Chapter 2
838words
"Change of plans," I said.
"Because of me?" He lowered his voice and added, "If this is about Angelica and me…"
"Don't flatter yourself," I replied, setting the glass down and meeting his eyes. "I just think Stonewick University suits me better."
Maxwell looked stunned. In my previous life, I'd never had the guts to look him in the eye like this. I was constantly second-guessing myself, trying to read his mood.
"Actually…" He trailed off before continuing, "I already broke up with Angelica."
I almost laughed at his words. History was repeating itself. He'd dropped this same bombshell at the exact moment in my previous life.
I'd immediately changed my college choice because of it. Just when I'd worked up the courage to confess my feelings to him, he'd gotten back together with Angelica.
I just replied curtly, "Oh." Then I stood up and added, "That's none of my business. I wish you all the best, Maxwell."
I turned and walked toward Yvonne, leaving Maxwell staring after me in complete disbelief.
This time, I wasn't putting my life on hold for him. I cut off all contact with him and took a short trip around the country with Yvonne.
At the Highland Lake, she took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air.
"This view is incredible, Jocelyn. We're so lucky to be here today. I heard it's usually cloudy up here, and most people never get to see the lake," she commented.
"Yeah, we really lucked out," I replied, though inside I couldn't help thinking how lucky I was to get a second chance at life. This time, I wasn't going to waste it.
"I heard Maxwell is traveling abroad. It must be nice to have that kind of money," Yvonne said casually.
I said nothing.
With the new semester at university just around the corner, I was packing when an email popped up.
"Jocelyn, I brought a gift back from my trip for you. Do you want to grab dinner?"
I briefly glanced at it and deleted the email immediately.
"I won't be seeing you again, Maxwell," I muttered.
Stonewick University was even more beautiful than I'd imagined. The buildings stood tucked beneath the thick canopy of oak trees.
"We actually made it," Yvonne said excitedly, grabbing my hand and running across the campus.
Watching her smile filled me with a warm, unexpected happiness. In my previous life, I'd been so obsessed with Maxwell that I did whatever he wanted and pushed everyone else away. This time, I had the chance to make different choices.
"What clubs are you joining? I want to sign up for the street dance club," she said, flipping through the recruitment flyers.
"Entrepreneurship Club," I replied, pointing to a booth not far away. "And also Finance & Investment Club."
Yvonne's eyes went wide. "Wow, that's intense. Since when are you so serious?"
I smiled, but I didn't bother explaining. I'd wasted my previous life chasing a romance, letting my studies and ambitions wither. This time, I would take back everything I'd lost.
Time passed in a flash, and I was already a sophomore.
Together with a few clubmates, I developed a second-hand marketplace application for the campus. It started as just a class project, but it quickly rose to popularity across the school.
"Ms. Leigh, do you mind if we chat?"
After class one day, a man in a sharp suit stopped me in the hallway.
"I'm Zachary Cole from Apex Ventures. I'm very interested in your project."
His name hit me like a bolt of lightning. In my previous life, he had been a rising star in the technology investment industry, making the Billionaires List in his 30s. And now, here he was, standing in front of me, handing me his business card.
"Nice to meet you," I replied, taking his business card and trying to keep my composure. "But there are five of us on the team…"
"I want to talk to you specifically," Zachary said with a smile. "It's your idea, right?"
He'd clearly done his homework.
My heart raced, not from nervousness, but from excitement. This was a pivotal opportunity I'd missed entirely in my previous life.
Zachary's office was on the top floor of downtown Stonewick's tallest building. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the entire city.
"I'll invest two million dollars for a 20% equity stake," he said, sliding a contract across the table.
He continued, "With one condition that you commit full-time after graduation. You major in software engineering, right? That lines up perfectly with what we need."
I read through the terms carefully and put the business knowledge I'd gained from the clubs to good use.
"That's a reasonable offer, but I want to retain ownership of the core technology patents."
Zachary raised an eyebrow.
"You know about patent law?" he asked.
"I've done some reading," I said, closing the folder. "Also, I want a seat on the board."
