Our Twisted Love Story

Beginning of New Journey

"Phoenixmart," Eleanor murmured as she stared at the five-story building in front of her.

Taking a deep breath, she entered it. When she was about to walk toward the receptionist, somebody bumped into her.

"Oops, sorry!" A woman immediately apologized and hastened towards the lift without waiting for her reply.

"It's alright," Eleanor replied to no one as the woman disappeared in a blink of a second.

She looked at the well-dressed people around her who were in their finest formal clothes. Being a multinational textile company, people wore vivid yet formal looking clothes, which made the office environment appear cheery. The clip-clopping sound of women's heels echoed in the corridor as they headed towards their work. She looked down at her white sneaker and sighed.

"Come on, Elie! You've got this!" she muttered, encouraging herself and strolled towards the receptionist.

"Good morning. Could you please inform me where the interview is being held?" With a bright smile, she enquired of a woman behind the desk.

"Top floor," the woman replied, pointing upwards with a pen in her hand, not bothering to give a glance at the person in front of her.

"Thank you," Eleanor said, and the receptionist eventually raised her head, a fixed smile on her face.

She made her way towards the fifth floor where her interview was being held. As she exited the lift, she saw a few other applicants sitting on the metal seats, waiting for their turn.

"Please have a seat till your turn comes." Another young lady behind a desk informed her.

Eleanor smiled back and took a seat among the other applicants, anxiously waiting her turn. One by one, the candidates exited the cabin. Some had gloomy expressions on their faces, while others had bright smiles.

After a few hours, her turn finally arrived. She got up and strode boldly into the cabin. Three people were sitting on the opposite side of the office desk in the cabin. Two men and a woman, all suited up. She recognized the woman from her attire as the one who had bumped into her in the corridor.

"Good morning," one man, who appeared charming, greeted her back while the woman returned a smile. The woman gestured to her to take the seat.

Eleanor looked at the other men, who appeared intimidating. He had a stern face with sharp features. His eyes gazed at her with boredom. The look on his face made her nervous.

"So Miss Eleanor Roosevelt," the other man took a pause to go through her resume kept on the table, which got her attention towards him, "Tell us about yourself," he added.

"Myself, Eleanor Roosevelt. I am a graduate student with a bachelor's degree in Fashion Business Development. I am a native of Warlington village and did my schooling in the same village. Apart from the information included in my resume, I did part-time work in the sales department of a small company..." she began, introducing herself confidently.

"What steps do you take to analyze trends and identify them?" The man who appeared stern questioned her this time.

"I prefer an hour every morning going through the industry news and publications and researching future possibilities to see what new and interesting opportunities could emerge," she replied, smiling nervously.

The interview lasted one hour. They asked her a series of questions, and she responded with the best replies she could think of at the time. It was for a position as a sales manager. She knew well that as a recent graduate, this post was high for her. There were many candidates who had much more experience than her, and she was a rookie. Regardless, there was no harm in giving it a shot.

"You'll be notified if you are selected. Good luck," the woman informed her, smiling approvingly.

Eleanor wished them a good day and left the cabin with a nervous smile on her face. She was hoping to get the post as she did the best she could. If not, then she will have to return to her previous job of food delivery, which wasn't sufficient to pay her bills.

*****

"She is confident. I like it," the woman, inside the cabin, remarked as she heard the door being closed.

"Well, her resume is good enough, too. I agree she doesn't have any experience, but we all start from somewhere," Jeffery Wertheimer said, smiling charmingly as usual.

"The youngest candidate of today's interview," the woman pointed out, raising her brows bemusingly.

"And beautiful too," Jeffery chuckled, winking at her.

"What do you say, Allen? It's rare to see a novice with good confidence. In my opinion, we should give her a chance," the woman suggested.

"I agree with Margarett," Jeffery said.

"Hmm," Allen nodded in agreement.

"Okay, let's interview other candidates as well quickly as a formality," Margarett said and tapped on the service bell.

*****

Beep!

The mobile screen brightened as it displayed a notification of incoming mail. Eleanor unlocked her phone to view it. She looked at her phone nervously and began reading it.

A bright smile appeared on her face. The mail was from Phoenixmart, a multinational textile company, congratulating her for joining the company as a Sales Manager from the very next day onwards.

"Finally done with the delivery job. Now finally I will do what I have learned for four years. Time to implement my knowledge," she said in enthusiasm.

"Tomorrow will be my first day in the office. I at least need to look presentable," she thought to herself, recalling the people from the office in their decent clothes.

She ran towards her wardrobe to her clothes, ready beforehand so as not to get late in the morning. Opening the wardrobe door, she sighed, looking at her bland attires hung on the hanger.

"My boring wardrobe can't you be a little more colorful," she remarked, looking at her bland outfits.

She searched for a good pair of jeans and a decent top. When she found one, she went to try it out.

"This. Is. Suffocating. Oh, I can't breathe," she said, gasping for air.

She threw the tight top on the floor and continued to look for another one. At last, she found a beige coloured suit jacket. She took a black tank top and paired them with the black jeans. She tried them and stood in front of the mirror, gazing at her reflection. A satisfactory smile plastered on her face.

"Something is still missing," she pondered and looked in the mirror, trying to figure it out.

"Oh, right!" She muttered and quickly opened a box kept inside her wardrobe.

The box revealed a pair of stilettos, which she had brought last year, but wasn't able to wear until the present date. After putting them on, she went to have a final look. She smiled, looking at her reflection. She placed the dress back in the wardrobe and was off to sleep, thinking about her first day at Phoenixmart.