Chapter 11 Beauty?
Seeing the look in Michael's eyes, Noah knew pretty well that Michael wanted Lisa to sit in the passenger seat.
"No need. We'll get a cab," Lisa declined, waving her hand, and a taxi pulled over.
"A cab? Lisa, you're too pretty to ride in a cab."
Michael frowned and then glanced sideways at Noah. "He doesn't even have a car? Lisa, marrying someone like him will make you suffer. You know what? You should divorce him. I still love you..."
"Michael, you don't get to tell me what to do. It's my business."
Lisa's face turned utterly cold as she said expressionlessly. She then took Noah's arm, her face filled with affection.
"Noah, let's get in."
After getting in, Noah joked, "Lisa, you know him well, right? How come you've never mentioned him?"
"He's just my college classmate. That's all."
Lisa rolled her eyes at Noah. "But when we were back in college, he indeed asked me out. He didn't give up for 4 years. I never agreed though."
"4 years? He's persistent indeed." Noah was a bit surprised.
"You bet. I was about to say yes, you know. After all, he's good-looking and has a great family background. But then he went abroad out of the blue, and I've never heard of him ever since then."
Lisa continued as she recalled, "I heard through the grapevine that he raped a girl in the woods on campus, so he went abroad to wait till things quieted down. It cost his family a lot. It surprised everyone that a man like him, who appeared to be a gentleman, was at heart a beast."
Lisa was quite emotional. If not for that incident, she might have never seen Michael's true colors and might have said yes to him.
***
"Fuck!"
At the hospital door, Michael punched the steering wheel furiously, his eyes bloodshot. "Good for you, Lisa! I asked you to be my girlfriend for 4 years, and you just wouldn't agree. And you got married the second you graduated?
"And you married a poor loser who didn't even have a car no less!
"Where is he better than me?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Then he drove back to the company.
"Mr. Mill, here are the resumes of today's job applicants." The HR manager handed over several files.
When Michael went back, his father gave him 320 thousand dollars to start a medical device company that provided medical equipment to hospitals.
He went to Royalty Hospital today to discuss a partnership.
He had just set up his company and was in desperate need of talented people for various positions, so he had the HR manager post a lot of recruitment information online. Surprisingly, dozens of job seekers replied in just one day.
"There're so many of them."
As Michael flipped over the files, his gaze suddenly paused.
"Is this..."
His attention was caught by the name "Noah Anderson" on one of the resumes.
He thought, 'That Noah?'
Smiling meaningfully, he started to look more seriously.
Seeing the photo on the resume, he was certain that it was the man who stood next to Lisa back at the hospital.
'It's really him!
'Lisa actually marries a loser!
'How coincidental. He wants a job at my company? I'll hire him for sure!'
Thrilled, Michael slapped the desk and said to the HR manager, "Call him the first thing tomorrow morning. He's hired."
"Alright."
***
Noah woke up the next morning. Shortly after finishing the breakfast Lisa prepared for him, he got a call.
"Hello? Mr. Anderson?" The voice was gentle.
"This is he. Who am I speaking to?" Noah was puzzled.
"Hi there, Mr. Anderson. This is the head of Human Resources at MedicaVibe Ventures. I saw that you submitted your resume to our Marketing Department yesterday. May I know when you are available to come in for an interview?"
"Anytime." Noah stroked his chin.
"Great. How about 10 this morning?" the manager asked.
"Sounds good."
"OK. I'll send you the company's address shortly. See you later."
"OK."
Noah was still a bit surprised after hanging up. He thought, 'I actually got an interview? I wasn't really expecting it.
'Well, I don't have anything to do anyway. Might as well check it out!'
After washing up briefly, he hailed a taxi to MedicaVibe Ventures according to the information the manager provided.
The company was located at Oceanbridge City Fortune Plaza, one of Oceanbridge City's business centers, quite bustling.
Noah took the elevator to the twentieth floor and then headed to the HR office.
He knocked on the door.
"Come in." It was the person he had talked to on the phone.
Noah pushed the door and entered only to see a woman in a black business suit sitting in front of a computer, working.
She was plain-looking with a lot of makeup, but she had a nice body and was attractive in a unique way.
"Hi. I am Noah Anderson, here for the interview," Noah said, coming straight to the point.
"Mr. Anderson?"
The woman paused and then looked over somehow fawningly.
"You're quite punctual. Have a seat while I fetch you some water."
She stood up at once and poured water for Noah with great enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, she said, "I'm Mia Hart, head of the HR Department. Feel free to call me Mia."
After that, she even rubbed her body against Noah's.
"Mia?" The intimacy left Noah a bit uncomfortable. He thought, 'She comes off a bit too passionate. Doesn't she think?'
At the same time, Mia was checking him out.
She thought, 'He wears plain clothes, which, I'm sure, are no more than a dozen bucks. But Mr. Mill wants him. I bet he means something to Mr. Mill.
'He isn't as simple as he looks. If I get along with him, perhaps I get to be a shareholder someday. Well, to do that, I'm OK with sleeping with him...'
Her imagination gradually ran away.
"About the interview..." Noah got down to business.
"Interview? Mr. Anderson, you don't need that at all. You can start working in the Marketing Department right away. Have some water and fill out these personal details while I go inform Mr. Mill that you're here." Mia was somewhat surprised. After she handed over the paperwork, she went out.
Still puzzled, Noah sat down, took a sip of water, and began filling out the details.
Soon, the sound of high heels tapping on the floor approached.
With a loud bang, the door was pushed open, and Mia was standing outside.
"Mia?" Noah hesitated for a moment and then said tentatively.
After all the hospitality she had shown earlier, it seemed a bit ungrateful not to call her by her name.
"Who are you to call me that? Stop cottoning up!"
Mia's gaze turned cold as she glared at Noah, her eyes filled with anger and disdain.
Noah was unaware that Mia had just mistaken his identity. Likewise, Mia did not realize that she had underestimated Noah. Mia's true status was that of a prominent figure, someone she could only look up to.
By acting this way, Mia was bound to pay the price for her ignorant actions.
