Chapter 2

"So what do we have here?" Elijah asked as he picked up the first file. Coincidentally, the first person in line was the same woman he met in the elevator. "Desiree Hilton…?" he gritted under his breath.

"He is the daughter of Dominique Hilton. Hiring her will be the best decision," Miguel told him. Miguel Style was the man who taught Elijah everything about this business after his father died. Miguel was the only person Elijah listened to, but what he was saying right now was against his ethics.

"I am not giving this job to anyone just because their father owns a multinational company, Miguel. This will be solely on merit," Elijah commented.

"But, Elijah, he called us this morning to grant his daughter some relaxation. It will give us a bad image if we don't listen to him," Miguel argued, sitting in front of him.

"He called?" Elijah lifted his eyebrow. He hated people like this, who depended on their parents and other people to help them succeed, instead of making it happen on their own.

"Yes, I was the one who picked up the call."

Making up his mind to show her her place, Elijah replied, "Let's meet Ms. Hilton then, shall we?"

Miguel called for the first interviewee, and Elijah rested back against his seat. Picking up his file, Elijah assessed Desiree's qualifications. For someone who needed her father to secure her a job, she had an impressive resume.

Elijah was busy assessing her resume when the door opened.

"Shit…" Desire muttered.

Lifting his head, Elijah watched Desiree Hilton staring at him as if she had seen a ghost.

“I do not tolerate profanity in my presence, Ms. Hilton.” His cold, distant voice echoed in the room.

Desiree's face paled all of a sudden, and drops of sweat appeared on her forehead. Under Elijah's calculative gaze, she reached the desk and sat down in front of him. By the look on her face, she would rather be in hell than be here in this room.

"So, Ms. Hilton, give me a reason why I should hire you," Elijah asked, leaning back in his seat again.

Desiree put a mask of confidence on her face, but Elijah was experienced enough to see right through it.

"I am ambitious, hardworking, competitive and…"

"What else?" He asked, cutting her off.

"I have an excellent academic record—"

"So do the rest of the candidates," he shot back sharply.

"I am quick in actions, decisive and..."

"Tell me something you didn't pick off wikiHow?" He shook his head irritatedly, and another layer of sweat appeared on her face.

"I... Um..."

"Quick. I don't have all day."

Desiree took a deep breath, realizing he wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily.

"I don't know what to tell you…" she cleared her throat "But I do know that I am the best person for this job. I will never let you down, and you will be lucky to..."

"Lucky? You think we will be lucky to have you work with us?" Elijah sarcastically asked her, and she nodded.

"I think..."

"You have the nerve to call me Lucifer and Devil. And you had the nerve to ask your father to put in a recommendation for you. You, Ms. Hilton, are a stupid, insubordinate brat, and you think we will be lucky to have you?" His voice was rising with every second.

"I... I..."

"Get out!" he shouted, and her face flushed.

"Elijah, calm down," Miguel whispered in his ear.

"I said, get out!" Elijah yelled at her once again.

Without wasting another second, Desiree stood up and walked towards the door. But once she reached it, she turned around and walked back to the.

"You know what? I am not leaving. What I did in the elevator was wrong, but what my father did wasn't my fault. I didn't even know he had put in a recommendation. So I think I deserve a chance to at least finish this interview, like every other person here," she said, all in one breath.

Desiree kept staring at Elijah, ignoring the other two people in the room. For a moment, an awkward silence prevailed in the conference room that was finally broken by him.

"Fine. Have a seat."

Desiree sat down once again. Her green eyes pierced into his, and for a very brief moment, Elijah felt overwhelmed, which was not something that happened to him anymore.

"I am ready."

"Do you have any previous work experience?" He asked, ignoring everything he had already studied in her file.

"I did two four-month internships at some local companies after high school," she replied confidently.

One by one, Elijah asked different questions, and Desiree answered each of those questions effortlessly. He tried to find anything he could use to humiliate her, but she didn't give him any chance, which the people who knew him knew wasn't an easy task.

"You can leave. We shall contact you if you get the job," he said in the end.

"Thanks for giving me another chance," she said and extended her hand for a shake. When he kept glaring at her without moving, she shrugged and left the room.

"You have to admit, the kid has guts," Miguel commented.

"A little too much for his own good," he said and called the next person.

It was almost ten at night when the interview concluded. Elijah sighed, realizing he still had a lot of work to finish aside from choosing his new assistant.

"So, which one is it going to be?" Miguel asked, spreading all the files in front of Elijah.

"I don't know. This new batch just redefined the word disappointment," Elijah said after taking a long sigh.

"What about the Yale graduate?" Miguel asked.

"Her? She couldn't even pronounce my own name right," he commented.

"What about that redhead?" Miguel asked.

"Oh, please. I don't want a blushing mess to work for me." He threw the file into the garbage can.

"What about this one?" Miguel showed Elijah the file.

"Really, Miguel? Do I look like I have time to deal with a walking, talking inferiority complex?" He said and threw another file in the garbage can.

"Well, we have only one candidate left." Miguel picked up the file of Desiree Hilton from the table. "You have to admit, she is our best option."

"She is also a cocky, spoiled brat," Elijah reminded Miguel.

"So what now? Do you want me to arrange another interview?"

Elijah stared at his file for a minute. This was the fourth interview this month for the position of his assistant. His last assistant ran away after just one week into the job, and it was hard to admit, but he was in dire need of someone who had enough guts to survive at this job.

"Mr. Rothschild, Ms. Gilbert is waiting for you downstairs." Someone entered Elijah's office to inform him.

"Mia? Mia is still here? Didn't you tell her to wait for me in a restaurant?" He asked in shock and a bit of guilt.

"I told her, Mr. Rothschild…" she said and took a gulp before adding, "half an hour ago."

"You should go, Elijah. Don't let your fiancée wait," Miguel said with a hand gesture.

Elijah rubbed his forehead again to relieve him of some of the stress. It was date night. Mia and him had the ritual of having a dinner date every Saturday, and he had been putting it on hold for three weeks now.

"Call her." He pointed at Desiree's Hilton file. "Tell her to be here at 8 am exactly."

Saying this, Elijah hurried towards the elevator. Seeing him enter inside, all the people already there slowly walked out, and he pressed the button to the lobby.

As he walked out of the elevator, his eyes fell on his girlfriend of three years and three months, Mia Gilbert. Mia was a professional model, and they met when Elijah was on vacation in Monaco. Mia's drool-worthy smile and cute mannerisms left him in awe. And her eyes twinkle every time she speaks to make her more attractive. They started dating one month after meeting and had been together since then.

"I am so sorry, Mia," he said on reaching her.

Mia looked away with an annoyed look on her face. "You said the same thing last time. And the time before that."

"I had to take interviews for my new assistant. Come on, now. Let's go," he said and walked forward.

"In a business suit?" She asked, following him to the parking lot.

"I don't have time to change, babe." He opened the door for her and drove them to one of the best restaurants in town, and the whole drive, Mia didn't utter a single word.

Elijah knew he was testing her patience, and nobody was feeling worse than him, but he had some responsibilities.

Once inside the restaurant, he led her to a silent corner on the balcony he had booked for them. The waiter gave them both a menu card, and he decided to have a steak today.

The waiter left with both of their orders, and he leaned further in his seat. "I already said sorry. What do you want me to say now?" He asked when he noticed her sour mood.

"Just tell me, how long are you going to act like this? For God's sake, Elijah. We all lose parents, but you changed so much after your Dad's death," she whispered.

"Don't go there, Mia…" he stopped her straight.

"Why? Do you not realize what you have become? Where is that girl who always had a big smile on her face?" She scooted closer and held his hands in between. "I loved that man. I need that man. I want him back."

"That man didn't have a business empire to run. People change, get over it," he said and pulled his hand away.

"Elijah, I can't do this if you act like this." She hid her face in between his palms.

"I..." Elijah was about to say something when his phone started ringing. Picking up the call, he answered Miguel, who told him that they had an emergency and he needed him back in the office. "I need to go," he told her.

"Are you for real?" Mia glared back with widened eyes.

"I have to go, Mia. I am sorry," he said, standing up. "Come on, I'll take you home first—"

"For God's sake, if you walk out now—"

"Mia… Try to understand," he said pleadingly. "There is an emergency."

"Fine. Go…" she said and stood up to leave. "In fact, take this with you." She took out her ring on her finger and threw it to him.

"Mia!" Elijah called her, closing his eyes, feeling frustrated.