I've Got My Eyes On You

Chapter 1 - The Mysterious Job

The night stretched out before Meerab like a vast canvas of missed opportunities. The air in her cramped apartment felt heavy with the weight of her unfulfilled dreams. The city below was a tapestry of shimmering lights, but her own world seemed dim in comparison. She sighed, the sound echoing in the silence of her creative sanctuary, surrounded by rejection letters that seemed to mock her aspirations. Meerab's fingers idly traced the rim of her coffee mug, worn from countless late-night writing sessions and the bitter taste of dashed hopes. Her fingers absently traced the outline of her latest manuscript, a tale of unrequited love set against the backdrop of a bustling city.

The characters whispered to her, urging her to breathe life into their story, but overdue bills drowned out their voices.

She had settled her dupatta neatly into the chair placed nearby and sat exposed to the window who was wide open, cool air passing through it, making the dimly lit room's environment more sad.
The day had been really tiring for her as she visited some of the editorial offices in search of a proper full-time job, but due to the same old reason, I got rejected this time, too. Meerab was in search of a proper full-time job with complete working hours and a good package salary so that she could pursue her dream...

She studied literature as a passion and now aimed for her own press. A place where she could help the newcomers, she could write scripts, novels, articles, and whatnot. She knew this wasn't easy and still dreamt about it. Her family lived far away from this city, and she had goals to pursue, which made her make this difficult decision to live away from them.

“Life is just so unfair at times. Why is it not unfair to rich? It feels like rich people have an easy time while the rest of us struggle with life's difficulties. The system seems set up to keep things unfair for those who don't have much. Ya, Allah kyun horha hai mere sath ye sab, these rejected articles and stories make me think to just give up and go back ughh” she thought to herself

She gazed at the half-empty cup, her reflection distorted in its dark surface. The muse that once fueled her passion now felt elusive, lost in the maze of her own doubts. Just as the tendrils of despair began to tighten their grip, a soft ping disrupted the despondent atmosphere. Her laptop screen illuminated, casting a pale glow on her face. An email notification. Intrigued, Meerab clicked on the message, her eyes scanning the words that appeared on the screen.

The subject line held a promise that seemed too good to be true

"An Opportunity That Only Comes Once."

She scoffed, thinking it was another marketing gimmick, but curiosity got the better of her.

As she delved into the contents of the email, the words unfolded like a mystery novel. An anonymous client sought her writing prowess for a project of utmost confidentiality. The offer was lucrative, promising a substantial sum of money that could lift her from the abyss of financial uncertainty.

Meerab muttered, reading the email, as it said, "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... anonymity guaranteed. This has to be a scam."

She leaned back in her creaky chair, scepticism etched on her face. Her fingers danced across the keyboard as she researched the sender, but the digital trail led nowhere. The offer seemed almost too clandestine, too perfect for someone drowning in the shadows of her own failures.

Yet, a flicker of hope ignited within Meerab. The prospect of escaping the suffocating grip of rejection, of resurrecting her writing career from the ashes, was tantalizing. She weighed the risks and rewards in her mind, grappling with the decision to grasp this lifeline or let it slip away like so many before. In the end, the allure of the unknown prevailed. Meerab took a deep breath, her heart pounding with a mix of trepidation and excitement. With a decisive click, she responded to the mysterious email, accepting the offer that held the promise of a journey into uncharted territories.