THE DAY I WOKE UP

I GUESS I'M GONNA GET BUSY

~next day~

The morning sun peeked through the blinds, and I woke up feeling refreshed. Glancing at the clock, I chuckled—7:00 PM? No, wait. It was 7:00 AM. My mind wandered back to last night when we watched a movie with Cassy. She had fallen asleep halfway through, leaving Julian and me to call it a night without finishing it.

It was Thursday, and I was up early, preparing breakfast for my little family. Today, I decided to make waffles for Cassy and, as always, pancakes for Julian. I usually give Cassy lunch money for the cafeteria on my busier days, but with the extra time this morning, I made her lunch too. By 7:30, I was in the kitchen, fully immersed in cooking when Julian stumbled out of the bedroom.

"Smells good, Georgie," he said, still groggy.

I laughed. "I've barely started cooking! Go freshen up. If you're nice, I might even pack you some."

"All right, wifey. But not too much—just enough to keep me alive," he teased.

By 8:00, Cassy woke up on her own, a rare feat. By 8:15, she was dressed, wolfing down her waffle, and hurriedly packing her things. She barely had time to say goodbye before Julian offered to drop her off at school. After finishing breakfast together, I headed off to work.

As soon as I walked into the office, my junior, Victoria, dashed toward me, her words tumbling out faster than I could process.

"Big Sis, why were you absent yesterday? I had doubts about the new program you assigned me! The user requirements weren't clear, and—oh! Bad news. Our new product, the APhone 13 Pro Max, has been having major technical issues. The director wants us to handle the modifications within the next two and a half months. That's impossible! We practically have to rewrite the entire code. And why does it have to be our team? Why not Lucia's?"

"Whoa, slow down, Victoria," I said, trying to keep up. "You're faster than, well... faster than the word fast itself. And what's wrong with being assigned the most-awaited project of the year? It's a huge opportunity! I've been waiting for a challenge like this. This time, we're nailing it—and smudging metaphorical mud all over Lucia's face while we're at it."

"But there are bugs in almost every program!" she groaned. "We'll have to work overtime, gather tons of data—it's like building the phone all over again."

I grinned. "You know me, Victoria. Working overtime is practically my second hobby. Plus, I'll speak to Director Chen about getting us more help. And as for the task I assigned you, I'll look into the unclear requirements later. It wasn't that hard."

Victoria smirked. "Georgina giving easy tasks? That'll be the day." She sauntered off, leaving me shaking my head. Sure, the task might've been a little tough, but she had so much potential—I wanted her to learn and grow.

I headed to Director Chen's office to discuss the project. She greeted me warmly, as always. We had a strong bond; she knew about my health struggles and often shielded me from overly demanding tasks. But I hated when projects went to Lucia's team just because they played dirty politics.

"Georgy!" she said, amused. "How are you always this excited about working overtime?"

"You know how passionate I am," I replied. "It's the best part of my job."

Director Chen smiled. "I knew you'd be thrilled. This project is under the CEO's direct supervision, and he was delighted when I assigned it to you. If you pull this off, there's a 90% chance you'll be the next director. I'm retiring in six months, after all."

"You're retiring?" I exclaimed. "I'm going to miss my favorite boss! But don't worry—I'll work hard and make you proud."

Chen nodded. "Just don't push yourself too hard. This project is challenging: the phone freezes after an hour of heavy use, face lock malfunctions after prolonged usage, and there are several minor bugs. I'll transfer two interns to your team, but make sure to recheck their work."

"Got it, Director," I said confidently. "Just watch—we'll turn this phone into the safest, most reliable device on the market."

I returned to my desk, buzzing with excitement. After briefing my team, Victoria's earlier worries faded when she heard about the extra help. To sweeten the deal, I promised them all a celebratory treat once the project was completed successfully.