Arriving in front of the interview room, she took a deep breath before knocking cautiously. From inside, a female voice responded: "Come on in."
The candidate's resume was on the table, and the direct interviewer, a woman in her forties, was very distinctive. But the candidate dared not mention that the interviewer was the general director's fiancée, her imagination was too far-fetched. Flora tried to maintain a professional smile, but it seemed a bit silly given the attire she wore that day.
The interviewer pulled down her glasses, frowned, and looked at the candidate in a manner similar to a teacher looking at a student. She hesitated before setting her pen aside and asked: "Your appearance..."
Without saying it directly, she glanced down at the candidate's appearance, making an "x" sign with her fingers.
Flora responded, "Yes, my appearance may not be as attractive as some people, but please believe that my abilities are excellent. I graduated from a prestigious university with an outstanding degree, completed two secretarial courses, and I am fluent in Chinese, Japanese, and French. I am capable of ensuring the completion of assigned tasks."
The interviewer showed slight interest and put her pen down, asking, "Is there anything else?"
Flora struggled to think of a response, but eventually managed to say: "The era of beautiful and qualified secretaries is over. This is an era of professional competence. With my abilities, I can contribute to the growth of our corporation."
The interviewer pushed her glasses up and smiled, nodding her head: "Well said."
Just as the candidate expected to hear more, the phone rang, and the interviewer picked it up. The conversation concerned a girl named Lily, who managed to get past the security guard and front desk. The interviewer slammed the phone down, hit the table hard, and startled Flora.
Looking at Flora again, the interviewer's eyes showed a strange conviction: "Flora Smith, you've passed the interview round. We'll assess your competence later. Take the elevator to the top floor, go to the general manager's office, and if you can stop the girl named Lily who's coming up, consider yourself hired."
Flora wondered if that Lily was one of those women who craved the position of the general manager's wife. She quickly went to the top floor of the building, and just as she ran to the general manager's office door, the elevator doors opened, and Lily appeared with her light blue hair, red lipstick, pointed high heels, and see pronounced figure on the door.
Lily tried to push the door to the general manager's office open, but Flora stopped her. Rolling her eyes at Flora, Lily asked: "Why can't I go inside?"
Flora responded: "Lily, you can't go inside. The general manager is busy at the moment."
Lily's beautiful eyebrows furrowed, and she wondered how an older woman like Flora could be employed by the company.
Lily frowned as she looked at the person blocking her way, searching her memory to see if she had ever met this person. The answer was no.
"Who are you? If you have nothing to do, go clean the house, wipe the glass door, and don't block my way," Lily said.
Flora smiled brightly on her face, seemingly unaffected by Lily words. She only knew that her current task was to prevent this woman from entering the boss's office. She would lose her chance to work at SEI if she couldn't stop.
Thinking so, her smile became even brighter, and she moved aside, covering the doorknob with her hand: "I am the new secretary of the CEO. Nice to meet you, and I hope you can help me more," Flora said.
Lily frowned deeper, with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. She looked at the girl in front of her with scrutinizing eyes. Her face wasn't ugly, but her dress was not worth looking at. Lily sneered: "Since when did Matthew change his taste? He even recruited an old lady as a secretary... You didn't say it; I thought you were a new janitor."
The smile on the corner of Flora's mouth was slightly twisted but quickly returned to normal. She squinted her eyes, reinforcing her determination to prevent her from taking a step into the CEO's office.
"Lily, you're so funny!" Flora laughed.
The beautiful Lily seemed to have lost her patience and decided to use violence to solve the problem. She reached out to take advantage of the new secretary's inattention to twist the doorknob. However, this secretary didn't have any hesitation. Just as Lily's hand was about to touch the doorknob, she was pushed aside.
"Get out of the way! Let me in! I have to see Matthew... Do you know who I am?" Lily said.
Flora still smiled, nodding her head. Of course, she knew who Lily was, and she was also the person who couldn't be allowed to meet the CEO today. Flora's nod made Lily angry: "You know who I am, and you still won't move aside."
Lily was so angry that she stomped her foot, but the person before her didn't budge, shaking her head gently but firmly blocking her way.
"I know you, Ms. Lily, but... I also know who's inside."
Lowering her voice, Flora looked as if she was about to reveal something sensational. Sure enough, Lily fell for her trick, widening her eyes and asking: "Who is inside?"
Flora chuckled, her smile slightly mischievous, like a sneaky secretary discussing her bosses' affairs. She had devised the best way to prevent this woman from barging in. And that was...
"The CEO and his fiancée are inside. You know... that... the CEO is in his prime and only has his fiancée with him... In short, once a man is aroused, it's hard to control himself..."
As she spoke, she watched the other person's reaction. Seeing Lily's face becoming increasingly unpleasant, she was confident that her words had struck a nerve. This woman was undoubtedly one of the CEO's extramarital lovers, coming here because he had discarded her.
Flora pitied her, but there was nothing she could do. Her duty was to push Lily out. Using the CEO's fiancée as an excuse was the best option.
"That can't be true... He can't do that with that shameless woman..."
She couldn't believe what she had just heard, shaking her head frantically and convincing herself that he would never do that. Right at this moment, Flora let out a sigh.
"Ms. Lily, why do you have to deceive others like that? It's natural for the CEO and his fiancee to be together. If you insist on going in now, he'll be furious."
Even though Lily was furious, she couldn't deny the truth in Flora's words. Today's visit was a waste of effort. Her high heels stomped on the tiled floor, producing a deafening sound. In Flora's anticipation, the formidable foe turned and left.
After waiting for the other party to enter the elevator, she smiled victoriously. She had won the first battle and could now prepare for the job. It was as if a stack of paper money was waving at her.
Right then, the office door opened, revealing a tall man who looked at her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"New secretary, huh? You dare to fire my woman?"
This familiar face, this familiar voice, she squinted. Wasn't he the man she met this morning? She even thought he looked like her son.
Unexpectedly, he was Matthew Charles, the SEI group's CEO and her direct superior.
"CEO...Hello..."
Matthew's emotionless face looked at the girl who claimed to be his secretary, bowing to greet him.
Who was responsible for hiring his secretary, for selecting someone who looked like an "old lady" like this? His deep and cold voice echoed with suspicion.
"Secretary? Are you sure about that?"
Flora nodded vigorously: "Yes, CEO. Director Selena personally hired me. I will work hard and not disappoint her."
Flora's tone was very confident. She didn't know that the woman who interviewed her was not the fiancée of the man in front of her but a human resources manager. However, her misunderstanding unintentionally helped her avoid being fired by the CEO of SEI.
"Okay, you can go and take the job. You'll start working officially tomorrow."
Matthew left a sentence and walked straight out. This girl did not meet his aesthetic standards, but Selena chose her... he had to accept that.
Flora happily jumped around for a while, then called her best friend, who also introduced her to the job.
Upon receiving the good news, her best friend was equally happy and kept congratulating her. She had to schedule a meeting at her friend's house after work to see her two children.