Chapter Nine
Hannah
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On Thursday morning, I arrived at Sterling Investments at eight o'clock. My first interview began at eight fifteen, and I wanted to have enough time to check in. I was having three rounds of interviews, as well as a practical case study test.
Years ago, Sterling Investments had been on my list of employers to apply to, but I ended up interning for one of their competitors, and then I stayed there.
The reception area was straightforward enough. A helpful assistant gave me a visitor badge and told me which elevator to use and which floor to exit on.
I was getting antsy and hungry. Since I still had a bit of time, I took a small blueberry muffin out of my bag. I'd bought two on the way here, along with a coffee, but only ate one, intending to have the second one as close as possible to the actual interview solely for the sugar rush. A sweet treat always lifted my mood, and I wanted to put my best foot forward.
I crammed into the elevator with a few other suits, and one gave me a side-eye. I wondered if she saw me practically inhale my muffin. I smiled sheepishly, using the elevator mirror to wipe my mouth of possible crumbs, then cleaned my hands with some disinfectant that I carried in my bag before stepping out. The woman who had been watching me got off at the same floor as me. Then she looked at my badge. My name was written with a black marker under the word "Visitor."
"Hannah, you're interviewing with me today."
I swallowed hard. Well, serves me right. Why the hell did I bring that muffin in here with me and not eat it out on the street like any normal person?
"It's nice to meet you. We've still got a few minutes until we're supposed to start the interview, but why don't we go into my office? I'm Magda, by the way."
"Great to meet you," I said.
We passed by rows upon rows of desks. I knew without anyone saying that they were brokers because I recognized the setup of the desks and the monitors. On the other side of the room were analysts.
Magda’s office was large. She didn't have a window looking outside, but she had a huge glass wall that presided over the open space where the analysts and brokers worked.
"All right, so I've reviewed your résumé. It's impressive. Between you and me, we like stealing employees from our competitors. That tells us that they’re capable."
I smiled, starting to feel a bit more at ease. "It was a great experience working at Dingle Finance. I learned a lot."
"So, why did you leave? You’ve got a one-year gap in your résumé."
Well, that stung. I listed that year as “business owner and inn manager,” but I could see why she saw it as a gap since I'd been out of the industry. "I inherited a small inn from my grandmother, and I was determined to make it work. We've had a few mishaps along the way, though, and I've decided that finance is a better use for my skills."
"All right, so you don't plan to leave again in a few years? It's important for us to know that, because we like to invest in our employees."
I wasn't going to lie. "Look, Magda, I'll be honest. I can't foresee what will happen in the future, but I'm a very, very good broker, and I'm always determined to give the best at my job. Please rest assured that if you give me any opportunities, I will make the best out of them and prove myself."
"I like your energy, Hannah. I'm glad Chase forwarded me your résumé."
I scrutinized her expression. It was perfectly polite and neutral. Maybe that was something Chase did often and it wasn’t a special favor like I was thinking.
"All right. So, that's it from my side," she continued.
"Oh," I said.
She laughed. "Don't relax too much. The hard part is yet to come. You've got four back-to-back interviews."
"Okay, I had down that it was three, but I’m fine with whatever." I smiled.
"Top management called dibs on an interview, if you perform well at the test. I won’t tell you who you’ll get. Don’t want to spoil the fun.”
Holy shit. Is it Chase after all? So what if it was? I could impress him too. But at the thought of seeing him, my heart gave a flip. Oh man, how was I going to be in the same building with him if I reacted like this at the idea of seeing him?
The interviews took place in the room adjacent to Magda's office. I liked it so much more, as it had a window looking straight outside. It felt a bit like I was in an aquarium when I was in her office.
The first two interviews went by quickly. It was easy stuff that any broker worth their salt should know. After the second interview, they left me alone in the room with a laptop and a case study. My palms were sweaty, and I was a bit light-headed. I should've eaten a more consistent breakfast this morning, but I'd been too nervous, and the sugar rush was long gone. I'd treat myself to a healthy lunch afterward.
I kept an eye on the timer while I clicked away at the keyboard. The test was easy, mostly equations and market knowledge. Pressing Finish with two minutes to go, I had a really good feeling about it.
I wondered who my last interview was with. I got up from the desk, walking around the room to stretch my legs. When I checked my phone, I had a message from my sister.
Blair: Good luck. I know you're going to kill it.
I beamed, replying quickly.
Hannah: I'm almost done, but so far, so good.
I poured myself some coffee from the thermos they had set for me on a side table. It was lukewarm but good.
I heard laughter down the corridor and stood ramrod straight. Is it Chase? No, the man didn't laugh like that.
The door opened, and Knox and Finn stepped in. Knox was smiling, and Finn shook his head, grinning.
"Hi," I said, trying to keep my disappointment at bay.
Oh for goodness' sake, why would I be disappointed?
Because you actually wanted to see Chase? a small voice said at the back of my mind. I did my best to ignore it.
"Hannah, good to see you again," Knox said.
"Am I interviewing with you two?" I asked.
Finn closed the door. "Interviewing? That's what they told you? God, no. We just wanted to catch up.”
“Yeah, find out how this happened," Knox added.
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Last time Chase spoke about you, he was thinking about hiring an investigator to find out what kind of trouble you’re into."
My eyes bulged.
“Knox!” Finn admonished. "I don't think you're supposed to say that out loud."
Knox waved his hand. "If she sticks around long enough, she'll see how over the top Chase is. All I'm doing is giving her a warning."
I laughed, looking between the two of them. I had no idea what to say, but my mind was stuck on a detail. "He wanted to hire a detective?"
Knox leaned against the door. "He was unusually obsessive, and we helpfully suggested that he could just ask Josh."
"Which he did," I said.
Knox narrowed his eyes. "My brother talked to you about this job?"
"Yes. He didn't tell you?"
"No, I don't think he told anyone. He just emailed Magda. I found out this morning by mistake and figured why not find out what's going on directly from the source?"
"Nothing's going on," I said quickly. "He simply knows that I'm looking for a job, and, well, I thought the company's always looking for brokers."
"We are," Finn said. He sounded more serious than before. "HR was happy with your interviews. You excelled at the test."
"How do you know?" I asked him.
Finn smirked. "I personally receive the scores before the candidates do. The industry cutoff is at seventy. Mine is at eighty. You actually got eighty-five out of ninety. That is impressive."
Knox smiled. "Welcome to Sterling Investments, Hannah."
I was stunned. "I'm hired, just like that?"
"Yes. We have a very automated system. After every round of interviews, the interviewer immediately uploads the scores to the intranet, where we rate candidates. The last piece of the puzzle was the test, and you nailed it. Usually Magda gives the good news, but we felt this needed a more personal touch," Knox said.
"Wow, thank you."
There was a knock at the door.
Knox pointed at me and then at the door.
"Who is it?" I asked.
Knox was smiling again, but this time it was different. Sneaky. Or perhaps shady?
"Chase," the person on the other side said.
Knox looked at Finn and pointed to himself, murmuring, “I win,” before opening the door. Obviously the two had some sort of bet going on.
"The man of the hour and the Sterling brother who Hannah actually wanted to see," Knox said.
My face warmed, and I was certain Chase could see my blush as he trained his gaze on me. Then he took stock of his siblings.
"What are you two doing here?" he asked.
"We came to give Hannah the good news,” Finn said.
“And maybe warn her," Knox went on.
"About what?" Yes, Chase was definitely annoyed.
"They just welcomed me to the company," I said quickly, already fearing things might heat up.
Finn focused on me. "Hannah, rule number one with the Sterling brothers is never try to manage us. It doesn't work."
I pressed my lips together, holding my hands up. "Okay, I give up." It was a good thing this wasn't part of the assessment, because I had absolutely no idea how to act.
"You two, get out," Chase told Knox and Finn.
Knox smiled triumphantly, looking at Finn and holding up two fingers.
What is up with these two?
“Out!” Chase said. His brothers filtered out one after the other, and then he closed the door. "Whatever they said, forget it."
I couldn't stop laughing. "I'm sorry. That was the most bizarre thing I've witnessed. I mean, you had kind of a similar interaction with them at the wedding, but I figured they’d behave at the office."
"Sometimes they do around strangers. They probably thought the rules don’t apply because they already met you before. I've been trying to make them behave for years, and I'm failing."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "You're trying to make your grown brothers behave? I think your attitude is the one that's the problem here, not them."
His eyes flashed. "Is that so?"
"Mm-hmm."
"How was the day?" he asked, changing the subject.
"You didn't see the scores?"
“I did. Duncan sent them to me. They’re impressive. But I wondered how you are."
"I’m fine, really. I haven't done this in a while, but it was exhilarating. I especially liked the case study, and I'm tremendously happy that I already know the decision, so I don't have to fret for days. I'm a bit light-headed because I only had a flimsy breakfast and am ready for a good lunch."
"We can go grab a bite once you're done."
I licked my lips, taking a step back, and hit the desk. He moved closer to the door, almost as if he was afraid of what might happen if we were too close. I was afraid too.
"No worries, I’ll take myself out. I saw a deli around the corner and eyed one of the burgers on the menu. Are there any steps left, or am I officially done?"
"Magda is going to come back with the contract. The two of you will look at it together, and then you’ll have a few days to review it."
"Okay," I said.
He came one step closer, then another one. I sucked in a breath. Then he held out his hand.
"Welcome to Sterling Investments, Hannah. I think you’ll like it here."
I tried to brace myself for the contact and shook his hand, but it was useless. The second our hands touched, I was on fire from the tips of my fingers right down to my center.
Oh wow. I kept eye contact even though all I wanted was to look away. Was it my imagination, or had the tension around us increased tenfold?
He let me go a few seconds later, then glanced at the floor, drawing in a deep breath. I wondered if he had as much trouble as I did reining in his reactions.
Magda busted in the next second. "Chase, you're here. Good. I saw your brothers in here earlier too. You saw her test scores, right? We've never had such a high score.” She was smiling from ear to ear.
Chase looked at her, nodding. "She'll be a great asset," he said in a perfectly schooled voice.
Damn it, he's a good actor. I waited patiently.
"Ms. Levine, I hope you’ll take her offer," he said right before closing the door.
Magda was looking at me with warm eyes. Clearly she valued my test score a lot. "Okay, so I don't know what we have to do to keep you, but if I have to fight to convince you to take the offer, I will. And between you and me, the bosses don’t come to see all the applicants. I think they're even more impressed with your score than I am."
I had a feeling that the test had nothing to do with the visit they paid me, but it was best not to share it with Magda.
"You've printed out a contract?" I said, noticing the stack of papers in her arms.
She nodded. "I know we live in a digital era, but I would like us to go through it so I can answer any questions you might have. Then you can review the digital format."
"Okay, let's do that. I really appreciate the fact that the whole thing moved so fast."
She pushed her glasses up her nose. "I came to the company five years ago. I've made it my goal to make the hiring process as smooth as possible. Between you and me, the efficiency in HR increased by 50 percent since I took over, and our employee retention increased too."
"That's incredible," I said, partly because it was true, but also because Magda seemed to be fishing for compliments.
We sat down at the desk, and she walked me through the contract. The salary they were offering was very generous.
“There's also a bonus for staying with the company for longer than three years. I started it."
"I see. That’s very generous."
She smiled. "It's my secret sauce for keeping people from immediately running off to the competition."
"You’re very smart," I told her, and I meant every word.
Going through the contract took more than two hours.
"All right then, I think that will be all," she said finally. Thank heavens, because I was even more light-headed.
She rose from the desk. Just then, there was another knock at the door, and she opened it.
Griffin stood in the doorway, holding a bag with what could only be food, because it smelled delicious. "Magda, I heard through the grapevine that you’re still holding our top scorer hostage."
Magda grimaced. "No, I was just explaining the contract."
"I know you're always very thorough," Griffin said. "Well, I took the liberty of bringing her lunch."
"Very thoughtful of you," Magda said. "Hannah, this is—"
"Griffin Sterling," he finished for her, clearly pretending we hadn’t met before. He came inside just as Magda left. "It's nice to see you again, Hannah."
"Likewise," I said. My heart was hammering out of my chest. I looked at the logo on the bag. It belonged to the deli I'd mentioned to Chase.
"Courtesy of Chase," Griffin said. "He thought it was best if he didn't make an appearance himself since he's already been by once. I volunteered since I’m at a disadvantage. I didn’t get to congratulate you on your score."
"Thank you. And for lunch too." The Sterling brothers were something else.
"Welcome to the company, Hannah. I'll leave you to lunch."
"Thanks again."
He left the room, and I sat at the desk with my food. While I ate, I got a message from Chase.
Chase: It was great seeing you today.
I couldn't pass up this opportunity to tease him.
Hannah: I thought you promised you wouldn't come by?
Chase: Well, not before the interview. I didn't say anything about after.
I pushed the chair back a bit, laughing at the message.
Hannah: Thank you for lunch.
Chase: My pleasure. I knew Magda would keep you here for a while. I didn't want you to starve.
He called the next second.
"You look fantastic in that suit," he said.
"Chase," I murmured.
"Are you blushing?"
I pressed my lips together and admitted, "Probably."
"Then I'm going to end this call right now. I wouldn't want anyone walking in and seeing that blush. I'm the only one who can see it."
I fidgeted in my seat. We didn’t have to end the call. After all, I was alone in the office, and I hadn't signed anything yet. But I knew it was for the best if we didn't continue the conversation. Besides, I heard footsteps in the corridor.
"I've got to go. I think Magda is coming back."
“Send me an SOS message if you need help escaping her. Sometimes when she starts discussing a contract, she doesn’t stop.”
The corners of my lips lifted in a smile. “Will do.”