CHAPTER 23: HIRING PEOPLE, NOT JUST SKILLS

Augustus grabbed a side seat, letting David take the center since David was the one handling all of the interview process.

Once Augustus sat down, David soon followed with an acknowledging nod. Max, however, just stood there with a confused expression, not knowing what to do.

He subconsciously looked at Augustus, who subtly nodded at him to take the seat. He smiled and gently sat on the chair.

Whoa, there are so many files here, Augustus mused, then glanced at David. He certainly is working diligently, he attested with a faint smile.

"Alright, this will be your last problem. If you solve this, then you’re hired," David stated firmly with a serious face. His demeanor was totally different from how Augustus knew him.

The girl meekly nodded. "Y-yes, sir." She stiffened and grabbed the laptop from David’s hand, clumsily placing it at the edge of the table. Then she began typing, gradual confidence flickering in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Augustus patted the dog and pulled out his phone, while David examined some documents.

Augustus wanted to gather any information on Ambrosia since the dating task was still pending. However, for some reason, Michelle’s image suddenly surfaced in his mind. Curious, he went to Michelle’s profile.

He read the details with a raised brow. So he was a bodyguard before joining WhaleFit, he noted with a smile, but his expression soon dimmed as he saw Michelle was an orphan with no parents.

"Wharf," the dog barked all of a sudden. Whether it was random or a response to his expression, no one could tell. But nevertheless...

*Crack*

Augustus’s eyes zoomed in—the laptop that was on the edge fell down, its display breaking.

Everyone looked at the girl. "I-I-I..." she stuttered and tensed up, unable to find words.

It was clear that while she was working on her laptop, the puppy’s sudden bark startled her. She flinched, and her hand accidentally knocked the laptop off the corner of the table.

She froze and looked at the three people, fear and panic visible in her eyes at just the thought of compensation. Max and David gave a brief glance toward Augustus since this was his property.

"I-I’m sorry, I’m always clumsy like this. I’ll finish the test, and once I’m onboard, you can cut the money from my salary," she said frantically.

Seeing her tensed expression, "Haha, calm down. There’s no need to worry," Augustus eased in with a light smile. "And it’s this cute doggie’s fault too," he replied in a soft tone.

"Wharf," the dog barked, seemingly agreeing with him.

"Hahaha, see?" he laughed it off, trying to ease her worries. Then, looking at the dog, is this dog understanding everything, or what? He mused.

She smiled bitterly, moisture building in her eyes, and looked at David, since he seemed like the person with the most authority.

David smiled with a knowing smirk. "As our boss said, you don’t have to worry, so please calm down," he affirmed gently, getting back to his usual personality.

[×] – Hire 2/3 people for Crunch Studio.

She looked at Augustus with a stunned expression that said someone so young was the owner of this office.

"Here, drink some water," David offered a glass. She sipped it, and once she calmed down—

He added, grabbing her attention, "Don’t worry, Alicia. You’re already hired, and we won’t ask for any compensation. Also, that last test was me just pushing you to your limits," he eased with a warm smile.

"Congratulations, miss," Max also chimed in with a delighted expression, happy with how Augustus responded and handled the situation.

She blinked, overwhelmed by emotion. The moisture in her eyes seemingly increased. However, this time it reflected a different emotion. She quickly wiped her eyes and smiled faintly.

"Thank you, thank you so much for hiring me. I won’t disappoint you guys," she earnestly declared and stood up excitedly to collect her documents.

But just then... the glass David had offered was accidentally knocked over as she clumsily reached for the files.

She stared at everyone... nerves on edge.

And they burst into laughter. "Hahaha!"

She let out an embarrassed smile and walked out clumsily, not before thanking them once again.

Everyone sighed with faint smiles.

After cleaning up and changing the laptop, they called out other candidates. Most didn’t last even for five minutes, as David didn’t entertain them.

And those who showed potential with some experience didn’t have the right attitude or personalities.

The screening process was quite strict and harsh.

He is a good leader and ceo. I should learn from him, Augustus thought, understanding why the old Crunch Studio work environment was so welcoming and friendly, untouched by deceit and office politics.

"Next," David called out.

A woman with darkened eyes, and depression written all over her face, entered.

"What role are you applying for?" David asked professionally.

"I’m a game designer," she mumbled with an expressionless face and slowly pulled out a laptop while taking her time.

Then, connecting it to the projector, she began showing all her game designs one after another to everyone.

Impressed by her designs, Augustus and David raised a brow, approvingly nodding at her skills.

However—

"Wait, is that the game design for Six Shots to Sundown ?" Max asked, eyes widening with shock.

She lazily nodded, already predicting similar reactions.

"Woah, it’s a very popular game, and I really liked it. Sir, I think we should hire her," Max said excitedly.

"Calm down, Max," Augustus interrupted and glanced at her.

A memory surfaced in his mind as he began, "With your skills, I’m sure you can find better companies than Crunch Studio. So what’s your reason for coming here?" Augustus inquired sharply, with a relaxed posture.

She sighed, finally showing some emotion, and began, "Yes, with my skills and experience, I’m certainly overqualified for this job. Sadly, I’ve been blacklisted by NextByte Games for leaking out a game’s confidential data."

She explained, and then her expression changed. "But those are false allegations, and I didn’t do anything," she stated with a resolute face, opening up honestly.

"And I assume we are your last resort?" Augustus figured.

She sighed again and mumbled weakly, "Yes," then, already knowing the answer, began packing her bag.

Honestly, with her experience, she knew in no way a small company such as Crunch Studio would hire her and go against a giant such as NextByte Games.

The sole reason for her being here, despite knowing the outcome, was that she didn’t want to have any regrets about not even trying for any jobs.

Seeing her packing, David and Max remained silent, waiting for Augustus to speak. If he didn’t, then it was clear that she was rejected, as even David could tell that this could turn out to be a serious matter.

"Wait, do you not need a job?" Augustus spoke, narrowing his eyes.

"Huh?" she blinked and halted in confusion.

Augustus didn’t repeat. Seeing this, "Of course, I need a job," she concurred as if it were obvious.

Augustus tilted his head sideways. "What do you guys think? Is she good for our company?" he asked, looking at them with a steady gaze.