Chapter 19 One Year Later...
KARA'S POV
A year later...
Sancha, Louisse, and Aaron stand quietly behind me as I scroll down the screen as my fingers trembling over the mouse. The computer hums softly, mocking the loud pounding of my heart. The list of names feels endless, like it’s deliberately testing our patience, our sanity.
“Slow down,” Louisse whispers, gripping the back of my chair. “You’re skipping too fast.”
“I can’t help it,” I murmur, my throat dry. “My heart’s about to jump out of my chest.”
Aaron lets out a nervous laugh. “After all the blood, sweat, and sleepless nights, this is it. One scroll decides everything.”
Sancha crosses her arms, biting her lip. “No matter what happens, we did our best. That already counts for something.”
I nod, but my eyes sting. I remember every breakdown, every late-night review session, and every doubt we swallowed just to keep going. This isn’t just a list of names, it’s proof of survival.
Then suddenly—
“WAIT!” Aaron shouts.
My hand freezes.
“There!” He points at the screen, his eyes wide. “That’s me. I passed!”
“What?!” Louisse screams, pushing closer. “Oh my God, Aaron!”
Sancha squeals when she sees her name next. “I’m here! I’M HERE!”
Louisse gasps seconds later. “I passed too! We all... wait… where’s yours?”
My chest tightens because there's no Viancé, Karaella Lim. I scroll again, slowly this time. Once and twice making sure I didn't skip something, but my name doesn’t appear. The noise around me fades and my vision blurs.
“I…” my voice cracks. “I didn’t make it.”
Tears fall before I can stop them. All the strength I built over the past year suddenly collapses.
“I guess I failed,” I whisper, covering my face.
“No—wait!” Sancha suddenly screams, grabbing my arm. “Kara! Look at this!”
She spins the screen toward me as her finger pointing at another tab.
TOP NOTCHERS.
My breath catches because when I look at the second on the list, my name is written there.
2\. Viancé, Karaella Lim—89%
I freeze.
“What?” I whisper. “That’s… that’s not real.”
“KARA!” Louisse laughs, crying at the same time. “YOU’RE SECOND ON!”
Aaron throws his arms in the air.
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”
I break down completely, crying harder than before, but this time out of disbelief and overwhelming joy.
“I thought I failed,” I sob. “I thought, I—”
"You’re ridiculous. We scared you on purpose.” Sancha hugs me tightly.
“You’re evil,” I cry-laugh. “All of you!”
They laugh, congratulating me over and over while I cry and laugh at the same time, my heart so full it almost hurts. We celebrate that night, loud and messy and full of hope.
Months after graduation, Aaron finally confesses what I already sensed. I take a deep breath before answering him on that day.
“I care about you,” I say gently. “But only as a friend. That’s all I can offer.”
“I figured. And that’s okay. I don’t regret meeting you.” He smiles sadly, then nods.
Sancha later nudges me, smirking. Guess she already knew what Aaron feels for me. What she said next almost made me freeze.
“You know everyone at the office already knew about you and Mr. Stewheinz, right?”
“What?” I choke. “You’re kidding.”
“You were literally the last one to know.”
She laughs.
I feel my face burn.
“That’s… so embarrassing.”
I hear things too, about him, about the women he hooks up with. And strangely, I’m not surprised because I was once part of that pattern. And no, I don’t regret it, because that experience shaped me, it hardened me, and it taught me my worth. I meet different men after that, kind ones, gentle ones, and safe ones. Yet sometimes, late at night, I still remember him.
Maybe because he was my first, maybe because he awakened emotions I never knew existed, or maybe because some loves don’t stay, but they leave marks that time can’t erase.
Two months after completing all the necessary documents, reality finally sinks in with the thought that we will be doing a job hunting. We scatter our resumés like prayers, submitting applications left and right, hoping at least one company would take a chance on us. Rejections come first, of course. Emails that start with “We regret to inform you…” until my heart learns how to read disappointment without breaking.
Then one morning, my phone rings.
“Good day, Ms. Viancé,” the voice on the other line says. “We’re pleased to inform you that you’re accepted as a junior engineer at Lu Construction Supplies.”
I sit up straight as my breath hitching.
“R-Really?” I ask, afraid the word might disappear if I say it too loudly.
“Yes. You can start next Monday.”
When the call ends, I stare at my phone for a long second before screaming.
“I GOT A JOB!”
Sancha nearly drops her coffee.
"WHAT?!”
Louisse squeals, and Aaron laughs as he claps his hands.
“Of course you did. Top 2, remember?”
Working there feels… right. I guess.
The environment is demanding but fair. I work hard, sometimes too hard, staying late, triple-checking everything, refusing to make even the smallest mistake. Weeks pass, and one afternoon, Mr. Lu calls me into his office.
“Kara,” he says, smiling, “we’ve been observing your performance.”
My stomach twists.
“Did I do something wrong, sir?”
“On the contrary. We’re increasing your salary effective immediately.” He chuckles.
I blink. “S-Salary increase?”
“You’re impressive,” he continues. “And being a board top notcher helps. We see a future in you here.”
I walk out of his office with shaking hands and tears threatening to fall. I made it and I really did it.
But fate has a cruel sense of humor.
A few weeks later, Mr. Lu asks me to accompany him to a meeting with one of the company’s major partners. The conference room smells of polished wood and expensive coffee. I stand beside him, calm on the outside, composed.
Then the door opens and the air changes.
“I guess you already know Mr. Finnian Matthew Stewheinz, Engr. Viancé,” Mr. Lu says casually, smiling. “Since you did your internship at his company.”
My heart slams violently against my ribs.
I nod slowly. “Yes, sir.”
I lift my gaze, and there he is but not the man I remember.
He looks darker now and sharper. His presence feels heavier and more dangerous. The familiar grin that once haunted my dreams is gone, replaced by a cold, unreadable expression. His eyes land on me briefly, lingering for just a second too long, then move away as if I’m nothing more than a stranger.
He looks like an angry lion disturbed from a long sleep.
“I apologize,” he says coolly, his voice smooth yet distant. “For how many interns have passed through my company, I barely recognize them one by one.”
The words slice through me and my heart crumbles quietly and painfully.
“We need to start now, Mr. Lu,” he adds, already sitting. “I have an appointment with Mr. Cang in a few minutes, let's make this quick.”
"My apologies, sir. Let's start," Mr. Lu then sits in front of him and they started discussing about business matters as me and Mr. Stewheinz's secretary are both jotting important details from the discussion.
After that, they leaves politely and his secretary following close behind.
I notice it then, his fingers.
They were covered in vine-like tattoos, wrapping around his skin like dark secrets. He looks hotter and undeniably handsome but also more dangerous and untouchable. Like a man who learned how to lock every emotion away.
And as I stand there, frozen, one truth hits me harder than anything else.
I wanted to forget him, but fate never asked what I wanted.