Azaria followed the secretary down the hallway of the top floor, confused that the secretary who introduced herself as Sarah said she was the CEO’s secretary there to escort her to where her interview would take place.
She followed the woman at a steady pace.
The building felt different from Aldrith.
In a way, she felt as though she did not belong there, but that was a bizarre thought.
She had been at Aldrith for years and had been used to the surroundings that another company felt foreign, for lack of better words.
They stopped in front of two large doors.
The secretary turned slightly toward her.
“Right in here, please.” Azaria glanced at the door, then back at her.
“This is… the CEO’s office?”
Sarah nodded.
“Yes.”
Azaria frowned a little.
“Are you sure there isn’t a mistake?
I applied for the Operations Manager role…”
“There’s no mistake, Miss Freeman,” the secretary said.
“Mr.
Rhodes has requested to handle your interview himself.”
That didn’t sit right with her.
Now she was nervous.
Was her resume that bad that he wanted to evaluate why she had tried to apply to his company?
That couldn’t be it.
She was confident in her skills and knew she was a kick-ass worker and did everything to see her company and job succeed.
She had climbed the corporate ladder for years and some little fear would not allow her to look down on her work and herself.
Azaria nodded slowly.
“Okay.” She turned toward the door again, her hand pausing on the handle for a second before she pushed it open.
The office was large, and was simply decorated with shelves lined with varieties of books and awards.
There were two couches and a coffee table to the side.
High floor to ceiling windows and a desk at the far wall where a man sat.
Everything was neat and properly put together.
Behind the desk, Aziel stood up the moment she entered.
He watched her as she stepped in, his gaze watched her every movement, but it was not overly intense.
He gave a friendly smile that had Azaria relaxing her shoulders.
“Miss Freeman,” he said.
“Welcome to Rhodes Industries.”
She closed the door behind her.
“Thank you, Sir.”
He walked around the desk and extended his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She took his hand and shook it, smiling back.
“The pleasure’s all mine, Mr.
Rhodes.”
His grip was firm, then he let go and gestured toward the chair in front of his desk.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you.” She sat down, keeping her posture straight and professional, yes she was confident, but she was being interviewed by the CEO himself, so she hoped she didn’t say the wrong things or look a certain way that he would disapprove.
Aziel returned to his seat as well, leaning back slightly as he looked at her.
For a moment, he didn’t speak.
He just studied her, like he was trying to match what he saw with something in his head.
Then he smiled a little too wide.
Azaria almost arched her brow.
He was a weird man, she thought.
“I’ll get straight to it,” he said.
“Your resume is impressive.”
Azaria nodded slightly.
“Thank you, Sir.”
“And I’m not even saying that lightly,” he added.
“I’ve seen a lot of applications.
Yours stood out immediately.”
She didn’t respond and listened carefully without interrupting him.
Her palms were a little less sweaty and she was breathing much easier now.
His compliments were really being effective in calming her nerves.
“That’s why I decided to handle this myself,” he continued.
“I was curious and wanted to meet the woman behind such impressive work ethics and experience.
You worked two impressive roles… though I am curious.”
“Curious?”
“Yes,” he said and sat up, intertwining his fingers and watching her carefully.
“Someone with your background, your experience… leaving a company like Aldrith Corp.
Were you fired?”
“No, sir.
I resigned.”
There it was.
Now his curiosity was peaked.
He kept his expression neutral.
“I see.” Aziel leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the desk.
“I’ll be honest.
I was ready to hire you on the spot.” That caught her off guard, even if she didn’t show it fully.
“But,” he added, “I needed to understand something first.”
She already knew what was coming.
“Why did you leave?” he asked.
The question was simple, so Azaria took a small breath and said: “It was a decision based on work differences.”
Aziel’s expression didn’t change.
“Differences?”
She nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
“What kind of differences?” he asked.
She held his gaze.
“I simply did not agree with how some things were being handled and decided to leave.”
He didn’t seem satisfied with that.
There was a brief silence and Aziel leaned back in his chair again, studying her for a moment before speaking.
“You’ll have to forgive me,” he said.
“But I find that answer… incomplete.”
Azaria didn’t react much.
“I can’t go into detail.”
“Confidentiality?” he asked.
“Yes, Sir,” she said.
He nodded slowly, like he expected that.
“Understandable.” But his eyes didn’t leave her and she thought he looked bored now.
“So let me ask differently,” he continued.
“Were you unhappy?”
Azaria paused for a second.
“Not exactly.”
“Not exactly?” he repeated.
“Could you elaborate?”
She kept her tone even.
“I enjoyed my job very much, that’s why I was willing to take on two roles for the pay of one.
There were just things I didn’t agree with and wouldn’t let slide.”
“Things important enough to leave?” he asked.
“Yes, Sir.”
Aziel watched her closely like he was trying to.
He was trying to get more out of her, but she was being too vague with her answers.
“And those same issues wouldn’t affect your work here?” he asked.
“Not if the ethics here don’t give me a reason to leave here as well, Sir,” she said.
He tilted his head slightly.
“You’re certain?”
“I am certain.”
Aziel tapped his fingers lightly against the desk, then stopped.
“You built quite a structure in your previous role,” he said.
“Operations systems and workflow.
You mentioned you made an efficient system that worked smoothly for everyone.”
Azaria nodded once.
“I did.”
“And you walked away from it,” he added.
“Yes.”
“That couldn’t have been easy,” he said, watching her.
“Building something and leaving it behind.”
Aaria’s eye twitched a little and Aziel caught it.
He leaned back again, his expression thoughtful now.
“Yet you still chose to leave.”
“Yes.” Why did he keep repeating the same thing over and over?
She was feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Aziel nodded slowly, finally leaving it at that.
He shifted slightly in his seat.
“If I were to offer you a position here, would you be looking to build something similar?”
Azaria considered that for a moment.
“Yes, sir.
I can build something similar.
That, I am very confident I can do.”
“And if it doesn’t work and doesn’t impress me?”
“Then I will adapt to what you need exactly and make something that will still run as smoothly,” she said.
That seemed to interest him.
Aziel rested his arm on the chair, his gaze still steadily on her.
“You’re being careful with your answers.”
Azaria didn’t deny it.
“I have to be.
Anyone who comes in for an interview has to be, otherwise, anyone would be able to get a job.”
He let out a small breath that almost sounded like a soft laugh.
“Fair enough.” He paused for a moment and looked up, as if he was deep in thought before dragging his eyes back to her.
“Let me ask one last thing,” he said.
“Do you regret leaving Aldrith Corp?”
The question came without warning.
Azaria did her best to keep her expression unchanged.
She never even asked herself that, but she felt the weight of it push on her shoulders and she became a little tense again.
“No,” she said almost too quickly, but it almost sounded like she forced it out.
She kept her expression neutral and Aziel watched her closely.
“No hesitation at all,” he noted.
“There’s nothing for me to hesitate about.
Aldrith Corp is in the past” she replied.
He held her gaze for a moment longer, then leaned back again.
“Alright,” he said.
“I won’t press further,” he added.
Azaria nodded once, then Aziel reached for a file on his desk, closing it without looking at it.
“Like I said earlier, your profile is strong and very impressive, Miss Freeman.”
She stayed quiet and listened to him.
Her palms were sweating again, but she didn’t think it was because he was the one interviewing her anymore.
“I still stand by what I said,” he continued.
“I’m very interested in having you here.”
Azaria felt a small tension ease in her chest, but another feeling was slowly creeping in and replacing it.
“However,” he added, “I don’t make final decisions alone.”
She nodded.
“Of course.”
“I’ll need to speak with my COO and other executives,” he said.
“Go over a few things before anything is finalized.”
“That’s fine with me, Sir,” she replied.
He gave a small nod.
“You’ll hear from me soon, Miss Freeman.”
Azaria stood up from her seat.
“Thank you for your time, Mr.
Rhodes.”
Aziel stood as well.
“Thank you for coming in.”
She walked toward the door, keeping her steps steady.
She could feel his eyes on her.
Just as she reached it, she paused slightly, then turned back.
“Have a good day.”
“You too,” he said with a small smile.
She opened the door and stepped out, closing it quietly behind her.
I’m working overtime here!
My brain’s bursting!
Gimme a vote and stay tuned!