DINA POV
A CHANCE WORTH TAKING
Sometimes I wonder if life enjoys testing how much one person can endure before they finally give up. This morning, I stared at the unpaid bills spread across our tiny dining table and reached the same conclusion I had reached every month.
“We didn’t have enough.”
The rent was overdue, the electricity bill hadn’t been paid, and even the hospital installment for my mother’s treatment was still hanging over us. I quietly gathered the papers before Mom woke up; she already carried enough worries; she didn’t need mine too.
Our apartment wasn’t much, a small bedroom, a tiny kitchen, and old furniture that had survived better days, but it was home; it was the last thing my father had managed to leave us.
I headed into the kitchen and prepared a simple breakfast with the little food we had left.
“Good morning,” Mom said as she walked in.
“Morning Mom,” I said
She smiled and kissed my forehead before her eyes drifted to the folder I hadn’t hidden fast enough.
“The bills again?” she asked.
I forced a smile. “We will manage.” I said.
She reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
“You don’t always have to be the strong one, Dina.” Mom said.
“If I don’t, who will?” I replied.
“We will carry this together.” she said.
Her words almost broke me. Instead, I smiled and changed the subject.
“I have another interview today.”
Her face immediately lit up.
“Really?” Mom asked.
“I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“You’ve said that every time.” mom said calmly.
“And every time, I came home disappointed.” I replied.
Mom shook her head gently. “One day will be different.” she said.
I wished I believed that, after so many rejection emails and failed interviews, hope had become something I was afraid to hold onto. When breakfast was over, I gathered my documents. As I zipped my old portfolio, my eyes landed on my father’s framed photograph sitting quietly on the shelf.
Daniel Grant, twenty-two years later, his smile hadn’t changed.
Mom walked over and picked up the frame. “Do you remember what your father always told you?” she asked.
I shook my head.
She smiled softly. “He would kneel beside you and say, ‘Dina, you’re meant for something greater; never let your circumstances decide your future.’
The words settled deep inside me: something greater. I wanted to believe him. After Dad died, everything fell apart.
Sometimes I tried to remember the sound of his voice, afraid that one day it would fade completely; I could still picture him coming home from work with tired eyes and a smile that somehow made everything feel safe. No matter how hard life became, he always found a way to laugh with Mom and me. Back then, I truly believed nothing bad could ever happen to our family.
After he died, that feeling disappeared overnight; every knock on the door made us hope someone had come with answers, but no one ever did. People offered sympathy for a few days, then slowly moved on with their lives while ours stood still. Mom worked longer hours to keep us afloat, and I grew up faster than I should have. Somewhere along the way, dreaming about the future became less important than simply surviving another month.
Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to stop believing in the words Dad had left me. If he had trusted that I was meant for something greater, then maybe I owed it to him and to myself to keep moving forward, no matter how impossible life seemed.
I gently brushed the dust from the frame.
“I am trying, Dad,” I whispered.
“I really am.”
Just then, my phone vibrated, a new email. I stared at the screen, already expecting another rejection. Taking a deep breath, I opened it.
My eyes widened.
“Dear Miss Dina Grant,
We are pleased to invite you to the final interview for the position of Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of AJ Global”
I read it again, then again; my heart pounded as the words finally sank in. It couldn’t be real, my eyes drifted to the company logo, the official signature, and the interview time. Everything looked real. I let out a shaky laugh that sounded more like a sob.
“Mom!!” I called out.
She took the phone from my trembling hands and read the email herself, a bright smile spread across her face.
“Dina, this is it.” Mom said.
“I think they’ve made a mistake,” I replied.
“They didn’t,” Mom said firmly.
“But it’s AJ Global.” I said calmly
“Then show them exactly who you are,” she said, patting my shoulder.
“They’re one of the biggest corporations in the country; thousands of people apply there every year. Why would they choose me?” I asked.
My mom gently placed the phone back into my hand.
“Because you earned it.” she said.
Hope quietly found its way back into my heart after many months of rejection. An hour later, dressed in my oldest but neatest business suit and wearing Dad’s wristwatch, I hugged Mom goodbye. “You’ll do great,” she whispered, praying softly before I left.
When the taxi finally stopped, I stepped out and looked up. AJ Global Headquarters towered above me, its glass walls shining beneath the morning sun; employees hurried through the revolving doors while luxury cars lined the entrance. It was beautiful and intimidating. It felt like a world that belonged to people far more successful than me.
For a moment, I looked down at my worn handbag and inexpensive shoes. Then I glanced at Dad’s watch.
“Never let your circumstances decide your future.”
With renewed determination, I straightened my shoulders. “I can do this.” Taking one steady breath, I walked through the revolving doors and into the magnificent lobby, completely unaware that this single step was about to change my life forever.
I had barely taken a few steps when the entire atmosphere changed; the receptionist stood, and security guards straightened. Executives walking through the lobby immediately stopped talking; every head turned toward the entrance.
Confused, I followed their gaze. A sleek black luxury car had just arrived, the rear door opened, and a tall man stepped out in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. His calm expression and commanding presence silenced the entire lobby. Several executives hurried to greet him as if his arrival alone could change the course of the entire day.
Even from a distance, authority seemed to follow him, someone beside me whispered in awe. “Mr. Adrian Jacob.”
Almost instinctively, I looked up; for a brief second, our eyes met across the crowded lobby. Something strange stirred inside me before he calmly looked away and continued walking.
Little did Dina know, the man everyone feared had been dreading for years the day Daniel Grant’s daughter would walk through the doors of AJ Global.
