Chapter Two
Carmella woke up early and got ready for her interview. Her mom Amanda Parker looked at her, "Don't rush this internship dear. I want you to complete your studies first and then look for a designer's job. Don't take up any irrelevant job, sweetie. I'll talk to your dad," she said.
"Dad would never agree. I don't want to manage hotels all my life, mom. Even if this is an assistant's job, I'd be assisting one of the world's most wanted celebrity fashion designers. Surely, I'll learn a thing or two. Once I have the experience, I'll open my own clothing line, maybe," she said.
Her mom sighed, "Okay, do what you think is best for you. All the best," she said.
Carmella drove her white Cadillac to Jaxon Craddock's office building. Parking her car, she walked into the reception area on the ground floor. She wore an off-white top with lacework. It was the most decent, button-down work type top she possessed. She paired it with a pencil black leather skirt. Her hair was damp and she left it to air dry. Was she looking school girlish? Maybe but who was she going to impress anyways. The man was into men and there wasn't any chance that he would recruit her.
She walked up to a snobbish woman in her late twenties who was sitting at the reception desk, looking at a sleek desktop and clicking away.
"Excuse me, please. I'm Carmella Parker. I'm here for an interview for the post of PA to Mr. Jaxon Craddock," she said with confidence. The woman looked like she would faint. Then she sneered at her with malice in her eyes.
"We don't entertain school girls crushing on Mr. Craddock. Go elsewhere girl," she spoke rudely going back to staring at her monitor.
"I've come for an interview for your kind information. So which floor is the office?" Carmella asked impatiently.
"Hold on girl, you're not anywhere. I'll just confirm," she said, talking to someone on the intercom.
"No, there isn't any interview for any woman assistant, " she said disinterestedly.
Carmella was pissed off at the woman's attitude. She unlocked her mobile phone and opened her mail inbox. She clicked on the mail that Jaxon Craddock had sent to her.
"He's sent me this mail yesterday evening. My interview is at 9 am and you've made me already five minutes late," she said restlessly, showing her the email.
The woman's eyes went wide with shock. She stared at her and just spoke like an automaton, "15th floor."
Carmella rushed towards the elevators and pressed the fifteenth floor. The doors opened onto a plush lobby with a small office room, made of glass at the side. Beside it was a huge door with the name of Mr. Craddock engraved upon it. Strangely not a soul was around the place. The entire floor was empty and eerily quiet. Was he normal or was he an ogre? She shook the thoughts away and knocked on his door.
"Come in," came a growl. Shivering a little out of nervousness, she opened the door and peeped inside. There was no one! She went inside and closed the door. "Excellent, ten minutes late already, Ms. Parker, " growled the same voice. It was then that she saw him, sitting on the sofa at the corner and reading some documents.
Her eyes widened with horror. It was the same man that she'd poured coffee upon accidentally yesterday. The gorgeous specimen who only spewed rude words out of his mouth.
"What? Can't cook up an excuse?" he said warily, aware of her shocked expression. He knew that she hadn't recognized him yesterday. "I don't have all day. Sit," he ordered.
Carmella sat down nervously. "Good morning, sir," she greeted him. She was now convinced that he had summoned her to get even at her. She sat fidgeting with her fingers nervously, acutely aware of his gaze upon her. Was anything wrong with her? If he was into men, why was he staring at her?
Jaxon was aware of her creamy legs peeping from below her calf-length skirt, unlike the micro-mini skirts that girls of her age usually wore. He could see that she hadn't applied a speck of makeup. In fact, he realized that her glow was natural. Her untied damp hair looked so soft and silky. The top hid all her assets yet she looked so arresting that he couldn't look away. She sat looking down at her hands and he felt a fierce wish to drown into her jade green eyes. Why couldn't she look up into his eyes?
"So you are studying fashion designing? Why have you applied for this post?" he asked, straight to the point. He would satisfy his curiosity and get rid of her, he decided. This was a bad idea. He was drowning in her and it wasn't a good sign.
"I need to get an internship within a month," she answered. Now his curiosity was aroused all the more.
"Why?" He asked, dropping the documents onto the coffee table before him and looking straight into her jade green eyes as she looked up at him.
"My dad's given me the ultimatum sir. If I don't find myself an internship within a month, he'd induct me into his hotel business, " she said with a sigh.
"That's a good thing. It'd be easier to join him," he commented, looking at her for her reaction.
She looked down at her hands again much to his disappointment. "I don't want to manage hotels all my life. I love designing apparel and accessories," she said honestly.
"Then why are you applying for the job of a PA?" He asked, in a serious tone. If she had dreamed of sneaking into his designing team then she'd be disappointed because he hated such opportunists.
"I just want a job experience, sir. No job is inferior. I've been cleaning my dad's cars since I was ten. He pays me a daily wage. I've been saving them for the last ten years and I have a neat sum in my account only from cleaning cars. I want to learn to work instead of sitting at home. When I complete my studies, I'll be capable of joining my field of work. Till then, let me see the professional world," she said, looking at the pen in his hands.
Jaxon was impressed with her honesty. He didn't expect this answer from a billionaire's daughter, eight years younger than himself. Such kids were usually arrogant, worthless, not caring for money, spending on useless things, and partying. But Carmella was different. She was so innocent and pure. A very hardworking soul he realized. He couldn't fall for her, he had to be rude and throw her out.
He wouldn't hire her, however good she was. "I see. Why did you apply when it was clearly mentioned that I wanted a male assistant?" He asked. She looked up at him with confusion.
"Actually sir, my good friend wanted me to apply along with him. So," she was cut short with a growl from Jaxon.
"If your boyfriend asks you to jump into the fire, will you do it?" He growled angrily with his teeth clenched.
She lowered her face, "I thought that even women were as good as men, if not better," she answered.
"So did your boyfriend get the job?" He asked sarcastically.
"He's not my boyfriend sir. He's my classmate at college, a good friend. No, he didn't get the job although he's very good at it. He needed it to support his studies," she sighed.
"I don't want his life history," he said, softening at the information that he wasn't her boyfriend. He had no idea why he was overreacting to her. She was already nervous but yet there was some sort of a brave fighting spirit in her. She faced him as bravely as she could.
"So why should I hire a fresher, tell me?" He asked, looking at her. She looked up at him and then again at her hands.
"I don't know about other freshers, but I am a very fast learner, I'm very hardworking and I'm very focussed. You will not repent your decision if you hire me, sir," she finished, looking straight into his eyes. Her spirit was praiseworthy. He had to give it to her.
"Are you aware that my work's based in New York? You will have to relocate to New York if you want this job," he informed her.
She thought for a moment. "Yes sir. I can," she said.
"How will you continue college?" He asked.
"I'll take online classes, sir," she informed him.
"And lastly, we will have a purely professional relationship. There's no way I'm going to entertain flirtatious behavior. I don't do relationships at all and never ever with my employees. Is that clear?" he barked looking at her minutely for her reaction.
Her jaws dropped at his arrogant innuendos. "I'm not interested in anything apart from work, sir," she said, with confidence.
"Fine, you're hired," he announced.
