Chapter 6 Heart Racing

Ten minutes later, Jean was done with his interview. He pushed the door open and walked out. Bianca immediately got to his feet. “How was it?” “The interviewers ask some tough questions, but it isn’t anything we can’t handle.” Jean could not help but kiss Bianca on the forehead, saying calmly, “Overall, it’s not bad.” Bianca heaved a sigh of relief. “Next, Bianca Rayne,” the female secretary called out. Bianca hurriedly straightened out her clothing and went inside anxiously. The second she walked into the room, Luke looked at her with a complicated gaze. Bianca sat down properly and raised her head, meeting each interviewer’s eyes, one at a time. After that, she introduced herself briefly. “Good morning, everyone. First of all, thank you for giving me this opportunity to attend this interview. My name is Bianca Rayne.” Since she decided to return to this country and find a job here, she had come up with plenty of interview openers in her mind. It may not be the most creative way to begin, but it was solid enough and faultless. The interview continued on. Luke assessed her with his cold gaze. Perhaps his stare was just too piercing. While Bianca responded to all of the interview questions expertly, she felt extremely uncomfortable all over. It did not just feel like someone was glaring daggers at her. Instead, it felt like a peculiar type of thorn pricking her all over her body. In truth, Bianca had glanced at Luke too when she first walked into the room. Nevertheless, this was a formal interview, and she had to treat it seriously. Although she had plenty of questions in her heart, she did not dare to let her guard down and become distracted. “Miss Rayne, are you married?” Luke’s cool voice suddenly interrupted the interviewers, asking a question that left all the professional interviewers speechless. All the interviewers stopped their formal exchange with Bianca, turning to look at their big boss in unison. He was part of the panel too. “No, I’m not,” Bianca said, trying to calm herself down. Her heart was actually already racing. “In that case, do you have someone you intend to marry?” Luke frowned and asked again. Bianca paused for a moment before she nodded and replied, “I do.” The interviewers were all feeling quite lost. Why was their boss asking this question? Their short conversation allowed Bianca to get a better look at Luke’s gorgeous features. Now that she had seen him in person, he did look a lot like that upperclassman from the high school next door back then. This successful businessman was vastly different from the boy that had celebrated his youth in school, though. Be it in his presence or the expression on his face, Luke Crawford seemed to her like a cold and ruthless man. … The interview was finally over. Bianca walked out of the room, feeling weak in the knees. “How was it? Tell me!” Nina was the first to run up to her and ask. Bianca was stumped, so she said, “The interviewer asked me if I’m married, and if I’m not, if there’s anyone I intend to marry.” Jean frowned when he heard that. What kind of a stupid question was that? It was infringing on her privacy. However, Nina said, “Oh, that’s normal here in this country. In fact, they're being polite by not asking if you have kids.” “But why would they ask something like that?” Bianca asked in confusion as they went downstairs. “Because kids will get in the way of your career,” Nina replied, looking at her brother and Bianca. “Most local companies discriminate against married women with children. You only recently got back here, so you just gotta get used to it.” … That afternoon. Bianca and Jean both received calls informing them that they would have a two-month probationary period. If they passed all the tests during the next two months, they would be able to stay at T Corporation permanently as official staff members. The next day. Jean and Nina picked Bianca up, and they went to work together. “I plan on buying a car so we won’t have to take my lil sis’s car after this,” Jean said to Bianca before they walked into the design department’s work area. “What, you don’t want me as a third wheel?” Nina teased, purposely walking between the two of them. Bianca smiled and said, “Neither of you has to pick me up starting tomorrow. It’s too much trouble for you to make such a long detour to my place, and it’s very convenient for me to take the subway anyway.” … It was the first day of work. Bianca was unnaturally serious at work. That afternoon, Jean was suddenly dragged out on an outstation trip by one of their designer seniors in the department. Before he left, Jean grabbed the laptop he designated solely for work and gave Bianca a hurried heads-up before he had to go downstairs. Actually, Jean was feeling pretty confused himself. What was the design department playing at? Seriously, taking a rookie out on a business trip? What if he worked too slowly and dragged down the team’s overall efficiency? Bianca did not have the time to wonder about that, though. She quickly familiarized herself with the nuts and bolts of her job. When it was about time to get off from work, Nina walked up to Bianca and said, “You done? Come to my place for dinner. Your future mother-in-law’s invitation.” Bianca was just getting used to the company’s best building blueprints over the years. When she heard that, she raised her head and said awkwardly, “I just got told I have to stay for overtime…” Nina’s eyes widened, and she hurriedly ran back to her workstation to check her emails. Dang, there really was overtime! It was true that designers had to stay overtime quite often, but Bianca and her brother were especially unfortunate here. One was sent outstation on the first day on the job, while the other had to stay back. The team ate takeaway together for dinner before continuing to bury their heads in their work. At half-past ten that night. The supervisor finally allowed Nina and the other two girls to go home. Bianca had to keep going, though. Her biological clock was going haywire, so Bianca was actually quite exhausted by now. She stood up and took her cup to get herself some coffee. When she returned with her coffee, though, her supervisor saw her and said, “The big boss wants this blueprint. Hurry up and bring it to her.” Bianca immediately put her cup down and took the blueprint, leaving the design department. There were only three people left in the design department, a supervisor, a senior designer, and her, a glorified intern. Take the blueprint to the boss, huh? As Bianca walked into the elevator, Luke Crawford’s delicate features appeared in her mind. The elevator went up, all the way to the top floor. Bianca ventured around and finally found the presidential office. She knocked on the door. “Come in.” The man’s voice was completely lacking warmth, but it was deep and rich. Bianca went in, walking toward the large desk in the office with the cold color scheme. She placed the blueprint on the desk, saying, “This is the blueprint you wanted, sir.” Luke was also focused on his work, so he just reached out his hand to accept the blueprint before holding it up for examination. When Bianca was about to leave, he suddenly raised his head to look at her. Bianca did not want to seem rude, so she had to keep standing there. Could there be something the president wanted with her? Luke’s gaze lingered on her for a long while. After five years, this woman had become even fairer and more voluptuous. Both her looks and her aura were her exquisite. “You can call it a day now. Go home and get prepared, because you’ll be going on a business trip with me tomorrow.” Luke pulled his gaze away from her and turned it back onto his work. Bianca wanted to say that she was not capable enough to bear such a huge responsibility as of yet, but Luke had given those orders quite coldly and stiffly. His tone brooked no argument. All she could do was nod and leave the room. Luke turned to look at her again. Her back was beautiful, particularly her slender and flexible waist. It was only a long while later when the man realized that everything from his throat to his chest had gone numb.