One Last Chance
960 Words
The rain hadn’t stopped.
Alyssa sat silently in the passenger seat, clutching the stranger’s jacket against her chest as Emma drove through the crowded streets.
Neither of them spoke for almost five minutes.
Finally, Emma broke the silence.
“So…”
Alyssa let out a dry laugh.
“If you’re trying to figure out how to comfort me, don’t.”
Emma glanced at her.
“I’m trying to figure out how you still have a job.”
Alyssa frowned.
“What?”
Emma held up her phone.
“The call wasn’t fake.”
Alyssa stared at the screen.
Kingston Group Headquarters
The missed call was still there.
Her stomach tightened.
“This has to be a mistake.”
“Maybe.”
“Or maybe they dialed the wrong number.”
Emma shook her head.
“They asked for Alyssa Monroe by name.”
Alyssa looked out of the rain-covered window.
Just an hour ago, she had become the laughingstock of the city.
Now the biggest corporation in the country wanted to hire her?
Nothing made sense.
⸻
Back at Monroe Weddings, the office looked even more depressing than usual.
Half the lights had been switched off to save electricity.
The reception desk was empty.
Three unopened bills lay on the counter.
Emma picked one up.
“The landlord came again.”
Alyssa didn’t answer.
She already knew what it said.
FINAL NOTICE.
Another envelope sat beside it.
Bank loan repayment.
Overdue.
She slowly walked into her tiny office.
Her mother’s framed photograph sat neatly on the bookshelf.
As always.
Alyssa smiled sadly.
“You picked a terrible time to leave me.”
Her fingers gently brushed the frame.
“I almost made it, Mom.”
A knock interrupted her.
Emma stepped inside.
“Everyone’s here.”
Alyssa closed her eyes.
Everyone.
Which meant…
Her employees.
⸻
Six people waited in the meeting room.
Their faces were anxious.
Hopeful.
Confused.
Alyssa hated disappointing people.
She took a deep breath.
“I won’t waste your time.”
Silence filled the room.
“Our biggest client fired us today.”
No one looked surprised.
“The videos are everywhere.”
One employee quietly lowered her phone.
Alyssa continued.
“I don’t know when our next project will come.”
Another silence.
Then Mark, the company’s florist, spoke first.
“So…”
“Are we closing?”
The question hit harder than the slap.
Alyssa couldn’t answer.
Because she didn’t know.
Emma suddenly stood.
“No.”
Everyone turned toward her.
“We’re not closing.”
She held up her phone.
“We have a meeting tomorrow morning.”
Alyssa sighed.
“Emma…”
“It’s true.”
She handed Alyssa the phone.
An email filled the screen.
⸻
Kingston Group
To: Ms. Alyssa Monroe
We would like to meet with you regarding an exclusive wedding planning opportunity.
Tomorrow.
9:00 A.M.
Attendance is required.
⸻
The room exploded.
“The Kingston Group?”
“The Kingston Group?”
“THE Kingston Group?”
Mark blinked.
“The billionaire family?”
Emma grinned.
“I told you.”
Alyssa read the email again.
Then again.
No explanation.
No details.
Only a meeting.
She looked at everyone.
“I’m not celebrating yet.”
“Why not?” Mark asked.
“Because people like the Kingstons don’t accidentally hire people whose failures are trending online.”
The room fell quiet.
She was right.
Something didn’t add up.
⸻
That night…
Sleep never came.
Alyssa lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Her mind replayed the slap.
The whispers.
The cameras.
Then…
Another memory.
The stranger.
George.
His calm voice.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
She looked toward the chair where his jacket rested.
Without thinking, she picked it up.
Something felt heavy inside one of the pockets.
Her eyebrows knitted together.
She reached inside.
A small silver key.
Attached to it was a worn leather tag.
One word had been engraved into it.
G.
Nothing else.
“No phone number?”
“No address?”
She frowned.
“I have to return this.”
⸻
The next morning…
Kingston Group Headquarters towered over the city.
Forty-eight floors of glass and steel.
Luxury cars lined the entrance.
Executives hurried through revolving doors.
Alyssa suddenly became very aware that her suit was three years old.
Emma leaned over.
“You look amazing.”
“I look terrified.”
“You can do terrified.”
Alyssa laughed despite herself.
The receptionist smiled politely.
“Ms. Monroe?”
“Yes.”
“They’re expecting you.”
She was escorted into a private elevator.
No buttons.
Only one destination.
Floor 48.
The doors opened.
Everything screamed wealth.
Marble floors.
Original artwork.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.
A man in a tailored navy suit approached.
“Ms. Monroe.”
He smiled professionally.
“My name is Richard Cole.”
“I’m the executive assistant to Mr. George Kingston.”
Just hearing the name made her nervous.
Richard gestured toward a pair of enormous wooden doors.
“He’s waiting.”
Her heartbeat quickened.
This was it.
She adjusted her blazer.
Took one deep breath.
Then stepped inside.
The office was breathtaking.
Sunlight poured through the glass walls.
A massive desk overlooked the skyline.
A man stood with his back to her.
Hands clasped behind him.
Perfectly tailored black suit.
Confident posture.
Without turning around, he spoke.
“So…”
His voice was calm.
“You’re the wedding planner who destroyed a million-dollar wedding.”
Alyssa froze.
Every muscle in her body tightened.
Slowly…
The man turned around.
Handsome.
Sharp jaw.
Confident smile.
Eyes that revealed absolutely nothing.
He walked toward her.
Extended his hand.
“I’m George Kingston.”
Alyssa swallowed.
The most powerful billionaire in the country…
…already knew exactly who she was
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