The CEO's First Love

Narrator's Voice: “Hello, everyone! For those of you who already know me, welcome back, and for those who don’t, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Noah Jackson, and today, I’ll be telling you the story of someone very special—Francina Williams. If you’re already familiar with Francina, great! But for those of you hearing about her for the first time, don’t worry—we’ll start fresh. Ready? Let’s dive in!” “Francina Williams is a 22-year-old American girl from Los Altos, California. She’s ready to start her journey into adulthood. But, of course, the first part of that journey is finding a job—because she can’t live with her parents forever. You see, Francina had just graduated from college, and now she’s in need of a job to move out of her parents' house for good. So, her parents came up with a fantastic idea: they would rent her an apartment and pay her rent for a month until she found a job. But if she doesn’t get a job, well, she’s on her own. That sounds like a sweet deal to me. What do you think” “Oh my God, Francina! I can’t believe you have your own apartment—your very own space! Aren’t you excited?” Olivia yelled, her excitement bubbling over. Narrator's Voice: “Oh, wait—before we get too far into the story, I almost forgot to introduce someone important. Olivia Rosemary is Francina’s best friend, and they've been inseparable ever since kindergarten. Can you imagine that kind of bond? Now, that’s what I call a friendship!” "Yeah, I am, but I need to find a job within the next month, or this whole space is going to go poof ," I said, my voice tinged with urgency. "Yeah, you're totally right. You should get started now. I’ve got your back! I’ve got newspapers, websites—everything you need!" Olivia shouted, bouncing with excitement. She yanked a pile of papers from her purse and hauled me by the arm, pulling me to the floor to sit next to her. Narrator's Voice: "Oh, right—she doesn't have any furniture. That's a real shame. I don’t want to sound like I’m giving a lecture, but no bed, no chairs? She's going to be one sore human being! She did have a bed, but I guess she didn’t want to 'borrow' it from her parents. Yeah, that’s definitely a decision she’ll probably regret when her back gives out." After a few minutes of browsing the web and skimming through newspapers, I found a handful of jobs that matched my skills and experience. Now, all I had to do was sit back and see what happens. "Um, Francina, where’s your bed? I’m pretty sure you had one at your parents' house," Olivia asked, looking around the room. "I didn’t need it," I replied, my gaze shifting to the newspaper. "Why? Wait, don’t tell me you’re planning to sleep on the floor." "No, I’ve got bed sheets." "You took the sheets, and not the bed? You should’ve taken the bed." "It’ll be fine. I’ve slept on the floor before, plus it’s a new start for me. Come on, you really wanted me to haul my twin bed from I was a kid to my new apartment?" "Okay, if you say so, but I still think you should’ve taken the bed." Olivia chuckled The next day, I woke up to the sound of my front door creaking open, the scent of coffee filling the air, with that I immediately knew who it was. All I heard was a soft whisper. "Good morning, sleepyhead," Olivia whispered. "Good—ugh, morning!" I grunted, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my side when I tried to sit up. "Oh, good morning to you too. You sound like a zombie. Anyway, I brought coffee." "Ugh, I could really use some of that," I groaned, followed by another loud grunt. "Hmm, I’m guessing the floor idea wasn’t the best choice, but hey, we still need to finish what we started yesterday." "Yeah, you’re right… uh, you’re right," I muttered, slowly pushing myself up to stretch my aching body before returning to the same spot to continue my job search. From beneath the covers where I’d slept, I faintly heard my cell phone ringing. “Good morning, am I speaking with Francina Williams?” the caller inquired. The moment I heard those words, the pain I felt immediately vanished. Ecstatic, I replied, "Yes, this is she." "Hello, I’m calling from Domain Bility Corp. We’ve reviewed your resume and believe you would be a great fit for our team. Are you still interested, with working with us? “Yes I am” "Great! Our team and I would love to schedule an interview with you for next Tuesday at 1:00 PM. Hope to see you there! Have a great day! "Thank you so much," I said as I ended the call. A mix of excitement and nerves bubbled inside me. What if I mess up? What if they’re not impressed? What if I get the job but can’t live up to their expectations?" Narrator's Voice: "Missed me, I guess? Maybe God was on Francina’s side, cheering her on to get this job. At least, that’s what I thought. A week went by, and Francina was more than ready to crush this interview. And crush it she did—landing a position as a secretary. It wasn’t her dream job, but it paid well. How complicated could it be? Pushing papers, taking notes... doesn’t sound too hard, right? Well, as I always say—that’s what I thought." "But with that Francina was over the moon. She called up her friends and family, practically shouting, 'Guess what? I got a job as a secretary!' Personally, I would've kept that info to myself, but hey, if it works for her it works for me." “Oh my God, Olivia, it was so intense! I thought I answered their questions wrong—well, there aren’t any wrong answers, but you know what I mean. But I was relieved when they said I could start next week. Getting hired on the spot like that was crazy. Oh my God, I can't wait to get... h-h-home!" I stuttered, but I froze when someone in the distance caught my attention, slowly heading toward me. My breath caught in my throat as the figure came closer, and then— "I realized... it was someone I never expected to see again."