Chapter 2: The Collapse
"Mr. Stone?"
Alex looked up, throat suddenly dry.
"This way, please." The assistant smiled, but it didn't calm the storm inside his chest.
He adjusted his tie, forced his legs to move, and stepped into the room, the fifth interview in three months. He was beginning to memorize the dance: sit straight, smile politely, answer confidently, hide the desperation.
The conference room was brighter than expected. Three people sat across from him: two men and a woman. Grey suits, sharp eyes, zero warmth. The man on the right didn't even look up from the papers he was flipping through. The woman had her hands folded neatly, but her expression was unreadable, polished, and cold, like a marble statue. The other man was typing on a tablet with the speed of someone trying to finish a different job.
Alex sat down when gestured to, his hands folded in his lap and legs tense beneath the table.
"You studied accounting?" the woman asked with her efficient voice.
"Yes, ma'am. Graduated top of my class." He added a smile, not too wide, not too eager.
"Top of your class," she repeated, not looking impressed. "Yet, four failed interviews in the last quarter. Why?"
Alex swallowed, trying not to let her words sting.
"I didn't fail the interviews, ma'am. The system failed me. They told me I wasn't the 'right fit.' Or that someone with a better certificate had applied... when I know it's usually someone with more connections."