An Alpha's Tale

Chapter 7

After a long and restless night, I woke up early to prepare for my interview.

When I'd looked in the mirror this morning, to no surprise, my face had gone puffy and red. Reluctantly, I piled on a full face of makeup.

After that, I'd slicked my hair back in a neat bun and tinged my lips with a bold red color.

Lastly, I threw on a white button-down, form-fitting black slacks, pumps, and white pearl earrings to accent my French-tipped nails.

"Hello..." Fatima whistled as I entered the kitchen.

"Well, don't you look like a sexy mafia secretary!"

I winked at her as I passed to the coffee machine.

"I'm telling you, Tima, " as the steaming liquid poured into my mug, I grinned at my roommate slyly.

"Networking never ends. Even if I don't get the position, we're in the prime of our youth. Who's to say he doesn't have connections to Harvard Med? Or better yet, who's to say the boss isn't on the prowl for a sugar baby..?"

"You're making great points... " She laughed.

As I rushed to grab an apple from the fridge, I suddenly wondered,

"Is Reese up yet? And when's your interview with this socialite, anyway?"

"Reese left a few hours ago!" She recalled,

"And girl, mine isn't until next week! You'll have to let me know how everything goes today."

"Of course!" I assured her on my way to the door.

"Looking like that, though, I'm sure you'll be hired on the spot..." She teased,

"Oh, and don't forget your purse!"

...

The drive to the manor was longer than expected, steering me further and further from the frenzied glow of the city.

I guess it made sense, though. Perhaps, this employer was an old money aristrocrat living out his final days in isolation.

If I was lucky, maybe he'd even been waiting patiently for a young, approachable pauper to promise his massive estate to...or at least enough property to cover student loans...

I think I'd heard of that happening somewhere.

When I'd finally arrived at the given address, my eyes just about fell from my head at the grandiose mansion before me.

The building I'd been directed to looked more like a hidden castle than a business firm.

At the end of a long, winding driveway was an extravagant walkway. On either side, rock paths decorated with stunning rose bushes, pink and red, paved the way to two massive double-arched doors. The design of it all was rather Victorian-looking, and it was hard to imagine it being used for anything other than luxury museum tours or an A-List Selling Sunset dinner party.

After brazenly taking a few pictures for SnapChat, I quickly parked and headed to the entrance.

At the door step, it took everything in me not to steal a rose from the surrounding foliage. It's not that I particularly liked flowers or anything like that, but something about that sickly sweet scent was just too intoxicating.

When I rang the doorbell, a voice buzzed sharply through the speaker,

"Ava Matisse?"

"Th-this is sh-she." I stuttered nervously.

"You're a bit early, so let me check in with, Mr. Bell. You may enter and be seated in the living space. Head through the foyer and make a right. I will be with you shortly."

"Okay!" I squeaked.

Shit...

It suddenly dawned on me.

Why was my interview in a place like this?What kind of situation was this actually?

What if the head honcho here was mafia or something -- capo di tutti capi?

I'd read about that happening before in Harlequin novels.

Letting out a shaky breath, I reached cautiously for the door handle, finding that it was, in fact, unlocked.

Still hesitant, I quickly grabbed my phone and shared my location in my Roommate group chat with a quick message to "check my snap story". After I was sure it'd sent, I finally slipped inside.

The house looked even more magnificent from within. The tall walls were a deep, velvety maroon with expensive chandeliers hanging delicately from the ceiling.

I followed the voice's instructions, walking down the long foyer and making a right into another gorgeous though intimate room.

Once I'd sat, I appraised the long art pieces adorning almost every wall. Each painting seemed a bit abstract, only using hues of gold and red.

I peered curiously at one on the far wall. It seemed to depict a gathering of creatures, dancing yellow strokes beneath what seemed like a full moon.

Lost in thought, I'd forgotten my surroundings until a sudden voice sounded beside me.

"Hello?"

I whipped my head to the side in surprise.

Standing before me was none other than a young child. A wide-eyed girl, undoubtedly no older than fourteen, peered curiously at me.

I recoiled a bit at her striking appearance, floor-length locs and seemingly silver eyes against rich, dark skin. The matching ivory gown she wore floated around her in a cloud of extravagant frills and bows. She looked as if she'd stepped straight out of a story book. So, if this was cosplay -- she was truly in a different league.

"Hey, why do you smell like that?" She asked suddenly, head cocked in curiosity.

"Excuse me?" I guffawed.

Had I seriously forgotten to put on deoderant today?

The peculiar girl then began to mortifyingly sniff the air around me.

"Smells like al-"

"Vina is that you?"

Before the child could finish, an older woman dressed in all black had entered.

"You should finish your studies, Vina..." She scolded as the child trotted off.

Welp, that was all the birth control I needed.

"I'm sorry for Vina's behavior, Ms Matisse. We are hosting several business partners today and Vina's father is among them. I hope you can understand... "

The woman flashed a full white smiled at me. Her brown hair, greyed with age, was slicked and reminiscent of rocky road ice cream.

Her small face rang familiar as she smiled warmly at me from the hall, but I couldn't place how.

"Anyways, I'm Della De La Cruz -- the head secretary of this office. Please come to me with any questions you may have! Now-"

She gestured to an ominous staircase at the end of the foyer.

"If you would, Mr. Bell will see you now."