisa and lingered there for more than necessary. She could see another woman in a sexy red dress seated talking flirtatiously with him inside the office.
"Nick, my coffee?" He called out in a tired voice and Nick raced inside with the cup and gave it to him. The man in the suit took a long swig as his eyes swiftly turned to face Alisa again. Nick trotted back to her and nonchalantly started walking down the hall again. Alisa followed him after tearing her eyes from the office.
She turned to Nick once they had walked a few paces, "Why did you laugh when I mentioned Lee's name?"
Nick seemed nervous at that question, rubbing the side of his neck he awkwardly chuckled, "Well no offence but it's common knowledge here that all the…useless interviews are given to him. You know the candidates who'd never get the job but cannot be dismissed without a polite interview. But, those are all jokes…"
Alisa felt her bottom lip fall down at that, she was thinking about something to reply with but she didn't need to. A rich, deep voice cut across the entire hall which made Nick stop dead in his tracks.
"Nick. You are late. Nice to see that instead of doing your job, you are chatting with a girl."
It was a tall man, with a smooth stubble and messy chocolate brown hair. His suit was matte black but looked like it cost more than a trip to France and the sleek Rolex on his wrist sparkled. His steel grey eyes rolled away from Nick to land on Alisa.
After a long, long time, she felt as if the very air was knocked out of her lungs.