Elena
The thing about revenge was that it required a reasonable amount of patience.
It was time for my patience to pay off.
I stared at the twenty-six-story building in front of me, its glass windows reflecting the morning sun.
The company's name was printed in gold above the entrance, almost as if the building itself needed to remind everyone who owned it.
CARTER ENTERPRISES.
The Carter family had spent years building an empire.
I planned to spend the rest of my life destroying it.
I had seen the name everywhere.
It had appeared in business magazines, headlines, on television, and on the screen of my mother's old television right before she broke down in tears.
Expansion. Contracts. New properties. More investments.
They never seemed to stop making money.
And I intended to change that.
My phone buzzed.
A text from my friend, Dubem.
Dubem: Are you there yet?
I typed back.
Me: Outside, about to step in.
Her reply came almost immediately.
Dubem: There's still time to change your mind.
I stared at the message.
For a moment, I thought of all the ways everything could go wrong and maybe I should just turn back.
I could turn around.
Go home and find a job that I actually wanted to do.
Forget the Carter family and live a normal life.
It would have been easier.
But I remembered that the Carters hadn't thought about making life easier for my mother.
I locked my phone.
I was doing this no matter what.
The security guard opened the door for me.
"Good morning, ma'am."
"Good morning. I'm here for an interview with Mr. Damien."
"Okay, go check with the receptionist."
I thanked him.
I walked into the reception.
The first thing I noticed was how quiet it was.
The second was how expensive everything looked.
The luxury stone flooring was spotless. There were huge flower arrangements beside the reception desk, and the furniture looked like it had been specially made for the Carters.
People moved around the reception with a sense of direction.
Everyone seemed to have a destination.
I didn't, not yet.
But I would.
I approached the front desk.
"Good morning. I'm here for an interview with Mr. Carter."
The receptionist checked something on her computer.
"Elena?"
"Yes."
"He's expecting you. Use the elevator and go to the fourth floor. His office is the first door on the right."
I thanked her and headed towards the elevators.
The doors opened.
I stepped inside and pressed four.
As the elevator climbed, I looked at myself in the mirror.
I had chosen my outfit carefully.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing memorable.
An ash blouse, black trousers, low heels and a simple handbag.
I needed to look decent.
Not extravagant.
The Carters had no idea who I was.
That gave me an advantage.
They knew nothing about the girl whose mother had spent years suffering because of them.
They knew nothing of my plans.
They certainly didn't know that this interview had very little to do with employment.
The elevator stopped.
I stepped out.
I looked at the first door on the right.
A small silver plaque was fixed beside it.
DAMIEN CARTER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
I stared at the name for a few seconds.
This was it.
I adjusted the strap of my handbag and knocked.
"Come in."
I opened the door.
The first thing I noticed was how huge the office was.
It was spacious without being unnecessarily flashy. A large desk was positioned near the windows, with two chairs in front of it.
Damien Carter was sitting behind the desk, his face buried in a file.
He looked up when I entered.
No emotion showed on his face.
Then he closed the file.
"Miss Elena?"
"Yes, sir."
He gestured towards a chair directly opposite him.
"Please, have a seat."
I walked over and sat in one of the chairs.
He picked up my résumé.
"I've gone through your application."
He glanced at the page.
"You've worked in administration and communications."
"Yes."
"Your previous employer was a publishing company?"
"Yes."
"What made you leave?"
I had expected the question.
"The company downsized."
"And you were affected?"
"Yes."
He nodded and made a note on the paper.
There was a brief silence.
There was nothing intimidating about his tone.
No attempt to make me uncomfortable in any way.
He was simply doing his job.
He seemed annoyingly reasonable.
That shocked me a little, but I reminded myself that he was still a Carter.
I didn't know what kind of person he was yet.
And I wasn't here to find out.
I kept my hands folded on my lap.
"Why did you apply here specifically?" he asked.
I'd prepared for that question.
"I've heard it's a great company to work for."
"That's your reason?"
I smiled slightly.
"The company is expanding. There's opportunity for growth."
He nodded in agreement.
"Fair enough."
His eyes returned to my résumé.
"You're applying for the administrative assistant position?"
"Yes."
"Can you keep things confidential? Because confidentiality is the backbone of this position."
"Yes, I can."
He looked at me for a moment.
"You've been unemployed for three months."
"Yes."
"What have you been doing?"
"Looking for work."
"Nothing else?"
I paused.
"Reading."
"Anything specific?"
"Business books. Novels."
He nodded.
"Interesting."
There was another silence.
I waited.
Finally, he sighed.
"You seem qualified enough."
I sat up.
"I'll have HR contact you and brief you about what is expected from you."
I stared at him for a second.
"Does this mean I got the job?"
"Yes. You're hired."
For a second, I didn't react.
Then I smiled.
"Thank you, sir."
"You can call me Damien."
I hesitated.
"Thank you, Mr. Carter."
Something about that seemed to amuse him, but he didn't comment on it.
"You'll start Monday."
"Alright."
"HR will send you the rest of the information."
I stood up.
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity."
"You're welcome."
I turned towards the door.
"Elena?"
I stopped and turned around.
"Yes?"
"Working here isn't a bed of roses. The company moves quickly, and I expect you to keep up."
"I understand."
"Good."
He returned to his documents.
I left.
I closed the door behind me.
I walked down the hallway, trying not to let my smile show.
I had done it.
I was in.
I pressed the elevator button.
As I waited, my phone buzzed.
Dubem: Well???
I smiled and typed back.
Me: I got it.
Her reply came immediately.
Dubem: You're serious?
Me: Yes.
Dubem: Elena, please think about this one more time.
I stared at the message.
I knew what she was trying to say.
She wasn't asking me to think about the job.
She was asking me to think about revenge.
I slipped my phone into my handbag.
There was nothing left to think about.
The elevator doors opened.
I stepped inside.
As they closed, I caught my reflection in the mirror again.
The woman staring back at me looked calm.
Almost ordinary.
Nobody looking at me would have guessed that I had just walked into the building belonging to the family I had spent years blaming.
Nobody would have guessed that getting this job was only the first step.
I didn't want Damien Carter's job.
I didn't want his money.
I didn't want his life.
I wanted his family to lose everything.
And now, for the first time, I was close enough to make it happen.
I smiled at my reflection.
The Carters had let me in.
They just didn't know what they'd let in.