Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked through the revolving doors of Nest Design, stepping into a spacious marble lobby flooded with autumn sunlight that streamed through floor\u2013to- ceiling windows. The light gleamed off the numerous design awards and patents displayed on the walls. This interior design company had established itself in Chicago over a decade ago and commanded significant respect in the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I was still the associate designer director at Wright Creatives, I\u2019d desperately wanted to collaborate with Nest Design. I even drafted a comprehensive proposal myself. But they were expanding too rapidly to consider partnerships with smaller design firms like ours. Now I stood here as a job applicant\u00a0<\/p>\n
instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The lobby bustled with activity, filled with prospective candidates. Most wore tailored suits, carrying leather portfolios, their expressions betraying a mixture of anxiety and hope. According to the notice board, Nest Design had only opened two positions. The competition would be fierce.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After completing my forms, I received a card with \u201837\u2018 printed on it and followed directions to the adjacent waiting room. It featured an open\u2013concept design with several clusters of low\u2013profile modern sofas surrounding glass coffee tables. I chose a spot by the window, noticing a group of women engaged\u00a0<\/p>\n
in quiet conversation nearby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you believe it? I just saw someone with a Harvard degree applying for a mere junior interior designer position!\u201d whispered a woman in a navy blue suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShows what you know,\u201d responded another with a sleek bob haircut. \u201cNest Design is a subsidiary of Sterling Design Group. Do you have any idea how many\u00a0<\/p>\n
people would kill for an opportunity at Sterling? A Harvard degree is nothing special there\u2013they\u2019re swimming in credentials.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWait\u2013this is a Sterling company? The third woman gasped. \u201cGod, am I completely out of my league?*\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re here now. Might as well try. Stranger things have happened,\u201d Sleek Bob shrugged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clutched my number card, feeling my heartbeat quicken. Sterling Design Group\u2013Chicago\u2019s premier design conglomerate with thirty years of history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
operations spanning architectural design, interior solutions, product development, and global offices. This design powerhouse ranked among the world\u2019s top\u00a0<\/p>\n
ten design firms\u2013not somewhere just anyone could walk into.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps even their receptionists had more impressive qualifications than mine. I was probably just here to make up the numbers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, since I\u2019d made it this far, I might as well see it through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat quietly in the waiting area, watching candidates ahead of me enter the interview room one by one, each emerging with increasingly tense expressions. The atmosphere grew heavy with anxiety as everyone silently reviewed materials or stared at their hands, the air thick with nervous energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Text candidate, Cedar Wright.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing my name, my chest tightened. I took a deep breath, smoothed my pencil skirt, and walked toward the interview room with as much composure as 1 could muster. After a gentle knock, I pushed the door open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To my surprise, the spacious office contained just one middle\u2013aged man. He sat behind an expansive glass desk adorned with several intricate architectural models. When I entered, he offered a friendly smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Ms. Wright, hello, I\u2019m Thomas Coleman, General Manager of Nest Design.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Coleman, it\u2019s a pleasure.\u201d His warm demeanor helped ease my tension as I returned his greeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, have a seat. Mr. Coleman gestured toward a contemporary chair facing him while opening my resume. Ms. Wright, I see you previously served as Associate Designer Director at Wright Creatives. You must have substantial relevant experience?\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
I responded modestly, \u2018Not substantial, but I\u2019ve developed a solid foundation that allows me to adapt quickly to similar responsibilities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell then- Mr. Coleman looked up, meeting my eyes directly. \u201cWould Ms. Wright be interested in trying for the Senior Design Director position?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sorry? My eyes widened, struggling to process what I\u2019d just heard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Senior Design Director position offers a salary of $100,000 annually, plus performance bonuses and benefits. If Ms. Wright has no objections, you could\u00a0<\/p>\n
start tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing Mr. Coleman\u2019s words, I swallowed hard. \u201cCould you\u2026 possibly repeat what you just said?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very impressed with your capabilities and experience, Ms. Wright. I\u2019d like you to join Nest Design and help create a brilliant future for our company.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice remained gentle but determined, without a hint of humor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat frozen, unsure how to respond. Coming to interview for a junior designer position only to be offered a design directorship\u2013this kind of thing simply\u00a0<\/p>\n
didn\u2019t happen in Chicago\u2019s competitive design industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everything seemed too perfect, too easy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I collected my thoughts and found my voice: \u201cI\u2019m\u2026 extremely grateful for your confidence, Mr. Coleman. But may I ask\u2013why me? Especially considering all\u00a0<\/p>\n
the qualified candidates here today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour portfolio demonstrates exceptional strategic thinking, particularly your campaign for the Lakefront Apartments renovation. But more importantly, I see\u00a0<\/p>\n
someone who understands both creative vision and practical implementation\u2014a rare combination.\u201d He leaned forward slightly. \u201cWe need someone who can\u00a0<\/p>\n
translate Sterling\u2019s design philosophy into compelling market narratives. Your background makes you uniquely qualified.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I emerged from the interview room in a daze, my mind still processing what had just happened. The waiting candidates immediately turned their attention\u00a0<\/p>\n
to me, their scrutinizing gazes following my every move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother one bites the dust,\u2018 I overheard a woman in a plaid blazer whisper to her neighbor. \u201cHer interview was so short\u2013that\u2019s never a good sign.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t feel the need to correct them, instead moving toward my seat to gather my belongings and leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, a woman in a charcoal gray suit approached me with purposeful strides.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Wright?\u201d Her voice carried clearly across the waiting area, causing heads to turn. \u201cMr. Coleman would like you to complete some onboarding paperwork.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You can start tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The waiting room fell silent. I could feel the weight of everyone\u2019s surprised stares.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Onboarding paperwork? A man with wire\u2013rimmed glasses couldn\u2019t contain himself. \u201cShe got hired?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The secretary smiled politely. \u201cYes, indeed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The candidates exchanged bewildered looks. I shared their disbelief\u2013this still felt surreal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The secretary then called out, \u201cNext candidate, Victoria Chase.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
3:51 pm\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
Victoria, a woman with auburn hair tied in a sleek ponytail, looked confused. \u201cI thought you\u2019d already filled both design positions. Why continue\u00a0<\/p>\n
interviewing?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve currently filled one junior designer position and the newly created Design Director position, the secretary explained. \u201cWe still have one junior designer position open.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDesign Director? The room erupted in astonished murmurs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone actually landed the Director position? Who could possibly a young man sputtered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt must be the Harvard graduate, someone else chimed in. \u201cShe\u2019s the only one qualified. She worked at that prestigious firm in New York for two years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she\u2019s still sitting over there,\u201d another candidate pointed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One by one, all eyes turned to me, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Uninished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 26 Chapter 26\u00a0 Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0 I walked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30425\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}