This was his fourth interview after being fired from his previous three jobs. His documents and files scattered on the ground after he bumped into something—or someone.

Without looking up, he immediately knelt down to gather his things. As he did, he noticed another hand helping to pick up his papers.

“Callistus,” a man’s voice said, reading from one of the documents.

Callistus looked up. A man was in a full black suit, professional-looking and around the same age but far more handsome. His black hair was neat, with a few strands artfully loose in front.

A grin spread across the man’s face as he handed Callistus an empty sheet of paper. “That’s weird,” Callistus thought. 

He finished collecting his things, thanked the man, and hurried away. He rushed into the building sitting for a while before hearing a woman call his name—it was his turn for the interview.

Callistus straightened his clothes and walked into the interview room, which was a typical office setup. Huge windows on his right side showing a nice view of the sun setting. A table in front of him where five people sat: two men and three women, all in suits.

His eyes immediately fixed on one of them: the man from the parking lot, sitting in the middle.

“Welcome to Everlasting Chase Estate Auction! I’m Chief Operating Officer and President Isabell,” the woman on the right said. “Nice to meet you. Next to me is Compliance Officer Pavanya, and on my other side is Chief Financial Officer Myiesha.”

“And I’m Chairman Danish,” the man on the left added. “Nice to meet you.”

The man he bumped into remained silent, but Callistus didn’t want to seem rude, so he continued with the interview.

—

Callistus Jav Morales, just turning 26 years old, had just lost his job for the third time. It was becoming a big problem, and he knew he was the one to blame. After finishing his education, his life took a tragic turn. He got into an accident and fell into a coma for a few weeks. When he woke up, half of his memories, including those from his studies, were wiped out.

Now, with a degree in accounting before the accident, Callistus is trying his best to rebuild his life. But things haven't been going so well for him.

—

“Thank you, Calitus?” President Isabell said. “Please wait outside, and we will inform you of our decision soon.”

The interview was over, and Callistus sighed in relief as he closed the door behind him. He sat down on one of the office sofas, waiting for the results.

He felt quite embarrassed about bumping into that man earlier, especially since he didn’t know his position. It was odd that the man hadn’t spoken during the interview and had only stared at him, without introducing himself.

Callistus fidgeted with his hands, looking around nervously. His phone vibrated in his pocket; it was a call from Mia Munn, one of his oldest friends. She was also the one who recommended him the job. 

“Did you get the job?” Mia asked.

“Still waiting,” Callistus replied. “What’s up?”

“Congrats buddy, you have a client,” Mia continued. “He wants to meet you next week.”

“Alright,” Callistus said, ending the call.

The door opened again, and the woman called for him. He walked in nervously, facing the three people from earlier. The chairwoman and president exchanged glances before looking at Callistus.

“We reviewed your documents and the interview,” President Isabell began. “Danish and I don’t think you’re the right fit for our company, but…”

“But our Chief Executive Officer decided to give you a chance,” President Danish continued. “He sees some potential in you to learn and grow.”

“Don’t disappoint us,” the man finally spoke. “You’ll start tomorrow at 9 a.m. Get some rest tonight.”

Callistus’s eyes widened in surprise. He thanked them all and left the room.

“What did you see in him, Ivan?” Isabell asked once Callistus had left. “He has a degree, but he’s lost half his memories.”

All of them were packing up their things to leave for the day.

“I agree with Isabell,” Danish added. “And you usually prefer working from home. Why the sudden appearance on interview day? You’ve never done that before.”

Ivan smiled slightly. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just a coincidence?” he replied. “Plus I think if Callistus has the will to learn, he can do well in our company. Don’t you think so?”

Myiesha chuckled, “Sounds like something else,” she said as they all entered the elevator.

—

The alarm rang the fifth time, Callistus sprang out of bed. He checked the time—he had only 15 minutes to get ready and be there.

He rushed through his morning routine, spilling his breakfast, buttoning his shirt wrong, and forgetting to pack properly. 

“Fuck,” he muttered in frustration.

He quickly tidied himself, fixed his mistakes, grabbed the computer bag from yesterday, and headed out to get a cab. When he arrived at the building, he was greeted by CFO Myiesha, who led him to his desk.

“This is your space,” she said, leading him to an empty desk. “You may decorate it as you like. Ivan will be here soon to explain your job personally.”

Callistus smiled. “Thank you. But who is Ivan?”

“Ivan is our Chief Executive Officer, or CEO. He'll call you into his office soon,” Myiesha said, taking another look at him. “Do you like animals?”

“Yeah, why?”

“We went to the same primary school! I knew you looked familiar. I hope you do well in this company, Callistus.” 

Myiesha left with a smile, leaving Callistus with a sense of relief knowing he had someone familiar in the company. However, whenever he thought of Ivan, a familiar feeling crept over him. Soon enough, a secretary called him into Ivan's office.

Ivan was at his computer but looked up and signalled for Callistus to sit. Callistus walked towards the chair, tripping but quickly found his balance again. 

“Good morning, sir,” Callistus said as he sat down.

“Good morning,” Ivan replied with a smile. “I remember you mentioned you lost half your memory, including your studies, right?”

Callistus nodded.

“Can you tell me about the accident that caused your memory loss?” Ivan continued. “It's the first time I've heard about memory loss in an interview.”

Callistus was surprised but agreed. “I- erm- sure,” he stuttered. “Well, around four years ago…”

—

Graduation caps flew high into the air as the students cheered. Four years of hard work had finally paid off.

Callistus huddled with his friends, all laughing and excited about the new chapter ahead.

“Bro, can you believe it? We graduated!” one of them exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Callistus yelled back.

Later, at home, Callistus received a call from Mia. He picked it up.

“Congratulations!” she shouted through the phone. “I'm proud of you, bud.”

Callistus chuckled. “Thanks, what's up?”

“You have a client this evening at Boudiner's Diner. Your first ever client, how exciting! She'll be dressed in red and white, tall and skinny. Good luck.”

“Alright, I'll be there,” he said, hanging up.

Freshly graduated, with a side job to earn extra money—though not a typical one—Callistus arrived at the diner and spotted the woman matching Mia’s description. He sat down across from her as she took out a few photos from her purse.

“I will pay 20 thousand just to get him killed,” she whispered. “Take as much time as you need, but I want him gone.”

Callistus nodded, silent for a moment. “May I know the reason?”

“This man tried to murder me when he came back from military training, accusing me of sleeping with other men. But he was the real liar, not even going to military training but leaving the country to sleep with other women!” She slammed the table, attracting attention, and quickly apologised. “20k, take as much time as you need, but not longer than 3 months.”

Callistus shook her hand. It was now set.