Thanks to the endless teasing from coworkers, things between Grace Mitchell and me had gotten kinda weird.
Sometimes we’d hang out like we were dating, but it never really got to that “perfect couple” point everyone at the office seemed to expect.
The day I slapped my resignation letter on the boss’s desk and walked out, everyone stared at me like I was nuts.
No one really got it—except Grace.
She was the only one who knew why I left.
I’d stumbled upon something one night after work, something between her and the boss.
She didn’t explain much, just coolly said it was over between us.
Even now, after all this time, I still think about Sophia.
Her excited smile keeps popping into my head.
Just one night with her, and it stuck with me.
It’s been over two weeks, but I still find myself replaying that night, picturing the beautiful woman who gave me that rush of joy.
The city’s huge, yet I keep wondering—will I ever run into Sophia again?
Could I actually hug her once more if we did?
Since quitting, I’ve been job hunting nonstop.
Two days in, nothing promising had come up.
Then an old college classmate hit me up, mentioned that Anyael Corporation was hiring and told me to go check them out.
Anyael isn’t exactly a big name, but in this city, it’s pretty well-known, especially in the lingerie game.
And where there’s lingerie production, there’s probably a lot of attractive women around, right?
Figured working in a place surrounded by beautiful coworkers wouldn’t be the worst thing to help get over my recent mess.
With that in mind, I made up my mind to go for the interview.
Feeling hopeful, I dressed sharp for the occasion—it’s not every day you get to visit a workplace full of gorgeous women.
The company’s office was on the 12th floor of Crownspire International Tower, right in the heart of the city.
The interview location was a meeting room.
When I arrived, only the last pair of candidates, a guy and a girl, were wrapping up.
As they walked out, I pushed the door open, only to see three interviewers already gathering up resumes, getting ready to leave.
“Sir, the interview’s over,” one of them told me.
“But I haven’t even had my turn yet.”
“There were a lot of applicants today, and there are only a few openings.”
“Come on, give me a shot.
I didn’t come all this way for nothing.
I really believe in this company’s future.
Wouldn’t it be unfair to turn me away just like that?”
They looked less than thrilled, but still sat back down.
I walked over, took a seat, and waited for their questions.
Just then, the door swung open.
I turned, and there she was—Sophia.
My heart almost stopped.
I seriously thought I’d never see her again in this city.
And now, here she was, walking into this very room.
Was she here to interview too?
I turned my head to get a better look.
Sophia saw me and momentarily froze.
I was about to say something when the interviewers all stood up and greeted her in unison.
“Ms.
Smith.”
Sophia walked over coolly, acting like she didn’t even know me.
“How’s the interview going?
Any promising candidates?” she asked.”There’s only one candidate left.
We’ve already seen several strong applicants.
I’ll send their profiles to Ms.
Smith’s office in a bit.”
That’s when Sophia finally looked at me properly and gave instructions to the team beside her.
“You guys go take a break.
I’ll handle the last one myself.”
“But Ms.
Smith, this—”
“Just go.
Leave the top candidates’ files on my desk.”
The three assistants left with the documents, and the moment the door closed, the whole room felt heavy.
For a second, I really wanted to just walk over, hold her tight, and tell her how much I’ve missed her all this time.
But Sophia was in full boss mode now—calm, collected, untouchable.
And to her, I was just another applicant standing in front of his potential employer, trying to look respectable.
Unless she made the first move, I didn’t dare cross any lines.
She looked stunning, composed as always, and completely in control.
When she sat down in the interviewer’s seat, I could tell from the quick flicker in her eyes—she hadn’t expected me either.
Honestly, I bet she’d thought we’d never cross paths again after that night.
That when she slipped away the next morning, it was her way of shutting that door.
If she’d wanted to stay in touch, she would’ve at least left a number or even a name.
Leaving like a ghost pretty much spelled it out—whatever happened between us, it wasn’t meant to last.
But now, here we were again, against all odds, in the same city, sitting across from each other like nothing ever happened.
I looked at this graceful, powerful woman at the head of the table and couldn’t help but think—maybe fate really has a twisted sense of humor.
“Sophia, it’s really you.” I was honestly kinda excited to see her again, but I had to keep it together.
We weren’t in a café or on some random street—this was an interview, and she was the boss.
I had to dial it down, keep it professional.
“Andrew, what brought you to my company?” she asked calmly, totally in control.
“Ms.
Smith, don’t get the wrong idea.
I had no clue this was your company before I applied, I swear.
I came here because Anyael has a really solid platform for growth, and I’m looking for just that.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” she said, probably catching on that I sounded like I was over-explaining myself.
She glanced at my resume.
“Looks like you studied management, and you were doing marketing strategy at your old job?”
“Yep.”
“Mind telling me why you left?
Harper & Ross is a major player globally.
Honestly, they’ve got more clout than we do.”
“I just couldn’t deal with the toxic culture anymore.
Everyone was out for themselves, scheming all the time.”
Of course, that wasn’t the full story.
Not by a long shot.
But c’mon, it’s not like I could just drop the real reason here.
Even my closest buddy Kenneth didn’t know the truth.