Chapter 639: Both Fail
Juniper knew right away it had to be Anthony who saw her and then told Terry not to hire her.
Seriously? All her hard work, just tossed aside like that?
She was fuming, ready to storm up to him, but she held back. She didn't want him thinking she was some hot-headed, irrational mess. She needed to keep her cool. No way was she letting him think she was easy to underestimate.
Instead of going anywhere, Juniper snagged a window seat at a café and waited until 5 PM when Anthony walked out of the Eilish Group building.
"Anthony!" Juniper rushed up, but the bodyguards blocked her. "Why didn't you hire me?"
"I'm the CEO; I don't owe you an explanation."
"It's not about owing me an explanation; you're just holding a grudge. Because of our past, you refused to hire me, ignoring all my hard work. That's messed up. You call me impulsive, but you're the one acting out. At least I wouldn't trash someone else's efforts."
Anthony, cool as a cucumber, replied, "Work isn't a game."
"Of course, I know that. I never treated it like one."
"You see it as a way to get close to me, which is even more ridiculous than a game."
"I..." Juniper bit her lip. "Fine, I admit I joined the Eilish Group because of you, but I aced the interview, proving I have the skills. So why can't I work there? I need a job too."
"I don't need a secretary with ulterior motives hanging around, especially not a scheming one. Integrity matters more to me than ability."
"But you're accusing me without proof. You have no evidence that I set you up. Just because of your baseless assumptions, you trash my character, my efforts, and my skills. Do you think that's fair, Anthony?"
"You saved me that day, and you've helped me a lot since then. I'm grateful, really. But it's ironic—you lack judgment. You judged me guilty based on assumptions without checking the facts, and you took away my job. You've really let me down..." Juniper shook her head with a cold smile. "I'm very, very disappointed in you."
She gave him one last look and walked away, disappointment written all over her face.
That final look hit Anthony right in the gut. Had he really been too harsh and wronged her?
For the next two days, Juniper's last look haunted Anthony, making him restless every time he thought about it. He hated the idea of wronging someone.
"Mr. Eilish? The report is finished," an executive cautiously reminded him.
Anthony snapped back to reality. He'd been zoning out during the two-hour meeting. He rubbed his temples, "Meeting adjourned."
Back in his office, Anthony was still on edge. He pressed the intercom, "Terry, come in."
"Mr. Eilish, you wanted to see me?" Terry asked.
"Juniper..."
"You mean the secretary who almost got hired? What about her?"
"She did well?"
"Yeah, she was the top scorer in the written test, with a perfect score. Honestly, when I first saw how beautiful she was, I thought she might not have real skills. But after interviewing her personally, I found her abilities to be top-notch. Her professional knowledge and adaptability were way above the other candidates."
"Anyone gutsy enough to go for the CEO's secretary gig is top-tier, no doubt. But Juniper? She blew me away. Mr. Eilish, you know I'm super picky when it comes to hiring. The fact that I wanted Juniper on the spot says a lot about her skills," Terry added.
Yeah, Anthony knew that. He wasn't even sure why he had Terry repeat it. What was he trying to prove?
"Mr. Eilish, are you having second thoughts?" Terry asked.
"Do you want me to?" Anthony shot back.
"That's your call. I just follow orders. But personally, I think Ms. Cooper is exceptional. I've felt bad for her these past few days. If she joined the Eilish Group, she'd be a stellar secretary. I believe you'd be pleased, Mr. Eilish."
Terry finished and watched Anthony closely. After a moment, Anthony said, "I'll think about it."
Three days later, Juniper finally accepted that Anthony wasn't going to change his mind.
She felt pretty foolish. Anthony had been so firm that day, so why did she still have hope? He thought she was shady, didn't he? No way he'd hire her.
But she couldn't let it go. For the first time, she wanted something—someone and a job—so badly, and she failed at both. She thought her luck had turned, but it was just a cruel joke. How many times did she have to taste disappointment?
Not wanting to mope at home, she called Jessica to hit up a bar.
Jessica was annoyed, "Why the bar again? Bars are sketchy. Didn't you learn your lesson last time? Are you hooked on bars now?"
"No, you're not looking for a guy again, are you?" Jessica's face turned horrified. "Oh my God, don't be dumb. There are no good guys here, just a bunch of losers. You don't want to end up with a loser, do you?"
"Why are you yapping so much today? Can you just drink with me?" Juniper pouted.
"No way, I can't keep up with you. Plus, if we both get wasted, it could get dangerous. How about this, I'll stay sober and watch you. If you're bummed, drink up, and I'll get you home later."
Juniper drowned her sorrows, downing several glasses.
"You look like you're heartbroken. How could a guy not want someone as gorgeous as you? It's nuts. Douglas doesn't count; he's just a dumb jerk."
"Yeah, I'm so beautiful, but there's still a guy who treats me like trash."
"So there really is someone? Who's the blind idiot who messed with my bestie? I'll take care of him!"
"Forget it. I can't even handle him, let alone you. I'm really useless. I've lost the guy and the job. All I can do is drink." Juniper smiled bitterly and downed another glass.
Jessica suddenly nudged her. "Look, it's that jerk Douglas!"
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