Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The big day (1)

After the long wait, which felt like forever, although it wasn't forever, the day for the big interview had finally arrived.

It was a sunny day, bright and shiny. Alena woke up feeling optimistic about the day. She got out of her bed, followed her morning routine and decided to pick a dress suitable for the interview.

Mrs. Flameheart being the up to date with fashion kinda modern woman, suggested her daughter to wear pale pink formal top with a steel grey formal skirt.

When Alena arrived at the venue, it was 9.40 a.m., she was 20 minutes prior to the timings alloted.

The venue was located discreetly. When Alena reached the entrance of a seemingly fishy looking place, a security personnel approached her and verified her. After that he led her to the actual place which was further inside the building. While she followed the security personnel she was slightly frightened wondering if the place and job offer were legit. She was a bit worried about her safety until she reached a hallway.

The hallway was bright with cream white and pale grey walls which had abstract paintings hanging at a parallel distance between each other with the contrast of pale blue sofas. The marble white and black floors reflected the coffee coloured pillars.

The hallway was limited to few people gathered around with a reception desk. Some people were seated on the sofa. A total number of four people were seated, a few of them busy with their smartphones while some were busy reading magazines and books.

Alena was led to a beautiful receptionist with hazel brown hair and steel grey eyes. The woman was dressed in a business suit.

After verifying Alena's details and checked her ID, the woman who must be in her mid twenties said, "Please take a seat, we will call you when it's your turn" as the woman pointed with her pink painted nails towards the waiting area.

After taking a seat, Alena felt the jitters and she was precipitating even in a fully chilled air-conditioned hallway. Certainly, from the looks of the place it had been confirmed that the job offer was legit. The whole place had a domineering aura, the kind a rich business person would possess.

Even the receptionist had a similar aura. Although she was just a receptionist. Within the next few minutes, a few more candidates had joined the rest. Thus, that made a total of eleven candidates for the job including Alena.

After about 15 minutes of waiting, the candidates were called into a different room. There, they were greeted and instructed by one of the participating judges for the interviews process, who walked them through the whole process of selection.

The first round was candidate introduction interview. The second round was to test the cooking abilities of the candidate while the third and last round was a secret, which would be disclosed only to those who manage to pass the previous two rounds. Only the best could survive.

Mr Russell, wished them good luck before leaving.

In the interview round, each candidate was called in one by one. When it was Alena's turn, she met the three most important judges who were seated behind a long ebony desk. The room was beautiful, with white and grey wall.

The first judge was Mr. José Russell, a chef in his late thirties, whose restaurants hold 11 Micheline stars. The second judge was a greyish haired man in a butler suit, who must be in his late fifties, Mr. Arnold Dahlman, the head butler of the Rumaro Household. Last but not the least Mrs. Maria Burlock, CEO of a famous house service company.

"Candidate number three, introduce yourself", spoke Mr. Arnold, his eyes piercing with scrutiny yet holding a small glimpse of gentleness in them.

The atmosphere of the room was freezing, there was some slight warmth being exuded only from the third esteemed judge, Mrs. Maria.

The attention of being on the spotlight made Alena feel uncomfortable, she was covered in cold sweat, deciphering her answer.

"Hello esteemed judges, a warm good morning to you all. My name is Alena Flameheart. I am a high school freshman in Serizawa Sakura Elite High. I work as a part-time waitress at Sweetbrew Cafe", Alena responded with a grin on her face in a calm and confident tone.

"What are your hobbies?", Asked Mr. Russell as he went through a sheet of paper on the desk which was Alena's CV.

"My hobbies are to read books, running, painting and singing"

"What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses?"

"My strength is my determination and my habit to follow a routine and my ability to push my limits. My weakness is that I overwork myself sometimes to the point of falling sick, and spontaneity, humour"

"Very good, Miss Flameheart, I like your honesty. We do require someone who will take their job seriously, of course. Do you know first aid?", Miss Maria had a slight curve playing on her lips.

"Yes, Ma'am"

"Okay then, let me give you a hypothetical situation, and you tell me what would you do in such a situation"

So far Alena had successfully answered all the questions that were thrown her way in a calm and composed manner.

Alena took a deep breath, to brace herself for the next question.

"So the situation is a person A, was just hit by a car, how would you react in this situation?"

"I would go to the person, ask them where they are hurt, help stop the bleeding in case they are bleeding, using antiseptic cream and patch it up with a bandage and if the injuries are worse, I'll immediately call for an ambulance"

"Are you aware that there's a trial work period before we hire you permanently? You'll also have to sign a contract with us"

"Yes I am aware of that. How long is the work period for?", Alena asked out of curiosity.

"The trial period is for a week. The contract lasts for about 2 years", Mr Arnold replied as his old eyes still sharply scrutinised her.