When morning arrived, sunlight poured across the city skyline like a promise of renewal. I dressed carefully, aware that this day—interview day—held more significance than ever before. The storm from the night before hadn’t weakened me; it had refined me.
Arriving early at Solstice Innovations, I paused in the sleek marble lobby to steady my breath. Employees moved briskly around me, their chatter blending into a low hum of ambition. I stood there for a moment, reminding myself why I was there—not just to land a job, but to reclaim control over my story.
When I was ushered into Damian Hayes’s office, the atmosphere shifted. The room, an elegant expanse of glass and chrome, radiated authority. But the man behind the desk looked different from his public image—his confidence dimmed, his eyes shadowed.
“Ms. Carter,” he greeted, extending a hand that trembled ever so slightly. “Thank you for coming in today.”
“Thank you for having me, Mr. Hayes,” I replied evenly. I held his gaze, revealing nothing of what I knew about the secret that bound him to the chaos of the previous night.
The conversation unfolded like a carefully choreographed performance. Questions about leadership, innovation, and vision filled the space, each answer measured yet genuine. Beneath the formal tone, an unspoken tension lingered—a quiet awareness that both of us held cards the other couldn’t see.
By the end, Damian’s guarded demeanor softened. “You seem… exceptionally well-prepared,” he said, his tone somewhere between respect and unease.
“Preparation is key to success,” I answered with a calm confidence that came not from rehearsed lines, but from truth hard-won.
As I stepped out into the morning light, I felt lighter. Whatever happened next, I had faced betrayal and power with composure. The leverage I carried wasn’t for revenge—it was proof of resilience. And while Isabella would face the fallout of her choices, I was already walking toward something new—a future built not on what was taken from me, but on what I had the strength to reclaim.