CEO'S GIRL

The lingering scent of stale tissues hung heavy in Jenifer Martin's messy room, a testament to two weeks spent mourning a relationship that was never what it seemed. Her older brother, Samuel, leaned against the doorframe, his presence a comforting weight in the suffocating silence.

"Come on now, stop crying! You've done enough of it for the past two weeks," he said, his voice gentle but firm.

Jenifer buried her face deeper into a handful of crumpled tissues. "What do you want me to do, huh? Throw a big-ass party about how my boyfriend of three years cheated on me with none other than my best friend?!"

Samuel sighed, crossing the room to sit beside her. He stroked her hair softly. "Jen, no. I know how you're feeling right now. But you need to get up for yourself. You are such a strong girl. I want you to get a job, work hard, and enjoy your life. Don't waste your precious time on those two useless people."

His words, delivered with quiet conviction, slowly pierced through her haze of misery. A spark, small but insistent, ignited within her.

"You know what? You're correct," she said, pulling away from him, her voice gaining a surprising edge of anger. "I should get a good job. I have studied for that. Now no one can stop me from working, unlike earlier, my crazy ex-boyfriend used to."

Samuel's smile was immediate and encouraging. "That's the spirit. Here's your laptop. Come on, search it up." He handed her MacBook, its pink floral cover a stark contrast to the gloom of the room.

Jenifer took it, a new resolve hardening her gaze. The screen glowed, a portal to a future she was suddenly desperate to seize.