Bound To The Seduction

Chapter 20: A New Job

Sarah attended her fifth interview this month and this time, she arrived at the company thirty minutes early. Seeing a long line of applicants waiting their turn to be interviewed, Sarah felt the familiar speeding up of her heartbeat and took a deep breath to steady herself. To say she wasn't nervous would be a lie.

It was finally her turn after hours of waiting. Most of the interviewers were beginning to look impatient and bored, perhaps because they had spent nearly three hours evaluating nearly forty or so applicants. Seeing Sarah, some of their eyes lit up but most of them retained their bored expression.

A lady interviewer flipped through her resume one more time and raised her head. She toyed with the pen in her hands as she said, "You graduated from a good university and your major isn't bad, why did you choose our company?"

'It's not like I had another choice,' Sarah wanted to say but she restrained herself and smiled. "I'm impressed by your openness and fair treatment of employees. I'd love to work in such an environment."

"Your previous job was a multinational company. Why did you quit?"

I didn't quit. I was fired. Sarah adjusted her sitting position and answered confidently, "mainly because the company was not suitable for me. Their core values did not align with mine."

A myriad of unrelated questions later, a tired-looking gentleman with drooping eyelids opened his eyes. He scanned through the open document on the table and asked, "It says here that you worked as a dishwasher at a small restaurant. Tell us, why did you take such a lowly job?"

"Lowly, you say?" Sarah clenched her fists under the table and struggled to maintain her calm composure. "With all due respect sir, I don't think there is a lowly or a noble job in this world. A job is a job."

Sarah took a deep breath to calm herself down. The way she looked at the panel had changed. From the questions they asked, it seemed they had no respect for other jobs at all. "As for why I worked there, let's just say I've always been passionate about not starving to death."

"Thank you for your time, Miss Suarez."

***

Sarah walked into the park looking dispirited. The scorching sun added to her misery as small beads of sweat formed on her nose and her shirt was soaked at the armpits. She sat on the bench beside the huge tree under the cool shade. Sarah felt her skin breathe. She opened her water bottle, gulped the water, and took a deep breath later. What a refreshing feeling.

Ten minutes later, Emily arrived and sat beside Sarah. She had a mustard yellow sundress, heels, shades, and a wide-brimmed hat to prevent the sun from burning her skin.

"Girl, why are you cruel to yourself? You better have good news otherwise this is not worth it," Emily said as she took off her heels and massaged her ankles.

"Why are you wearing heels at a place like this?" Sarah asked, looking at Emily like a strange creature.

"Girl, don't you know that heels are a must-have for every woman out there? It enhances my feminine charm. Do you want me to walk without my charm?" Emily responded with animated moves.

"I thought comfort should always be the priority," Sarah said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"What do you know?" Emily started, "Let me tell you..."

Sarah raised her hands, "Okay, okay, empress. You can wear whatever you like. I apologize." She knew Emily was about to make a full one-hour lecture about fashion. She just wasn't ready for that now.

"Since you know what is good for you, I'll let it go," Emily said, acting suave. "So, tell me, how did the interview go?"

"Like the rest. I didn't get the job."

Emily's smile stiffened. "I'm sorry about that." She racked her brains on what to do, "her girl, don't be discouraged. You will find one soon. Yeah right, who wants to be a mere assistant? There are tons of companies out there. There is one just right for you."

Sarah almost laughed at her antiques but she controlled herself. Emily was too deep in thought and did not realize anything amiss.

A light bulb went off in her head and she suddenly clasped Sarah's hand. "How about I talk to my dad? He knows a lot of companies..."

"Emily, stop now," Sarah laughed as she tapped Emily's forehead, "what goes on in this head of yours? At least wait for me to finish my sentence."

Emily raised her brows.

"Remember my friend, Robert?"

"Yes, I remember him. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"He called me and asked me if I could help him find a cleaner for Henry." Sarah sat upright and stayed silent for a while. "I took the job."

"What?" Emily exclaimed and leaped.

"I know," Sarah said in a barely audible voice. "That was stupid but it pays well. And I need the money," she defended.

"That is not stupid at all," Emily said excitedly. "Girl, you have a chance to get close to Henry every day." Emily's eyes were so bright that one could see tiny stars in them.

"Emily, I'm just a maid. Nothing more."

"Do you know how many people would die for a chance to take a picture with him?" Emily scooted closer and tapped Sarah's shoulder. "You, on the other hand, have the chance to get to the prince charming's house whenever you want."

"Yeah, but I'm still his maid. Have you ever heard of him going out with his maids?" Sarah said as she rested her head on Emily's shoulder.

Emily thought for a while then shook her head. "No. All his past dates were either top models or rich heiresses." She ran her fingers through Sarah's hair in a comforting manner and sighed. "There is definitely no hope for you."

Sarah suddenly sat up. "Enough about my problems for now," she said, turning to face Emily. "How's your family?"

Emily's expression changed and all her earlier childishness disappeared. She was silent for a long time, her eyes fixed on her manicured nails. Finally, she said in a soft voice, "They fought again. Dad has a new mistress and mom is hurting. They both say they hate each other all the time."

"Yep, that's messed up. Why are they still together then?"

"My dad can't file a divorce because he doesn't want to lose his wife. He only wants to have a good time."

"What about your mom?"

"Mom wants to file a divorce but she can't because she cares too much about what people will think."

"What about you?"

"They forgot about me." Her voice cracked and tears rolled down her cheeks. "In their eyes, only my brother counts."

"It's okay." Sarah pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't worry about that too much. You are already part of my family."

They stayed in the embrace until Emily calmed down.

"I'm okay now," Emily said, picking up her purse. "Let's go for lunch and celebrate your new job. My treat."

"I can't say no to free food," Sarah laughed as she got up from the bench.

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