Chapter Two: The Unexpected Offer

Emily slowly looked around the room scared. Someone was watching her. Her heart pounded as she searched the faces of the people around the bus stop but nothing seemed unusual. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling. The mysterious phone call had left her unsettled. Whoever had called knew about the briefcase.

"But why would anyone care so much about a few business documents?" she muttered to herself

Emily looked down at the briefcase she held. She had no idea what was inside and she didn't want to know. At least, that's what she told herself.

Her mind returned to her ruined interview. Walking into Sterling Group without her certificates, carrying someone else's confidential documents, everything seemed like a movie. She couldn't go home yet, not when she had nothing good to tell her dad.

She looked toward the road and muttered to herself that maybe if she returned the briefcase, Alexander Kingsley would understand what happened and maybe he would even allow her to reschedule the interview. It was worth trying so she took a step forward.

Suddenly, her phone ranged. She quickly pulled it from her handbag. For a moment, she simply stared at the screen.

Then she answered. A woman's voice came through.

Miss Carter? This is Sterling Group.

Emily's eyebrows knitted together. She got information about Kingsley wanting to speak with her and without hesitation, she asked if it was about the briefcase but there was a brief pause.

She learnt that there was no mention of the briefcase. Then,the call ended.

Emily lowered the phone slowly, wondering what happens next if she meets with him. She looked at the building again. Part of her wanted to leave but another part reminded her that she desperately needed the job. She turned around and walked back toward Sterling Group.

Several floors above, Alexander stood behind his desk. The black leather briefcase sat beside him. Its contents had been carefully checked and nothing appeared to be missing.

That should have been reassuring but it wasn't.

Daniel stood across from Alexander as he watched him make his decision.

"She's coming back."

Alexander nodded.

"Good."

Daniel hesitated.

"Sir, are you certain about this?"

Alexander looked at him.

"About what?"

"Hiring her."

Alexander leaned against his desk.

"I've already made the decision."

"But you barely know her."

"Exactly."

Daniel frowned.

"That doesn't make sense."

Alexander glanced toward the window.

"That's why I want her here."

Daniel was silent but Alexander continued.

"Her story doesn't add up."

"You think she deliberately took the briefcase?"

"I don't know."

"And if she didn't?"

"Then we'll find out."

Daniel folded his arms.

"She seemed terrified."

Alexander remembered the collision, the rain, her scattered documents and the frustration in her eyes but the strange incident that morning had left too many unanswered questions. If Emily was innocent, he would eventually find out and if she wasn't, keeping her inside Sterling Group was the safest way to discover the truth. For some reason, he had a feeling hiring her would change far more than just her career. Also, she hadn't seemed like someone involved in a carefully planned operation but Alexander had learned long ago that appearances could be deceiving.

Alexander didn't think Emily had planned the exchange. Her fear had seemed genuine, but that didn't mean someone else hadn't planned it for her. He glanced at her résumé. She was struggling financially, and her father's illness made her desperate for the job. That made her vulnerable. Keeping her at Sterling Group would allow him to watch her closely without making her suspicious. He closed the file.

"Bring her in when she arrives."

A few minutes later, Emily stepped into the Sterling Group lobby.

The receptionist recognized her and directed her toward the elevator. Emily thanked her and stepped inside. As the doors closed, she caught her reflection in the mirrored wall. She looked exhausted.

"First day at a new job interview and already a disaster," she muttered.

The elevator reached the executive floor. Emily stepped out and walked toward Alexander's office with her breathing uneasy. She paused briefly before knocking and after receiving permission to enter, she opened the door.

Alexander stood near the window, his attention fixed on the city below with different thoughts going on in his mind .He turned when he saw her and motioned toward the chair.

Emily sat across from his desk, her hands resting nervously in her lap. She still couldn't understand why he had asked her to return but she hoped for the better.

Alexander took his seat and opened the folder containing her application.

She was the first to speak.

"Why did you ask me to come back?

Alexander studied her."I've made a decision."

"About my interview?"

"Yes."

Emily prepared herself for rejection.

"I understand if you don't want to continue with my application."

Alexander's eyebrows lifted slightly.

He explained that he had reviewed her performance again and, despite the confusion surrounding her missing certificates, he had been impressed by the way she handled the interview. Then he gave her the news she had least expected. He was offering her the position she applied for.

Emily stared at him with shocking eyes,certain she had misheard him.

After the disastrous morning she had experienced, she had expected rejection but instead, she had been given another opportunity. Relief slowly replaced her disbelief. She thanked him and asked when she was expected to begin.

Monday.

The answer filled her with nervous excitement. Before she left, Alexander gave her one final instruction. If she ever found herself in a situation she didn't understand or felt uncomfortable with, she was to come directly to him. Emily found the advice unusual. She couldn't understand why a CEO she had barely met would be concerned about her beyond the workplace but the joy she felt made her not to think too much about it. She thanked him again and left.

The moment the door closed behind her, Alexander remained seated for several seconds. His decision was no longer simply about the briefcase. There was something about Emily Carter that he needed to understand.

Emily stepped out of Sterling Group with a smile she couldn't hide. She had gotten the job after everything that had happened that morning. She could hardly believe it. Without hesitation, she immediately called her father.

When she told him the news, his happiness was unmistakable. Hearing the pride in his voice made Emily's eyes sting with tears. For the first time in weeks, she felt as though things might finally get better. She ended the call and looked back at the towering building.

She had no idea that someone was watching her from above.

Alexander stood behind the glass window of his office, his eyes following her until she disappeared into the crowd. He turned back to his desk and opened Emily's employment file.

Everything looked ordinary.Her academic records, her previous experience, her personal information. Only then did something catch his attention.

A photograph had been attached to the final page.

As he picked it up, his expression changed.

The man in the photograph was older, but Alexander recognized him immediately.

Richard Carter.

For several seconds, Alexander simply stared at the photograph. He slowly turned it over. A handwritten name appeared on the back.

Richard Carter.

His grip tightened. Richard Carter was supposed to be dead yet somehow, his daughter had just walked into Alexander's company. And for the first time since the briefcase incident, Alexander began to wonder whether Emily's arrival at Sterling Group had truly been an accident.

Daniel looked at him, confusion written all over his face.

Alexander remained silent, his eyes fixed on the photograph. Then he looked toward the window, where Emily had disappeared into the crowd. A troubling thought crossed his mind.

What if Richard Carter had never died?

Alexander slowly closed the file. For years, he had been searching for a man he believed was gone and now, Richard's daughter had walked straight into his life.

And suddenly, Alexander wondered if he had been looking for the wrong man all along.