"I hope this should be enough to guarantee success now, Right?"

Karna breathed a sigh of relief after his great sacrifice was complete.

Surely this company would hire him now, correct?

There is no way if one candidate is given a job for this, they will not give him too.

Their girlfriend requirement was satisfied by him.

He had done what they asked. He had met their strange criteria. The evidence was even posted publicly for all to see.

"Although I sacrificed my dignity for this position, I had no choice.

The global job market is terrible right now. Employment opportunities are scarce everywhere.

Companies are laying off workers left and right

And when fresh graduates cannot find positions at all and experienced professionals are struggling to even get callbacks. I absolutely could not miss out on a job with such excellent salary and benefits!"

Three hundred thousand dollars annually was life-changing money. It would set him up for years he can't miss it anyway.

But when he think about the sacrifice that he made for it....Karna sighed deeply.

His soul felt heavy with the burden of the decision weighed on him constantly like a stone.

As he contemplated his situation, he could not help but shed tears.

They rolled down his cheeks. He wiped them away quickly but more followed immediately.

Why was he crying?

Because he imagined being seen publicly with that tank-like woman?

Walking hand in hand through Mumbai? His former classmates would see him.

His colleagues from previous internships would spot them together and talk about him.

Word would spread quickly through his social circles.

Everyone would know within days while none will say on his face but they would laugh behind his back, he knew it. The prestigious Cambridge graduate dating such a woman.

How tragic this was! His reputation would be destroyed forever.

Years of careful image building would crumble in an instant. His parents would be horrified when they will learn about it. His friends would mock him endlessly at gatherings.

The woman herself had already posted photos on social media declaring they were dating. There was no escape now. No way to deny it.

Oh God...I just hope all goes well.

---

After a long half an hour wait of time, to him what seem like a lifetime.

The interviewer called out the name "Karna," and this time it was really him.

She even called him by the family name "Rawat" specially to avoid confusion with the doctoral candidate.

Karna, hearing this, jumped with pride. His moment had finally arrived.

Finally, it was his turn for the interview. All the preparation would finally pay off. The sacrifice would be worth it.

The interviewer announced, "Karna, please come in."

"Coming!"

Karna immediately stood up with a straight backbone. His shoulders were rigid with confidence and he waved his hand enthusiastically from the candidates' sitting area to look conspicuous.

He wanted everyone to see his confidence radiating. He was ready for this.

Next, the interviewer led him into the interview room. His heart pounded with anticipation.

In the interview room, before the interviewers could even speak their first question—

Karna could not wait to show off proudly. "Good afternoon, interviewers! I am Karna!

I have a girlfriend! My girlfriend's educational background is high school completion! She stands one hundred fifty centimeters tall!

She weighs almost eighty-two kilograms! She currently works as a cashier at a supermarket!"

He delivered this information rapid-fire with tremendous enthusiasm.

The interviewers stared in stunned silence. Their expressions froze completely.

They were completely baffled. Where was this coming from? What was happening?

They remained speechless. Nobody knew how to respond to this bizarre introduction.

Where had this ridiculous joke come from??

Why did they need to know about his girlfriend? What relevance did this have to artificial intelligence work?

This Karna possessed a resume stating he was a Cambridge graduate student. Yet he spoke like a complete fool!

His credentials were impressive but his behavior was bizarre and deeply concerning prompting them to reconsider about their choice.

He introduced himself while explaining his girlfriend's entire situation unprompted! Every detail about her height, weight, education, occupation all presented without anyone asking a single question about his personal life.

The HR Director frowned while stating clearly, "We understand you have a girlfriend. What does this have to do with work? Are we interviewing your girlfriend, or are we interviewing you? Are you misunderstanding something fundamental about this process?"

His tone was sharp with irritation.

"What?"

"This is not related to having a girlfriend?"

Karna looked bewildered. His confidence evaporated instantly like morning mist.

He quickly explained with growing panic, "Did you not just ask one of the previous interviewees about girlfriend matters? The person you interviewed named Alex told me the question you asked him.

I was explaining all this to help streamline the interview. This saves you time and demonstrates I am prepared."

The HR staff and other interviewers looked at each other with knowing glances.

They nodded in unison without speaking.

They reached unanimous agreement immediately.

This meant they must eliminate him immediately!

This person knew far too much for his own good. He had insider information he should not have.

Security was compromised. He was a leak risk that they must remove at all cost necessary.

He had to be rejected! No discussion needed.

They had initially thought Karna's resume was quite impressive. His qualifications were strong and relevant.

He was a graduate student specializing in artificial intelligence. His thesis topic was relevant to their projects. His published papers showed promise.

They were even considering hiring him and allowing him to pass. He seemed like a strong candidate on paper. His credentials opened doors.

But unexpectedly, Karna knew too much and seemed rather unintelligent in practice.

The combination was dangerous. A security risk who might make poor decisions. The only option was elimination!

The HR Director shook his head firmly. "You possess excellent credentials and your resume is impressive. But you are not a good fit for our company culture. Soery but you are eliminated."

"Next candidate!"

"Please leave now!"

The other interviewers nodded in agreement. The decision was final and unanimous.

Karna looked incredulous and deeply aggrieved. His face turned pale. "Why did I not pass?!"

He had been preparing for so long! Weeks of studying technical materials. Mock interviews with friends. Research about the company's products and culture.

So much effort had been invested! And that horrible arrangement with that woman! That terrible sacrifice!

Then he was eliminated for no apparent reason? Just dismissed without real explanation?

When Karna stepped out of the interview room, he was completely dumbfounded. His mind was blank.

His resolve had crumbled entirely! Everything felt pointless now. Meaningless.

As he departed the building with heavy steps, his social media kept ringing. The notifications would not stop. Buzz after buzz.

Former high school friends were sending him messages constantly. They had all seen the photos. The news had spread quickly through their network like wildfire.

"Karna, do not give up! You can absolutely withstand dating that tank, I have a great trust on you"

"Haha, when are you getting married? Call me for the celebration! I want to see this!"

"Are you really going to marry that woman?! Please tell me this is a joke!"

"Brother I always knew you were brave but this is incredible!"

Karna felt tremendously bitter. He wanted to cry but could not. The tears would not come anymore. He was empty inside.

Damn it all!

In order to secure this job, he had committed to dating that tank-like woman.

She did not even want to date him anymore but it was him who insisted.

Oh god...why.

What I have done wrong to get this...

His social media was flooded with posts about their relationship.

Screenshots were being shared everywhere he can't even back down now.

The result was devastating beyond imagination.

Not only was he socially destroyed! His entire friend circle was mocking him openly.

He had not gotten the job either! All that sacrifice for absolutely nothing.

He wanted to jump off a building! The humiliation was unbearable and permanent.

Meanwhile—

Through this completely muddled process, Alex ended up joining the company's marketing department. The notification email arrived that evening at six thirty.

The probationary period would last half a month for him.

Standard procedure for new hires according to company policy.

Annual salary of one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars. The exact amount they had advertised for positions.

But what Alex did not expect was that the very next day, the first day of his work, he would be promoted to permanent employee status immediately upon starting work.

No probation required at all.

Why??

This was because his left foot happened to step through the company entrance first, which was considered auspicious according to some superstition the HR Director believed...

The absurdity of corporate culture knew no bounds from this single incident and there is more to come.

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