Chapter 1
Isolde Bennington didn’t notice her friend’s post until three days later. Having just wrapped up an intense work project that required all-nighters, she was running on fumes and barely managing to squeeze in any rest, let alone scroll through notifications filled with updates from her old life. Still, a particular message popped up that drew her attention. Isolde had moved on from the whirlwind romance with the boy next door, Cedric Ashmore, but the memories were harder to shake off than she could have anticipated. He had been her first love, and she had spent years just trying to forget how abruptly it had ended. Four years ago, they were inseparable, until they weren’t. Cedric had dazzled everybody—the charming golden boy who could have anyone he wanted. Yet behind the scenes, he was always fussing over the little things. Almost immediately after she accepted his dating invitation, things changed. In just a month, he broke her heart with a suddenness that left Isolde reeling. Now, Isolde was just another cog in the corporate machine, working long hours to make ends meet. Her biggest guilty pleasure? Stalking Cedric’s social media with a second account, lurking in the shadows of his life. To her dismay, the day after she accidentally liked one of his posts, her boss called her into his office. This was no ordinary meeting; he was there to pick up their new corporate head from the airport. Dragging her suitcase through the terminal, she couldn’t help but feel a strange twist in her stomach as a tall, handsome figure cut through the crowd and came to a halt in front of her. It was Cedric, looking as composed as ever. “Long time no see,” he said, a casual smile playing at the edges of his lips. “Oh, you two know each other?” Her boss beamed, utterly unaware of the history they shared. Thanks for the invite, but not only do we know each other, we once shared more than a few late-night conversations. --- To escape the awkwardness of the encounter, Isolde made a hasty exit that night and rushed to her new job at New Enterprises Guild. Little did she know that she was walking straight into the lion’s den. On her very first day, she found herself summoned to the Chancellor's Chamber. And there he was again—Cedric—the very last person she wanted to see at her new workplace. He greeted her with an unreadable expression. “So, Isolde, tell me about your plans after making such a big career jump.” Isolde tried to hide her discomfort. “Plans? Like, running away from Earth?” It was all she could manage to think as the words slipped out before she could filter them. “In that case,” she feigned professionalism, “I plan to dedicate myself to Ashmore Enterprises.” Before she knew it, the job she thought she had secured as a front-end developer turned into the much more delicate position of assistant to the Chancellorship. --- The following surprise threw her even more off-kilter: Cedric's old college buddy—a friend of his and a rival for her affection during their college years—had also returned to town and was expressing interest in her. As for Cedric? His stance became ever more baffling. “Sorry, but he already has a boyfriend,” he said, his voice heavy with an emotional weight as he blocked every advance with a surprising intensity. Turning to Isolde, he called her by her nickname with a tinge of defensiveness. “...You never really officially broke up with me. I thought we were just going through a long period of cold war.” Isolde was left speechless. Six. --- **Reading Guide:** 1. A charming yet slightly arrogant character who oscillates between warm and cold displays, with a competitive streak against a very comforting yet stubborn colleague. 2. An entangled first love story with a mix of youthful naiveté and misunderstandings, where both parties are not villainous. 3. A modern urban fairytale that hints at the complexity of reconciling past relationships with present realities, presented in an easily digestible format. 4. Feedback is welcome, but personal critiques on characters are off-limits. **Keywords:** Isolde Bennington, Cedric Ashmore, New Enterprises Guild, urban romance, rekindled love. **Tagline:** A comedic yet heartwarming narrative about realizing that missed opportunities may not be as permanent as they seem.
Chapter 2
Isolde Bennington had a habit of regularly checking her ex's social media, a practice that led her to buy a gold-tier membership specifically to erase her visit history. Beneath the deep blue ocean avatar was a simple four-word update: “Big Scallop: Plans to Return Home.” The likes and comments below were a long stream of welcomes and reminiscing. Isolde scoffed silently, dark thoughts brewing as she assumed her ex must be returning because he couldn’t cut it abroad, his golden dreams dashed. The handle “Big Scallop” wasn't a username; it was just a note Isolde had assigned to him. Cedric Ashmore, who had been her first love from elementary school through college, was certainly not a scallop. He was her ex-boyfriend, who, like all exes, had his share of foolishness. Isolde sometimes scrolled through Cedric Ashmore's updates, recalling their failed romance and inevitably feeling a certain bitterness. She occasionally considered changing her note to something harsher, but the remnants of their years of friendship stayed her hand. After all, aside from the way he had cruelly ended things before jetting off across the sea, he was – in every other respect – “perfect.” As they prepared for their high school math competition together, Cedric was simultaneously maintaining the top spot in town while effortlessly running a project. Their achievements were incomparable; he didn’t need state accolades or university awards to prove he was exceptional. While others pushed themselves to the brink for recognition, he had long since left them all behind. Such trivial honors were mere excess for Cedric Ashmore. Isolde was just another peer left in his wake. The difference was that she and Cedric shared a deeper connection. They had been neighbors since third grade, inseparable until eighth. When Cedric returned to their hometown for high school, they could only meet during summer breaks, yet their bond remained unbroken. They were each other's closest confidantes, their chat history spanning thousands of pages. In a time before the latest iterations of messaging apps, their conversations had even filled an exportable file that was a whole megabyte. At one point, Isolde had seriously archived their chats on a cloud service. In college, they found themselves at the same university, enrolled in the same program, and even roommates. Cedric's excellence seemed to shine brighter as he participated in nearly every real-world example their professors shared in class, making Isolde feel overwhelmed by the pressure. It took a toll on her, the resolve to pursue him mingled with the anxieties of measuring up until their eventual breakup felt painfully drawn out.
Chapter 3
The friends that still remained served as proof. Even though he was currently logged in under a pseudonym. This account was created during a time of secret infatuation, unnoticed by Cedric Ashmore himself. Isolde Bennington had cleverly changed the pseudonym to the name of a mutual middle school classmate, just in case Cedric decided to block her one day if he saw a post or update. There were quite a few rivals back then. Who knew if someone else might catch Cedric's eye and lead him astray? After all, Isolde had swiftly blocked Cedric on her main account the moment he had said “thank you” four years ago, without giving him a chance to explain. Looking back, Isolde did feel a bit of regret. It wasn’t regret over a rash decision made in youthful folly, but rather for not having settled accounts before cutting him off. Not long before they broke up, she had gone to a boutique and picked out a perfectly suited cashmere scarf to pair with Cedric’s trench coat; her savings vanished right before her eyes. The kicker was that they had split up before Christmas. On Christmas Day, she received a gift from the now-abroad Cedric, but without a second thought, she refused to accept it — a decision that cost her dearly, leaving her with a total loss. Now earning a paycheck from home, Isolde had come to understand just how pricey day-to-day living could be. Remembering the five-figure amount she had spent on Cedric back then only filled her with regret for her naive past self. Being kind to an ex often meant being harsh to oneself. Isolde’s molars started to ache again as she angrily noted down several points against Cedric, preparing to adjust the notes in her relations list. From “good friend” to “ultimate bad influence”. She had just washed up and hopped under the covers, hair still damp, water dripping from the ends and onto her phone screen. Isolde swiped at the droplets absentmindedly, only to realize she had accidentally liked one of Cedric's posts. The notification effects popped up on her screen, adding insult to injury. Her mood soured even more. Even though she quickly unliked the post, exited the app, and made swift adjustments to her notes, Cedric would still catch a glimpse of the notification that she had liked his update. It almost seemed like she was welcoming him back home. What was it to her how Cedric was doing? She knew that he had no idea about her pseudonym, but the feeling clung to her like a fishbone stuck in her throat. With a stone-cold expression, Isolde toggled back to her main account, selectively responded to a few messages, and completely muted her university class group chat. Then, she got up to tear into several packets of snacks, feeling a touch better afterward. The sound of the crispy chips echoed sharply, and as Isolde chewed, she opened her work app to check if her recently submitted leave request had been approved. If it hadn’t gone through, she would have to send her boss a reminder, to prevent her leave from turning into an unexcused absence tomorrow. With plenty of vacation days left, unused leave paid out, and absent days resulting in deducted paychecks, she was needless to say, keen to keep an eye on every dollar. After all, she had a down payment to save for and every cent felt precious.
Chapter 4
Isolde Bennington had previously discussed settling down and buying a house with his parents, who had offered to support him financially to help him get started. But Isolde firmly refused, believing he could do it on his own. After all, buying a house immediately only made a difference of a year or two in the grand scheme of things. His dad had wanted to persuade him to reconsider, maybe opt for a smaller space first, but his mom had interrupted him. “Your son only learns to turn back once he hits a wall. You know that,” Lady Elara said, rolling her eyes in a way that made Isolde want to bolt back to his place and prove himself with his paycheck in her face. A year passed, and Isolde moved up from team leader to head of the group, with a promotion to department manager on the horizon. His salary had increased, though not nearly as much as he’d hoped. If the bonus from his recently completed project was decent, he planned to look for a place back home after his year-end bonus. During his school years, Isolde had always been among the top students. Even with the arrival of Cedric Ashmore, which somewhat overshadowed Isolde’s achievements, Cedric was the only person he genuinely respected. Isolde didn't need to hit a wall to realize he needed to turn around; he just had a bit too much pride and didn't want to feel inadequate compared to others. Just as he logged into his work software, his phone buzzed—an alert that one of his approvals had been denied. Remembering a recent slip where he unthinkingly liked a post, he had to admit that sometimes, when things go wrong, even drinking cool water can feel like trouble. Isolde resisted the urge to send his manager a barrage of confused messages and instead added a flower emoji to his inquiry about the denial. The response came quickly: they were bringing in a new boss tomorrow, and there was a welcome dinner that evening. Isolde thought about how this didn’t really concern him. He just wanted to take a vacation and catch up on sleep. But when he glanced at the latest updates on his screen, his eyes landed wide on the news: among the department’s three project teams, he was indeed the one with the brightest prospects. Barring any sudden changes, it seemed almost certain he’d be the next team manager. Still, when your boss indicates favoritism and wants to introduce you to the new big cheese, it’s tough to decline the invitation to tag along, especially when it’s just not done to refuse. That would be terrible for his image. And truthfully, it wasn’t entirely a bad thing—especially compared to being stuck with extra work after hours, debugging code. In the past, Isolde would have had no hesitation in finding excuses to refuse, but two years post-graduation, he had endured enough of life’s lessons. Yawning while he typed a response, Isolde hoped his manager could impress the new boss and get a promotion by the end of the year. He couldn't afford to let this interrupted long weekend slip by without results. Tomorrow was Friday; he could begrudgingly manage to pull through one more day.
Chapter 5
At Ashmore Enterprises, employees enjoyed a well-deserved weekend off, with the company strictly adhering to its policy of no weekend work except when absolutely necessary. This was one of the reasons why Isolde Bennington hadn’t been swept away by the enticing offers from flashy recruitment agencies boasting glamorous salaries. The balance between work hours and rest days was 1:2.5 for two days off versus a grueling 1:6 for just one day off. While it seemed like having an extra day off should have a better pay off, the actual workload for the one-day model was exponentially high. The pay didn’t significantly increase either—certainly not enough for Isolde to consider giving up the valuable work-life balance of his current job. Recruiters often made grand promises, but whether or not those promises materialized was a whole different story. Even if someone offered him the highest suggested salary, the hourly wage between both work models wasn’t significantly different. So why should he switch jobs when the workload was already overwhelming? The thought nagged at Isolde as he glanced at his alarm clock, hesitating but ultimately deciding to dry his hair before hitting the sack again. Like most problems he faced, everything boiled down to money. If his monthly salary could leap from its current amount equivalent to 2.5 “dogs” to a solid 10 “dogs”, he wouldn't think twice about giving up his weekends—he would even consider working overtime if it meant achieving his financial goals. Once he saved enough for a down payment, he could upgrade his résumé, allowing him to leap into better opportunities. Jumping ship, of course, was about ascending the career ladder—Isolde knew that Ashmore Enterprises was a reputable firm but not among the elite in the industry. If a monthly income of 10 “dogs” became a reality, he’d resign on the spot. This industry had always been about downward compatibility—advancement was tough while stepping back was comparatively easier. Finding a job with manageable hours, decent pay, and a feasible loan repayment schedule shouldn’t be that hard. With ample free time, Isolde could even take on some side gigs to earn some quick cash. He envisioned it like a lucky moment—like a cheerful Pokémon enjoying a snack inside a whimsical amusement park—perfectly delightful but unfortunately unrealistic at this moment. So far, the highest offer from recruiters was barely hitting 4 “dogs”. In truth, if they could just offer about 6 “dogs”—no, 5 “dogs”—he’d consider a one-day-off model. As sleep swept over him, this thought lingered in Isolde's mind. Thanks to the emotional ups and downs before bed, he fell into an unusually complex dream. In his dream, Cedric Ashmore drove a sleek sports car, while Isolde's tiny electric scooter trailed behind with twenty energetic dogs wagging their tails, causing a stir at the traffic light. Cedric, with sunglasses on, chuckled as he glanced back at the exuberant pack, remarking how Isolde shouldn't flaunt such a small scale, before waving over to have them bring over a whole hound breeding facility from their home. Isolde jolted awake, startled at the absurdity. He had no plans to own a dog whatsoever. “Dogs” were just his quirky metaphor for measuring salary—one “dog” was equivalent to twenty thousand. Even stranger was the image of Cedric wearing sunglasses while driving a flashy red convertible—nothing like the aloof persona he had come to expect from his ex. No, he definitely should not be dreaming about Cedric. A proper ex was supposed to remain as silent as a ghost, not disturb his sleep. It was just past six, and unable to shake off thoughts of Cedric and dogs, Isolde decided to get up and start cooking. It was still early for work, so he resolved to treat himself better today, planning to prepare some stir-fried meat with scallion oil over noodles. As he finished fishing the noodles out of the pot, he barely had time to lay them out before the phone rang. After ending the call with his supervisor, he set down his utensils and took a deep breath, gathering a handful of chives from the little pot on the windowsill.
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