The Shattered First Chance

A building blazed in the distance, smoke unfurling like a dark ribbon into the sky. The anguished cry of a young boy echoed through the chaos—faint, but unforgettable.

Mr. Lu stood still, framed by the window of his high-rise office, eyes locked on the fire below. The scene stirred something deep—a scar from a past he never spoke of.

“Sir,” his assistant’s voice cut in, firm yet respectful. “It’s time for your meeting.”

He blinked, pulled sharply back into the present. His gaze dropped to the small, gold pendant beneath his desk—quiet, unassuming, but heavy with memory.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

Wei Wei.

He hesitated, then answered.

“Lu han,” her voice was soft, familiar. “Dinner tonight?”

He glanced again at the pedal. A memory flickered. He nodded to himself. “Tonight. Seven.”

With a quiet breath, he ended the call and turned toward the meeting room, his composure impeccable, his steps precise.

Meanwhile, the lobby pulsed with energy. Riya clutched her folder to her chest, nerves prickling under her skin. Her heels clicked against the marble as she tried to remember every piece of advice she’d rehearsed.

“Riya! Where are you going?” her sister Rena’s voice called from behind. “The interview room is to the right!”

Flustered, Riya spun around—too fast.

Crash.

She collided hard with someone, her heel catching on something small beneath her. A sharp crack sliced through the hallway. A gold pendant—delicate and unfamiliar—lay shattered on the floor.

Her breath hitched. “I—I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t see—”

Mr. Lu didn’t flinch.

His eyes dropped to the ruined object, then rose slowly to meet hers. Cold. Calculating. As if measuring her entire worth in a single breath.

“Do you walk into every room breaking things,” he asked, his voice smooth and merciless, “or am I just fortunate today?”

“I—It was an accident—” she stammered.

“Accidents,” he said, cutting her off with chilling precision, “are the result of carelessness. And carelessness has no place in this building.”

He adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, unmoved.

“You’re not ready. Leave.”

Riya stepped forward, her voice trembling. “But the interview—”

“Is over.”

He turned and walked away without another glance, the glass doors of the meeting room sliding shut behind him with a soft hiss—like a judge sealing a sentence.

Riya stood frozen in the hallway.

She hadn’t even seen the object. She hadn’t meant to break anything. And yet, in one moment, she had shattered more than a piece of metal—she had shattered her only chance.

Around her, the office moved on. But in her chest, something was collapsing.

Riya sat on the bench outside the towering building, her resume still clutched tightly in her hands, now crumpled at the edges.

Rena stood beside her, arms folded. “Come on, Riya. There’ll be other companies. Other chances.”

Riya shook her head, eyes fixed on the floor. “Not like this one. This isn’t just a company. It’s his company.”

Rena frowned softly. “You mean Mr. Lu?”

Riya nodded slowly. “I’ve followed his journey since I was sixteen. I’ve read every article, watched every interview. He built an empire out of nothing. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted to learn from.”

She looked up, eyes welling. “And today, I broke his trust before I could even say hello. I shattered something important to him—and he looked at me like I was nothing.”

Rena sat beside her, softer now. “You didn’t mean to break it, Riya. You didn’t even see it.”

“I should have been careful,” Riya whispered. “He didn’t even look angry. Just… disappointed. Cold.”

Rena looked at her quietly, then said with a strange weight in her voice:

“Don’t forget why we came here.”

Riya blinked. “What do you mean?”

“We didn’t come just for the job,” Rena said, her voice calm but firm.

After they reach the room.

Riya sat in silence, the streetlights casting flickers of light across her bedroom wall. The ache in her chest hadn’t dulled. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Mr. Lu’s expression—stone cold, unreadable—when the pedal broke beneath her heel.

Everything felt ruined.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

She glanced at the screen.

Risa.

Her twin sister.

Riya answered with a fragile voice, “Hello?”

“Hey,” came Risa’s familiar tone, warm and teasing. “So? How did it go? Did you finally meet the legendary Mr. Lu?”

Riya swallowed hard. Her eyes welled up.

“I messed it up, Risa,” she whispered. “I broke something—something important to him. A small pedal. I didn’t even see it. And he looked at me like... like I didn’t belong there.”

There was a pause on the other end. Then Risa’s voice came, calm and grounding.

“Riya, breathe. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” Riya said shakily. “He ended the interview. Told me I wasn’t ready. I think I cracked my idol’s heart, Risa. I came all this way just to ruin everything.”

“You didn’t ruin everything,” Risa replied gently.

But “I failed, Risa. He didn’t even give me a second look. Just… dismissed me.”

She wiped a tear with the back of her hand. “How do I fix something like this?”

On the other end, Risa’s voice was calm, steady—the kind of warmth only a twin could give.

“Tomorrow, you go back,” she said softly. “You apologize, face him properly. It’ll be okay.”

There was something in her tone—quiet confidence, fierce belief—that reached into Riya’s cracked heart and held it together just a little longer.

Riya closed her eyes, exhaling slowly.

Maybe… just maybe… it wasn't over yet.

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