73 Job interview (1)

On January 3rd, Sarah and Aiden went to the Italian restaurant for lunch. They arrived early and are waiting for Jeff to arrive.

Sarah is fidgeting nervously while sipping her sparkling water occasionally.

Aiden observed her. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes." She admitted.

'Silly girl.' He wanted to assure that with her skills, there is nothing to be nervous about. Aiden held her hand and squeezed gently. "Don't be."

"But he is your brother... what if he does not like me?" She was concerned. 'What if he does not like me and disapproves of my relationship with Aiden? With my dad already being difficult, I really don't want any more family members disapproving.' At the same time, she was thinking about the interview itself. 'What if Jeff does not approve of me to join the company? Then I will not be able to work beside Aiden... and what if Aiden's opinion of me changes because of that?' These thoughts increased her anxiety. She said that she wants him here for support, but it seems that him being here is adding more pressure. Sarah wants to be perfect for Aiden. If she flops, how can she be worthy of him?

"We are not here for him to like you. For that, you have me." Aiden tried to comfort her.

Hearing him say that, Sarah's lips stretched into a smile. "Yes, I do."

They leaned towards each other and kissed. His kiss made her anxiety diminish.

There was a sound of someone clearing throat behind them. They broke the kiss and looked behind. It was Jeff. His piercing gaze was scolding them.

"I hope you realize that this lunch is for business purpose." Jeff's voice was cold, and Sarah felt hostility.

'Well, this didn't start good', Sarah thought as she awkwardly smiled. Her anxiety came back. 'What a way to greet my future boss at a job interview, by kissing his brother.' Sarah wished for a time machine, where she can go back in past five minutes and pull herself back not to kiss Aiden. But it was too late.

Jeff looked at Sarah coldly. "Miss Hill, I heard about you from my brother. I'm Jeffrey White. You can call me CEO White." He extended his hand for a handshake.

She shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

The moment Sarah let go of Jeff's hand, she remembered that the two of them met briefly at the Christmas party. She wondered if he forgot or is he doing this on purpose because he does not like her. In any case, she will play along.

"My brother is full of praises for your abilities. I'm here to see for myself what you can offer to the company." His attitude was cold.

'He definitely does not like me! From the sound of it, he does not have any opinion of my skills, which I can understand. But he is looking down on me from the start, and that is something I can't accept.' Sarah stiffened her posture and sat with her back straight facing Jeff with an unreadable expression. That is the expression all three Hill sisters perfected and use it when they want to show their dominance and to keep others from approaching them.

"Let's order food before we start." Jeff took a seat and looked at the menu without paying attention to Sarah.

Aiden noticed the change in Sarah's bearing, and his lips curved into a smile. 'She is angry. I might get a chance to see something new.'

Considering how things are going so far, Sarah lost any appetite she had. But she still ordered a light salad.

'She must be really upset when she got herself a salad.' Aiden was surprised to see her choice of food knowing that she usually goes carb-heavy, but he kept his opinion to himself. He came today to support her, not to make it harder.

After they ordered food and waiter left, Jeff looked at Sarah and went to the point. "Miss Hill, what qualifications do you think you have for this job?"

Sarah was taken aback by his question, but her face didn't show it. 'Isn't this a job for a hacker?' It's known that hackers don't advertise their skills. They need to be secretive about their skills and work they do, in order to stay safe, since it can be used against them. How can she go around telling that she hacked into a police database, or hospital records? It is illegal, after all. Based on his attitude, Sarah can tell that he is not friendly towards her. He asked this question to make her stumble. 'I don't really need a job from a financial point, but this is a good opportunity for me, and I can work beside Aiden. Since I decided on this, I need to show that I'm not easy to bully.' Sarah decided to give her best effort to secure this job.

She looked Jeff in the eyes, without showing any emotion. "If you want to know if I'm qualified, why don't you give me a task to do?"

Jeff nodded. This was within his expectations. He pulled out one laptop out of his briefcase and handed it to her. "Unlock it."

Sarah opened the laptop, and when it powered on, she looked at it for few seconds. She got her phone and one cable out of her backpack which she used to connect her phone to the USB port of the laptop. She fiddled with her phone a bit, and in less than a minute laptop was unlocked. Sarah turned the laptop towards Jeff. "This is child's play. How about you give me something more serious."

Jeff was surprised with her speed and did his best to look composed. "OK" Jeff was prepared for this case. Without much hesitation, he opened his briefcase, and out of one folder he got a piece of paper, handing it to Sarah. She took the paper and read the text on it:

"Eastern European company NaseGas* is focused on oil drilling. There is evidence that they are involved in nuclear weapon development. Find records of their activity related nuclear weapon development for last three years."

As she was reading, Sarah heard Jeff say, "You have until end of day."

Sarah nodded in understanding. "Do I have any limitations on what resources I can use?"

Jeff thought for few seconds, before looking at his brother. "You can't use him". He pointed at Aiden.

Sarah found that limitation amusing. 'Do you really think that I will depend on him at a time like this?'. A slight smile flashed on her face. "Besides that, are there any other restrictions for me to have in mind?"

Jeff thought for some time before confirming. "Other than him, you can use whatever you want."

Sarah gave a small nod.

Aiden was looking at Sarah, then glanced at his brother before looking back at Sarah. He could not help but smile. He already decided not to interfere. He will only observe and be a support for Sarah. From her skills which he got to observe so far; he could tell that Sarah will give him a good show to watch. And based on how his brother treated Sarah just now, Aiden knows that she is upset and will retaliate in order to make him swallow his words. At this time, he was almost certain that Sarah will use Eve, and was looking forward to the results. 'This brother of mine needs to see for himself that Sarah is not a simple person. She looks sweet, but if you anger her, you need to be ready for the consequences.'