Second Chance

Chapter 1

Standing up from my chair and walking to the window with a cup of coffee, I look out and take in the scene before me. Many cars are trying to beat traffic and make it to work in the city of Austin. 

A crowd of people swarms the sidewalk heading towards the various buildings in the center of the city. I take a deep breath as the morning sun shines on my face. A ring sound, snaps me out of my thoughts. Setting my coffee mug on the table, I pick up my phone. The caller ID reads Daddy with a crown emoji beside it.

"Hello, Dad," I say, answering the phone.

"How are you, Mishti? Are we still on for lunch today?"

"You saw me before I went to work this morning," I reply, shaking my head and smiling. I can't believe he's worried about how I'm doing.

"It doesn't matter. A lot can happen in an hour or two."

"Really, Dad?" He's nothing if not protective. If the man had his way, I wouldn't work at all, but it hasn't always been like this. We only became close after my mom died and I moved to the States from India to live with him. My parents were divorced, so I lived in India with my mom until she passed when I was fourteen. But once I was here, my dad quickly made up for the lost time, and we've been inseparable ever since.

"Yes, really." He chuckles before continuing, "But did you still want to meet for lunch? I forgot to ask you before you left the house this morning. I need to know if I should reschedule my meetings or not." Dad works as a mechanical engineer and sits on the board of Tesla, so he's able to adjust his schedule.

"If you can make it work, I'd still like to meet. I want to discuss my proposal with you before meeting the investors later." A group of investors are coming in my office today. With the help of my dad and my best friend, I have managed to build a successful architectural firm in just three years. Now, my plan is to expand my business into real estate development. As an architect, I only design houses; I don't build them. I want to develop and sell. It won't be easy, but it's possible with the right set of investors. And I'm up for the challenge.

"No problem, dear. I'll have Jeremy pick you up from your office."

"No need to send your driver; I'll meet you there."

"Alright, see you later dear, bye," he says, hanging up the phone.

Despite myself, I can't help the smile stretching across my face as I look through my proposal once more. This is going to be a huge step, both for the company and for myself. Something big is going to happen today, I can feel it. And I can't wait.

***

I finally make it back to the office after spending more time than I meant to at lunch with Dad. I was so focused on pitching my proposal to him I forgot I also had to be on time for the actual meeting. I rush into the room, hoping the investors might be late and my absence won't be why the discussion hasn't started.

"Oh, thank God. They haven't arrived," I say, walking into the mostly empty boardroom.

"You are fortunate," Shreya-my best friend and partner-says, turning around in her seat as I enter. I'd met Shreya in college, and shortly after graduating when we were twenty-two, we'd started our company- M&S Inc. She's my partner, but her skillset is altogether different. 

Shreya is an engineer, and a brilliant one at that. I couldn't imagine working without her. Though we both bring something different to our company, we always make a point to sit side-by-side during any meetings to show our level of authority is equal.

Getting comfortable in the chair beside hers, I notice how she's adjusting her appearance, using her phone's front-camera to see herself.. Her hand fluffs her black hair and she lightly pinches her cheeks making them rosy before smacking her lips against each other to spread her light pink lipstick.