The next morning, Martha came into work wearing a pair of rather large sunglasses as well as a long fuzzy scarf and she hardly took them off, especially while she was inside. She also didn't talk to anyone, she couldn't; she just kept her focus on her work for most of the day. Before she could go off to lunch, Martha was called into Johanna's office for a private conversation.
"Yes, Johanna?" She asked.
"Martha, I need to tell you something very important." Johanna sighed. "But first... what's with those sunglasses? It's cloudy out... and it's winter."
"Oh, these? I-I was just, um..."
"And a scarf? Inside? Really?"
"Oh. Uh, um..."
Rolling her eyes, Johanna stood up from her desk and reached out to take the scarf and glasses off but Martha backed away. Refusing to give up, Johanna forcefully yanked the glasses and scarf away and what she saw made her gasp in horror. Martha had a black eye and there was a small healing cut on her left cheek.
"Martha, what happened?!" Johanna exclaimed before realizing something. "...Did he do that to you? ...He hurt you, didn't he?"
Martha froze. "How did you...?"
Johanna sighed again. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?"
"For lying. On the phone yesterday, I told you everything was fine when in reality... it wasn't. Not at all."
"What did he say to you?"
Johanna went back to her desk. "May-Who said that if I even attempt to interfere again, he'd call my superiors and have me fired from Who Runway. I'll never work in this city again if that happens."
"What? No, he can't get you fired!"
"Apparently, he can and he will if I don't do as he says."
Martha paused and looked at her boss with a look of pure remorse. "I am so sorry, Johanna."
"No, Martha. It's me who should be sorry. I'm the one who lied to you." Johanna slumped back into her chair and ran a hand through her platinum blonde locks.
"Only because of August's threat. I shouldn't have even mentioned him. I wasn't thinking, as usual... just like he says. I really am just a dumb redhead."
"What? No! Martha, you are not dumb. You're probably the smartest girl I've ever hired; a place like this really needs more people like you."
"But... but I don't even want this job."
Johanna's eyes nearly popped at this statement. "W-w-w-what?"
"You heard me." Martha clenched her fists and looked away.
"But... I don't understand. Why did you apply for this job if you didn't even want it?"
"You want to know?"
"Yes."
"You really want to know? Are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes, just tell me already!"
"Well... August made me."
Johanna paused. "How can you live like that? In this state of constant fear and pain?"
"I've dealt with it for the past three years, Johanna... and there's nothing I can do about it."
"But you need help."
"But if I even try to reach out to someone else, August will be furious."
"Martha, you cannot live like this anymore."
"Johanna, I don't know any other way."
"You have to leave!"
"No, I can't! If I do, Augustus will have MY HEAD! Do you really want THAT on your conscience?!" Martha pounded her fist on the desk, causing her boss to jump back in shock.
The room went deathly silent. Johanna stared at Martha in pure shock for a good minute or two before sighing.
"Just... think, okay?" She begged.
"...Fine." Martha whimpered.
"You can go on your lunch."
Martha nodded and walked out of the office, leaving Johanna alone with her thoughts.
'If I go to the police, it really will be my word against his. What am I going to do?' She pondered.
VOUS LISEZ
Working in Fashion
Fiction générale[The Grinch 2018] Martha May went to school to become a teacher and she thought that would become just that. But instead, she ended up getting a job at Who Runway Fashion Magazine... and she hated it.
