BENEATH THE MASK

POV: Akayda

My hands were shaking.

No—trembling.

Not from fear but anticipation.

I blinked as I read the email on my cracked laptop screen for the seventh time, but the words still didn’t change.

‘Congratulations, Miss Jordan.

You have passed the final stage of the interview.

Please, we would like you to resume work at Knight Enterprises unfailingly by Monday.’

I removed my glasses, wiped them with the edge of my shirt, and placed them back on my face—aggressively, you'd think I was fighting with them. It felt like my eyes were lying. Maybe I was seeing things. Maybe I was so used to rejection that my brain had decided to prank me today.

I read it again.

And again.

And again.

My breath caught in my throat.

“Holy…” I whispered, covering my mouth. “Oh my God… Yes, yes, yes. I got it.”

I had gotten the job.

I got the job.

The job I thought I’d never get. The job I had prayed for almost every night. The job I cried myself to sleep for every night. The job I had already given up on.

My chest tightened, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe. This was Knight Enterprises, the biggest corporate empire in California—one of the most competitive companies in the entire country.

And I—Akayda Jordan—was starting work there on Monday.

Call me a working class baby.

My eyes widened, and suddenly it hit me so hard my voice burst out before I could stop it.

“YES!” I screamed louder. “Yes… yes, YES! I finally got it!”

The door to my room slammed open.

“Why are you screaming down the whole house, girl?!” Melina asked, her curly hair wild from sleep. “Did you win the lottery or something?”

I turned to her, eyes shining. “Or something is right, my dear bestie. I got the job. The job at Knight Enterprises.”

She blinked. Once. Twice. Confused.

Then realization spread across her face almost immediately.

“No. No freaking way—NO WAY!” she squealed, jumping up and down like a child. “YES, GIRL! I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU’D GET IT!”

Before I could react, she attacked me with a hug so tight I squeaked.

“I’m so proud of you,” she said into my hair. “So, so proud.”

I let out a shaky laugh, hugging her back. “I’m happy too,” I whispered.

Except I wasn’t just happy.

Tears had already filled my eyes.

Melina pulled back immediately. “Uh uh. No tears. Why are you crying, babe?”

I inhaled hard. “Because… I almost gave up, Mel. I was so close to giving up. Every time I finish an interview, they tell me I passed but they can't hire me. Every time. But today…” My voice broke. “Just like that, it's like a miracle happened.”

Melina cupped my cheeks gently. “And you deserve it. You worked for this. Congratulations, my sweet genius.”

I laughed wetly. “One would think you’re the one who got the job.”

She squeezed her face like I’d insulted her. “Meh. You know I’m a high school dropout. No one wants to employ me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Melina, you make more at the club than half the CEOs in this city.”

“And I enjoy what I do,” she added smugly. “I shake what my mama gave me with pride!”

I snorted. “I swear, you’re impossible.”

“Now,” she said dramatically, flipping her hair. “We celebrate. Thank God we’re both off today.”

I sat up straighter. “What do you have in mind?”

“Ordering food. Eating too much. Watching movies until our eyes melt.”

“That,” I said, smiling, “sounds exactly like my kind of celebration.”

“Then it’s settled.” She clapped her hands. “Let me order everything on the menu.”

She danced out of my room, humming loudly, leaving me alone with my racing heartbeat.

I stared at the laptop again.

It still felt unreal.

For four long years, I had applied for job after job. I aced interviews, impressed panels, submitted documents, waited weeks—and always got the same heartbreaking reply.

We’re sorry to inform you…

We regret to announce…

Although you passed the interview…

The eighteenth rejection had killed something inside me. I didn’t even cry anymore.

So when I opened my email today, I was ready for the same cold punch.

But instead… this.

Monday, I was finally stepping into a real office.

A real career.

A real future.

I picked up the framed picture by my bed—my parents smiling at me through glass.

“Mom… Dad…” My voice cracked. “I finally did it. I promised I’d make you both proud, and… I’m finally doing that. I got into Knight Enterprises. The best company in all of California.”

A tear fell onto the glass. I wiped it quickly.

“I wish you both were here,” I whispered. “To see me grow. To guide me.”

They had died in my first year of college—hit by a drunk driver who was never caught. A “case closed due to lack of evidence.” A detective who didn’t care. A tragedy wrapped too neatly.

Something never felt right about that accident.

But what could I do? I was seventeen and alone.

I took a shaky breath and placed the photo back.

“No more tears,” I whispered. “This is a happy day. And I know you’d want me to smile.”

I stood, feeling lighter—almost floating—as I walked out to the living room.

Melina had already arranged the couch with blankets and candles, the TV waiting for movie night.

“Ready?” she asked with a grin.

“More than ready,” I said, taking a seat.

For the first time in years, hope felt real. Tangible. Like I could touch it.

Nothing could go wrong today.

Absolutely nothing.

At least… that’s what I thought.

And then my phone buzzed behind me—

and the name flashing on the screen

made every drop of blood in my body turn cold.

Madam Iris.

The owner of the club.

The owner of the elite strip club where Melina and I currently worked at.

Why the hell was she calling me on my day off?