Love and ego episode 2

Love and ego episode 2
When Claire got to the little crib she called home, she slumped down on her back on the bed and exhaled as she stared up at the ceiling. She could hear the noisy traffic just outside her window from the busy road below and worse, she lived near an overhead railway track and always had to cover her ears with her fingers or pillow any time the train came shuttling by. Its passage vibrated the building and Claire dreaded an unexpected collapse.
She finally sat up and counted the money the obnoxious stranger had thrown at her and her eyes grew wide while she gaped in disbelief. It was a total of two thousand dollars, which was equivalent to seven hundred and twenty thousand in Nigerian currency. Who goes around throwing money like this? She wondered then pouted as she concluded that he must really be an extravagant person or perhaps a conceited jerk who was only trying to show off.
Well, she decided that it was her lucky day because she was way behind on her rent anyway and thanks to this stranger, she had just more than enough to pay the caretaker what she owed and even pay for a couple of months in advance. She decided to buy some groceries and also went on a shopping spree with most of what was left. She decided that if she was going to go for this interview, she had to make a first good impression by looking her best. Whatever was left from the money, she decided to keep that for her rainy day.
On Monday morning, after trying to beat the traffic, she finally arrived at her destination of interview and from the window of the cab, she was awed as she ducked her head under the window to stare up at the sky scraper. She quickly pulled out her phone and checked her email again to be sure that she was actually in the right place then realized that she was not mistaken and there was no need for skepticism. The name of the company was Rendell Establishment and the building was so high that she couldn’t count how many floors it was.
Swallowing hærd, she got down the cab and walked past the valets and security guards into the building. She spoke to the receptionist who then directed her to the floor where the interview was to take place. Bracing herself, she took the elevator to the 32nd floor and stepped into a beautiful and sophisticated lobby.
She acknowledged the security guard standing by the elevator door with a polite nod as she observed the lobby. The long benches were occupied by almost a dozen applicants that had also been invited for the interview. The secretary seated at the far end glanced at her, shook her head in disapproval and continued filing her fingernails with an indifferent look on her face that contained a little bit of haughtiness.
Claire glanced at the wall clock and realized that she was thirty minutes late and she cringed in embarrassment. This just wasn’t part of the good impression that she had wanted to make. Finding an empty s₱0t at the end of one of the benches, she nervously waited. Soon, a lady half-stepped out of an office and said out loud, holding the door open, “next!” and a man sitting on the bench opposite man rose and disappeared into the office with the lady.
Claire tried to compose herself and decided to calm her jittering nerves by opting to browse through a magazine from a stack she had noticed nearby on a standing shelf. She was still carousing through the pages when the elevator door dinged open and a tall man stepped out onto the lobby holding a brief case and his suit hanging over his forearm.
Immediately she recognized the man, her heart skipped a bit and she quickly lowered her head wondering what the man was doing in the building. The secretary suddenly jolted to her feet immediately she saw him, quickly wearing a smile and hiding her nail filer behind her and Claire could sense how tense the lady was.
A man in his mid-forties suddenly appeared from the interview office and str-de through the lobby to him with a warm smile. “Welcome back Mr. Rendell, how was your trip?” The man asked as he took the brief case and suit from him.
“Smooth.” Mr. Rendell said with a soft sigh as he scanned the occupied lobby with his sharp gaze, wondering why there were so many people, although he was yet to notice Claire who was hiding her face behind the magazine.
Noticing Mr. Rendell’s curious expression, the man quickly explained. Mr. Rendell’s simply nodded and as he started to walk through the lobby, he noticed the way Claire was trying to hide her face behind the magazine and he paused and stared down at her lowered head while she shuddered in anxiety. “Those magazines are not made for camouflages, you know?” He stated sternly. And when Claire slowly lowered the magazine to nervously smile up at him, his brow furrowed in recognition. “Hold on, haven’t we met before?” he asked.
“Meee? Noooo.” Claire shook her head, holding on to a false smile. “We have certainly not met before. If we have, trust me, I’ll remember you. I’m very good with faces.” she blurted.
He gave her a scrutinizing look then scoffed. “Right…” He said in doubt then put a question to the man without taking his eyes off her, “Mr. Raybon, why is she here?”
Mr. Raybon glanced down at her with uncertainty then quickly answered, “She’s probably one of the applicants, sir.”
“I see…” He said then added, “Fix a s₱0t up for me in the interview room, today is just about to get interesting.” Turning to the security guard at the elevator door, he added, “And you, no one leaves this lobby!” He ordered and walked away and the secretary who seemed like she had been holding her breath during his presence, suddenly exhaled, slumped down on her seat and soon resumed filing her nails once again.
Realizing that her day was about to take a downward spiral and that this stranger was bound to humiliate her due to their last encounter, Claire decided that she wasn’t interested in the interview anymore. She rose and started to walk towards the elevator but the security guard stepped in her way and stated, “I’d advise you kindly return to your seat, ma’am.”
“But-” she tried to speak as she gestured at the elevator door but he abruptly cut her short.
“To your seat now, ma’am!” He raised his voice a notch, his face hærd and unsmiling and she knew that she was done for. There was no getting out of this unpleasant situation.
“Right…” She murmured helplessly. Feeling all eyes on her, she reluctantly turned, meekly returned to her seat and sat down like an obedient school girl, dreading her turn.
“God, why did it have to be him again?!” She thought within herself, losing all her zeal. “Could today get any more worse?!” And then she gasped and grew tensed when she recalled that Mr. Raybon had actually called the man Mr. Rendell. Shit! That could only mean one thing- He owned the company! She felt like melting onto the floor now. She grew extremely nervous that her palms were beginning to sweat and she kept clenching and unclenching her hands, glancing at the elevator door, her only escape.
To Be Continued…