Chapter 2

The following evening, I attended an industry networking event with Janine.

When we pulled up outside the venue, Mitchell came running over from the roadside. "Nini, can I go in with you guys? I was going to wait around nearby, but there's not much to do by myself."

Before he could finish, Janine had already unlocked the car door. "Get in. This will be a good chance for you to see how things work."

I sat in the passenger seat, the seat belt pressing tightly against my chest. "He's coming too?"

She turned her head toward me. "We're already here. I can't leave him waiting outside by himself, can I?"

Mitchell leaned forward from the back seat. "If it's inconvenient, I won't go. I heard Mr. Langford will be there, and I thought I could ask if his company is still hiring."

He had recently lost his job and was applying everywhere. Janine had already promised to put in a good word for him.

I had barely managed a response when she answered for me. "It's fine. Cameron always knows how to put the bigger picture first."

What an oddly specific thing to say. My chest tightened at that.

When we arrived, I spotted Richard Langford. "We should talk to him about our project first."

I had barely taken a step when Mitchell suddenly tugged at Janine's sleeve. "Isn't he kind of hard to approach? I'm a little nervous. Could you come with me, Nini?"

She looked at him, then at me. "Cameron, can you get to our table first?"

"Sure."

"Wait for me."

With that, she walked away with Mitchell. I stood there, my fingers slowly curling into fists.

More and more people soon gathered around Mr. Langford.

Meanwhile, Janine was off to the side, teaching Mitchell how to hand out business cards, how to address people, and how to keep a conversation going by picking up on what the other person said.

She had taught me those same tricks once.

At my first networking event, Janine held my hand and said, "Relax. I'll help you get to where you want."

Now, she left me standing there while she took Mitchell over.

After a while, they finally came back.

"Why are you still standing here? I thought I told you to go inside first," Janine said.

I replied, "I haven't gotten a chance to speak with Mr. Langford yet."

"Do that later. The event's not over yet."

Just then, Mr. Langford's assistant came over.

"Ms. Simpson, Mr. Langford has to leave in 15 minutes. He's agreed to hear one more project pitch in the meeting room. Have you decided who will go?"

I froze. "Only one more?"

He nodded. "His schedule is packed. He can only spare another 15 minutes."

I had spent two months preparing for those 15 minutes and even turned down offers from other companies.

Mitchell glanced toward Mr. Langford. "You should go, Cameron. You've been preparing for this for so long. I only wanted to ask about the job."

I was about to speak when Janine pulled out her phone and opened the dice app. "You both want to see him, so let's do it the old-fashioned way. Whoever rolls higher gets to go."

I stared at her. "I scheduled this meeting in advance."

"But he'll only see one person. And Mitchell really needs this job right now."

"So you're giving him my opportunity?"

"I'm not giving anything to anyone. Rolling the dice is the fairest way."

My eyes fell on the screen. That dice plugin was hidden behind an ordinary calculator app, exactly like the one I had seen on her tablet.

"I'm not rolling," I said.

Janine frowned. "Don't make a scene here, Cameron."

"This isn't a game."

"Do you really have to make things awkward for everyone?"

Before I could say more, she tapped the dice for me. It rolled a few times before stopping on one. Without any surprise, Mitchell got a six, just like the previous 27 times.

She put her phone away. "There we have it. Mitchell goes."

I stared intently at her. "Are you sure, Janine?"

She avoided my eyes, pretending not to hear me. "We all agreed on the rules. Don't go back on them now."

"I never agreed to this."