My Last And My Only

Chapter 129: Not This One

The following Monday began like every other morning.

Aiah woke up before her alarm.

She stretched, reached for her phone, and opened her inbox without even sitting up.

Nothing.

She sighed.

"Good morning to me."

After breakfast, she opened her laptop and revised another cover letter.

Each company wanted something a little different.

Some asked for a portfolio.

Others wanted a short introduction.

One even asked where she saw herself in five years.

Aiah stared at the question for nearly ten minutes.

"...Hopefully employed."

She deleted it and started over.

The days slowly blended together.

Wake up.

Check her email.

Work on her portfolio.

Apply to another company.

Wait.

Refresh.

Repeat.

Whenever she felt discouraged, she remembered what Khae had told her.

"Waiting doesn't mean stopping."

So she kept going.

Friday morning.

10:17 a.m.

Her phone buzzed while she was organizing files on her laptop.

A notification.

Application Update

Her heart skipped.

Finally.

She immediately clicked it open.

Dear Ms. Maraiah Queen...

Thank you for taking the time to apply for the Junior Multimedia Designer position.

She smiled.

Until her eyes reached the next sentence.

After careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with another candidate.

Her smile slowly disappeared.

She kept reading.

We appreciate your interest in our company and wish you success in your future endeavors.

That was it.

A few polite paragraphs.

One decision.

One rejection.

"...Oh."

The house suddenly felt very quiet.

She read the email again.

Maybe she'd misunderstood.

Maybe there was another paragraph.

There wasn't.

She closed her laptop gently.

Not because she was angry.

Because she didn't know what else to do.

That afternoon, everyone met at Mezzo.

Christine immediately noticed something was different.