Chapter - 04
While Alex was lost in his own thoughts, the cab stopped in front of his destination. Paying the fare, Alex was in no time standing in front of the skyscraper. The name 'Theation' was grandly illustrated on the building, making his heart race as soon as the thought of him working here came to his mind. Rubbing his hands, Alex was eager to walk in and slam-dunk the interview.
Theation was among the top ten entertainment companies not just in the city but the whole country. The company was started by Jessica Wilson from scratch, and she made it reach this level in just short three years. Theation was also one of the reasons for the sudden boom of the industry and tourism in the city.
Major businesses began to invest heavily into the local industries owing to the popularity Jessica brought to the city. Small scale businesses began to thrive, and maybe their wishes were the reason that Jessica and Theation were still going strong. Even George had praised Jessica on numerous occasions when she made the headlines, which for the record was quite very often.
Another reason for Theation doing so great compared to others in the same business was because Jessica was a feminist. According to the media reports and her various interviews, Jessica did not just believe in equal opportunities for women. She was a die-hard feminist, believing in the superiority of women over men. That for one was the Unique Selling Proposition of Jessica and her company.
Many studies over the year have shown that the consumer is an emotional fool. These studies have brought to light that when companies take a stand on a social issue, they tend to gain much more trust and consumer base than they lose. And what can be better than a woman taking on the whole world alone and advocating the evergreen and widely acknowledged of the numerous issues, Feminism? And Jessica used it very wisely.
But to be fair to Jessica, she was not just all talk. She delivered what she stood for. There are speculations among people that she started this company just so that she could provide a platform for the women to come work for her and shine brighter than any man out there.
Theation, for a woman, if she wants to trample upon a guy, was the perfect place. Only a handful of men were employed by the company, and most of them were in the security department. All they did was to stand guard the doors and salute the ladies as they walked by them.
Every man in the city knows what kind of hell 'Theation' is for them, but when given a choice to choose between beautiful women trampling over him and his pride or a peaceful, serene life, the choice couldn't be more obvious for all the horny men out there.
But Alex was not like these men who thought from inside their pants. Surely, he wasn't against some steamy, passionate office romance with his colleague. But if he was given the opportunity to work here, he really wanted to learn things instead of just ogling over the women here.
Alex was here for the job in the PR department, the core of every companies reputation. Alex was generally good at handling people and could approach them smoothly, with ease. He was good looking, so girls are more than happy to chat with him. He was well mannered and patient, so the elderly are comfortable around him and sometimes try to play matchmaker, introducing their daughters and granddaughters to him. As for the boys, let's just say he was not the most hated guy.
Alex was confident in getting the job, not just because of his looks but because he believed he was also competent enough. After he gained consciousness after the accident, he was like a newborn baby with nothing more than his ability to speak and understand the language. He spent the next few months trying to hone his skills. Alex learned languages from all over the world, took a lot of supplementary lessons, took exams to compensate for his lack of basic education details. He even studied to prepare for his bar exam but gave up midway. For some reason, it was way too easy for Alex. Everything came pouring into his head naturally as if he knew it all along.
All this while, Alex tried to get a job along with all his studies. He wanted to be able to support himself without relying on Martha and George. But he was rejected everywhere because of his not so intriguing resume.
He had no work experience anywhere. He had no details of his basic education, not even a primary education certificate. But most important of them all, he had no connections. And even when George offered him to help, Alex rejected right away. On his own, Alex could only take part-time jobs, though Martha and George objected, he still went through with it so as to not become a burden on them.
But this time... This time, it was going to be different. Theation, for the first time and maybe the last, for some unknown reasons, has decided to completely ignore the educational background of the applicants. Theation has decided to instead go with their presence of mind and their skills. They want to test how the applicants perform under pressure. Theation has decided that they are going to take an on the spot written test. And only those who pass the written test will move on to the next step for an interview.
Now all that is left is for Alex is to give it his best. The rest is all going to depend on what is stored in fate for him.
'If I get a job here, everything will be smooth sailing. I will work hard, and in no time, I will be among the upper echelon of the company, and no one will even dare defy me. Hahaha... I will be...'
"Honk! Honk!"
Alex was interrupted in his thoughts by the honking of the vehicles. Wearing his coat and adjusting his tie, Alex walked in large strides towards the building brimming with confidence. This was going to be a new beginning of his life.
* * * * *
Chapter - 05 Eager for his interview, as soon as Alex walked inside the building, the ladies stopped in their tracks. They couldn't help but look a second time and steal glances of the stranger that just walked in. The men, on the other hand, couldn't help but throw venomous glares at the stranger, who in no time captivated almost every girl who laid eyes on him. With that lean, not so muscular built and neatly combed hair, Alex gave that innocent and pure vibe which made the ladies want to devour and conquer him. They just wanted to have some fun with the young man. Under countless devouring gazes, Alex walked up to the reception and lightly tapped the counter in front of the lady there, trying to get her attention. "Excuse me," Alex called out to the receptionist. The receptionist was a fair-skinned lady, about the same age as Alex, blooming amply in the right areas. She was dressed in a white shirt a
Chapter - 06 As soon as Alex entered the room, he was asked to sit wherever he wanted to. The job process was simple and to be conducted in two stages. First was a written test, followed by the interview for those who passed the previous. The room was packed to the brim, which made him feel even more nervous than he already was. Contrary to the men to women ratio in Theation, of those present in the room, the majority was that of men. This surprised Alex a bit, but this was a competition and everyone has the right to try their luck. A bit nervous, Alex slowly dragged his feet to the very end of the room, looking at the faces of his competition. Employees were coming and going out of the room with documents with them. And the others found it really hard to keep it down with all the applicants present. Overall it was quite hectic, and Alex was probably the only one sitting silently, all alone at the back.
Chapter - 07 "Time is up," One of the ladies called out. Hearing her, the other ladies present there to invigilate, stood up from their seats and walked around the room, collecting the papers. After all the papers were collected and bundled up, the lady in charge said, "We will be announcing the result in one hour. Until then, you can head to the cafeteria on the sixth floor and enjoy the refreshments arranged by the company for you," the lady looked at all the participants and continued, "You will need to show them the visiter's pass we are about to hand out." One by one the candidates walked out of the room collecting the passes from the ladies standing by the door. Alex also followed the other candidates out of the room and made his way to the sixth floor. Due to the constant bickering of his parents early in the morning, he was not able to eat to his heart's content in breakfast. 'I h
Chapter - 08 "Thank you," The girl said. "Don't sweat it. I didn't do much anyway," Alex said. "Still, I appreciate your help." "Well, If you want to," Alex shrugged as he turned his eyes in front. "You don't want to know why they were looking for me?" The girl asked when she say the lacklustre response from the guy who just helped her. Alex nodded, "I just thought it would be impolite to ask. So, are you some kind of internet celebrity, and you snuck out of the shooting?" Alex asked. "Well, I am..." the girl began to say but paused after saying a few words. She contemplated as to what to say as Alex looked on, "Well, you can say that I am a celebrity," the girl finally said, with pride evident in her tone. "Why are you putting on such airs? What's so great about making some eating videos all day long?
Chapter - 09 "YEAH!" Alex cried out in excitement, but when he came to sense over his overenthusiastic display of happiness and saw the people in the room looking at him weirdly, he quickly gave a slight bow to the ladies in charge and sat slumped back in his seat, trying to hide behind the big guy in front of him, avoiding everyone's gaze. He waited for the ladies to continue, but when he did not hear the lady speak again, he peeked from behind the big guy and found the ladies still looking in his direction. Embarrassed. he could do nothing but hide behind the guy once again. The lady finally continued again, "Well, once again, those who did not pass the first stage, try harder, and we hope that you get to join this company the next time. Those whose name was called out just now, congratulations. Please pack your stuff and follow behind us. We will be waiting for you outside," the lady said and walked out of the r
Chapter - 10 Alex, when called, walked inside the room. Inside the room, there was this large table and on one end sat the lady from before, the PR head, who was nowhere to be seen since the start of the written test. Sitting on the sides were three ladies from earlier. Alex walked in and greeted the PR head with a nod followed by a nod towards the three other ladies. "Mr Rutherford?" The PR head asked to confirm. "Yes, mam," Alex replied. "Please take a seat," the PR head gestured towards the empty chair at the other end of the table for Alex to sit. "Thank you," Alex went ahead and sat in front of her. As soon as he sat, his attention shifted to the camera setup beside the PR head. It was probably recording the proceedings of the interview. When the PR head noticed Alex staring beside her at the came
Chapter - 11*Snap! The pen in her hand broke."Are you alright?" Alex walked towards her and held her hand to look.The PR head tried to pull away, but Alex had gripped her hand quite well, "Quit moving and let me see," Alex rebuked her.The other ladies in the room giggled when they saw the scene unfold in front of her. This was the second time the guy got intimate with their boss, and she could do nothing."I am fine, Mr Rutherford. Please stop creating a scene and take your seat," The PR head told Alex."Indeed, nothing more than a scratch. I must say you don't look like it, but you are quite masculine,""Let's not beat around the bush and get back to the job at hand," the PR head insisted, and before Alex could say anything, she continued, "Mr Rutherford, it's true that we said that we are going to overlook the educational background
Chapter - 12As Alex was leaving the building, he thought it would be nice to bid farewell to his only friend here, Susan. But when he made his way to the reception, he found her nowhere, and someone else was seated there in place of her. A bit disappointed, he decided to leave.It was already three in the afternoon by the time Alex left the building, and since none of his parents would be at home, he was in no hurry to rush back. He walked around the streets, ate snacks, did some shopping, bought things for his parents and even purchased the grocery.After getting discharged from the hospital after the accident, when Alex was adopted by the Rutherford couple, he didn't want to be a burden and extra baggage for
Chapter - 203 As Alex and Damien cautiously followed the big man into the dimly lit alleyway, a sense of unease settled deep in their guts. The flickering lights cast eerie shadows, making the whole place feel like a freaking horror movie. The big man, looking like a giant beast, led them further into the narrow space. "Alright, cough it up, you little prying rats. What the hell do you think you're doing, snooping around in other people's business?" The big man roared at them, his voice booming with aggression. "Who sent you? Dogs of Hell?" Damien furrowed his brow in frustration. "Dogs of Hell? Who in the hell are they?" he retorted. "Look, man, like we said earlier, we are not here to cause any trouble. We're sorry if we crossed a line." Alex interrupted, trying to lighten the tension. "Dogs of Hell? That's a funny name," he remarked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Wait... If you think about it, it's actually cool... Dogs Of Hell." The big man ignored Alex's attempt at hu
Chapter - 202"Dude, this is messed up. I can't believe we're actually doing this. Stalking her? Seriously? If we are caught, we won't get out of it easily," Alex and Damien rode Alex's motorcycle and followed behind Audrey's car as soon as she left the house."Oh, come on, Alex! Don't be such a buzzkill. It's not like we're doing anything harmful. I just want to find out more about this Audrey girl and see what she's up to," Damien gently tapped Alex's shoulder and urged him to hurry up."I get it, curiosity can be compelling, but this feels wrong. On top of that, if we are caught, it won't end up with just a beating. Haven't you been on the internet lately? Even looking at girls in the gym apparently is a crime these days," Alex spoke up as he drove."Look, Alex, I get it. But Mom is involved in this. I want to find out every nook and cranny about this girl who appeared out of nowhere," Damien said, "And you get beat up in the process. I am sure it's worth the sacrifice. Don't you t
Chapter - 201"Ah... Look at the time. It's already this late. I had so much fun that I lost track of the time, "After dinner, everyone was laughing among themselves, having a good time when Audrey finally took note of the time."Oh, c'mon, it's not even nine. Stay for a bit more," Martha who was sitting beside Audrey held her hand and said, "Or even better, just stay the night here.""I would love to but I have already made some plans with a friend of mine," Audrey expressed her regret, "If I had known it would be such a pleasant evening, I would have definitely ditched her earlier. But it's too late to cancel now.""I hope you understand," Audrey asked."If you say it like that, there is nothing more that I can say, "Martha was downcasted, but she had this simple smile on her face, "But promise me that you will visit more often while you are in town.""Absolutely," Audrey agreed as she gracefully stood up, "With how funny your son is, there is no doubt that I am going to visit again
Chapter - 200"Audrey? I didn't think you ever mentioned about her," Alex asked."Oh, she is a friend I made recently. You know, when you were away for three months," Martha told him, "We met at the hospital, and I was instantly drawn towards her. After all, she is just the sweetest girl I have ever met.""Oh... It was when I was away," Alex turned his attention towards Audrey and looked at her with squinted eyes."You... Don't look at her like that," Martha left Alex's side and walked beside Audrey, placing her hand over her shoulder, "You better not be rude to my friend over here.""If she is not a fraud," Alex mumbled."What? What did you say?" Martha frowned."It's okay..." Audrey put her hand over Martha's hand, which was on her shoulder, and lightly squeezed it, "I am sure he is just caring for you in his own way.""And don't worry, I am sure I will win him over in no time," Audrey looked at Alex and said, looking meaningfully at Alex, "Just like I charmed you.""Oh! You certain
Chapter - 199"Ummm..." Karen slowly popped her eyes open."Yo, you're finally awake," but before she could fully open her eyes, Karen heard a voice. She turned her head towards the sound and saw it was Alex. But then, her eyes went wide open again. When Karen looked down, her robe had disappeared, and she was only covered in the damn white hospital sheet."What the... How... Where the hell are my clothes?" Karen pulled up the sheet, clutching it tight to her chest, and gave Alex a bewildered look."You don't remember?" Alex chuckled, finding Karen's reaction amusing."No..." Karen wanted to deny it, but suddenly everything came flooding back. The moments she spent in Alex's arms not too long ago became crystal clear in her mind."We..." Karen began to piece it together as she looked at Alex with questioning eyes."Yeah, we did..." Alex nodded, understanding what she wanted to ask even without Karen finishing her sentence."It wasn't a damn dream?" Karen still couldn't wrap her head a
Chapter - 198 "Alex," Karen whispered softly, her voice filled with longing. "I've been waiting for this moment." Alex's heart skipped a beat as he leaned in, pressing his lips against hers in a searing kiss. Their mouths melded together in a fiery embrace, their tongues dancing in a sensual tango. Karen's hand slid down from his cheek, tracing a path down his chest and resting on his firm abdomen. She could feel his muscles tense beneath her touch, igniting a hunger within her. Without breaking the kiss, Alex's hands roamed over Karen's body, finding the curve of her waist and pulling her closer to him. Her body pressed against his, and he could feel the heat between them intensifying with each passing second. Karen's fingers found their way to the buttons of his shirt, eagerly undoing them one by one, revealing his toned chest. Alex's hands moved to the tie of Karen's gown, and with a deft movement, he loosened it, revealing her ample cleavage. He couldn't resist, and his mouth d
Chapter - 197Karen lay in her hospital bed, her mind racing with thoughts and her body aching from the accident she had been in. She couldn't wait to get back on her feet and leave the sterile hospital environment behind. She was bored and restless, longing for some human interaction beyond the nurses who came in and out of her room with their cheerful smiles and professional demeanour.'Why did he have to leave without a word?' Karen thought about a certain someone, her eyes expecting to see him.And as if on cue, there was a knock on her door, and in walked Alex, her cure. The tall and handsome man, with a pleasing presence around him.Karen had her eyes on him from the moment he joined the company. He brought joy to her ever so mundane life. She couldn't help but be drawn to his fresh good looks. His grey eyes looked so lonely, yet so warm, and the subtle smile that always played on his lips."Good evening, Karen," Alex said. His tone was deep, velvety, his eyes fixed on her as he
Chapter - 196"Can you get me?""Umm... I think I am somewhere outside the city. Just track my phone.""And yes... Bring me a shirt as well."~ ~ ~ ~ ~Out in the boonies, Alex stood under a tree, looking at his watch restlessly."What is taking him so long?" It had been more than thirty minutes since he called Damien, but this lazy slob was nowhere to be seen. But just as he was about to call him again, Alex saw a light beaming at him from far away and coming in close.Soon, the light got brighter and brighter before a motorcycle stopped in front of him."What took you so long?" Alex could not help but throw his arms."Don't complain to me. How do you think I got here? I had to tell so many lies because of you." Damien threw a bag at Alex and said, "And I am sure Mom is going to grill us even more when we reach home.""I am sure you can handle that. I have faith in you," Alex hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt and, turning his face away from the road, changed into a new one. It was alrea
Chapter - 195 "Umm..." A man painfully groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He felt groggy, and disoriented. "Ugh... Why is it so dark? Aahh... Where am I?" The man tried to look around, but it was all dark. The man tried to move, but he realised that he was tied to the chair. And there was a cloth covering his face. Panic set in as the man realized that he was in trouble. How did he get here? The man could not remember how he had ended up in this mess. The silence was overwhelming, and the only thing he could hear was his own rapid breathing. "Help! Help me!" The man shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the building. But there was no response, and the man began to feel even more scared. He tried to wriggle free, but the ropes were too tight. It was a dark, abandoned building out in nowhere, with not a single soul to be seen in miles. But the man did not know as he continued to struggle. He struggled for what seemed like an eternity to him with no luck. He was about