Chapter 3 · First Impression, Last Mistake

I looked at the message and couldn't help but laugh.

Westin wouldn't have imagined it, not even in his wildest dreams.

The woman in the puffy black jacket, the one he thought was too much of an embarrassment to take out in public, was now sitting in a 29th-floor office. His background check report was laid out on the desk.

At exactly four in the afternoon, the conference room door swung open.

Westin walked in. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and gray slacks, his hair perfectly styled, and his shoes polished to a shine.

He carried a black folder in his hand, a confident smile on his face.

He didn't look at me. Or rather, he glanced at me, but didn't show any reaction at all.

He didn't recognize me, but I didn't blame him.

Back on the second day of the blind date, I was just a girl in a bulky black jacket, hair pulled back in a ponytail, bare-faced and plain as could be.

Today, I was sitting right in the middle of the long conference table, dressed in a tailored suit, my hair neatly pinned up, and wearing light makeup.

To him, I must have seemed like a totally different person.

"Westin Deleon, right? Please, have a seat," I said.

"Thanks," Westin said, pulling out a chair and sitting upright. "I'm Westin Deleon. I used to work in project management at Opulent Group, and I have three years of experience in operations."

I opened his resume and gave it a quick look. I asked, "What was your position at Opulent Group?"

"Project manager," he replied instantly.

I didn't look up and asked, "How big a team have you managed?"

"Around fifteen people," he replied.

I asked, "What was the typical project budget?"

"Annual budgets ranged from 2.5 to 4 million dollars," he answered smoothly and confidently, like he'd rehearsed it a hundred times.

I flipped to the second page of his resume.

"For the XX supply chain project you led at Opulent Group, how did you structure the KPIs?" I asked.

He paused for a split second. Just a fraction of a second.

Then he quickly continued, "We broke it down by quarter. Q1 was all about supplier selection, Q2 moved into the trial phase..."

I asked, "What scoring model did you use for picking suppliers?"

Westin replied, "Uh... we used an overall scoring system," he replied.

I pressed, "How did you split up the weights in that scoring system? How much did cost, delivery time, and quality control each account for?"

His fingers twitched just a bit. "Probably something like 40% for cost, 30% for delivery time, and 30% for quality control."

Probably. If he were truly the one who led that project, he wouldn't be so vague.

I jotted down a number in my notebook and closed it.

I looked at him and asked, "One last question. Why did you leave Opulent Group?"

His smile didn't falter, but his shoulders tensed for a split second.

"For my own development. I wanted to find a bigger stage," he replied.

I asked, "Wasn't Opulent Group big enough for you?"

Westin replied, "Of course it was, but I think Sapient Tech has a brighter future in the industry. You guys got a Series B last year, valued at 700 million dollars. I've been following them closely," he replied.

He met my gaze, looking genuinely sincere. It almost felt rehearsed.

I nodded. "Alright, that's it for today's interview. We'll let you know the results within a week."

"Thank you, Ms. Parsons," he said, standing up and reaching out his hand.

I shook his hand. His hand was dry, and his grip was firm, but not overbearing.

As Westub reached the door, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Ms. Parsons, can I ask how many rounds are there for the Operations Director role?"

"Three rounds. This is your last one," I replied.

He smiled. It was a smile of relief.

The door closed behind him.

I set my pen down and drew an X in my notebook.

Westin didn't recognize me at all. Just as I expected.

In Westin's mind, the girl in the black puffy jacket from that blind date and the VP sitting in a 29th-floor office were not the same person at all.

I picked up my phone and shot Violet a message: [Do a deep dive on Westin's background check. I want the full story on why he left Opulent Group.]

*****

The next morning, Violet walked in, her expression complicated and hard to read.

"Ms. Parsons, the supplemental background check on Westin just came in," she said.

She placed the file on my desk and lingered, not making a move to leave.

I opened it. The first page was a reply from Opulent Group's HR. This time, there were three extra lines compared to yesterday.

It said, "Reason for leaving: Inappropriate conduct at work. Let go after an internal investigation."

"What exactly did he do?" I asked.

Violet hesitated for a moment and said, "The first page was a reply from Opulent Group's HR. This time, there were three extra lines compared to yesterday.

"She endured it for half a year before finally speaking up. Once the company looked into it and got the proof, they let him go immediately."

I closed the file.

Harassed for months, but that girl actually put up with it for half a year.

"Any hard evidence?" I asked.

Violet replied, "Opulent Group said their internal disciplinary files can't be shared, but they can give us a letter stating he left 'not under normal circumstances'."

I nodded. "Get it."

Violet left.

I leaned back in my chair, absently running my fingers along the edge of the file.

Westin was just a project specialist, not a project manager. His salary was 50 thousand dollars a year, not 150 thousand dollars.

He did not resign. Instead, he was fired for harassing a female coworker.

This is the same guy who sat across from me at that restaurant, sneering at my looks, complaining I didn't bother with makeup, and saying I'd make him look bad if he took me out.

Chapter 3

I looked at the message and couldn't help but laugh.

Westin wouldn't have imagined it, not even in his wildest dreams.

At exactly four in the afternoon, the conference room door swung open.

Westin walked in. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and gray slacks, his hair perfectly styled, and his shoes polished to a shine.

He carried a black folder in his hand, a confident smile on his face.

He didn't look at me. Or rather, he glanced at me, but didn't show any reaction at all.

He didn't recognize me, but I didn't blame him.

Back on the second day of the blind date, I was just a girl in a bulky black jacket, hair pulled back in a ponytail, bare-faced and plain as could be.

Today, I was sitting right in the middle of the long conference table, dressed in a tailored suit, my hair neatly pinned up, and wearing light makeup.

To him, I must have seemed like a totally different person.

"Westin Deleon, right? Please, have a seat," I said.

"Thanks," Westin said, pulling out a chair and sitting upright. "I'm Westin Deleon. I used to work in project management at Opulent Group, and I have three years of experience in operations."

I opened his resume and gave it a quick look. I asked, "What was your position at Opulent Group?"

"Project manager," he replied instantly.

I didn't look up and asked, "How big a team have you managed?"

"Around fifteen people," he replied.

I asked, "What was the typical project budget?"

"Annual budgets ranged from 2.5 to 4 million dollars," he answered smoothly and confidently, like he'd rehearsed it a hundred times.

I flipped to the second page of his resume.

"For the XX supply chain project you led at Opulent Group, how did you structure the KPIs?" I asked.

He paused for a split second. Just a fraction of a second.

Then he quickly continued, "We broke it down by quarter. Q1 was all about supplier selection, Q2 moved into the trial phase..."

I asked, "What scoring model did you use for picking suppliers?"

Westin replied, "Uh... we used an overall scoring system," he replied.

I pressed, "How did you split up the weights in that scoring system? How much did cost, delivery time, and quality control each account for?"

His fingers twitched just a bit. "Probably something like 40% for cost, 30% for delivery time, and 30% for quality control."

Probably. If he were truly the one who led that project, he wouldn't be so vague.

I jotted down a number in my notebook and closed it.

I looked at him and asked, "One last question. Why did you leave Opulent Group?"

His smile didn't falter, but his shoulders tensed for a split second.

"For my own development. I wanted to find a bigger stage," he replied.

I asked, "Wasn't Opulent Group big enough for you?"

He met my gaze, looking genuinely sincere. It almost felt rehearsed.

I nodded. "Alright, that's it for today's interview. We'll let you know the results within a week."

"Thank you, Ms. Parsons," he said, standing up and reaching out his hand.

I shook his hand. His hand was dry, and his grip was firm, but not overbearing.

As Westub reached the door, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Ms. Parsons, can I ask how many rounds are there for the Operations Director role?"

"Three rounds. This is your last one," I replied.

He smiled. It was a smile of relief.

The door closed behind him.

I set my pen down and drew an X in my notebook.

Westin didn't recognize me at all. Just as I expected.

In Westin's mind, the girl in the black puffy jacket from that blind date and the VP sitting in a 29th-floor office were not the same person at all.

I picked up my phone and shot Violet a message: [Do a deep dive on Westin's background check. I want the full story on why he left Opulent Group.]

*****

The next morning, Violet walked in, her expression complicated and hard to read.

"Ms. Parsons, the supplemental background check on Westin just came in," she said.

She placed the file on my desk and lingered, not making a move to leave.

I opened it. The first page was a reply from Opulent Group's HR. This time, there were three extra lines compared to yesterday.

It said, "Reason for leaving: Inappropriate conduct at work. Let go after an internal investigation."

"What exactly did he do?" I asked.

Violet hesitated for a moment and said, "The first page was a reply from Opulent Group's HR. This time, there were three extra lines compared to yesterday.

"She endured it for half a year before finally speaking up. Once the company looked into it and got the proof, they let him go immediately."

I closed the file.

Harassed for months, but that girl actually put up with it for half a year.

"Any hard evidence?" I asked.

Violet replied, "Opulent Group said their internal disciplinary files can't be shared, but they can give us a letter stating he left 'not under normal circumstances'."

I nodded. "Get it."

Violet left.

I leaned back in my chair, absently running my fingers along the edge of the file.

Westin was just a project specialist, not a project manager. His salary was 50 thousand dollars a year, not 150 thousand dollars.

He did not resign. Instead, he was fired for harassing a female coworker.

This is the same guy who sat across from me at that restaurant, sneering at my looks, complaining I didn't bother with makeup, and saying I'd make him look bad if he took me out.