Then my phone vibrated, flashing an incoming message. I stared at the email-my heart racing, my hands shaking so hard that I could hardly hold onto my phone.
"Is this for real?" I whispered to myself.
The words were there on the screen in bold, but I was clearly not processing them. *Executive secretary to Nathaniel Sterling?* That had to be a wrong turn in some staircase. Sterling Enterprises was huge-one of the largest companies in the city. And Nathaniel Sterling was pretty well untouchable-a man who never interacted with anyone beneath his level. Yet here I sat, offered a position for which I never applied.
I turned my head, laying it on Nana sleeping on the couch. Laboured breathing light was all that escaped from her lips. In that instant, it all just changed. The pay alone covered her medication and then some. But why me, though? I wasn't qualified. I was just some girl who spent her days hauling trash and her nights hoping for better.
It was there in the email, words to that effect: be at Sterling Enterprises next morning, 8:00 a.m. sharp, or else it would fly right by.
---
Next morning, I stood outside the towering edifice that is Sterling Enterprises, my heart thundering against my chest. Glass doors gleaming under sun rays reflected off the busy streets of the city.
"It was now or never, Peace-no going back," I said, laboriously pulling those heavy doors open.
Sleek, modern-these were the impressions my eyes got when they swept the lobby: marble floors upon which each click of my worn heels echoed. I walked toward the reception desk, where my throat started to get dry. A perfectly coiffed woman with a chilly expression looked up from her computer screen.
"Can I help you?" She said shortly.
"I'm here to see Mr. Sterling. I have an appointment."
She cast him a sideways glance, but said nothing. She started to tap her fingers across the keyboard. A moment later, she nodded. "Take the elevator to the top floor."
I swallowed and stepped inside the elevator, jabbing at the top button. The doors closed right behind me, and I felt myself being whisked into a world-a world far, far removed from dirt and grime. I fisted my hands at my sides, fighting this storm of nerves that twisted my stomach.
I walked in through the open doors into this huge, open-walled office space, some tenfold more intimidating than expected. The whole floor was bathed in natural light streaming in via floor-to-ceiling skylights and gave one a great view right across the city. Standing on the far side of the room, his back to me, was this imposingly tall man gazing out over the skyline.
"Miss Matthews?" His voice was low, velvety, authoritative. The hairs rose on my neck.
"Yes, sir," I said steadily enough though my chest seemed to have become a taut knot of apprehension.
Nathaniel Sterling turned slowly, and my breath caught. He was even more intimidating in person. His suit was impeccably tailored; his dark hair perfectly styled. He looked like a man capable of squashing anyone who so much as dared stand in his way and yet his expression wasn't cruel. It was calculating-as though in the span of a heartbeat, he was appraising everything about me.
"Come in," he said, nodding at a chair across from his enormous desk.
I scurried forward, plunking myself into the chair before I had a chance to get cold feet. He sat down across from me, clasping his hands together on the desk and pinning me beneath those piercing blue eyes.
"I assume you're wondering why you're here."
"Yes, sir. I didn't apply for this position," I said with my voice even shaking a bit. "I am not so sure that I am qualified."
An eyebrow arched, the corner of his mouth quivering into what could almost be a smile. "You're here because I need someone with quick reflexes-in their intellect-someone adaptable, resourceful. I've done my research, Miss Matthews.
You've been managing things most people in this city couldn't even imagine. That's exactly what I need."
My mind struggled hard to catch what he had just said. He knew about my life? My struggles?
How it came upon him was unknown, nor did it matter right now.
"I know that you have taken responsibility for taking care of your grandmother, juggling jobs just to get by," he said in a soft tone. "That takes more strength than most people realize."
I blinked as the weight of his words sank in. "How do you know all that?"
"I make it my business to know everything about the people I hire," he said smoothly. "Which is why I think you fit the position perfectly.
What you do with so little proves you can handle more. I'm offering you an opportunity, Miss Matthews.
The question is-are you ready to take it?"
First, I sat dumbfounded and searched for words. It couldn't be real life. My whole life was a scrape-by existence, and I'd never thought I would ever sit in an office like this talking to a man like Nathaniel Sterling. And yet, here I was.
"I." I swallowed hard and marshaled my thoughts. "I could never fathom why you would want me over someone better qualified, but I won't let you down."
Nathaniel sat back in his chair, eyeing me closely. "Excellent. I don't take too well to defeat. You'll be working very closely with me on all matters concerning the company.
The work is demanding, but the rewards are great. We have a deal?"
I hadn't. I nodded. "Yes. We do have a deal."
He extended his hand and I shook it, the firmness in his grasp leaving little to the imagination. This was it-my chance to change everything.
"Good," he said, letting go of my hand and standing. "You start tomorrow at 8a.m. Don't be late."
I rose, my heart still racing, but now it was with excitement. "Thank you, Mr. Sterling."
"Call me Nathaniel," he called to the back of me as I had turned to leave, eyes never off mine.
With a whoosh, the elevator doors closed behind me, and I let loose a deep breath. It finally was, quite possibly happening-my dark horse or, rather, my light knight had finally arrived.
Of course, how it would be to work with Nathaniel Sterling in the future remained unknown to me-there was surely one thing in life: my life would never ever be the same again.