A Wounded Heart

Nicolas

My meeting took longer than expected, and I ended up not being able to participate in the final stage of the selection process for choosing my secretary. Something I really would have liked to do because working daily with someone, in a role that would require constant contact, necessitated at least getting along with the other person. And this kind of thing, you only know by seeing the other party. Resumes and photos said nothing about this.

As I realized I wouldn't make it on time, I decided to call Esmeralda and give her the go-ahead to start the interviews without me. I would join as soon as possible. The entire process was handled by an agency hired by our company, but this final stage would take place at our construction company.

At the end of my meeting, I headed towards the elevator as I was going to the twentieth floor to at least participate in the final interviews. I checked my iPhone and saw some messages from my current girlfriend. I had been dating an international model for a few weeks, but I believed it wouldn't last long, just like all my other relationships before her.

Her schedule was very tight, and I was looking for a serious relationship and stability. I wanted something like what my parents had. I would turn twenty-five next month, and I was a laid-back guy who enjoyed more family-oriented activities. No nightlife and parties. The opposite of my current girlfriend. And others who came before her.

The women around me always perceived me as someone different from who I was. What they believed a millionaire bachelor should be had nothing to do with the person I was, and it always caused a lot of problems and, consequently, the end of those relationships. We weren't in sync and didn't have the same goals.

I didn't reply to Natasha, my girlfriend. I had been trying to talk to her for days, and I was too upset to respond to her so easily. I was thinking of ending our relationship, which wasn't even supposed to have started, when the elevator doors opened, and I was greeted by a girl who immediately caught my attention. She was a very beautiful young woman sitting on one of the sofas in the small reception, reading something on her phone, with the tip of her nail between her lips. She quickly lifted her head, I believe to see who had arrived, and then looked at me without any restraint, making my heart race inexplicably, and stirred something within me like I had never felt for any other woman.

For a few seconds, we stared at each other without saying a word, but the atmosphere wasn't uncomfortable. I felt strangely excited just by seeing that girl there, dressed formally and appropriately for the corporate environment.

She appeared to be around twenty years old, wearing black dress pants with a light green blouse tucked into a navy blue blazer. She was short; compared to my 6'2", she probably didn't reach 5'5", but she left me completely enchanted. She had a cinnamon-colored complexion, with a sculpted body that the conservative clothing couldn't entirely conceal. However, it was her eyes that caught my attention the most. They were green, something not very common for her skin tone, and they were large and expressive, fascinating me as she looked at me so openly.

I greeted her with just a good morning; I didn't know what else to say to her and feared saying something that would reveal how the presence of this beautiful girl affected me, just by standing there, looking at me. I was still a bit stunned, and I believe my speech made her realize what she was doing. She pulled back, straightening her posture. In the state of bewilderment, I found myself in, I ended up being abrupt with her, something I would regret as soon as I could think coherently.

When I asked if she was one of the selected candidates for the interview, and she confirmed, I realized that the most enchanting creature I had ever seen, the one for whom I was drooling like a hormone-filled teenager, could be my future secretary. I immediately tensed up. I hastily left the room, not even bidding her a proper farewell, as would be polite, and headed toward the location where the interviews with Esmeralda were supposed to be taking place.

I had to prevent the young woman from being selected as my secretary, but, of course, I wouldn't harm her in any way. I also wouldn't benefit her either, as regardless of my initial reaction to seeing her, the position was of utmost importance to me and the company. I wouldn't appoint someone who wasn't qualified for the role.

All of this crossed my mind in just a few seconds, but I managed to find a solution quickly, as I was accustomed to doing in all aspects of my life, both professional and personal. I thought of a way to prevent her from becoming my secretary but also not miss the opportunity to work at Alcântara.

I knocked on the door and quickly entered the room without waiting for a response. A young woman was standing, seemingly bidding farewell to Esmeralda, who was behind the desk, also standing, and the two were shaking hands.

When they saw me enter the room, both turned towards me – my Human Resources employee with a questioning expression, and the other young woman seemingly confused by my abrupt entrance.

She was a beautiful girl as well, tall with a lovely figure, much like the young woman I left in the reception area. She had long blond hair, full of large curls, and captivating blue eyes, but unlike the other girl, they didn't evoke any feelings in me.

"Hello, Nicolas!" greeted Esmeralda. "I was finishing the interview with Miss Helen Carvalho. She is one of the candidates who have progressed to this final phase of the process." She turned to the young woman and said, "Helen, this is Mr. Nicolas Alcântara. If you are selected, you will be Nicolas's secretary. He is a very kind person, and I'm sure you will enjoy working here."

The candidate then looked at me with a different sparkle in her eyes. Despite that, I felt very comfortable with her and liked her demeanor.

"I wish you success, Helen! We will contact you with feedback on the results," I said as a farewell, and she quickly understood that it was her cue to leave the room.

One more point for her.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Nicolas. Have a good day," she said, leaving the room with a nod of her head.

"I liked this young woman, but there's still one more for the interview. Are you going to participate?" Esmeralda asked me, turning to sit in her chair behind the desk.

I thought carefully about what I was going to say and decided it would be the best course of action.

"Esmeralda, what do you think of the candidates you've already interviewed today?"

"As I told you, there's still one left. I'd like to make a definitive assessment only after talking to all of them," she said thoughtfully.

She had been the Human Resources manager of the company for several years. Even before my brother and I became part of the staff, I trusted her judgment. She always made the right choices.

"But I sense there's something more behind your question. Tell me, what's the issue?" she inquired.

"I've decided not to take a stance on the choice of my secretary. I just ask that you choose two names, not just one, as would be correct in this case."

"But why two names?" she asked, intrigued.

"As you know, my brother will soon need an assistant as well."

"I'm aware of that fact, but we had decided to conduct a new hiring process because we were going to choose someone from the finance department specifically."

"It won't be necessary. Let's choose both people now because I heard that Luciana's mother wants to move as soon as possible. And as you know, it's ideal for Luciana to train this new employee to assist Henrique."

Luciana was Henrique's secretary, my younger brother, and the financial director of Alcântara Construction. She had resigned from the company because her mother was moving to another state for family reasons, and Luciana had decided to go with her. For Luciana's role, we had relocated another employee from the company, but Henrique had decided that he also needed an assistant to help him with the responsibilities of being the financial director of a construction company with many businesses and investments.

"I have to agree with you on this point. Let's do it as you wish. But only if I conclude that there are indeed two options with the requirements for the roles they would be assigned in the event of hiring."

"That's fine," I said and was about to leave when I remembered another important point and returned to her. "Don't forget to first present me with the resumes of the two selected candidates. I will decide which one will be my secretary and which one will be Henrique's new assistant."

This way, I could analyze more carefully and at ease what I felt for the young woman, and perhaps if we did develop some kind of involvement, her being my brother's assistant wouldn't be an obstacle for us, just as it would if she were to be my secretary.