Chapter 2 - The Encounter (1/2)
”Oh, it is you,” Mr. Tan says, his face inscrutable. ”The girl who had the balls to get in my way.”
Claire is so shocked for a moment, a million thoughts running through her head. Should she just back out and get out of this place? What the receptionist said seemed true—this man is a monster. Just look at his demeanor. It doesn't matter that he looks flawlessly handsome—probably the product of a consistent beauty regimen or something that only the world's top CEOs have access to—it must be hell to work for this man, this person who perhaps regards other human beings as nothing but pawns he could use to suit his own ends.
”I…I wasn't standing in your way…S—sir. I was just checking if I had the correct address.”
Mr. Tan gazes at him for a long moment, then he snickers and flicks back his shoulder-length hair. ”Why are we standing here like idiots? Sit down. There's a comfy chair just behind you. Use it.”
How repulsive, she thinks. Yet, she stifles her anger. For some reason, she wants to see this through and see what happens in this so-called interview. She might even have a chance to give him a piece of her mind later. She sighs, smoothens her skirt, and sits down.
He stares at her for a moment, then takes the seat opposite her.
”So,” he begins, holding before him her printed-out CV. ”You're applying for a job.”
Yes, Captain Obvious, she thinks. Why on earth would a normal human being dare enter the maw of hell, as the receptionist would have put it, except out of desperation to get a job, any job. ”Yes, Sir.” She steels her resolve and adopts her old champion debater persona. ”As you may glean from my curriculum vitae, I am a top graduate of Xavier University. Summa ċum laude. I have a long list of honors and awards that I would be glad to explain in detail to you just to prove my credentials.”
”Hmmm.” Mr. Tan's eyes squint as he scans the document. ”It says here you're an awesome specimen of humanity, Miss Monteverde.” He gazes directly at her. ”I just don't understand why a person of your credentials would go so low as to apply for a job that's obviously beneath all your skills, stature, and talent.”
Claire doesn't know what to feel with that statement—should she feel flattered that he seems to recognize her worth? Or is this some nasty game and he's just being sarcastic? Should she tell him the truth? What did the receptionist tell her earlier? ”Mr. Tan's a monster.” She realizes now that such monstrosity has many complex layers.
”I need a job,” she finally says. ”To tell you the absolute truth, you're the twenty-third person who interviewed me. There was always something wrong with the first twenty-two.”