William abandons his wife and daughter to start a new life with his young mistress.
But things change years later, and when William least expects things to go wrong, he comes face-to-face with his grown-up daughter.
William felt a pang of guilt as his wife anxiously looked at him. For a moment, he reconsidered his decision. He knew Linda would be devastated if she learned he had a mistress.
William and Linda had been married for 20 years, shared a 17-year-old daughter, and had lived in the home Linda inherited from her parents. They even started a beef jerky business a year ago, but it soon stopped making money, so William’s job supported them.
Instead, he lived miserably and lost his job and new family. He’d even been on a bender to distract himself from his failure. As he headed for a job interview now, he hoped to reclaim his life.
He sat outside the interview room nervously. He had applied for a position at a beef jerky production factory. He thought his previous experience, though a failed one, would be a plus. His luck was on his side – he was hired.
William began working as a packaging operator. On the third day of his job, he was busy labeling the boxes when his manager, Mr. Dunn, approached him.
“If you don’t want to be stuck in the same role, William, you gotta impress our CEO today,” Mr. Dunn grinned, nudging WIlliam, who was confused.
“You didn’t know?” Mr. Dunn continued, noticing his confused expression. “She’s coming here for an inspection!”
William wasn’t interested. He politely excused himself and got back to his job. But soon, a murmur of voices distracted him, prompting William to look up towards the entrance where Mr. Dunn greeted the CEO.
William’s jaw dropped when he saw the CEO was his daughter.
“Isabelle?” he gasped as she approached him.
“Dad?” she chirped confidently. “It’s been a long time, right?”
“How? How did you become a CEO?” he blurted.
“So you’re more concerned about my material success than how I’m doing?” she scoffed. “Don’t let this personal angle distract you. I’m here for an inspection, and you should be doing your job. And yes,” she added before walking away. “Please meet me in my office.”
Six years ago…
While Isabelle sat outside the college admission office, her phone rang.
“Hey, Aunt Georgina, what’s up?” Isabelle held her phone between her right ear and shoulder.
“It’s about your Mom, honey,” Georgina sounded worried. “She-she had symptoms of a heart attack this afternoon. The surgery is not needed yet, so I can support her financially. But the doctors said it’s a coronary heart disease, and if she experiences a heart attack again, they’ll have to do the surgery, which will cost more than $100,000.”
Isabelle left the house through the dormer window, then drove to the abandoned house a few blocks from her studio apartment. She decided to set up her production space there because her studio was too small, and she needed more money to rent a space.
As she pulled over near the abandoned home, she walked briskly to the backyard, but the door had a tiny lock. Isabelle removed her hairpin, picked the lock, and… a click!
The door creaked open. Isabelle carried everything to the basement and set up a small production space there. However, she had to wait until the lights were installed. She couldn’t cook in the dark or during the day.
Days passed. Isabelle initially followed her mother’s recipe, but the jerky tasted awful. Something was off. She experimented with the marinade recipe as she wanted her beef jerky to have a unique taste.
“Oh god! This is it!” she exclaimed once she tasted a fresh batch. She finally had the product she wanted. However, there was still much work to do.
Isabelle spent the next month perfecting her sales pitch, cold-emailing retail giants, and sending her samples. Finally, there was a response.
Re: Dried-Meat Product Proposal
Dear Isabelle,
I hope this email finds you well. Thank you for your recent proposal. After careful consideration, we believe your dried beef beer snack would be a fantastic match for our consumers’ interests. We would like to try your samples…
Isabelle didn’t need to read more. She swiftly replied, and a week later, she sat at the retail company’s office with their food inspection team. She had managed to complete the order of 1000 packets as they had demanded.
Present-day…
“Mr. Navarro and I made the deal. I passed Chris’s inspection and got my first check. It helped me get our home back, and I could get Mom treated. We survived. But I can’t stand betrayal, so you’re no longer working here.”
About 15 minutes later, Isabelle came to meet William, but with two boxes carried by a warehouse worker. “Open it, Dad,” she said as the worker handed the boxes to William.
William found the old kitchenware and commercial oven inside, the leftovers of his and Linda’s failed business.
“I think we’re at par now, Dad. You have everything you need to start a business and change your life. Believe me. I’ve been there,” Isabelle walked away.
