Gabriel Novak adjusted his tie as the morning sun flared across the glass towers of Rotterdam. His reflection in the building’s windows looked confident enough, but his heart was racing. Today was the day, the final interview for a senior position at Altura Life Sciences, the company he had dreamed of joining since university. He had studied every project, practiced every possible question, and repeated every answer until he could recite them in his sleep. Now he was ten minutes away from what could be the most important meeting of his life.

The tram hissed to a stop beside him, and Gabriel stepped onto Schiedamseweg. The air smelled faintly of roasted coffee and rain-soaked stone. He glanced at his watch, reassuring himself he still had time. But then a scream ripped through the street, cutting through the city’s calm morning rhythm.

It came from across the road, near a flower stall. Gabriel turned and saw a woman collapse onto the pavement, clutching her stomach. She was heavily pregnant, her face drained of color.

Gabriel ran toward her. “Madam, can you hear me?” he asked, kneeling beside her.

The woman’s breathing was rapid and uneven. “Please help me,” she gasped. “My baby… I think it’s coming.”

Gabriel’s pulse jumped, but his voice stayed calm. “All right, I’m here with you,” he said gently. He slipped off his coat and placed it under her head. “Just breathe slowly. I’m calling an ambulance right now.”

He spoke quickly into his phone, giving the dispatcher their location and describing the woman’s condition. When he hung up, he kept talking to her, trying to steady her breathing. “You’re doing great,” he said softly. “Help is on the way. Just focus on me. In and out, like this.”

People began to gather, but no one else seemed to know what to do. Gabriel stayed with her, holding her hand until the sirens echoed down the street. The paramedics arrived moments later, moving with quick, practiced coordination. One of them nodded to Gabriel and said, “You did well, sir. She’s going to be fine.”

Before they lifted her into the ambulance, the woman reached out, her hand trembling. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You didn’t just walk away.”

Gabriel managed a small smile. “Anyone would have done the same,” he said, though deep down he knew not everyone would have.

When the ambulance drove off, he looked at his watch again. Nine forty-two. His heart sank. He was thirty minutes late.

By the time he arrived at Altura’s office, his shirt was wrinkled, his hair slightly damp, and his expression caught somewhere between exhaustion and hope. The receptionist looked up with a sympathetic smile. “Mr. Novak, I’m afraid the interview panel has already gone into another meeting,” she said. “They’ll be in touch to reschedule.”

Gabriel nodded. “Thank you,” he said quietly. He stepped back out onto the street, feeling both frustrated and strangely calm. He had done the right thing. Still, it hurt to lose a chance he had worked so hard for.