Chapter 69

Chapter 69
Harvey prepared the Cristina’s contract and emailed it to both Cristina and Melina. Melina called Cristina and arranged to meet the following afternoon at the office building to sign the contract and for Melina to show her around.

Melina had her normal routine in the morning and then another round of excruciating interviews followed. She was getting more and more desperate about it, but she gave herself a pep-talk and continued. 

Her last interview would be a bit late, so she called Cristina to let her know. She told Cristina about the trouble she had to find the right fit for the web developer position and Cristina told her that she had a friend to recommend.

Melina asked her if she could ask her friend to come over to the office building with her and they could have their interview there and Cristina said she would check. After a few minutes, Cristina sent Melina a CV and told her that she would come for the interview.

Melina opened the CV and it was a different one from the ones she was used to. Penelope Bishop had graduated from MIT in computer science and cyber security. She had few jobs here and there, but nothing to stand out, so Melina started wondering if she would actually be a good fit.

Another message from Cristina came through, “She is the Queen of hackers – look her up online. Her code name is Phoenix. Warning – she had her run ins with the law but trust me you won’t find anyone better than her”. 

“You know I don’t judge – I have never met a hacker before, cool. How do you know her?” Melina texted back.

“We are friends since we were born, but we drifted apart because of her asshole abusive ex-boyfriend. She left him and left all of her stuff behind, so she is very eager to find a job and start over” Cristina replied, and she attached a photo of her with another woman, that Melina assumed it was Penelope.

The woman in the photo had blond shoulder length hair with hazel eyes and thin frame. She was wearing heavy make up around her eyes and lips and she looked like she could be part of a punk rock band or something.

Melina looked up online the code name Phoenix and soon she could understand why she had run ins with the law. The woman had hacked pretty much in every government database and the only reason they knew about it, it was because she told them.

Melina was already sold in the idea of hiring her. Someone with her skills would be an invaluable asset for the project, but she wasn’t sure if the offer would actually be appealing to her.

She finished her last interview, which went exactly as she thought it would – in disappointment – and she headed to the office building with Matteo accompanying her. When they arrived, Cristina was already there, along with a woman that looked completely different from the one in the photo Cristina sent her.

The woman in front of her was dressed in a pant suit that seemed a bit loose on her thin frame – no doubt it was Cristina’s suit – light make up, almost romantic. Melina thought to herself how upsetting it was that people had to pretend in job interviews, otherwise they might not be given a chance.

They made the necessary introductions, and they got into the building, which now was completely empty and cleaned up. Melina gave them a quick tour around the building and then headed in the break room area which had some chairs and a table to have the interview.

“Apologies for the set up” Melina said. “This doesn’t seem like the right place for an interview”

“No worries at all. I am actually very nervous, so it helps that it is not super formal” Penelope replied.

They had a long interview, longer than any of the other ones Melina has and by the end of it, Melina knew that Penelope was the one. She would work well with her and she was already friends with Cristina.

“Penelope, I have a few more questions that are a bit more personal. You don’t have to answer them, and I promise you if you choose to not answer them it will not change my decision” Melina said.

“O-okay” Penelope said.

“Cristina sent me a photo of you with her and you look quite different. Has your style changed or did you choose this outfit just for the interview?” Melina asked.
Penelope’s eyes widened. “I wanted to give a good first impression. I really need this job”.

“Okay. I appreciate the effort, but it is important to me for you to be yourself and feel comfortable, so you don’t have to change your style in order to work here” Melina said.

“Really? I appreciate that, thank you”. Penelope said.

“Cristina also mentioned an abusive ex-boyfriend that you left behind. Are you safe?”

“He doesn’t know where I am, so I am safe for now” Penelope replied.

“Okay. My boyfriend is Marco Vega. Look him up if you don’t know who he is. You will be safe with us and your boyfriend will not be able to touch you, but I will need you to share his details with me, so I can inform our security about him”

“Marco Vega? The head of the Vega family?” Penelope asked.

“Yes. If this is something you are uncomfortable with, I will understand if you want to decline my offer” Melina said.

“You are offering me the job?” Penelope asked.

“I am. I think we will work great together” Melina replied with a smile.

“I don’t know how to thank you” Penelope whispered.

“I do. I can tell that this guy did a number on you. I read about you online and I can tell what a bad ass you are, but when I look at you now, I feel like your confidence has been shaken. If you want to thank me, I need you to make me a list of the equipment that you need for the job and add some of the equipment you want for fun as well in the mix. I will make sure that you will get everything you need”

“Seriously?” Penelope asked incredulously.

“Seriously. The next few months setting up everything will be tough, so think of it as an apology in advance for the long hours we will need to put in. I do have one more request though”

“Which is?” Penelope asked carefully.

“Due to my boyfriend’s reputation, I need to ensure that this business will not attract any unnecessary attention, so I will need you to be discreet with any personal activities you might have”

Penelope giggled and she agreed. Melina told her that she would send over her contract by the following day. They shook hands and walked to find Cristina and Matteo that were waiting for them.