"Okay, Milly! I'm ready to meet with Mr. Maxwell!"
"Yes, Miss Planner!"
Miss Planner was like an interviewing machine. Her assistant Black Wolf was amazed at how fast she moved. There was no wasted motion and the tiny blonde woman was completely focused on her goal. She'd interviewed at least forty candidates over the course of the week and she never seemed to get sick of it. Black Wolf was exhausted just from sitting and watching her.
"Miss Planner, Maxwell is with me now."
"Thank you, Milly! Please, send him in!"
The door to Miss Planner's office opened, and a handsome, middle-aged man with a balding head of black hair entered. He was dressed in a black suit and had a stern expression on his face. Miss Planner stood up.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today, Jessica."
"You're welcome, Maxwell. It's nice to see you again. I'm glad you could spare the time to speak with me. Please, make yourself comfortable.
Maxwell nodded and took a seat across from her desk. Black Wolf silently watched them both.
Maxwell was a white-collar criminal who wanted to make a change. He spent time behind bars for embezzlement, and he was a pariah among his peers. No legitimate businessperson would ever hire him, but Miss Planner saw something special in the man. She didn't care about his crimes. The Chosen Ones employed much worse people than him, after all, including actual murderers.
"I understand that you've been having a tough time lately, Maxwell."
"That's an understatement. It feels like the whole world hates me. I thought I had friends in high places, but now they're out there trying to destroy my life. I want you to know that if you give me a chance to start over, I will work harder than anyone else, and I won't let you down. I can guarantee you that."
Miss Planner smiled.
"The Chosen Ones aren't particularly bothered by what you've done in the past or what the media says about you. We're looking for talented individuals, and it looks like you have a lot to offer us, so I'm willing to take a risk with you. That is, as long as you follow a few rules. Your situation is a little sensitive, and that means we need your discretion if this is going to work. If you talk about anything that happens here, it's all going straight to the press, and we don't want to deal with any legal issues. Do you understand?"
"Of course. I'm not going to say a word. Not even to my wife. My lips are sealed. I'm not stupid."
Miss Planner was impressed. Maxwell wasn't afraid of her at all, and that meant that he was probably the right person for the job.
"Good. Now, I know you might be wondering why I'm even considering hiring you. The truth is, our current team isn't working very well. We need a new approach, and you seem like the perfect candidate for the job. You have experience, and I think it's safe to assume that you know how things should be run in your field."
"Yes, ma'am. I established and sold four companies as an entrepreneur, and all of them are still in business. After that, I worked for my friend's software firm, and I managed the company until I made the biggest mistake of my life. It's a story you don't hear every day, huh? I'm a numbers guy, and I can make sure you get the best results possible. I'll do whatever it takes to make things go smoothly. I just need some time to get acclimated."
Miss Planner nodded her head in approval. Black Wolf was amazed at how shameless the convicted criminal was. The entire world knew Maxwell was untrustworthy, but Miss Planner was treating this like it was the same as any other interview.
"I like that attitude, Maxwell. Let's move forward with the interview process then. How much do you know about our organization? What kind of work do the Chosen Ones do, and what makes us different from other organizations in the same line of business?"
Maxwell was a great conversationalist, or maybe he'd been practicing what to say. He answered Miss Planner without a second thought.
"Well... I know you're an international charity that works with alternative medicine, but beyond that, I haven't heard too many details. I tried to do my research before coming here today, and most of what I heard was really positive. It seems like you give people careers for life, and you help them find happiness. That sounds pretty good to me."
"That's more than enough. I'm glad to see that you did your homework. This is a big step, so let's make sure you understand everything that you need to."
"Please, enlighten me."
Maxwell smiled. He was confident. Miss Planner liked him already.
"You're not far off, to be honest. The Chosen Ones are a spiritual organization that makes its money through the sale of Nuke, a medicine that helps people live happier, healthier lives. We're not exactly a secret society, but we prefer to keep a low profile. Most people know nothing about us except the charities we run. Our clients include a lot of wealthy, influential individuals who don't want to be found out by the media, and I'm sure you can relate to that. We're not the type to advertise ourselves, but we do a lot of good work for the world.
Black Wolf felt sick. Miss Planner was practically lying to Maxwell's face. Maybe an important point to mention for the purposes of Maxwell's future would be that one of the organization's leaders was a man wearing a skull mask named the Sage of Destruction with the power to fire black beams out of energy out of his fingers, or that the Chosen Ones worshipped an evil god named Llamoomoo that transformed humans into monsters.
"We do a lot of work with the homeless, as well, and we're dedicated to giving them a chance to get off the streets. We also provide counseling services for victims of domestic abuse and drug addiction. I can tell you that the work we do has helped many, many people."
"That's very impressive, Miss Planner. I'm surprised that the Chosen Ones can afford to be so altruistic in this day and age."
"After telling you all that, I'm sure you're curious what type of work we have in mind for you. We need someone with your skills to get one of our recent acquisitions off the ground. Are you familiar with the King's Crown amusement park? It used to be a successful, profitable operation until it got bought up by a competitor and shut down. We snatched it up as soon as it went on the market."
"I know a little about it. I've seen pictures of the old rollercoaster and the attractions. I never had the opportunity to go there myself, but I heard it was closed because the new management couldn't get funding from investors."
"That's right. The park was still drawing decent traffic when the competition came in, so I don't think it's a lost cause at all."
"You want me to revive this place and turn a profit? Is that what you're asking?"
"Yes, that's exactly what we need you to do. You'll have access to any resources you might require, but we must get this project moving. I know you're used to being in charge, and I have a very talented staff who will help you with the technical aspects of the job. Of course, I'm always available to answer questions, and if you ever feel like you're at a dead-end, I'm sure we can find some way to make things easier for you. What do you think? Do you see yourself doing this?"
"Absolutely. I know how to run an organization, and I can do whatever you ask of me. I'm ready to get to work again. I want to prove that everyone deserves a second chance in life. I'm not going to let you down."
Maxwell was selling himself hard, and Black Wolf didn't like it. This guy was a straight-up crook who'd done time for stealing from his place of employment. He wasn't qualified to work with the Chosen Ones.
"That's what I like to hear. I just have one more question for you. This one's kind of personal. Do you smoke?"
Maxwell laughed nervously. He suspected Miss Planner was trying to set him up.
"No, ma'am. I'm a non-smoker."
"Not once in your entire life?"
"Back in my college days I would do anything for that extra boost, but once I entered the working world I swore off anything that could harm my productivity. No smoking, no drugs, no alcohol. I don't even drink soda. I'm committed to a healthy lifestyle."
Miss Planner pulled a carton of Nuke cigarettes out of her purse.
"I'm going to cut to the chase. This is the medicine I mentioned earlier, and it's our business model to sell this to whoever we can. It's not a deal-breaker or anything, but if you want to go far with us, then you should at least give it a try to see what we're all about."
"You're serious, huh? I've never had a job interview like this before."
"Consider it part of your research. I know you don't want to do this, and I understand that, but it's for the best. If you don't trust me on this, you'll regret it later."
"I guess I can't say no to that."
Miss Planner handed Maxwell the box of smokes and sped through the paperwork. Maxwell's onboarding process would begin the very same week. Miss Planner wanted him to get started as soon as possible.
