Chapter 51 President's Fan
All night long, Bella had a recurring dream in which she kept changing the name of an attendee as the president stared at her and kept pointing out, "The last name is Wilson, not Wilsen."
"Okay, I got it," Bella said, annoyed.
Bella typed Wilson, but every time she showed it to the president, the surname would change to Wilsen. She had tried countless times, and it was all the same. The president also became more and more impatient.
In the end, the president yelled at her and said, "If you can't even do this basic little thing, then I tell you, you are fired!"
Bella jerked awake from her dream and sat up from the bed in a flash, gasping for air. Her forehead was covered with beads of sweat. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath as she realized she was just dreaming.
"What the hell is that..." Bella cooed, her eyes flicking to the clock on the wall. 'What?! It was already 8:40 a.m.!'
Horrified to see the time, Bella hurriedly jumped out of bed, got a set of clothes in the closet, and put them on. She then ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.
Once done, Bella was only left with ten minutes to spare before work. She did not have time to put on her makeup. There was no way she could beat the clock. She was bound to be late no matter what, but she still picked up her bag and rushed out.
"You lazy bone! I reminded you to wake me up last night, but you didn't!" Bella scolded Edward in the living room, where he was calmly drinking coffee. "You know I'm the only one working in this house. If I get fired for being late, we'll both end up on the streets!" she continued as she changed her shoes.
"I'm sorry. I went to your room, but you looked like an angel while sleeping. I didn't have the heart to wake you up." Edward flashed an apologetic smile.
"Yeah, and my boss will probably fire me later for arriving late at work, all thanks to you." Bella's voice was filled with sarcasm, almost rolling her eyes.
With those parting words for Edward, Bella rushed out of the house.
A small smile appeared on Edward's face. "Don't worry, your boss will only arrive at the office even later than you," he whispered as he looked at Bella's disappearing back.
***
Bella was already twenty minutes late when she arrived at work. It was the first time she was ever late that she could not help but walk on eggshells. She tiptoed to the elevator, afraid that someone might notice her. Fortunately, the elevator was empty.
'If only I could sneak in later without the president noticing I was late," Bella thought before the elevator reached the 49th floor.
On her way to the president's office, Bella passed the waiting room and was surprised to find it filled with people, all with unfamiliar faces.
At the same time, Jenny saw Bella passing by in the waiting room and rushed out, pulling Bella with an eager look on her face. "My goodness, Bella! What took you so long?" These interviewees have been waiting for 20 minutes already!"
With a puzzled look, Bella asked, "Interview?"
"Wait." Jenny paused for a moment, wearing a frown. "You don't know? The president is looking for a junior secretary."
Bella suddenly recalled that the president was indeed looking for a junior secretary. She did not expect an interview to be held so soon when it was only announced yesterday.
'It looks like he's that desperate to fire me.' Bella heavily sighed, but in the next second, she adjusted her mood and showed that professional smile.
"Okay!" Bella looked at Jenny with a positive expression. "Please organize and bring the interviewees to the president's office in order. I'll check in with the president first."
After giving instructions to Jenny, Bella walked quickly to the office and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that the president was not there. Behind her, Jenny had come over with a candidate for the interview.
The first candidate was a beautiful young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair. She wore a V-neck shirt tucked in a mini skirt, highlighting her curvy figure.
Bella could not help pressing her lips together while assessing the candidate physically. She found the outfit too revealing and inappropriate for formal interviews.
'I support women's freedom to dress, but the dress code for the interview should still be as formal and conservative as possible. That way, the interviewer will focus on evaluating your skills and abilities instead of directing all the attention to your body,' Bella secretly commented as she approached the candidate.
Shrugging her shoulders, Bella handed a bottle of water to the candidate and told her to sit on the chair. She then pulled Jenny aside and asked in a whisper, "The president hasn't arrived yet. Do we have to wait until he gets here?"
"No. We will be the ones to interview all the candidates." Jenny took out a thick pile of interviewers' resumes from her briefcase, two copies of each, and handed one to Bella. "Let's get started, don't keep them waiting."
Bella froze at that, thinking how cruel it was to choose the person who would end up replacing her and taking over her job. However, that was her fate, and there was nothing she could do about it.
***
Once the interview had begun, Bella and Jenny sat across from the pretty blonde woman. While the candidate was introducing herself, Bella quickly skimmed through her resume, thinking about the questions she would ask later.
'June Crane... 26 years old...' Bella mentally read some of the candidate's details. 'As a graduate from Cambridge University with a degree in Computer Science, her educational attainment is exceptional, and she even has an outstanding experience to back herself up. How do I question someone a hundred times better than me without making a fool of myself?' she pondered, feeling pressured.
After June answered a few of the usual questions from Jenny, she shifted her gaze to Bella with a pleasing smile on her face.
"Miss Crane, I noticed that you worked as an information engineer for the largest Internet company in the country, so why did you want to change your career path and become a secretary? What are your thoughts about the position?" Bella asked something that she was curious about after clearing her throat.
June was about to speak when the president suddenly walked into the office without notice. At that moment, she was immediately attracted to the president, staring at his sexy body that she forgot to answer the question.
The president seemed to notice June's attraction toward him. Without any hesitation, he expressed his dismay and said, "Get out now. You are not qualified to be my secretary."
When June heard the president's harsh words, the shock was written all over her face, and tears welled up in her eyes. She then covered her mouth and ran out of the office in embarrassment.
Bella and Jenny quietly exchanged gazes. They were also stunned to witness the cold and ruthless president. However, curiosity overpowered Bella's emotions as she bravely approached him.
"Mr. President, why did you send her out?" Bella asked. "Her interview is going very well, and she also has an excellent resume."
"I hate people staring at me," the president coldly said without any hint of sympathy and remorse.
Hearing those words, Bella hurriedly withdrew her eyes and felt a chill shooting down her spine.