"I can recommend that you apply to a Junior Scientific Researcher application. This is quite generous because purely based on everything else Megan has told me, you wouldn't make it past the first round. I'll guarantee that you'll move on smoothly as long as you don't provide elementary level explanations. I have sway but people also need to trust my judgment. I'd rather that judgment have solid foundations"
He spit back out all the water he supposedly drank, to the pale faced shock of the entire room. He observed Ava as the water was even cleaner and more purified then when he drank it. He predicted that she would look grossed out and even puke which she did but she tried to hold it back.
"All the impurities and waste are at the bottom of the tank. I certainly have no intention of drinking such a thing"
A sigh of relief as Ava confirmed what he said.
"Heavier things sink to the bottom when excess momentum is generated. No sleight of hand. I was too shocked that I missed a rudimentary fact. I failed the first part of my own interview"
Ava had humor. A good sign. A CEO with no humor often had more trouble then it was worth. It meant that he could come up with crazier ideas in the future and it would be downplayed instinctively. He did not plan to keep a low-profile but he didn't want attention on himself when he didn't need it. His impression of Ava kept getting better and better.
"How does the interview process work?"
"You submit an application. I'll send you a special link. Unless your actually that dumb, they're strongly advised to advance your application. The first interview is about yourself. The second interview is about your technical skills. The third interview is a practical streamed demonstration of what you can do with the tools you find at home. The fourth interview is with senior management. The fifth and final interview in on-site and is more of a speech. You need to convince a certain amount of staff that you'd be a good fit culturally and a good judge of decision"
"I can't skip the line?"
Since there was already precedent on him being straightforward, he'd rather not beat across the bush. He'd also get an honest answer except of some nonsense that PR had coached Ava on.
"Not without five years of experience, a nobel prize, or PhD's in multiple areas"
"What if I collect debt from your employees?"
"Debt? You meant grateful debt?"
This CEO was truly smart. Much smarter then anyone else he had met. Understood the implication without having to think hard on it. It was a crude question after all. They're too rich to need money from him, but he could provide ideas that exceeded theirs. Honestly, he had no interest in going through the interview process. If he started his own company with those ideas, he could easily stamp them out of competition. He saw that she realized what he meant and responded straight away.
"No reason to go through so much effort when you can just start your own company. If you can provide a practical demonstration to my direct reports, I can get you a position in my company without any of the other steps. That result is too practical and has such a heavy weight that I'm willing to do it"
"Ok. How and when?"
"I'll communicate the details to Megan"
His ideas were worth billions. Everyone could see that. Why prove he might be good enough when he could just start his own company and be good enough straight away.
"Henry, please. Don't be in a rush. Blair would like to give you an offer too"
He already knew Blair's offer. In fact, he had just played a high-stakes mind game so his heart was beating rapidly. He was excited and horrified at the same time. He was still a young man with very little experience in this stuff and he was paralyzed from the head down. It took a lot of effort to maintain concentration. The blood rushing through his head allowed him unimaginable clarity.
Superman didn't exist but if such a superhero existed, he was currently it. Blair's deal would benefit him without giving up any of her requests. So basically the difficulty was still the same but maybe he had more help.
He was proven right just a second later.
"She'll reach out to some of her contacts and have them assist you. A few of them have connections to high profile biomedical research facilities. She just has to speak with them and give you unrestricted access and a reasonable paycheck. You also won't be tied down with obligations beyond her own"
The last part was a snipe at Ava who frowned but didn't say anything. The latter was an offer identical to Ava's but he would only get access later. The decision was obvious, at least to him. He had no doubt in his mind as he walked to Megan, hugged her, kissed her, then shook Ava's hand.
"How? Was the offer not good enough?"
Blair finally spoke up, the first time she showed interest in Megan after she left. He didn't speak and just let his actions talk on his behalf.
"You only had one offer. Ava had two offers even though she only gave one"
Blair and Carl only glanced at each other before realizing and nodded their heads.
"I would've changed my mind if you made a deal with me, actually. I wanted to test your character. I'll still reach out to my contacts to have them assist you. I like you, Henry"
So yes, Fairytales were indeed real but they weren't handed out like candy. Work still needed to be done to achieve them, just like the dense moisture in the air told him of the trouble that stepped into the compound once again. Echos bouncing and refracting off the pouring rain spoke volumes of the bloodshed he was going to inflict. Barely a whisper but it sounded like crazy thunder ramming its way down his head.
It wasn't the debt collectors that he was angry at, but the vile things they planned to do to Megan, the girl who happened to be at the scene when he killed everyone. Henry Ruthless was savage when they crossed his bottom line. He practically caused the word to be rewritten to account for how brutal he was when he had no reason to be a nice guy.
Broken bones, blood, crippled for life, mentally scarred for a life time. It was not his choice to give these gifts but a necessity to shield the world from problems that it preferred to ignore.