The Job That Found Me
I was fired on a Tuesday. It was autumn
I knew nothing good would happen on that day. Call me crazy, but I'm a bit superstitious. Just basic stuff, you know...black cats over the road, cravens watching me. Nothing too weird. Well, that day I forgot my keys so I went back home. You never go back once you've already left. Everybody knows that.
So yeah, I got fired.
Not too dramatically. There was shouting, no tears. Just a fake smile from my manager and a some shitty words that ended my rent, my plans, and well...my illusion that hard work was enough in order to succeed in life.
“Sorry, Ana. We’re restructuring the team.”
I stepped out into the cold afternoon with my last paycheck folded in my coat pocket and the feeling that something had just quietly snapped inside me.
There was still light outside when I received that call. Funny how my mind works now. I always pay attention to the light. I always remember events according to the moment of the day. Anyway, I answered.
“Ana?”
The voice sounded familiar. Too familiar for bad news, I'd say, but I'd be a fool.
“Aunt Mara?” I said, stopping on the sidewalk.
“How are you dear?" Her voice trambeled a bit because of her old age.
I started to tell her about my awful day- and life, actually.
"How amusing that happened." she said before apologizing for being rude. "Nothing humorous about your situation, dear. It's just... I saw something today and I felt the urge to call you instantly,” she continued, lowering her voice as if someone might be listening. “A job posting. Back home, at The Castle.”
I laughed once, sharp and tired. “The Castle?”
“You know the place. The Stephan Castle. They’re looking for an intern housekeeper. There's good money, dear.”
That made me stop laughing.
“I've never seen someone working there,” I said. “Not really. I thought the place was abandoned."
“That’s what people used to say” she replied. “But I heard that young Philip Stephan, the family's heir, came to restore the hotel. The posting is real. And even if it doesn't work out, it would be good for you to take a break from the city. I'll be out of town for a couple of days, but I'll be back on saturday. We can drink a coffee together.”
I didn’t ask how she knew all that information. In our town, everyone knew everything. I felt something strange inside my soul as I ended the call with aunt Mara.
Nevertheless, two days later I was on a bus cutting through the mountains with my suitcase at my feet, my future uncertain and that oddly feeling that everything is going to change for me.
The Castle appeared just as the sun hid below the yellow trees.
Stone rising from fog. Sharp towers against the darkening sky. So large. Too still.
I got off at the last stop, the road was empty in both directions. As I adjusted the strap of my bag, a black car rolled to a stop beside me.
The window slid down.
“Are you lost?”
The voice was low. Calm. Male.
I turned and for a second I forgot how to breathe.
He was sitting in the back of the car, perfect dark hair, eyes the color of freshly cut grass. Not smiling, exactly. Studying me. Like I was a question he already knew the answer to.
“I’m looking for Stephan Castle,” I said stupidly. I knew the place was right in front of me, but something deep inside told me to play dumb.
His gaze flicked to my suitcase. Then back to my face. Slowly.
“You’ve found it,” he said.
Something in his tone made my spine heat.
“I-I have an interview,” I added. “For the housekeeping position.”
A pause. Long enough to feel deliberate.
“Get in,” he said.
I hesitated.
He tilted his head slightly. “Unless you’d prefer to walk. It’s uphill.”
I got in.
The car smelled like leather and something spicy. Not cologne. Something strange. Dangerous.
Neither of us spoke as we drove through the iron gates that opened silently, like they’d been expecting us.
“Do you live here?” I asked, unable to stand the silence.
“Yes.”
That was all.
The car stopped near the entrance. He got out first, towering beside me when I stepped onto the gravel.
Up close, he was even worse. Sharper. Too beautiful in a way that didn’t feel safe.
“You should be careful,” he said suddenly.
“About what?”
“Accepting things that seem too convenient.”
His eyes held mine, unblinking.
Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadowed entrance.
I stood there longer than I should have.
Inside, The Castle was quiet. As still as its towers.
A woman in black met me in the lobby.
“I’m Eve,” she said. “Follow me.”
She led me through corridors that swallowed sound, into an office lined with dark wood and heavy curtains.
“Mr. Stephan will see you now.”
The door opened.
The man from the car stood behind the desk.
Now dressed impeccably. Composed. Untouchable.
His eyes met mine again and something passed between us that had nothing to do with coincidence.
“Miss Marchiz,” he said softly. “Welcome to my hotel.”
The door closed behind me.
I should have left when I still could. Instead, I stepped closer.
