One Click Billionaire
Chapter 24: School

Chapter 24: School

Adam stared at the door. He took a deep breath. He knocked.

A voice came from inside. It was a woman’s voice. "You can come in," it said.

Adam turned the doorknob. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. He found himself in a large spacious office. There was a very big desk in the center of the room.

Behind the desk a woman was sitting in a large leather chair. She was wearing glasses. She was looking down at some papers her head bent in concentration.

She looked up as Adam entered. She studied him for a moment. "You must be Adam," she said.

Adam closed the door behind him. He walked toward the desk. "Good morning ma’am," he said. "I’m here for my interview."

The principal smiled. She gestured to a chair in front of her desk. "Sit down," she said.

Adam walked forward. He sat down in the chair she had indicated. It was a comfortable chair but he felt tense. He took his documents out of a folder he had brought with him. He placed them on the desk in front of her. They were his high school diploma and a few other papers. It was not much.

The principal picked up the documents. She looked through them quickly. Her eyes scanned the papers. "You haven’t graduated from college," she said. It was a statement not a question.

Adam smiled a nervous smile. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually my family condition..." he started to explain. He was about to tell her a rehearsed story about his financial difficulties.

But the principal cut him off. "Sophia has already told me a lot about you," she said. "So I won’t waste your time with these things. I just want to ask you one question. What is your motive?"

Adam was taken aback. "My motive?" he asked. He did not understand the question. "My motive for what?" He was silent for a few seconds.

The principal seemed to realize that she had not been clear. She clarified her question. "What is your motive for the children?" she asked.

Adam finally understood what she was asking. She wanted to know his philosophy on education. He had not prepared for this question. He had to think on his feet. He said the first thing that came to his mind. The thing he truly believed. "I want all the children to grow not just in academics," he said. "But also in arts and other things. I think it’s important for them to be well-rounded."

The principal nodded slowly. She seemed to be considering his answer.

"I won’t lie to you," she said. "The truth is our PE teacher left a short time ago. And right now we don’t have a substitute. So I had already made up my mind. I think you are a perfect fit for this job. You don’t have many academic qualifications. But looking at your physical attributes I’m sure you will be a perfect candidate for a PE teacher."

Adam was stunned. He was completely shocked. He had expected to be rejected. He had hoped to be rejected. He had never imagined that the principal would offer him the job without even asking any more questions.

He had been so sure that his lack of qualifications would be a barrier. But it seemed they were exactly what the principal was looking for.

He did not know what to say. He just sat there in silence. The principal misinterpreted his silence as hesitation. "The salary is quite good," she said. "And the working hours are reasonable. You will have plenty of time for your other pursuits."

Adam opened his mouth. He was about to say something. To protest. To tell her he was not the right person for the job. But the principal smiled. She held up a hand to stop him.

"I know what you’re going to say," she said. "The staff room is right next to my office. All the teachers are there. You can go there and meet Isabella. She will explain all the work to you. However I would recommend that you only take advice from her. Don’t become too dependent on her because she has her own classes. But she is free in the early part of the day."

Adam stood up from the chair. He was very nervous. He had thought he would fail the interview. He had planned to go home from here. He would go back to his real work. His most important work. Making money. But now he was stuck in a situation where he did not know what to do. He bowed his head slightly. He turned and walked out of the office.

He stood in the corridor for a moment. He was a short distance from the principal’s office. He walked a little further. He came to a door.

A sign on the door said ’Staff Room’.

He took a deep breath. He had to go inside. He had to face this. He opened the door and stepped in.

He saw a large room filled with cubicle-like spaces. Each cubicle was a small personal office for a teacher. He saw a few teachers sitting at their desks. They were working quietly.

He looked around. He saw Sophia a little further in. She was standing in her own cubicle. She was hurriedly gathering some documents.

They were papers of some kind. He could not see what they were from this distance.

Adam thought he should ask Sophia for help. He did not know who Isabella was. He walked toward her cubicle.

Sophia was arranging some test papers. They were for her students. She was the homeroom teacher for class 2A. She sensed someone approaching from the side.

She turned her head. She saw that it was none other than Adam. She was very surprised. She immediately stopped her work. She walked toward him.

"What happened?" she asked. Her voice was filled with concern. "You’re here so soon. Didn’t you meet Ms. Vince in her office?"

Adam was surprised. So the principal’s name is Ms. Vince, he thought. He had not even caught her name during the brief interview.

Sophia was very worried. She thought something had gone wrong. "Why are you here so suddenly Adam?" she asked.

Adam smiled. "No it’s nothing like that," he said. "I met Ms. Vince in her office."