The elevator soon came to a complete stop as the doors opened. Richard and Christy walked toward the entrance. The latter knocked on the door before excusing herself inside, prompting the former to follow suit.

Christy announced themselves as the boss greeted them both. Richard’s ears perked up as the voice sounded familiar to him.

“Hello there, so who’s the lucky person applying here?”

The person from the far end of the desk turned on the leading lights to get a better view of the room.

Two dark brown chairs stacked up on opposite ends, the desk had a wooden maple texture to it. The boss rubbed against the soft wood with her finger. A long circular rug laid down in the center of the room and a fan spun on the ceiling.

Richard had a feeling the voice sounded familiar to him, but didn’t expect her to be the boss.

“Are you kidding me? You’re the boss here?” Richard questioned, pointing at Lily.

“Oh, have we met before?” Lily’s eyes widened. After thinking about it, she clasped her hands together. “Oh yeah, you were at the bar with Kelly.”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Christy asked, pointing her finger and switching between the two.

“Mm-hmm. We met once and talked, nothing more, nothing less.”

“Is that so?”

“Still,” Richard crossed his arms. “It’s strange seeing you again at a place like this.”

“Same here,” Lily added. “To be honest, I thought you already had a job, working with someone else.”

“I used to, but I quit.” He lied.

“I understand. You want to get paid well, be comfortable in your environment. Be free from stress, worry, and do what you want to enjoy in a small expanse. And I can help you out with it.”

“Are you serious?” Christy raised an eyebrow. “You’re willing to give him a try? He doesn’t fit all the quotas.”

“Of course I’m serious. He came to the right place after all.” Lily chirped, clasping her hands together. “Why not give this fellow a chance?”

“Alright, if you say so.” Christy sighed as she walked to the door. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go back to doing paperwork.”

“Let me know if anything else comes up.” Lily waved as her receptionist left and closed the door behind her. She then turned to face Richard. “Now then, shall we begin?”

“Uh, sure?” He replied, unsure where this was going.

Richard followed Lily out of the room and went to the lower floors as she gave him a tour of the place. The workstations were more linear and less spacious, with many people in a line of seats typing on their computers. Some rooms had people making coffee, others used printers to deliver and hand out stacks of paper and books.

When they said it’s well-known and organized, they weren’t kidding. Richard walked around the place and hung on to every word.

The claustrophobic feeling made him uncomfortable, as his stomach tied together like knots. So Lily led him back to her office. She told him to make himself comfortable as he sat down on a chair to position himself neatly. Lily went to the other side of the desk and pulled out documents before seating herself.

Lily explained that she’d be getting files to check out the potential list of jobs he could try in the workplace. Richard looked over at the papers and looked over the long list of possible choices. She also told him that once he decided, he could look over the contract and sign it as she slid it across the desk.

This sounded like a good deal, from what he had seen. It seemed more promising than the last job. But, at the same time, this sounds too perfect, it all feels too good to be true. What about the rest of the interview? Was that all there was to apply for this job? There was something unusual about all this, but he wasn’t sure how to articulate the situation. Probably shouldn’t question this and play along for now, for the sake of the mission.

Right. The mission. Was this the right choice? Being a part of something like this for a selfish reason? Would things have been different if he came back earlier? Would he have been more content or miserable? Richard hadn’t known Lily for long, but she didn’t seem like a bad person from what he gathered, unless it was all a facade. Then again, Mindy said otherwise, and Christy hadn’t been clear on that front either. Richard didn’t know Mindy for long either, and she didn’t hide her suspicions from him that well. Judging from her prior attitude, she didn’t take Lily lightly, but why?

Richard found it wrong to lie and deceive another person like that, especially with someone that trusts him. But he also has people that are counting on him, depending on him. Some people he trusted in return, others he was still wary of. Sure, he got pressured to do this, but he didn’t want them to suspect him either. Richard also figured it could help in finding more clues about the whereabouts of those scientists or Fawn’s killer, or even if anyone worked under their belts.

Richard placed a hand on his wrist, trying to steady his heart and calm down his shaking hand. Lily formed the stacks of papers together and handed him the pen. He clutched the pen and stared at the paper thoroughly. This was it, he had to decide now. He can’t wait. Otherwise, she’ll get suspicious of his actions too.