That same question?
Yeah, Kenneth asked me once too, and I gave him the same reply.
But honestly, I don’t think he really bought it.
Now here I am, facing Sophia—top dog at Anyael Corporation—sitting right across from me as my interviewer.
No clue if she’d believe my answer either.
She glanced at me, like trying to read something deeper in my eyes.
But she didn’t press it, just casually switched the topic.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“We broke up.”
“How long ago?”
“Over a month.”
“I see.”
“You’re looking sharp today, Miss Smith.”
“Am I?
Feels more like I’m wired up like a machine—brain running nonstop for work.
Gotta keep going full throttle.
That’s just how it is for me.”
“Shows you’re really a career-driven woman.”
“The happiest women?
They’re the ones being soft and taken care of by their man, not caught up leading board meetings,” she said with a faint smile—first smile since I’d walked in.
“Not sure why I’m telling you all this.
Anyway, that’s it for today.
Interview’s over.”
Sophia picked up my resume and stepped away from the desk.
I followed behind her, the light scent of her perfume drifting toward me, stirring memories of that night—her curled in my arms, so delicate it made my heart ache.
But now?
Sophia was all business—sharp, in control, totally owning the room.
I stared at her back as she walked, the sway in her stride, her flawless figure—it was hard not to look.
She led me into an office down the hall.
Inside was Henry Adams, one of the interviewers from earlier, looked to be in his forties.
“Henry, here’s Mr.
Anderson’s file,” she handed him my resume.
“Take a look, then swing by my office.”
She turned to me.
“Mr.
Anderson, that’ll be all for today.
If there’s any update, Manager Adams will give you a call.”
Honestly, what I really wanted right then?
Just one sentence from her: Andrew, come sit in my office for a bit.
But nope.
In front of her staff, she kept it completely professional, like we were total strangers.
To Sophia, I was nothing more than a candidate—no different from hundreds of other men outside.
Standing beside her now, I couldn’t help but think—she really doesn’t care.
Not about that night, or the way she used to whisper my name.
Andrew, seriously, stop kidding yourself.
Just because you had something with her doesn’t mean she’ll look at you differently.
You’re just another guy to her.
No exceptions.
Her coldness hit hard.
Regret settled in my chest.
Why the hell was I still holding on to thoughts of her?
“Mr.
Anderson, you can head back now.”
She said it again, when she caught me zoning out.”Sophia, can I ask when I’ll know the result at the earliest?”
“By tomorrow at the latest,” she replied simply before turning and walking straight back into her office.
I stared at her back for a moment, then walked out of Anyael Corporation.
On my way home, I couldn’t stop replaying how she looked during the interview—completely distant, all business.
I had a bad feeling about it.
It was probably a wasted trip.
Anyael wasn’t going to hire me, that much seemed clear.
I sighed and started calling a few friends, asking them to keep an eye out for companies hiring marketing or management professionals.
No point wasting time.
As soon as I got home, I got a text—from Grace.
Since I left Harper & Ross, this was the first time Grace Mitchell had reached out.
Over a month had passed without any contact between us.
I figured she hadn’t texted before out of guilt—maybe she felt she owed me an apology.
But truth be told, I didn’t think she owed me anything.
Who she dated was her choice.
Still, what really got to me was that she was seeing someone else while still with me.
That kind of betrayal stung.
After we broke up, I never felt the urge to call her.
“Free tonight?
I’d love to grab dinner,” her message said.
I paused, thinking, Well, I’ve got no plans anyway.
One dinner wouldn’t hurt.
I started typing back, asking where and when to meet.
Just as I finished typing, before I could even send it, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I picked it up.
A soft, familiar female voice came through.
“Andrew, are you free tonight?
Want to have dinner with me?”
“Wait, who’s this?”
“It’s Sophia.
Don’t tell me you don’t recognize my voice.”
“Oh—Sophia!
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting your call, so I didn’t connect the dots at first.”
“Well, now you know.
You’re not booked tonight, are you?”
“No, no,” I said quickly—yeah, I lied.
Because if I had to pick, I’d rather have dinner with her a thousand times over.
Just hearing Sophia say she wanted to see me again had me buzzing inside.
Of course I said yes.
“Great.
Text me your address—I’ve totally forgotten where you live.
I’ll swing by to pick you up.”
As I hung up, I couldn’t stop myself from grinning like an idiot.
I actually jumped up in excitement.
“Damn, this woman is something else.
I missed her like crazy,” I whispered to the phone, pressing it to my lips like a kid in love.
That feeling…
it was like that rush when your crush suddenly agrees to go out with you after months of chasing her.
It was sweet, sunlit, and made my chest feel all warm inside.
After sending Sophia my address, I quickly went back to finish texting Grace.
“Hey, sorry…
something came up tonight.
I won’t be able to make it.”
She texted back instantly.
“Andrew, are you with your new girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Then…
you must still be mad at me.”
“Grace, I’m not mad.
Really.
That’s never crossed my mind.”