Chapter 425 Sweet Reunion
Inside the interview room, Cecilia kept her mouth shut.
One of the interviewers jumped in. "So, Mr. Philips, you came back for family reasons? What kind of family stuff made you ditch such a killer career abroad? Why'd you leave a top-ten company in the world?"
Everyone was scratching their heads.
If Pierce had stayed in Mosterwania, his career would've been golden.
Not many folks would throw away such a bright future to start fresh.
"My folks threatened to cut me off." Pierce didn't sugarcoat it. "They said they busted their butts to raise and educate me with the cash they made in the Yakurosean Empire, and I was a jerk for settling in Mosterwania. They called me ungrateful and disloyal! I figured they had a point, so I came back."
Pierce's tone had a bit of a chuckle to it.
He managed to spin his parents' pressure in a way that didn't sound too harsh.
So, his way of talking passed the vibe check.
Cecilia jotted something down on the interview sheet.
"Mr. Philips, you used to work at Horizon Innovations Group. Do you feel any kind of letdown now that you're back? Do you think the companies here are beneath you?" another interviewer asked.
"Nope," Pierce shook his head. "First off, this is my home turf. No matter what, it's the place that raised me, and I can't trash my own home. Plus, the Yakurosean Empire isn't bad at all, so why would I look down on it? And, I admire someone here. I think she's got skills way beyond mine, and I've got no reason to be cocky. Actually, I really wanna work under her."
"Can you spill who this person you admire is?" the interviewer pressed.
"Ms. Lockhart," Pierce said it loud and clear, locking eyes with Cecilia, who was sitting in the middle.
Cecilia looked back at Pierce.
Their eyes locked.
Cecilia grinned. "Even though your words are super flattering, I always play fair."
She said it in a playful tone, dodging any awkwardness.
"Before I decided to come back, I did my homework on the companies in the Yakurosean Empire. The big four families were my top picks. At first, I wanted to join the Whitaker Group, but Ms. Lockhart's smart move in the Innovation Arc project changed my mind. When I first followed the project, I was kinda bummed by the Lockhart Group's initial flop. But the final result made me respect Ms. Lockhart's skills. I even ran the scenario myself and realized that if it were me, I couldn't have nailed it like Ms. Lockhart did," Pierce explained, genuinely impressed. "So I wanna learn from Ms. Lockhart."
Cecilia gave another faint smile.
Looked like she bought what he was selling.
She spoke, "You mentioned earlier that you had a grasp of the big four families before coming back. I won't ask about the others, but I wanna know how much you know about the Lockhart Group."
"Ms. Lockhart, ask away." Pierce was all confidence.
"How many employees does the Lockhart Group have?"
As soon as she asked, the other interviewers looked a bit shocked.
It seemed like a simple question, but it was actually pretty tough.
I mean, who would keep track of the exact number of employees in the Lockhart Group?
Most people would know about the company's culture or their big wins.
Wasn't Cecilia just trying to mess with him?
And what was the point of that question anyway?
The interviewers were scratching their heads.
Pierce paused for a few seconds.
Pierce paused for a few seconds before saying, "308,364 people."
The moment he answered, the other interviewers were floored.
Cecilia nodded, clearly pleased, "Spot on."
"Can you guess why I asked you that?" Cecilia went straight to the point.
"First, you probably wanted to see if I really know your company inside out; second, Ms. Lockhart wanted to check if I pay attention to details. Most folks would just skim over the number of employees when learning about a company; third, and I think this is the big one, Ms. Lockhart was testing my smarts. My resume says I have an IQ of 185, which is considered genius level. Like I said, most people would just skim over basic numbers, but a genius would remember every number they see," Pierce answered coolly.
Cecilia nodded. She was already impressed with his resume.
Now, she was impressed with the guy standing in front of her.
The other interviewers realized they had underestimated Cecilia, thinking she had asked a dumb question.
But they were quickly proven wrong.
People often said Ms. Lockhart was the real deal, but because of her age and background, folks sometimes judged her unfairly. Yet every time, they ended up eating their words.
"I think I can now say you're hired," Cecilia said straight up.
The other interviewers had no objections.
Such a standout talent was a win for the company.
"Really?" The usually chill Pierce cracked a smile.
"Really," Cecilia confirmed. "Report to HR at 10 AM tomorrow, then come to my office."
"Thank you." Pierce quickly stood up.
He walked over to Cecilia, extending his hand in gratitude.
Cecilia stood up and shook his hand. "I hope we have a great partnership."
"I won't let you down," Pierce promised.
Cecilia nodded.
After shaking hands with all the interviewers, Pierce left the room.
After he left, the room was buzzing with chatter.
Pierce was indeed a rare find!
Cecilia was pretty pleased too.
After a morning of interviews, Cecilia handled some work in the afternoon, and it was time to clock out.
She checked the time: 5 o'clock sharp.
Her phone rang, and Cecilia looked at the caller ID.
Alaric had called her right on the dot.
She answered, "Where are you?"
"Downstairs," Alaric replied.
"I'll be right down."
"Okay." His voice was smooth as silk.
Cecilia grabbed her bag and headed out.
Rose, seeing Cecilia leave so promptly, was a bit surprised. She quickly asked, "Ms. Lockhart, are you leaving now?"
"Is there something you need?" If there was, it could wait until tomorrow.
After all, a beautiful evening shouldn't be wasted.
She had to admit, she had been influenced by Alaric.
"No, I just wanted to confirm," Rose said respectfully. "Have a good evening, Ms. Lockhart."
Cecilia nodded slightly.
After walking a few steps, Cecilia heard Rose suddenly muttering to herself as if she had an epiphany, "I heard Mr. Whitaker is back. No wonder. A reunion after a short separation is always especially sweet.."
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