The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 988

Besides, to be completely honest, acting entirely devastated would feel a bit hypocritical.

He hadn't been close enough to Leilani to justify an utter breakdown.

After allowing himself a moment of pain, Josiah forced himself to pull it together and focus on sending out resumes.

He put on his most presentable suit, tying his tie with meticulous precision.

This was his third interview of the week—a Director of Operations role at a mid-sized company. He silently promised himself he had to nail this one.

His savings were almost entirely depleted. His father's medical bills, the household expenses, and the last scraps of the Sloan family's dignity all rested squarely on his shoulders. If he didn't land a job soon, they’d be out on the streets.

...

"Mr. Sloan, your resume is incredibly impressive."

The interviewer flipped through the pages, but his tone sounded a bit evasive. "You managed huge teams at the Sloan Group, handling multi-million dollar projects... Frankly, our little company usually couldn't afford someone of your caliber."

Josiah's stomach dropped. He knew a 'but' was coming.

Having navigated the corporate world for years, he maintained a polished smile. "You're too kind. The market is different now, and I’m genuinely interested in the growth potential here."

The interviewer gave a dry laugh, tapping the edge of the resume. "Well... look, I won't beat around the bush."

"Headquarters just sent down an urgent notice. This position has been put on a hiring freeze. Organizational restructuring, you know how it is. Everyone is tightening their belts right now."

Here we go again.

Josiah felt a suffocating weight in his chest. This was the third time this week he'd heard a variation of this exact excuse.

Josiah smoothly countered, "Not at all. Right now, I value platform stability above all else. I can pick up the technical nuances, and my management experience will help streamline the team."

The director nodded, looking pleased. She opened her mouth to reply, but her desk phone suddenly rang.

Glancing at the caller ID, her expression subtly shifted. "I am so sorry. I need to take this, it's urgent."

Josiah watched her walk over to the window. She kept her voice low, but kept throwing furtive glances his way. Her eyes held a mix of pity and avoidance.

When she hung up and sat back down, her entire demeanor had cooled. "Mr. Sloan, I think we'll wrap it up here for today. We'll be in touch."

Josiah knew with absolute certainty he would never hear from them again.

This wasn't the first time this exact scenario had played out. He knew someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.