I Rejected My Fate And Found Three Mates

•MARILYN•

"We are sorry, Miss Addams, but we are looking for more experienced candidates in data analysis. We prefer someone with more than two years' experience in the same field," the HR representative replied after waiting two hours for my interview.

I gathered every ounce of strength in me to look up at her and smile. "Thank you for your time. I wish you and your organization great success." I got up from the chair and only broke down when I got inside the bathroom.

I felt like a failure. I screwed up three interviews in one month. I studied hard for my computer science degree and was sure that I would nail my first interview, but I sucked at all of them.

"Ugh. Why am I such a loser?" I groaned as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. "I'm sorry, Grandpa. I know I promised you that I would do better," I murmured as I pulled out his ID picture from my jeans and looked at it. "I have another interview in an hour; perhaps I will do better in that one. I will renovate our home and make you proud."

My grandfather raised me since I was eight after my parents had both abandoned me. My mother, his daughter, found a new man after her divorce from my father, and she never returned. And my father never bothered to see me again after he and my mother settled in court.

It hurt at first when my grandfather told me the entire story. I felt as if they left because they couldn't handle raising a child who reminded them of their chaotic divorce. I was their reminder of everything that they sacrificed in the marriage and lost.

When my grandfather got sick five months ago, my whole world flipped upside down. I realized how big the universe was, and how alone I was in it. My life felt pointless, and I felt like giving up on everything until I read the letter that my grandfather had left for me.

Ever since that day, I promised my grandfather that I would do everything possible within my power to pave a better future for myself. I promised to get a job, get out of the house, mingle, and date instead of locking myself in my room to read books the entire day.

And getting a job was the first step. I had always wanted to be a data analyst. Analyzing things and solving problems had always been my top passions.

After looking at my grandfather's picture, I suddenly felt at peace and was ready to give my best at the last interview I had for the day.

I fixed my makeup and walked out of the bathroom with my head held high. I hopped inside my car and drove straight to The Meridian Public Relations. It was a big tech and marketing company.

I had my notes prepared because if I aced the interview and got the job, my life would change. I would renovate my grandfather's house and get myself a car that didn't break down every month. I already had everything planned out before even getting my first paycheck.

I got stuck in traffic on the main road, and the cars in front of me did not move at all. I let out a long sigh and tapped my fingers against the steering wheel. I still had forty minutes before the interview, but my nerves wouldn't settle down. I needed something to distract me.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my favorite fantasy book, "The Fated Princess". The cover was worn from all the times I had read it. I had been dying to find out what happened to Effie, the kindhearted heroine who never fought back, and I opened it to the chapter where her stepmother locked her in the cellar.

My blood boiled as I read. "Why do you keep letting them treat you like this?" I muttered at the page. "Just say something! Do anything!" Effie cried and scrubbed the floors again, and I clenched my jaw so hard that it hurt. It was so irritating that she let people walk all over her and do nothing.

"You know what? If I were Effie, I would do so much better," I said out loud, even though nobody could hear me. "I would make every one of them pay."

The car ahead of me finally rolled forward. I tossed the book onto the passenger seat and put my foot on the gas. Then I heard a loud screech, and I turned my head just in time to see a car speeding straight toward me. My heart dropped into my stomach. There was a terrible crash, and everything went black.

The next thing I knew, a voice was shouting in my ear. "Get your lazy ass out of that bed right now!"

My eyes flew open. I was lying on a soft bed with silk sheets, and a tall ceiling stretched above me. I sat up quickly, and my head spun. This was not a hospital, and this was not my room. I had no idea where I was, and my chest tightened with fear.

"Where am I?" I asked. My voice sounded strange, higher and softer than before. "Was that my mother?"

A girl about my age walked into the room with her arms folded. She was wearing a fancy pink dress, and she looked at me like I was something stuck to her shoe. "Your mother is dead," she replied with a smirk. "And so are you, if you don't get up."

I gasped and pressed my hand against my chest. "Oh no. Am I dead? Is this heaven?"

The girl burst out laughing. "Heaven? You wish. Dying won't get you out of your chores."

Before I could say a word, a woman stormed through the door. Her face was sharp and angry, and her eyes were cold. "Effie!" she snapped. "Why are you still sitting there? Get downstairs and clean the entire house before noon! We have guests coming over for dinner, and I won't let you make a ridicule of me!"

Effie? My whole body went numb. That was the name of the girl in my book.