Chapter - 8
And soon the timer hit zero.
A lot of those in the room almost dropped face first after what felt like a first round of elimination to them.
Anya gave them a moment to sigh and then clapped her hands, and all eyes turned towards her.
"Sixty minutes are up. You guys have worked hard" she announced
"Now my team and I will review your submitted proposals. There will be a short break." Anya continued to speak, "Refreshments are being brought in. We will reconvene in thirty minutes, at which point we will announce the names of the candidates proceeding to the final interview round."
"For those whose names won't be there," she paused, her gaze sweeping over them, "The exit is to your left. We appreciate your time."
"So make yourself at home, have a conversation for the next thirty minutes."
With that, Anya turned and walked back out of the conference room, her team following behind her'.
Only after she left that the room breathed a sigh of relief. A couple of men rolled in with carts laden with coffee, mineral water,and a few different kinds of donuts and elegant pastries.
With coffees in their hands, those in the room began to form groups and a low buzz of conversation started to build.
While Ethan remained at the back of his room, a large group of men, including the swollen faced Julian Thorne were already planning and plotting their next move while complaining about the stupid test.
They were all dressed in similar looking fancy suits, the diamonds in their watches gleaming under the lights.
They did not look stressed. They were bored. It was all a game to them.
"Can you believe they made us read Chinese?" One of them grumbled, grabbing a croissant, "The only time I hear Chinese is when my secretary is under me, crying for me to go harder. Hahaha…"
"You bastard… Hahaha…"
"Too bad you did not have a German secretary."
"Hey… Hey… Wait a minute. Stop. Don't do it. That's offensive to the Chinese language," One of the men, hushed all of them up.
"You can't make fun of the Asian community like that," the man continued, "We need to understand their language."
"So first tell us how she says it in Chinese?" The man asked, grinning ear to ear. The serious look suddenly turned lecherous.
"You rascal. I should have known you don't give a shit."
"You got us."
"But seriously. We need to embrace Chinese culture," Another man said, "Drake. Won't you let us embrace that Chinese culture. Even we want to expand our business 'inside' China."
"Sure… Sure… Why not? I will bring her over next time."
"Then we need to thank you in advance. Hahaha…"
"But that aside," another one chimed in, his eyes stealing glances at the girls in the room, "We need to focus on the prize. This place is like a fertile field, and we, my friends, are the gardeners, ready to plow."
"Ewww… Gross man," A round of smug chuckles followed.
"What's gross you sick bastards? Don't I know you guys? Want me to spill your sick fetishes?"
"I heard the marketing department has… Hehehe…" the first one added. "My father knows a board member. He said that Jasmine only hires tens."
"That friend of my father brought a bunch last time they went golfing."
None of the guys there needed a job there. Not even Julian to be exact. All of them came from wealth and privilege.
So why were they here? Well, it was all for the access to the 'garden,' and to conquer the flowers.
The thought of bedding a woman from the infamous Aura Media was a notch on their belts, a story to tell at their exclusive club.
While Ethan was busy enjoying the gossip, he felt a presence beside him. He looked up to see two of the other female applicants.
"That was intense, wasn't it?" one of them said, "I am Sarah, by the way. My Mandarin is decent, but that German jargon was brutal."
"Ethan," he replied with a small nod. "It was... wasn't it."
"You didn't seem to have a problem," the other girl spoke up, "And that little show you put on at the reception. Hehehe… I enjoyed it."
Soon Ethan and the girls engaged in some chit-chat talking about the company, Jasmine and some gossip that were around.
It was mostly the girls talking and Ethan listening to them.
Soon thirty minutes passed and it was almost time for Anya and the others to be back. So the girls stood up to leave.
But just as they were about to leave, Sarah with a subtle movement slipped a small, folded business card into his hand. "If this doesn't work out for you," Sarah said with a wink, "Give me a call. I can always help out a cutie."
And just like that Saraj walked away and just then the conference room doors slid open again.
Anya Sharma stepped in, holding a tablet. A hush fell over the room and the air crackled with anticipation.
She didn't waste time on pleasantries. "We have reviewed your submissions. The following candidates will proceed to the interview round." She read three names. The first two were Sarah and Emily. "And... Ethan."
Just as the names were announced, Ethan felt the gaze of Sarah who was just chatting with him wink at him.
Meanwhile, Anya's gaze swept over the rest of the room, "As for the rest of you, thank you again for your time. The elevators are to your right."
"For those whose names were called, congratulations," Anya continued, "Please gather your belongings and follow me. We will be waiting for you outside."
Sarah and Emily, beaming, quickly packed their bags and were the first ones out the door. Ethan didn't have much, he stood up, ready to follow.
But he hadn't taken two steps before he was surrounded by the bunch of rich dudes he was eavesdropping earlier.
And at the back, even Julian was there, looking at him with unadulterated hatred.
"What's the rush boy?"
"Let's have a chat."