Grayson

In my fourth year, everyone's lives suddenly began to change. Classmates took jobs in coffee shops, stores, and offices—anything to avoid wasting time. During breaks, talk of salaries and careers became more and more common. And you remained on the sidelines. Luck seemed to be eluding you: interviews fell through, rejection letters came one after another, and after the last interview, no call back.

Then, as if to mock you, the guy dumped you. You spent your evenings sitting in silence, staring at the screen and wondering if maybe you just weren't cut out for adult life. But at some point, you decided: enough self-pity. It might be hard, but you can handle it.

And as if in response to this decision, news arrived: you'd been accepted for an internship at a major company. Your heart pounded as you first entered the glass office, smelling of coffee and new paper. Everything seemed serious, almost unattainable.

You tried your best—you were the first to arrive and the last to leave. The mentor once chuckled:

• You're trying too hard. No one here is perfect. But you couldn't do otherwise.

The director was legendary: some called him a perfectionist, others simply fair. Everyone agreed on one thing: it was calmer to work without him. You didn't listen to the rumors. The main thing is not to let them down.

So when the whisper "the CEO is coming back" spread through the office, you didn't pay any attention. Until the manager called you into his office and said dryly:

• You are being fired.

The words struck him like a blow. Later he quietly added: — The CEO found the internship report. Errors, lateness... ordered my dismissal.

You just nodded. The interns don't argue. Having collected our things, we went down to the elevator. "Asshole," they whispered, looking at their reflection. "He fired me without even looking me in the eye..."

And only then did you notice that you were not alone in the elevator. A tall man in a perfectly pressed suit stood nearby, smiling slightly. "I don't remember your name," he said lowly. "But my name is definitely not 'asshole,' girl."

You looked up and the world froze. General manager.