Second Option Novels & Stories

It wasn't a standard review form; it was handwritten, in a tight, analytical script I knew too well. "He didn't complain about the purple hair, the pink dress, or your past," Mark said, pushing the note toward me. "He complained about your omotenashi." I took the paper, my fingers trembling slightly. Larry hadn't used his judgment against me; he had used his high standards. The note was organized into three bullet points: Napkin Placement: "Table three, guest (Mrs. Sanford) was left for 2.3 minutes after being seated before her oshibori was delivered. Napkin folds were slightly uneven. Omotenashi demands instant, perfect presentation of comfort."

“Okay, so let me get this straight. We fixed everything so well that we broke it in a completely different way.” “Yes,” Aidan says. “Great. Fantastic. Love that for us.” I stand, pacing a little. Because sitting still suddenly feels like a bad idea again. “What are our options.” Ezra looks at Aidan. Aidan looks at the projection. And neither of them answers immediately. Which means— The options are bad. “Option one,” Aidan says finally. “We leave it alone.” “And hope it stays like this.” “Yes.” I nod slowly. “Okay. Option two.”

Once she brought back the supplies, it was time for all business and forget about everything else from earlier. “Alright guys, let’s get started. Just open up you presentation deck to the first slide. Project Second Chance is ready to start.”

Aurora stumbled, not from fear but collision. Two realities occupying the same body. Alexander stepped forward instinctively. Then stopped again. Because she was looking at him like a question she had never agreed to answer. “You were there,” she whispered. He didn’t deny it. And that was worse than denial. The system lights dimmed. Everything collapsed into darkness. Except one interface. DO YOU WANT YOUR ORIGINAL MEMORY RESTORED? Two options appeared: ONE: AURORA VALE TWO: ALEXANDER VALE Aurora stared.

I stood off to the side, like I didn't belong there at all. I wanted to tell them to get out, but my flight was coming up fast. I didn't have time to waste. I forced it down and bent to gather my clothes, putting them back into the suitcase. Stephanie suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned, cut off the worst part of the cake, and held it out to me. "Look at me. I got so carried away taking pictures that I almost forgot you haven't had any cake yet. I heard you like grapes, so I had them add grape jam just for you."

Suddenly, I was starting to be excited that I didn't speak first. Another girl raised her hand, “The first or second option is the best.” “You can only stick with one option, which do you pick?” Pat replied flatly. “Err… the option of confronting your boss to make him change his ways,” the girl replied. “That's option two,” Pat replied. “I take it that you are picking that.” The girl nodded. I turned to Hori sitting right beside me and whispered in her ear. “This is such a childish game. Can you believe they are even giving us options?” I said, trying my best to hold back my laughter.

“I understand how you feel. That day wasn’t entirely your fault. I realized that even if there’s no room for me in your heart right now, I still can’t forget you. So could you give me another chance?” The sincerity on his face made the rejection stick in my throat. By the time we left the cafe, it was already noon. Blake had taken half the day off and insisted on walking me back to the grocery store. As I opened the door, the wind chimes rang. Two unfamiliar he-wolves stood at the counter. Both wore black jackets. A faint metallic smell of blood lingered in the air. One had his back to me, flipping through items on the shelf. Then the other turned around…

“Luca, if your father and I get divorced, who would you choose to stay with?” He froze. Standing there helplessly, his lips pressed so tightly they turned pale. After a long time, he finally spoke in a low voice. “Dad would be sad. “Mom, he just made one mistake. Don’t divorce him, okay?” I looked at him as my heart slowly sank. The moment he hesitated, the answer had already become clear. He chose to stand with his father. I raised my hand and gently touched his head, as calmly as I did every night when I used to put him to sleep.

I said curiously. "Well, I don’t know but I am pretty sure that those two devils are up to no good". Liam replied. "So, what’s the second step, since our first one was a quick success, I suppose that we are going to proceed towards our second step". I asked. "Yes, we are going to. Listen closely, if we make a mistake on this step, trust me our plan will be a failure." I nodded and listened closely. "So, the second step is…."

Go forth and conquer. I say this silent vow to myself as I input the code to get into the villa. Today would be the first day of the rest of my life.