Chapter 2 - The Interview
The corporate headquarters of Vanguard Health Systems was a towering structure of glass and steel in downtown Indianapolis. Claire felt entirely out of place in her thrifted blazer, her knees shaking slightly as the glass elevator carried her to the executive floor.
When the secretary ushered her into the corner office, Ethan was standing by the window, a cup of coffee in his hand. He had traded the charcoal overcoat for a tailored navy suit, looking every bit the ruthless executive the business journals described. But when he turned around, his eyes held the same quiet empathy from the night before.
"Sit down, Claire," he said, gesturing to the leather chair across from his desk.
"Mr. Cole," Claire started, her voice tight. "If this is charity—"
"It’s not," Ethan interrupted, sliding a printed copy of her resume across the desk. It was covered in red pen marks and sticky notes. "I spent the last two hours reviewing your actual case files from your time as a CNA at our northside facility. Your patient satisfaction ratings were in the top two percent of the entire network. You saved a woman’s life in 2025 by recognizing an atypical stroke symptom before the attending physician did."
He leaned forward, his expression hardening. "Our automated HR software rejects anyone who takes more than four weeks of consecutive leave without corporate clearance. It didn't account for the fact that you were sitting next to an incubator. That isn't efficiency; it's a failure of corporate character. I’m overriding the system. The regional billing manager position pays sixty-two thousand a year, with full medical benefits starting immediately. Do you want it?"
May you like
Tears blurred Claire’s vision, but she nodded fiercely. "Yes. Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Ethan said softly, his gaze shifting to a legal document on the corner of his desk. "Because your past is about to catch up with both of us."
