Brie's laptop screen glowed against the dim light of her bedroom. Her group chat was already active, with voices overlapping in a flurry of ideas and last-minute edits for their final project presentation.
She was halfway through typing a suggestion when a new email notification popped up in the corner of her screen.
Subject: Interview Invitation – Prof. Lancaster
Brie blinked. Her heart skipped.
"Did anyone else just get a message from Professor Lancaster?" she asked, leaning closer to the screen.
There was a pause.
Then Jason replied, "Yeah, just saw it. Subject line says 'Interview Invitation.'
"Same here," chimed in Maya. "Hold on, I'm opening mine."
Brie's fingers trembled slightly as she clicked into the email.
Jason read his aloud. "Dear Jason, you've been formally invited for the interview process with Stratson and Titan Group scheduled for Friday in the coming week. Do note that you are to come prepared, as a session will be held with delegates from these groups."
The chat exploded.
"Stratson and Titan?" Maya gasped. "Are you kidding me?"
Brie scanned her own message, eyes wide. It was identical.
"Oh my God," she whispered, then screamed. "I got it too!"
Amber, who had been folding laundry nearby, dropped a shirt and rushed over. "What happened?" Her face had an expression of worry as she frantically ran towards Brie.
Brie spun her laptop toward her. "Look!"
Amber leaned in, reading quickly. Her face lit up. "Brie! This is huge!"
Brie bounced on the edge of her bed, her voice breathless. "I can't believe it. Stratson and Titan? They're like the top firms in the city!"
Jason sent a string of emojis. "Congrats, Brie! You totally earned this."
Maya added, "This is insane. We're actually shortlisted!"
"Yes," the entire study group screamed.
Amber wrapped her arms around Brie in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you."
The group chat was now a blur of excitement, theories about the interview format, and wild guesses about what the delegates might ask.
"We should prep," Jason said. "Forget the deck for tonight. This is priority."
"Agreed," Maya replied. "They might throw case studies at us on leadership scenarios."
Amber nodded. "You should also prep questions. CEOs love when students ask smart stuff."
Brie's mind was spinning. "I need to update my resume and maybe rehearse some answers."
"Should we still meet tonight?" Jason asked.
Brie shook her head. "Let's regroup after the interviews. Right now, we need to focus and bring our A game on this guys."
The meeting dissolved into laughter and adrenaline. Brie closed her laptop, her heart racing, then turned to Amber and they both screamed again delightfully jumping on the bed in a flurry of excitement.
After a few seconds of excited jumps, they landed on the bed holding their belly as they tried to stop their laughter. Amber sat beside her, eyes twinkling. "This is your moment."
Brie smiled, but her thoughts were already drifting—to Jeff. She couldn't wait to tell him the news.
She didn't know it yet, that there was a storm quietly brewing beneath her success and that this opportunity would change everything.
The next morning, Brie stepped onto campus with a bounce in her stride. The air was electric—students clustered in groups, phones out, with voices buzzing with speculation.
She spotted Professor Lancaster by the door of her class and her brows furrowed into a surprise frown. Professor lancaster's class wasn't due until thirty minutes. He had a clipboard in hand and a rare smile on his face.
"Professor!" she called, jogging up.
He looked up. "Ah, Brie. Good timing."
"Is class still holding today?"
He shook his head. "No classes. We've arranged something special."
Brie raised an eyebrow, in a mixture of surprise. "Special?"
Lancaster nodded. "We've invited a speaker to address the final-year students. Someone who knows the corporate world inside out."
Brie's heart thudded as excitement ran through her veins. "Who?"
"Let's go in together so everyone knows."
The moment they turned into class, her class mates were by the corridor already, they had heard Professor Lancaster's mention a speaker. His British accent travelled through the walls and they instantly rushed to the corridor to hear what he had to say.
Upon seeing them, he smiled and nodded at them to have their seats. He smiled and looked at each of them in the eye the moment they settled down then proceeded to speak.
"As you all know, every year when we have exceptional students like yourselves, the school makes arrangement with top companies and firms who would help push exceptional talents out there in the corporate world. A few number of you I believe already got interview invites. The rest of you however, still have a chance to show your stuff, Tomorrow the CEO of Stratson Group, would be gracing this very hall to meet with you and give you a brief of everything corporate world."
Gasps echoed from nearby students.
"He's an alumni," Lancaster continued. "Very successful. He's squeezing in forty-five minutes for us before flying out again."
Brie's jaw dropped. "That's incredible."
"Unfortunately," he added, "we couldn't get the CEO of Titan Group. He's currently out of the country. But Stratson's CEO was more than willing to make time."
Lancaster handed her a flyer. "Use today to prep your questions. Make them sharp. He's not here to babysit."
Brie as well as her classmates nodded excitedly.
"Understood Professor."
As he walked away, whispers followed him.
"I heard he handpicks interns on the spot," one student murmured.
"My cousin said he once offered someone a job mid-speech," another added.
Brie's pulse quickened.
Amber texted: "Heard the news. You're ready to impress?"
Brie replied: "I'm going to make him remember my name."
She didn't know it yet, but the CEO wasn't just coming to talk.
He was coming with a list.
And Brie's name was already on it.