Chapter 3 - The Unintended Connection
The next morning, the sun rose over Indianapolis, casting a cold, bright light across my small living room. For the first time in months, I didn't wake up with a knot of sheer panic in my stomach. Sophie was still asleep, curled up in her crib, breathing softly. The six cans of formula lined up on my kitchen counter felt like a miracle.
I made myself a cup of cheap black coffee and sat down at my ancient laptop. My hands hovered over the keyboard.
Send your resume directly to me.
His words echoed in my mind. Was this real? Or was I dreaming? A powerful billionaire CEO had personally delivered baby formula to my apartment because of a typo. It felt like the plot of a movie, the kind of story that didn't happen to people like me. People like me got fired from nursing homes and fell behind on rent.
But then I looked at the business card on the table. Ethan Cole. Chief Executive Officer, Cole Industries.
I took a deep breath, opened my email, and attached my resume. I wrote a simple, polite cover letter, addressing it to his personal assistant, a woman named Sarah, as Ethan had instructed. I didn't mention the midnight visit. I didn't mention Derek Vance. I only focused on my qualifications, my years of patient care, and my dedication to medical administration.
I hit send.
Within two hours, my phone rang. It wasn't an automated email. It was a real person.
"Hello, is this Clara Vance?" a professional, pleasant voice asked.
"Yes, this is Clara," I said, my heart rate spiking. (I still used my maiden name, though Derek and I had shared an apartment once. Thank God I had never taken his name.)
"Hi Clara, my name is Sarah, and I'm the executive assistant to Ethan Cole at Cole Industries. Mr. Cole personally forwarded your resume to me this morning. We would like to invite you to our corporate headquarters tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. for an interview."
I gasped, catching myself quickly. "Tomorrow? Yes, yes, absolutely. I can make that work."
"Excellent. The interview will be with the head of our Human Resources department, Ms. Aris, and Mr. Cole has requested to sit in on the final portion of the meeting. We will email you the parking pass and building details. Have a wonderful day, Clara."
After I hung up, I sat in silence for a full minute, a tear of pure relief slipping down my cheek. Then, reality set in.
My car was broken down.
I had no professional clothes that fit me properly after my pregnancy.
And I had no babysitter.
I took a deep breath and called Maya. I had finally managed to track down her new number through a mutual friend earlier that morning. When she answered, she was incredibly apologetic about the number change and horrified when I told her about the night I had experienced.
"Clara! Oh my god, I am so sorry!" Maya cried over the phone. "I had to change my number because of a stalker ex-boyfriend, and I was going to email you today. I can't believe you went through that! A stranger came to your house?"
"He wasn't just a stranger, Maya. He's the CEO of Cole Industries. And he got me an interview tomorrow."
"No way," Maya gasped. "The Ethan Cole? The guy who is on the cover of local business magazines? He's notoriously private and incredibly strict!"
"He was incredibly kind to Sophie," I said softly. "But Maya, I need help. I don't have a car, I don't have clothes, and I need someone to watch Sophie for three hours tomorrow."
"Say no more," Maya said instantly. "I'm coming over right now. We are going to get you ready, and I will personally drive you and babysit Sophie in the lobby of the Cole building so you can feed her right before and after. We are going to ace this."
True to her word, Maya arrived two hours later. She brought a gorgeous, simple navy-blue blazer that fit me perfectly, a professional cream blouse, and a pair of tailored black slacks. We spent the afternoon practicing interview questions while Sophie happily chewed on the stuffed rabbit Ethan had bought her.
That night, as I lay in bed, I couldn't help but think about Ethan. Why had he helped me? A man of his stature had a million other things to do than respond to a wrong-number text about baby formula. Was it just a random act of charity? Or was there something deeper?
May you like
And then, there was Derek. He worked in the very building I was going to tomorrow. The thought of running into him made my stomach churn with anxiety. If he saw me, if he realized I was trying to get a job at his company, he would assume I was stalking him. He would think I was trying to ruin his precious career.
I had to be careful. I had to be professional. I had to do this for Sophie.
