I had already given up when the email popped in like a surprise guest I didn’t invite.

I sat there, slouched on the edge of the bed, half-heartedly scrolling through job sites for the hundredth time that week, when the notification buzzed.

I blinked at the screen, mouth half-open. “Wait… what?”

I leaned forward, heart thumping just a little. Maybe I was imagining things. I read it again, just to be sure.

Congratulations, you’ve been shortlisted for an interview.

I stared. For a ...