Chapter 0001

Millie

I woke up early, check.

I rehearsed prior, check.

I shopped for a good outfit, check.

Then why the hell am I shaking like some lonely leaf on a tree in the middle of the desert?

I have been to a lot of interviews and I have always been confident in each and every one of them, I don’t know why this particular one just makes me this nervous. I’m not the type that gets intimidated by interviews because I always don’t let the end result get to me. If I get the job well and good if I don’t get it it’s quite simple; thank you, next. But this one is a little bit different, maybe because it is in one of the best if not the best media companies in the country, and also the little fact that a friend recommended me and I wouldn’t want to screw it up.

Clarice said the CEO of the company was her husband’s friend and even though she had told him I would be going to the interview and he should be lenient with me, she said he said he doesn’t give people jobs because they know someone that he knows but rather because they qualify for the position. The only thing he did was get me on the list of interviewees, and I had to do my best to pass the next steps, and that is the one thing that is making me this nervous.

I remember back on campus everyone in my class wanted to work there. Regal Media Centre was the dream of every media student I knew of. I heard that a couple of them managed to get a job in one of their many branches while others got the opportunity to intern here. I wasn’t among the lucky ones. I was an A student no doubt, but the day one of the professors referred me for an interview at Regal, I had some personal issues I was handling and I didn’t make it. Let’s just say the professor was a little disappointed and kind of told his colleagues and I was never recommended again.

Clay said this wasn’t exactly Regal but rather a branch that was started four years ago and now is an independent media house, but I know it wouldn’t be that different from the original one. One thing I am glad about this new opportunity is that it is close to what I have been considering as home for the last four years.

After I graduated from college I got a six-month internship at one of the local stations but since they weren’t paying me anything, it was strenuous for my then-boyfriend who was taking care of all the bills which included my needs. So I had to quit and look for a real job that would actually pay me something, and I have done a lot of odd jobs I have to say. There is nothing legal under this sun that I haven’t done just to pay the bills. When my relationship with my ex-boyfriend became a little too toxic, I knew the best decision would be to leave town. I wasn’t ready for the move. No one is ever ready to move out of a town that they have lived in for the better part of their lives and called home. But Winston was crazy and if I didn’t decide to leave, then I would have lived to regret it for the rest of my life. That is if I did get to even live.

Thinking about him is one thing that I have been trying to avoid for the last four years. He is just a mistake I made and one I learned my lesson from and will never make it again. I am happy now, to say the least. When I moved out of town I worked as an interior designer for a startup company for a couple of years until I got my job at a local radio station, and I have been working there for the last two years until this opportunity came up. I didn’t exactly quit my other job at the radio station because I am not quite sure if I will pass this interview, so I didn’t want to burn that bridge.

Although I am kind of hoping I can do well in this interview because I know working with Regal is going to pay off and at my age, I kind of need to make that extra cash. I don’t have much going for my age, and it is a little frustrating. Clarice has got a lot going on in her life. She got married and now has a two-year-old son. Ellis just got engaged the other day, and I know since I am quite unlucky in matters of love, I better focus on chasing a better career. I haven’t exactly closed the doors to love, but maybe it’s just not that much of a priority.

When I was dating Winston, I never really got the time to focus on myself and loving myself, leave alone building myself as a person. I kind of always knew we had a future together, so I never planned for one, then that went sideways and I was left to pick up the little of the pieces of me that I had left. It wasn’t easy doing that and even after four years, I still struggle with it.

Maybe this growth in my career will make things better, and that is why I wanted to look my best for it. I need this job.

I check the time on my phone before throwing it back on the passenger’s seat. I am forty-five minutes earlier than the agreed time and this is one of those times I am glad I woke up early. I have always trained myself to get to my appointments an hour to, or at the very least forty-five minutes before the agreed time, and I am glad to say I have been faithful to that for the last couple of years. My job hasn’t been giving me the luxury of being late, so I had to learn to be punctual.

I drive into the building’s parking lot and I have to admit, the place looks immaculate. I didn’t think it would be this big given it was just a branch, so I am not disappointed. I take a moment in the car to check my makeup just to make sure I don’t look horrible before drinking some warm water, grabbing my bag and phone, and walking out of the car. The moment the cold breeze hits my face, I realize, that maybe I wasn’t that ready for this interview. The last time I did a one-on-one interview was two years ago, and it wasn’t as scary as this one seems to be, I am kind of nervous. The thing with me being nervous is that I tend to mess up because the moment I take the step that leads to the building, I stumble on my heels and as I quickly lean to feel the injured foot I feel the side of my dress burst.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

“Are you okay, Miss? I hear a male voice behind me and I try to get up without putting too much pressure on my injured ankle as I try to cover the part of my dress that burst open.

“Yes,” I say.

“I… think I might have sprained my ankle,” I add as I lift my eyes to look at the owner of the voice and for a moment there I am taken aback by his good looks.

He looks to be in his late twenties or early thirties if he has the good genes; he is dressed in a black suit paired with a crystal white shirt and a matching tie. In his right hand, he has a backpack and a phone, on the other hand, I am trying not to look too much at his face because he is a little too good looking and I don’t want it to come off as me staring.

“Here, let me help you.” He says reaching for my handbag and I let him as I try to feel my foot. Maybe I shouldn’t have won these high heels, and maybe I shouldn’t have won this dress. It did feel a little too tight when I bought it but the lady at the store managed to convince me to buy it claiming I looked good in it. I should have just bought a pantsuit instead because I am sure I don’t look good anymore.

“Can you stand on your foot?” He asks and I nod.

“I think I can.” I can still feel the impact of the sprain, but it is not as worse as I felt at first.

“Where are my manners, I’m Dylan, by the way.” He says stretching out his hand.

“Millie.” I don’t know why I find it funny that he has that name. I think he is the type of person I would have easily guessed would be having a name like Dylan. I didn’t even know people with that name still exist.

“Did I say anything funny?” He asks with a creased brow and I quickly shake my head.

“No…I’m sorry.”

“It’s my name, is it?” I shrug

“I mean…”

“I know, I’m not a fan of it either.” I sigh in relief because he didn’t take it offensively when I grinned at the mention of his name.

“I don’t like mine either.”

“It’s a beautiful name.” I shake my head. I carry the most common name around, he can’t convince me otherwise.

“It sounds like an old person’s name.” he chuckles at that and shakes his head.

“I think it’s a beautiful name, fitting for a beautiful woman like you.” I find myself subconsciously blushing before I am quickly reminded of the reason I am here.

“Uh…I presume you work here?”

“Yes, you must be here for the interview.”

“I am, could you kindly show me where the washrooms are?” I need to fix my dress before I can walk into that interview room.

“Sure, just come with me, there is one on the ground floor.” He says leading the way and I follow suit trying not to limp even though my ankle is killing me with every step that I take. He turns to look at me and I fake a nervous smile.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes.”

“Look, if it’s that serious we can have you scheduled for an interview later so that you can have it checked.” I kind of stare at him in confusion when he says that before shaking my head.

“No, I am fine.” I have wanted this opportunity for a very long time and I’m not going to waste it just because of a small accident. All I have to do is fix my dress and be patient a little longer till the interview is over.

“Okay, if you say so. The washroom is at the end of the hallway, once you’re done, just come back here, there will be someone to show you where the interviews are being conducted.” He says and I nod in acknowledgment. He hands me back my bag.

“Thank you so much.”

“No problem.”

I take the path that he has directed and after a few steps, I can see the washroom. The moment I get in, I check the status of my dress, and it’s not that bad. I try to check if I carried a needle and thread in the bag only to realize I changed my bag because I bought a new one.

Wow, just wow.

I don’t know why it had to be this day, of all days.

When I realize there is nothing much I can do to change the situation, I decide to go to the interview like this. Like I said before if the job was meant to be mine, then I guess even my torn dress won’t be a hindrance.

I sigh and try not to let the emotions get to me.

I know I’m just trying to convince myself by saying that, but everything is screwed right now.

When I walk back to where Dylan told me, there is a lady dressed in a black fitting dress with a grin so wide that I can see it from here.

“You must be Millie.” She says when I get to where she is.

“Yes.”

“Follow me.” She says and I wish she had even said something else, that way I could get to ask if my dress is looking that bad. No lie the rip can show. I did add some weight in the last two years, and since the dress was already too tight, it can show.

I follow her so quietly past what looks like a reception down to a hallway with an array of dark-colored seats.

“Wait here.” She says and walks into the room next to the seats.

I take my seat and do a silent prayer that things go well. I check my time, and it happens that I just wasted the last thirty minutes somewhere worrying about my dress.

The door opens and the lady walks out still with that smile on.

“You can go in.” She says and I nod standing up.

I know I shouldn’t do this, but I kind of need to.

“Excuse me,” I call.

“Yes?”

“Does this look so bad?” I ask her looking at the torn part of my dress. She chuckles before shaking her head.

“Not really.” She says, and I don’t know why I feel like she lied. She walks away and I swear for the life of me, I am scared of going into that conference room now.

I make yet another silent prayer and unlock the door.

To my shock when I am met with a panel of six people, and the first person I see is Dylan who is smiling at me making me force a smile back. I should have known from his suit that he would be part of the panel. But he is not even my concern right now. The person by his side is the one that has grabbed my attention.

I think when Clarice told me it was a mutual friend, I should have asked her exactly who it was, because never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would bump into Abel in such a situation.

I mean, like what the actual hell?

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