"Huft, how is this? I'm late."
A woman wearing a white shirt that was no longer white quickly ran towards the elevator on the right side of the lobby of a well-known company in the country.
Everyone looked at her strangely, not because she was late but because of the clothes she was wearing, which were considered shabby by people who looked at her with strange looks.
Even in the elevator, people whispered to each other as they looked at her from head to toe.
They thought an elite company like that was not worthy of someone like that strange creature in front of them.
The woman got out as soon as the elevator doors to the ninth floor opened, feeling like she could breathe a sigh of relief after being cooped up in an elevator filled with people who looked at her like she was looking at a chicken with four legs.
She asked a middle-aged man in a light blue uniform who was pushing a trolley filled with various cleaning tools.
"Excuse me, can you show me where the interview room is?" the woman asked hurriedly.
The middle-aged woman showed her the location of the HRD room, and she immediately headed to the room, half-running.
She knocked on the door, and after someone from inside told her to come in, she went in.
The two people in the room in charge of interviewing prospective employees looked her up and down, just like all the employees who matched her in the lobby and in the elevator.
Feeling the strange looks from the two people in front of her, the woman quickly introduced herself and conveyed her intentions and purpose for coming to the company.
"Well, Ms. Aneta, do you know what you did wrong?" asked one of the people sitting in front of her.
"Yes, Sir. But please give me one chance, because I don't doubt my ability. I have attached some of my achievements in previous companies, and there were also very good grades when I was in college," Aneta explained at length.
Yes, Aneta felt that she had to get this job, because this was where she would get a fantastic salary for her life with Gabriel, for her daily expenses, and for Gabriel's future expenses.
"But sorry, Miss, here the rules are the rules, you are not yet an employee, you are already late, let alone later after you officially become an employee here.
Aneta looked down, twisting her spandex skirt below her knees with great anxiety. She knew that this interview was very important for her future, but on the other hand, taking Gabriel to the hospital was equally important.
"We regret to inform you that you cannot work for this company.
Aneta's shoulders relaxed, she felt very sorry to be in such a tight situation this morning. She then excused herself and left the room.
Meanwhile, in the company lobby, the female employees were scrambling to get a peek at the arrival of a handsome man who had just been appointed one week ago as the new CEO of the company.
Reksa Anderson is a twenty-eight-year-old young man who was forced to follow the wishes of his father, Hendarto Anderson, to continue the company he started with his departed best friend.
Tock...tock...tock...
"Sir, I brought some files that you need to sign," Alex said as he handed over some important files for Reksa.
"And here's some data on the candidates who were interviewed today."
"Just take it away, Lex, and tell the HRD to choose a good employee for the company," Reksa pleaded with his secretary.
Alex nodded in agreement with his boss, accepted the signed file, and left the room.
Reksa sighed. This was not what he wanted—a position as CEO and a huge responsibility to the company that depended on him.
He was actually more comfortable being a doctor in Singapore, interacting with pediatric patients, he thought it was more fun than having to manage a big company like this.
Yes, two weeks ago, Reksa was still a pediatrician in Singapore, but because his father kept asking him to come home, he reluctantly gave up his white coat for his father's request.
It wasn't without reason that Reksa chose to become a doctor in Singapore, he initially looked for a girl who he thought was pregnant with his child in Singapore, and in the end, he chose to continue his studies there and work there too as a pediatrician because he thought that by the time he graduated from college later, maybe his child had already been born and was growing.
She thought she would easily find her child because her job as a doctor would bring her into contact with a different child every day.
But things weren't as easy as he had imagined. During his six-year stay in Singapore, he never found a bright spot where the woman he was looking for with his son was.
In the end, Hendarto told his son to come home because he could no longer tolerate his son's reasons for staying there.
While thinking about his past, Reksa was confronted with the fact that his father had an illness that was quite preoccupying to him. Because, according to the family doctor, Hendarto often flared up when he had a lot on his mind and heart.
Reksa's cell phone rang, asking the owner to immediately pick it up. He saw a name that he himself was reluctant to talk to the owner of, but he was too lazy to argue if the phone was not immediately picked up, and he was forced to pick up the phone.
(What's wrong?)
(...)
(I'm busy. Quickly tell me what you're calling me about.)
(...)
(Whatever you want.)
After speaking like that, Reksa immediately turned off his phone.
He preferred to go to the pantry rather than think about Calista, the daughter of the hospital owner and the young doctor he worked with in Singapore.
Yes, all this time Reksa chose to make his own coffee in the pantry, instead of telling his secretary to make coffee, because only Reksa himself knew the right amount of coffee for him.
When he was about to stand up, his eyes accidentally caught a paper form containing the personal data of his prospective employee. Maybe Alex accidentally dropped it when he was in his room earlier.
Reksa picked up the paper and intended to return it to Alex, who had a desk in front of the CEO's office.
But when Reksa turned the paper over, he was so surprised to see the photo that was attached to the form.
