Because Aurora was genuine and upfront, never hiding things, Ian truly felt he could learn from her.

Meanwhile, the applicants were waiting outside, so Aurora sent Megan a quick message: "Are you on your way yet?"

Megan didn’t reply because the next second, she appeared in front of Aurora.

“I’m here, I’m here,” she said, slightly out of breath. “Traffic was bad, so I got held up.”

“That’s fine. Take a seat. We’ll start the interviews soon.”

Aurora didn’t even need to ask; she knew Megan had overslept again.

Megan stuck out her tongue, sipping from the milk carton she’d brought along. It was her first time on the other side of the table, interviewing people, and she found it oddly exciting.

Aurora handed her the folder of resumes to skim through. Megan flipped through a few pages, noticing most of the applicants were women. She didn’t pay much attention—photos were edited anyway, and it was better to see people in person to get a real sense of their character.

“Forget it, reading this is pointless. Better to see how they come across face-to-face,” Megan said, tossing the folder back onto the table.

Aurora glanced at it and actually agreed; resumes were often dressed up with flowery exaggerations. What mattered was the person sitting across from them. Ian caught their meaning too, then turned to call the candidates in.

The twelve applicants filed into the room, visibly nervous. The moment Ian spoke, they sat up straighter, adjusting their clothes, clutching their resumes tighter, worried about making a wrong impression. Each one had a resume in hand.

At first, they had been struck by the courtyard-style studio—its vintage charm was nothing like the glass-and-steel high-rises where most offices were housed. That was exactly why, out of the fifteen who had signed up, three had turned on their heels the moment they saw the courtyard setup.

Aurora never even knew about it, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared. Everyone made their own choices. If someone was so shallow as to dismiss a job just because of the workspace, then it only proved they weren’t worth hiring in the first place.

People like that, obsessed with surface impressions, would be nothing but trouble down the road. Aurora had chosen the courtyard space for a reason. It wasn’t the only factor, of course, but part of her wanted an environment that would filter out exactly those kinds of people. In the end, what mattered most was how they worked together. If things didn’t fit later, there was always the option to let them go.

The first candidate to step inside was a shy young woman. She gave a quick, nervous self-introduction. But when Ian asked a few basic questions, her answers came out halting and timid. And the moment her eyes landed on Aurora sitting at the head of the table, she seemed completely distracted, staring as though dazzled, unable to focus on the questions.

Aurora finally cut in. “You do realize you’re here for an interview today, don’t you?”

“I–I am…” the girl stammered, voice thin and uncertain. Staring at Aurora in the lead chair, hearing her sudden crisp tone, the candidate flushed even deeper, though some spark of excitement flickered in her eyes.