After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 9

Rebecca paused, surprised that Samuel had learned about the situation.

*So you know about the divorce, too?” she asked gently. She'd been trying to figure out how to tell him without

hurting him too much.

Samuel nodded and said softly, “Yes”

Pulling him closer, Rebecca whispered into his hair, “I'm so sorry, baby.”

“Mommy, you're such a dummy,” Samuel said, his innocent face full of concern as he squeezed her hand, “you

shouldn't have fought for custody of me.”

Rebecca fraze, her heart dropping to her stomach. Does Samuel not want to live with me?” she thought bitterly.

“Even if | live at Daddy's, you'll always be my favorite person,” Samuel told her, billing his head in that way that

always saw right through her. “Til miss you every day and csee you on all my breaks.”

A smile appeared through Rebecca's tears before she even realized she was crying.

“You should've let Daddy take me, Samuel said, his voice gentle but his words showing wisdom beyond his

years. “Then he’d finally get how much work parenting really is.”

“I could never do that,” Rebecca whispered, feeling that Samuel and her mother’s love were life's greatest

blessings, “I couldn't stand you growing up in that house. | want your childhood and your whole life to be full of

love and happiness

Taking him with her was the only way to keep her son from being messed up. Staying with the Hansons might

not seem like a big deal at first, but over time, they'd totally lead him down the wrong path.

Marcus considered affairs normal within their social circle, and Jeffrey had grown up viewing it as acceptable.

She refused to let Samuel be corrupted by their values and wanted him to grow up with a healthy mind and

strong character:

*Mommy, you're such a goof,” Samuel said, holding her tight, his big eyes full of nothing but love. “But you're

the best.”

Rebecca smiled and ran a hand through his hair. Right then, she knew every hard choice had been worth it.

“Mommy,” he said in that cute little way of his that always melted her heart.

“Yeah?” Rebecca responded.

Hesitation showed on his young face. Did Daddy divorce you because of that secretary from today?”

Rebecca's expression froze.

“I saw that hot search topic from the other day,” Samuel said in his gentle voice, sounding wiser than his years.

“Daddy said he was traveling for work today, but his step count kept increasing for hours after ho left.”

Rebecca wanted to say something, but then hesitated. She was concerned he might not be ready to hear what

she had to say.

She also realized at that moment that Samuel was even more perceptive than she was, and she wondered how

someone so young knew to check slep

counts.

“Don’t worry aboutgetting upset, Samuel said, his big eyes showing genuine concern for her.

Samuel was sure of his father’s love for him that wouldn't change, even if his father had cheated. But he also

understood that his father’s feelings for his mother had changed forever, and his greatest worry was that she

wouldn't be able to handle it.

Rebecca still held back the truth, comforting Samuel instead. “Even though Mommy and Daddy aren’t together

anymore, we both love you just as much

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Chapter 9

as always,” she whispered.

After their heavy talk, Rebecca spent tplaying games with Samuel to take his mind off things.

Over the next few days, she began searching for both an apartment and a job.

Returning to the workforce after five years away proved challenging. Even with her degree from a top school, she

was just another resin a stack of fresh graduates.

When Jessica called to check in and heard Rebecca was struggling, she didn’t hesitate. “Why don’t you come

work at my company? | can offer you our highest starting salary”

“Lettry on my own a little longer,” Rebecca said, not wanting to cause potential problems and embarrass her

friend if things went south. “You'll be my first call if | strike out,”

“Lettake a look at your resume,” Jessica offered. “I can help you polish it up.”

Rebecca sent it to her without hesitation

When Jessica wasn't taking on those small but perfectly-crafted acting roles, she ran an entertainment company

under the Scott Group.

She know the industry inside out, which made her the perfect person to review a resume.

“You're still as straightforward as you were right out of college,” Jessica said, scanning the resume. “After all

those years with that jerk, didn’t you pick up any of his slick ways?”

Rebecca was at a loss for words,

Knowing her friend too well, Jessica made a few quick edits and sent it back. “There you go-all fixed up!”

Rebecca downloaded the updated version. The changes seemed subtle at first glance, mostly just smarter

wording that made all the difference.

“Look, your resis like a raw selfie-nobody posts those without a little editing first,” Jessica said, knowing her

friend was all about substance over

style.

To put it bluntly, Rebecca was the type who'd rather let her work do the talking than waste breath on empty

words.

But the real world wasn't like school, where good grades guaranteed success. Most bosses cared less about

perfect results and more about whether one could play the office game.

Even those with average performance could advance if they possessed strong interpersonal skills.

“Honestly, why not cwork with me?” Jessica offered sincerely. “Whether you want to be an actor, model, or

influencer, | can make it happen. Since you compose music, | could partner you with a singer, where you create

the music, and she performs it.”

“Thanks, but no,” Rebecca said. She never wanted to be in the spotlight and disliked both the attention and the

idea of strangers prying into her personal life. She just wanted a normal, quiet life like anyone else.

“I know you'd never letjust take care of you,” Jessica said, not bothering to argue since she knew her

friend's stubbornness all too well. “Try finding something on your own first. But if it doesn’t work out, I'm here for

you.”

“Okay,” Rebecca agreed.

After they hung up, Rebecca started sending out the resJessica had helped her polish. To her surprise, it

actually worked. Within a few days, her phone was ringing with interview offers from multiple companies.

Sho thought maybe her luck was finally turning. Every Interview went botter than expected-she breezed through

the first and second rounds at each

company.

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Chapter 9

3.61%

+15)

But then, at every final interview, something went wrong. She kept getting rejected, leaving her wondering if it

was really about her skills or something else entirely.

“We appreciate your interest, but we've decided to move forward with other candidates whose qualifications

more closely match our needs.”

“Ms. Jensen, thank you for your time. Unfortunately, we won't be making an offer following the final interview.”

“Hello. After careful consideration, we've concluded that your skills aren't the right fit for this particular position.”

The rejections arrived in a synchronized wave, as if all the companies had coordinated their decisions.

Rebecca felt her hopes fading with

each successive call Every second

interview, had gone Yedoefful) and

the fina nds had seemed equally

P )

promising. She couldn't understand

why they all ended with rejection. The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

As she was lost in thought, her phone buzzed again with another call,

She knew this would be another rejection. As she answered, a professional voice said, “Hello, Ms. Jensen,

“So didn’t get the job?” She cut straight to the point.

The HR representative paused, surprised by her directness. “I'm afraid not,” the person said.

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Could | ask why | wasn't selected?

Rebecca asked, the constant mn

rejections makipg |r Gestion her

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one of the strongest performances in

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the initial interviews.” The content is

on novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

“We've decided to go with someone whose experience better aligns with our needs,” the HR representative

replied.

“If experience was the issue, | wouldn’t have made it to the final round,” she argued, frustration evident in her

voice. “That's the sexcuse I've heard

from every company today.”

The HR representative glanced at the directive from company leadership, silently sympathizing with Rebecca’s

situation.

“Hello? Are you still there?” Rebecca asked, her voice tinged with desperation.

“This cfrom upper management,” the HR representative said curtly. “Best of luck in your job search.” Then

the line went dead before Rebecca could respond.

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As Rebecca's confidence hit rock

bottom, an anonymous text m

appeared. My, superiors h&v&been

Sree hire you. Might want

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to think about who you've pissed off

recently.] The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

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Chapter 10