FIVE

The morning paper trembled slightly in her hands as the train rattled forward. The headline caught her eye anyway.

TECH EMPIRE STUMBLES AFTER DATA BREACH, INVESTORS WITHDRAW

Her gaze sharpened.

She read slowly, carefully, absorbing every word. A handful of investors had pulled out, not enough to cripple the company, but enough to matter. Enough to send the company’s share price sliding just a little lower than yesterday.

Her lips curved in a mirthless laugh. So it’s begun.

She folded the paper neatly and stared out the window as the city passed by. Reflections overlapped, her tired eyes, her softer cheeks, the faint line between her brows that hadn’t been there three years ago.

Everyone used to say it.

“She loves Julian too much.”

“She worships the ground he walks on.”

“She’d ruin herself for him if he asked.”

They weren’t wrong. Their marriage was enough evidence. He treated her like thrash, his parents and sister treated her worst than the servants. She answered to his every whim at her own detriment.

But before Julian, she had a life.

A small but promising start-up. She was a security specialist and resource manager, getting investors to pull money into a corporation. She was a revered name in the tech world.

Her mentor believed in her, always warning her not to slow down.

But, she threw it all away. For Julian.

Bile raised to her throat.

She took a job as a waitress at a high-end lounge, where Julian frequented with his friends. A place where she could see him, hear him laugh, learn his habits.

Her mentor had been furious.

Avery, her best friend had begged her to stop and come back to her senses.

But she just smiled and said, she was in love.

That “cursed love” became her undoing.

The night someone drugged his drink was still sharp in her memory. In the private room, she was the only familiar face nearby when everything spiraled.

No one cared about the truth afterward. They never asked.

She pressed a hand to her abdomen unconsciously. She had been foolish, not for loving him, but erasing who she was to do it.

The train slowed. That was her stop. She stepped off, straightened her coat, and lifted her chin.

Ahead loomed the glass building she had memorized from photographs, The Hawthorne Corporation.

Julian’s biggest rival. The irony didn’t escape her.

She smiled faintly as she walked toward it, imagining his fury on his face if he ever found out where she was headed.

Halfway across the street, she heard the shout.

She turned just in time to see a car speeding toward an elderly man who hadn’t noticed the light had changed.

Her heart slammed.

She didn’t think.

She ran.

“Sir!” she shouted, grabbing his arm and yanking him back just as the car screeched past, missing him by inches.

Her knees buckled.

The man stared at her, stunned.

“You ...” His voice shook. “You put yourself in danger. For me".

She exhaled hard. “You were going to be hit.”

He gripped her hand tightly. “Thank you. Thank you.”

People gathered. Someone asked if she was okay. She nodded, even though her heart was still racing.

“I’m Howard,” the man said once the crowd dispersed. “You saved my life.”

She smiled politely. “I’m glad you’re alright, sir. I'm Susan Montgometry”

He studied her face, thoughtful. “You didn’t hesitate.”

She didn’t know how to explain that she’d learned long ago to move first and feel later.

“I hope we meet again,” he said.

She didn’t think much of it as she walked into Hawthorne’s building, ready for an interview never happened.

She hadn’t even finished sitting down. The woman across the desk skimmed her résumé, her expression turning sour with every line.

“These gaps in your career,” she said finally. “Unexplained.”

She swallowed. “I ....”

“And you also worked as a waitress?” another interviewer scoffed. “With your supposed background in tech, security and resource management?”

Her cheeks burned.

“This is Hawthorne Corporation,” the woman continued coolly. “We don’t entertain unserious candidates.”

Their eyes swept over her, her simple shoes, her tied-back hair, her minimal makeup.

“You don’t even look the part.”

The words landed like slaps. She stood up slowly, grasping at the little dignity she had left.

“Thank you for your time,” she said, voice steady.

Outside, the tears came hard and fast, blurring the city as she made her way back to the small apartment in another city, her city now.

Her best friend opened the door and pulled her into a hug immediately.

“It’s okay,” Avery murmured, rubbing her back. “You didn’t fail. They just didn’t deserve you.”

*Mommy, why are you crying?", Mia, her baby asked the moment she saw her.

"Oh my baby, Mommy just had a bad day but I will be fine soon".

"Will you be okay, Mommy?", the child asked again.

"Yes, my love. Go with Aunt Avery to eat some cereal".

She cried until her chest hurt and she feel asleep.

That evening, as the sun dipped low, her phone rang. It was from an unknown number.

She hesitated, for a second, fearing that Julian was trying to reach out to her again.

“Hello?”

“Good evening,” a man said calmly. “Is this Miss Montgomery?”

“Yes.”

“This is Mr. Hawthorne, calling from The Hawthorne Corporation.”

Her breath caught.

“We would like for you to drop by tomorrow".

Her heart stuttered.

"Sure, I can come in tomorrow".

"9am. Don't be late". The line went dead, like the call never happened.

Why would they be calling her back? And of all persons, Mr Hawthorne himself had to be the one calling her personally.