Empire of Vendetta

The Interview

It had been thirty minutes since her interview should have started yet Lilith was still seated outside the meeting room with close to no information on what was going on. Whenever she asked the assistant if there was something wrong, the assistant assured her that there was nothing to worry about and told her that she would be called in soon. Yet she had been waiting outside for half an hour and she had a feeling she wouldn't be called in any time soon. 

And she was right. It had been exactly one hour since her interview should have started and she was still waiting. On one hand she wanted to go over and start an argument with the assistant but on the other, she remembered her family and her revenge. So she sat there, almost as still as a rock and waited. If they wanted to test her patience, then she would show them the true meaning of patience. Although, Summer's anxious voice on the other end of the earphone didn't help her cause at all. Instead, it made her feel all the more annoyed. 

Finally after what felt like another hour, the assistant called her through.

"I'm so sorry you had to wait so long," the assistant began. "Our boss had an important meeting that he could not adjourn." 

"Boss?" Lilith asked at the same time Summer questioned in her ear. There was not supposed to be any boss involved in this interview. Just the management team. 

The Assistant tried to explain to Lilith but the moment the room's doors opened, Lilith's eyes fell on the figure seated right in the centre of the table and her ears lost sense. He was even more stunning than his photos had depicted. She didn't have a single word to describe his beauty but simply put, mythological gods wished they looked like that. But his beauty aside, his aura was a whole other story. His entire being screamed power, so much so that everyone sitting beside him looked like they were suffocating. 

"Sorry to keep you waiting," an unexpectedly deep but gentle voice danced in her ears. "I wanted to be a part of this interview but I couldn't adjourn a prior appointment. I am very sorry for the inconvenience." 

Lilith wanted to curse at him and the management team for making her wait so long without any information at all but those piercing eyes were so gentle and genuine that she couldn't bring herself to do so. She couldn't believe this reversal. She had entered the building with intentions of murdering this man and his entire family but here she was, feeling the bottom of her heart strings being pulled. 

She froze upon such a realisation. She stood up straight and rid her mind of such dangerous thoughts. She had entered the building on a mission and she would not leave until she succeeded. 

"It's no problem," she said stoically, ironically making it clear that it was indeed a problem. She took her seat, which was placed in the middle of there room and looked at her panel of judges with a confident look on her face. 

She couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable with Valerio Otero stood right before her, especially since she had not prepared for his presence, but she had practiced her questions and was sure she would do fine. 

"Let's begin then," said the blonde woman beside Valerio who she recognised to be Alexandra Michelson from the photos. Beside her was seated Gabriela Gomez, an older lady who wore her glasses at the tip of her nose and looked as if she was judging you for all your non-existent sins. On Valerio's other side was a pleasantly kind looking old man who she recognised as Mark Andrews. Aside from Valerio, she was more than prepared to tackle the three interviewers. She just hoped Valerio didn't ask any questions because she was not sure how she would answer to him. One word from him already sent her body abuzz, she didn't think she would be able to talk directly to him and continue to keep her thoughts clear. 

Fortunately for her, the interview proceeded in the way she had hoped. Mark, Gabriela and Alexandra all asked their questions one after the other and once she answered, they nodded as if they were happy with her answers. Summer on the other end of her earpiece also calmed down substantially as the interview progressed, making her feel as if she was on the right track. 

And finally, the interview felt as if it was over. The interviewers all smiled at Lilith before they all turned to their boss, as if asking if they were allowed to conclude the interview. 

Lilith's eyes also ended up landing on the handsome creature whose eyes were already fixated on her. She felt her entire body heat up and her breath quicken. She really felt like a hormonal teenager at that point. 

"You were recommended for this position by Judge Macintosh," he spoke, his deep voice sending waves of pleasure through her body even though there was a clear distance between them. "You're the first student he has ever recommended to any firm."

Lilith's exterior looked calmed and collected but it was at that point that she felt a small storm brew inside of her. She knew using an outsider would not do her any good. It was why she never depended on anyone for any of her missions. She worked alone and always succeeded. 

"s**t," she heard Summer mutter on the other end of the listening device. Lilith wanted to swear herself. 

"Why?" Valerio asked, his intense eyes staring through Lilith's as if he was reading into her soul. She was beginning to feel very uncomfortable under his gaze but for whatever reason, she didn't hate the feeling. She was sure she was going crazy at that point. 

She heard Summer take a deep intake of breath before she heard her fast fingers tap away at a keyboard, no doubt looking for information that would help Lilith answer such a question. But Lilith was already ahead of her. She never left anything half done so when she had found out there would be an outsider involved in her case, she did all the research she possibly could on Hamish Macintosh and as a result, knew everything about him. 

"I'm not too sure," she feigned ignorance. "I just asked him and he agreed," she softly giggled, practicing what Summer had taught her earlier that day. 

"If I had to guess the reason though, I would say it's because we share a similar mindset. Once we put our mind to something, we won't give up. We believe in justice and will do anything so that it prevails. I guess he sees me in him."

There was a double meaning in her words, but she knew that no one would be able to understand it unless they knew why she was there. What she said about Judge Macintosh was true, and she respected him for that. And she also meant what she said about herself, although her sense of justice was not the same justice the judicial system followed. Her sense of justice was an eye for an eye and she would make sure Carlos Otero, and his family suffer the same way her father and family suffered. In cold blood. 

Her eyes travelled back towards Valerio who simply nodded in response before he said, "That will be all for today. We will call you in a few days with your results." 

And it really did only take two days before she received a call from Alexandra.

"Good Morning, Miss Winters. I am just calling to let you know that you have been accepted in our internship program. Congratulations! You start this Monday at 9AM. I will send you more details through email." 

And just like that, Lilith became the first intern at a law firm company that did not have any education in the legal department.