Alpha Mate bond

chapter three. I'm rejected

The buildings taunted Aiyana with their heights and she scoffed, searching around until her eyes landed on the board of the company she was going to. As a graduate, meagre jobs didn’t seem to hit the spot for her anymore, not if she wanted to be independent and move out of the house. Aiyana needed a stable income and an even bigger status than she had.

The only problem with being a big dreamer was how the rejections hurt even more than it normally would with normal dreams. She wasn’t sure if she was going to have luck with this company, but she was willing to try. Anything to move her goal forward and try hard to establish herself. She took steps forward, brushing her raven locks with her fingers as she briefly looked at the mirror before continuing with her stride to the building.

Aiyana walked into the company, smiling at the receptionist who responded with a grumble. “Uh, good morning.”

“Yes? How may I help you?” The receptionist-Dela as her tag said-replied with a nonchalant attitude.

Aiyana fumbled with her words, not at all expecting the treatment she was getting. “I’m here to see Mr. Tristan, the agent. I was asked to come by 9am.”

“Are you sure it was 9am?” She asked, sifting through the papers on her desk. “What’s your name?”

“Aiyana Orson.” She replied, her voice reducing its cheer the more she stood in front of Dela. It felt as if being in her presence alone was sucking out all of the happiness she had entered with. Aiyana was almost tempted to ask if she was a joy killer or something.

“There is no Aiyana here. You don’t have an appointment with Mr. Tristan.”

She froze, pulling out her phone and showing it to Dela. “I have an appointment. It says it there in the mail.”

Dela shook her head and looked down at her almost pitifully. “I think this is a prank, Aiyana. Mr. Tristan doesn’t directly message his clients and he doesn’t come to work on Thursdays. Whoever did this knows all of these details and I don’t know how to help you. All I can say is, you don’t have a meeting with him today or any other day.”

Aiyana deflated at those words, “I don’t understand… who would do this?”

Dela didn’t reply, going back to her computer and typing away. It was a sign, she thought, to leave, hide in the sand and never come out. Aiyana couldn’t describe the level of shame she was feeling. She muttered a small ‘thank you’ to Dela before stepping out of the building, feeling less excited than she had been when she stepped in. She wasn’t sure why she thought this was going to be any different from the other places she had been to. The only difference with this experience was that she hadn’t gotten the chance to meet the agent. There was a chance he still would have rejected her if she showed him her work.

As a writer, Aiyana couldn’t find anyone to publish her work. She wrote behind a different name and had published a number of books on her own, but there was something that came with having a publisher behind you. Whenever she published her book, the only ones who bought it were her parents, some people from college and her close friend, Ardeth. Besides them, the sales were pretty stagnant from there. If she wanted to sell and be recognised, she needed a backing, one she was finding hard to get.

She hailed a cab, deciding she was just going to remain in her room until the day going out again was necesssary. There was nothing to do outside and if the rejections were all she was going to get, she didn’t want to bruise her ego any further.

•

“Aiyana, darling, you need to come out of your room. You can’t keep going like this.” Her mother’s voiced filtered through the door and toward her where she laid under the covers.

There was overwhelming shame that laid itself on her shoulders and she had cried so hard that there was nothing left in her eyes anymore. When she finished college, she had dreamed big of being a published author, but that future was starting to seem bleak leaving her with no choice but to mourn. She was mourning her failed dreams.

“Aiyana? Sweetie, please talk to me. I’m worried about you.”

Her mother had been patient with her for the past day, leaving her alone and letting her stay shut in her room. She hadn’t tried to speak with her or offer words of encouragement. Rather she left her alone in her space. Aiyana knew she had done it so she could get herself togethet, but the last one had hurt her more than the others had.

The receptionist had been nice enough to tell her it was a prank without laughing hard and she appreciated it. She couldn’t admit that to her parents though. There was something different about this situation that made her feel even more shame than normal.

Instead of leaving her mother to worry further, Aiyana heaved herself off her bed, grimacing as she heard her bones popping and cracking. She had been in bed for too long that was for sure. She walked toward the door, unlocking it and pulling it open. Before she got a word out, her mother had hugged her, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down.

“They were wrong to reject you, baby. There is nothing wrong with your stories and I believe you are going to find someone who shared that view with you. Maybe not now, but someday you will and then, you won’t have to cry so hard or starve yourself for so long.” Her mother said, rubbing her cheek.

“Thanks, mum.” Aiyana replied, not bothering to correct her that she hadn’t been rejected. She hadn’t even gotten interviewed.

She followed behind her mother, letting her lead her to the dining table where there was rice and chicken set on the table. Her stomach grumbled and she clutched it in embarrassment before settling in her seat.

“Hey, kiddo.” Her dad said, ruffling her hair and pinching her cheek. “Eat up, you’re going to need some energy to get back to that computer of yours.”

She chuckled lightly at his words, but didn’t say anything in response. She couldn’t tell them she was considering quitting yet. There was nothing for her in the writing scene and if she continued down the path she was, there would be nothing substantial for her to hold on to in the next couple of years. She needed to let go of that dream she once had and rebuild another one.