The cold December air bit at Yasmin's face as she pulled her coat tighter around her body. She stood at the edge of a bustling Toronto street, staring at the towering skyline above her. Canada. A new country, a new life, and, hopefully, a new future.
It had been a month since she left everything behind in France to chase her dreams. A fresh graduate in editorial communication, Yasmin had imagined endless opportunities waiting for her here. Yet reality had proven far less kind.
Every job application she had sent out seemed to vanish into the void. Every rejection email chipped away at the hope that had once fueled her journey.
Sitting in her small studio apartment that evening, Yasmin slumped on her couch, laptop balanced on her knees. She scrolled through job postings with the mechanical precision of someone running on fumes. "Experience required," she mumbled, rolling her eyes at yet another unrealistic job requirement.
"How am I supposed to get experience if no one gives me a chance?!!"
Her phone buzzed beside her. She grabbed it absentmindedly, assuming it was another notification from one of her career websites. Instead, her eyes widened. An email, but not just any email.
"Dear Ms. Yasmin Amrani," she read aloud, her voice trembling slightly. "We are pleased to inform you that your application for the position of Junior Editorial Consultant at Northway Communications has been accepted. We look forward to welcoming you to our team..."
She froze for a moment, rereading the email to make sure she hadn't misunderstood. Then, she let out a squeal of disbelief and triumph.
"I got it!" she shouted, leaping up from the couch. "I got the job!"
The first thing she did was call Chay and Dalila. They picked up her FaceTime almost immediately, their grinning faces appearing on the screen.
"YAS!" Chay exclaimed, leaning closer to her camera. "What's up? You look like you're about to explode."
"I GOT THE JOB!" Yas practically screamed into the phone.
"Wait, what?" Dalila said, her brows furrowing before breaking into a huge smile. "Hold on, repeat that. Did I just hear you say you got a job?"
"Yes! Yes! I finally got it! Northway Communications—they accepted me!" Yas could barely contain her excitement as she paced around her tiny apartment. "They sent me an email just now. I'm in! I'm really in!"
"That's amazing!" Chay clapped her hands, her face lighting up with pride. "I told you it was only a matter of time. Who wouldn't want someone as brilliant as you?"
"Stop, you're going to make me cry," Yas said, laughing through her bubbling emotions. "But seriously, I can't believe it. After all the rejections, someone finally saw something in me."
Dalila leaned closer to the screen, narrowing her eyes playfully. "Okay, but what's the catch? There's always a catch."
"Well..." Yas bit her lip, her energy shifting slightly. "There's a meeting I have to attend. It's, like, an inauguration thing for all the new hires. They said it's a way to introduce us to the team and the company culture."
"And let me guess," Chay said, smirking, "you're freaking out about it."
"Obviously!" Yas groaned, dropping onto her couch dramatically. "What if I screw up? What if I make a terrible first impression? What if—"
"Yasmin." Dalila cut her off with a stern voice. "Breathe. You've got this. You're literally the most capable person I know."
"And the funniest," Chay added, grinning.
Yas let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "You two are ridiculous."
"That's our job," Dalila said with a wink. "Now, here's what you're going to do. You're going to show up to that meeting looking like the boss you are. You're going to smile, introduce yourself, and remind them exactly why they hired you."
"Yeah, and if anyone gives you trouble," Chay added, "just think about all the crazy stuff we've survived together. Like that time in Marrakech—"
"Don't you dare bring that up," Yas interrupted, laughing.
The three of them dissolved into giggles, the tension in Yas's chest beginning to ease. For the first time in weeks, she allowed herself to feel proud of how far she had come.
"I don't know what I'd do without you two," she said softly, her smile lingering as she looked at her friends' faces on the screen.
"Well, you'll never have to find out," Dalila replied. "We're always here. Now, go pick out an outfit for that meeting and show them who they're dealing with."
"Yes, ma'am," Yas said with a mock salute.
After hanging up, Yasmin took a deep breath and looked out of her apartment window. The city lights twinkled in the distance, a reminder of the endless possibilities ahead. For the first time in a long time, she felt a flicker of hope.
Tomorrow, she would walk into that meeting, not as the lost, struggling girl who had arrived a month ago, but as Yasmin Amrani—someone who belonged.
YOU ARE READING
Under His Order
Randomsomewhere between his remorse and her resistance, hatred quietly unraveled into love..
