At seven years old, I cried and insisted I would marry my neighbor. Fifteen years later, after finishing university, I walked into an interview at a major corporation… and the CEO smiled and asked: “Are you here to apply… as the director’s wife?”
When I was seven, everyone in the neighborhood knew I was the most stubborn child on the street. Stubborn enough that one Sunday afternoon, right in the middle of our close-knit village, I stood in the yard with tears running down my face. I pointed straight at my neighbor—ten years older than me—and shouted in front of everyone:
“When I grow up, I’m going to marry Gabriel! I won’t marry anyone else!”
The entire street burst into laughter. My mother, mortified, rushed over and dragged me inside by the ear. And Gabriel… his face turned red all the way to his ears, not knowing where to look.
“She’s just a kid, she doesn’t even know what she’s saying!” the adults joked, laughing.
But there’s one thing I remember clearly. That day, Gabriel crouched down in front of me, gently messed up my hair, and said in a calm voice—the kind that could make all my fears disappear:
“When you grow up, we’ll talk again. For now, focus on studying, okay?”
I nodded immediately. And from that moment on, I had a goal: grow up, study hard… and marry Gabriel.
My Neighbor
Gabriel was the kind of person everyone liked. Tall, polite, intelligent. Quiet, but with a maturity in his eyes that even I, as a child, could sense without understanding. His parents had passed away early, and he lived with his grandmother in a modest house at the end of the street. When I was in first grade, he was already attending university.
Every afternoon, he would sit on the porch steps with a book, watching me play—as if, in his own quiet way, he was always making sure I was safe.
If I fell from my bike, Gabriel was the one who cleaned my wounds and put on a bandage. If I got a bad grade, he was the one who made me practice until I got it right. If I cried because someone teased me at school, he would take me to the bakery and buy me ice cream just to see me smile again.
In my little world, he was my hero.
When I turned twelve… he was gone. No goodbye, no promises, no dramatic farewell. One ordinary morning, I walked outside with my backpack and saw his house shut. His grandmother had passed away, and shortly after, Gabriel left the neighborhood.
I stood at the gate, clutching my bag, crying as if a piece of my childhood had been taken away. From that day on… I never saw him again.
Fifteen Years Later
I grew up. I was no longer that little girl crying in the yard about marriage. I studied hard, attended a respected university in São Paulo, and graduated with honors in Finance. Everyone said I had a bright future ahead.
But deep inside… there was always a place reserved for Gabriel. I didn’t know where he was. I didn’t know what life he had built. I didn’t even know if he remembered me. But whenever I felt exhausted, discouraged, or unsure of myself, I remembered his words:
“Focus on studying first.”
And I kept moving forward.
The day I stepped into the headquarters of Almeida Brasil Group—one of the country’s largest corporations—located in the center of the business district, I took a deep breath and told myself: I just want a job. Nothing more.
The Interview That Changed Everything
The interview room was large, elegant, and cold. Glass walls, steel edges, silence, and the faint scent of expensive perfume. I sat upright, answered every question confidently, and tried to hide my nervousness. Everything was going smoothly… until the door opened.
A man walked in. Everyone stood immediately.
“The CEO,” someone whispered.
My heart skipped. He was taller than I remembered. Perfectly dressed, sharp gaze, the presence of someone used to being obeyed without raising his voice.
But his face… it felt familiar. His eyes scanned the room—then stopped on me. And stayed. Long enough to make my chest tighten.
Then he smiled. And that single smile made something deep inside me tremble, something old and almost forgotten. In a low, slightly teasing voice, he asked:
“Did you come here to apply… to be the CEO’s wife?”
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2…