Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

Katherine was fortunate that she was called for an interview. She did a research on the company and was impressed that even though it only started about eight years ago, compared to its competitors, it was flourishing.

*Crown Resort Group, Harbor City.*

When she arrived at the building, she was thoroughly impressed by the interior design. From the walls to the furniture used, it screamed luxury and comfort. It was as if she had walked into a large spa because of the soothing music that filled the air and even the smell of the lobby was quite relaxing.

A graceful smile formed on her face as she walked towards the information booth.

"Excuse me? I'm here for an interview." She said to the receptionist where she was greeted with a smile. In the TV dramas that she had often watched, she was used to seeing receptionists with a bad attitude and would look down on women like her. But the lady from the reception area was very welcoming and polite.

"This way, please." The receptionist gave her a pass and led her towards the elevator. After pressing a button on the elevator, the receptionist stayed outside and smiled at her again. "Good luck."

Because of the very nice atmosphere and personnel in the building, Katherine's morale was boosted. She was first feeling nervous, but that feeling was soon replaced with excitement. Soon, the doors of the elevator opened and with a huge smile on her face, she stepped out and followed the signs that led her to a hallway.

The smile on her face was immediately wiped off when she saw ten other applicants were waiting outside the interview room.

'Of course, there will be competition! That's a huge monthly salary!' She told herself as she sat down and behaved while she waited.

She was the last one to be called and so she had to wait for almost two hours until it was her turn. But because of the long wait, Katherine fell asleep on the bench. She really had to hand it to them, even the bench was comfortable enough to sleep on.

"Miss? Miss?" A staff patted her lightly on the shoulder.

Startled, Katherine wiped the drool on the side of her mouth as she quickly fixed her clothes and composed herself before she entered the interview room.

The interview did not last for a long time. She was there for only about ten minutes or so then was told to wait for a phone call regarding the results.

Not knowing what she was going to expect, Katherine began to feel nervous. She had no choice but to wait for the news.

...

At the convenience store where Katherine worked from afternoon until evening, she stared at her phone while anxiously waiting for "the" phone call. The interview only happened yesterday morning but she was already looking forward to the result.

Staring blankly at her phone, she bit her nail and was in agony for the long wait. She was so preoccupied that she did not even notice the tall gentleman who came forward to the counter, waiting for her to punch in his purchase.

Noticing that the cashier was not paying attention to her surroundings, the man leaned forward and peeked over her phone screen but found nothing. "Are you waiting for something important?" He asked with a smooth and gentle voice.

Absentmindedly, Katherine nodded her head while still staring at her phone.

The man placed the can of cold coffee aside and set his elbow down so that he was casually leaning as if he was doing likewise: waiting and staring at her phone. "What are you waiting for?"

"News from the job interview that I had yesterday. Darn it. What's taking it so long?" Katherine clicked her tongue and threw her phone lightly on the counter, evidently frustrated by the lack of news. "They could just say I didn't make the cut or something. Why do they have to make applicants wait this long?!"

"Which company did you apply for?" The man asked, opening the can of coffee that was still unpaid for.

"Crown Resort Group." She heavily sighed.

Taking a sip from his coffee, he stared and observed the interesting woman. "Yeah, big companies do usually take a long time to reply."

"Mhmm." She hummed and casually turned her gaze towards the man who was talking to her. She instantly straightened up when she saw that it was a customer. Scratch that, he was a handsome customer. "I'm so sorry, sir. I… I didn't notice that you were a customer." She bowed her head and bit her lip, afraid that she was going to get in trouble again for her blunder.

The man stood ramrod straight, a charming smile lingered on his lips. He was wearing a dark grey business suit with a scarf on his neck. He looked very posh yet did not look out of place inside the convenience store. "Don't worry about it. You did no harm." He said kindly, placing the coffee can on the counter and taking out his wallet. "How much is the coffee?"

Feeling guilty, Katherine raised her hand and patted her chest, "I-I-I'll pay for it."

The man's hand stopped and he looked at her, raising his brow in question, "Huh?"

"I'll pay for your coffee, sir," Katherine said as she quickly placed a bill on the registry, punching the purchase.

"You don't have to-"

"I already did. I'm sorry again, please take this as my apology." She said, bowing her head once more.

Surprised, the man held his wallet back and retrieved the coffee from the counter. "You really didn't have to, but thanks. I'll return the favor one day." He flashed another fetching smile before turning around.

He was about to exit the store when he turned back a little. "Good luck with that job. I hope you get it." He said before he disappeared into the street.

Katherine raised her head and tried to peek but she could no longer see him. She smiled when she remembered what he said, feeling good that a handsome gentleman just wished her good luck. Whoever he was, she hoped that he was an angel and that his words were going to give her good fortune.

"Why are you standing there and being idle?! Go and arrange the snack aisle!" Her manager Ruby who did nothing but always scold her for every little thing, ordered her with an ugly sneer.

Katherine thought that this woman was such a pain in the butt. If only she had any other choice, she would have already quit. She swore she was going to walk out of this place in style and Ruby can kiss her ass goodbye.

With an obvious fake smile plastered on her face which made Ruby even more irritated, Katherine walked to the snack aisle to start organizing and put new stocks on the shelves.

It was almost five in the afternoon when she received a phone call from an unknown number. With a box of beer in her hand, she balanced it on her left and took out her phone from her jeans pocket. "Hello?" She answered, placing her phone in between her ear and her shoulder as she multitasked.

"Yes."

"Okay…"

Katherine's eyes widened. The phone call ended quickly and she received a text message that confirmed the call just happened. She had just received the news that she was accepted at Crown Resort Group.

"Aaaaaaahhh!!!" She squealed at the top of her lungs. Letting go of the box of beer in her hand, it splattered across the floor – liquid flooded the aisle but Katherine was too excited to even care.

Ruby saw what happened and her nose almost emitted out smoke because of anger. "What the hell did you do, you idiot!"

That was when Katherine snapped out of her trance and noticed the mess that she made.

"You!!!" Ruby glared, her finger pointing at Katherine's face. "You clean up this mess and you are fired!!"

Raising a brow, Katherine let out a mocking laugh. She thought that Ruby was so amusing. "Oh no, you can't fire me, Ruby… because I quit!"

Shocked, Ruby could only gasp, her mouth formed into an O. She could not believe the nerve of this woman. "What did you just say?"

"This…" Katherine dramatically waved her hand on the mess that she made. "You can clean this yourself. I have had enough of your bullsh*t. If you have problems with your love life, don't take it out on me. You need to get laid, woman. Your hormones are everywhere."

Ruby almost choked hearing what Katherine just said. She was speechless as she watched Katherine walk past her and took some money from the cash register.

Katherine counted the money in her hand and nodded that she had taken the right amount for her weekly salary.

Waving the cash in the air, she said, "This is my pay for this week. Goodbye!" Katherine hastily grabbed her bag and walked out of the store with her head held high.

As soon she was out of the store, she found the nearest corner and held her face. "What have I done?"

She placed her hand on her chest, feeling the drumming of her heart and patted it as if she was calming it down. "How brave of you."

A bright smile etched on her face and she was again feeling very excited for landing on the position that she applied for.

Seems like her life was looking very positive from here on out.