Rejected No More: The Genius's Revenge

Chapter 2 2

Word Count: 862 | Released on: 22/01/2026

in Arlis's chest. The air inside Zimmerman's Diner was thick, a suspension of frying ba

e laminate that had been there since 1998. Her eyes were red-rimmed

t hands on her apron, and pulled him into a hug that smelled of bl

as standing at the griddle, spatula in hand, staring at the sizzling meat. His shoulder

e. "If it's about money, son... we can sell the tru

oulders, his fingers firm. "Mom. Dad. Nobody is sell

ing a foreign language. She was used to the Arlis who apologized for taking up sp

had done his homework for twelve years. He slapped the folded copy of The Capital Ga

. "Arlis, that's the exam list. You wer

Miller," Arlis said, tapping th

rag and walked over. "So? H

a problem with his background check, something serious from when he was a kid

knew it because in his past life, Miller's mugshot had

nce. Frank looked skeptical. "Ru

e just got an offer from McKinsey. Sixty grand a year starting. She

op out from the top ten, under the 'Supplemental Candidate Protocol,' Article Four, t

ith her hand. "You mean...

A gust of wind brought in Mrs. Gable, the neighborhood

aw Hailee's car at the gas station. She told everyone you're

took a step forward, his f

father and the woman. He put on a smile-not a genuine one, but

r. "You always have your ear to the ground. But Hailee might have forgotten

hanging slightly open. "Inte

dential until the official announcement. Internal protocol. You might want to order a double cheeseburger while

utched her purse tight. "I... I just came for coffee." She th

nk looked at his son, really looked

Arlis said, sitting back down and un

. He glanced at the screen. A

ll dreaming. Giv

ext. He didn't type a reply. He

Chapter End

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Rejected No More: The Genius's Revenge

Eydie Pfefferle Modern

“I was sitting in a Starbucks, staring at a cold Americano, while the girl I thought was the love of my life looked at me with pure disgust. Hailee Baxter slammed her latte down and told me we were done, claiming she couldn't start her career at City Hall with a "diner kid" dragging her down. She wasn't just breaking my heart; she was trading me in for Kyler Craft, the son of a powerful politician who could buy her the future she craved. In my past life, this was the moment I shattered, beginning a twenty-year spiral into alcoholism, poverty, and watching my parents work themselves into an early grave while I failed at everything. I vividly remembered the smell of cheap whiskey and the obituary of my father that I was too broke to even attend. But as I looked down at my hands, they weren't the calloused, shaking hands of a forty-year-old failure; they were smooth, young, and steady. The silver Motorola flip phone in my pocket felt like a relic from a museum, and the girl in front of me looked like a shallow stranger rather than the woman of my dreams. The crushing pain in my chest wasn't a heart attack-it was forty years of bitter regret colliding with a twenty-two-year-old body. Hailee was waiting for me to beg for another chance, her napkin ready to wipe away the pathetic tears she expected, but all I felt was a cold, clinical clarity. How could I have been so blind to her greed, and why did I let one failed exam and a rich boy's bullying destroy my entire family's legacy? I glanced at the newspaper on the table: May 12, 2005. This was the day I supposedly lost the City Hall fellowship, but I remembered a secret about the "Supplemental Candidate Protocol" that no one else would know for another week. I stood up, ignored Hailee's insults, and dialed the number etched into my soul. "Mom," I whispered into the flip phone, "I'm coming home. And this time, I'm going to take back everything we lost."”