Bryan's POV
I just got off from an early morning meeting. I was on my way to my car because all I wanted to do was go home. But right when I stepped out of the elevator, someone bumped into me hard.
Hot coffee spilled all over my shirt.
"Damn it," I muttered, looking down. The stain spread fast across my white shirt, and it burned me instantly.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" a woman said quickly. She looked flustered, holding a half-empty cup of coffee. I looked up to see who it was. And I froze. It was her. Again? What the hell was going on?
For a few seconds, I just stared. She did too.
She tried to dab my shirt with a napkin, her hands shaking.
"I'm so, so sorry. I didn't see you there."
I didn't move. I just watched her.
It was really her....
"You," I said quietly.
She looked up at me, her face going red. "You… you're here too?"
"What?" I asked, still trying to process what was happening.
She fumbled with her cup nervously.
"Are you… Are you here for the interview too?"
I blinked. Did she really ask that?
"That's none of your business," I said flatly, brushing past her.
She looked embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry again. I'm already late for the interview," she said quickly, then ran off down the hall.
I stood there for a moment, staring at her.
I sighed and looked down at my shirt again. It had coffee everywhere. "Perfect," I muttered to myself.
"Mr. CEO," a voice said behind me.
I turned, and it was Antonio, smiling like he always did. He was holding a file and looked too cheerful for my liking.
"Don't start," I said.
He looked at my shirt and laughed.
"Looks like someone's having a bad day."
"Some clumsy girl ran into me," I said.
He grinned. "What girl?"
I pointed toward the hallway she ran off to. "Her."
He turned to look and then suddenly stopped.
"What?" I asked.
His smile faded. "Wait a second… I know her."
I frowned. "You know her?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. She's the woman I told you about. The one from the accident. The motorbike hit her, remember? I took her to the hospital."
I blinked. "You're kidding."
He shook his head. "No. That's her. I didn't know her name then, but it's her face. I'm sure."
I exhaled slowly, trying to make sense of it all.
"You're telling me the woman from that night and the woman you rescued are the same person?"
Antonio nodded, still looking surprised. "Seems like it."
Antonio chuckled. "Small world, huh?"
"Yeah. Too small," I said quietly.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"Nothing," I said calmly.
"Not yet."
He smirked. "Are you sure about that?"
I didn't answer. I just walked toward the HR floor.
When we were about to reach the interview rooms, Antonio said he had to handle some files. I just nodded and kept walking. I wasn't even sure why I was still going there. Maybe I just wanted to see her again.
I stood by the glass wall, watching as the interviews went on inside.
And there she was, sitting right there in front of the panel. She was obviously nervous, as her hands shook on her lap.
I didn't go in. I just watched from outside. Then I turned and walked away before anyone saw me.
Alice's POV
My palms were sweaty, and I kept forcing myself to smile. I was trying to sound confident as I answered their questions.
"Why did you leave your last job, Miss Reynolds?" one of the interviewers asked.
"I… had some personal issues to deal with," I replied softly.
"But I'm ready to start again."
They nodded and wrote something down. I swallowed hard.
I glanced at the glass door, and for a second, I thought I saw him standing outside. But when I blinked, he was gone.
The interview went on. I did my best to answer everything, even though my voice shook sometimes.
After a while, one of the panellists smiled. "Alright, Miss Reynolds, we'll get back to you soon." "Thank you," I said and stood up.
Just as I was about to walk to the door, the room suddenly went silent. Everyone's eyes turned toward the entrance, and I followed their gaze.
My throat went dry when I noticed that he was the one again.
"Good morning," he said softly, nodding at the interviewers.
The HR head quickly stood up. "Good morning, Mr. Hale."
My head snapped up. Mr. Hale?
The company's name suddenly flashed through my mind again. It was Hale Global Enterprises. "He's the CEO; you can all say hi," the interviewer said to us, the applicants who were there.
The CEO? My heart dropped.
The man I had a one-night stand with.
The same one I spilled coffee on is also the man standing right in front of me now… and he was the CEO of the company I just interviewed for.
For a few seconds, everything went blank.
He looked straight at me, and his eyes darkened slightly, but his face stayed calm.
The HR woman started to speak.
"Sir, we just concluded the interview with Miss..."
"Alice Reynolds," he finished, still looking at me.
I froze completely.
He stepped closer, with his gaze never leaving mine, while everyone in the room went silent. No one knew what was going on.
When he got close to me, he leaned slightly against the table and spoke quietly.
"You're hired."