Meeting Mr. Mogul (Book 1 of Mr. Mogul series)

Five

"You're early today," he remarked.

I smiled in greeting. "Surprise," I said softly, spreading my hands for emphasis.

He smiled at my actions, though it faltered when he took in my overall appearance. "You look worn out. Did something happen at work?" he asked, his voice thick with worry, his eyebrows scrunched together.

"I'm fine, Dad. I am doing well at work," I replied dismissively, not really in the mood to pretend.

"You know you can tell me everything, right? I will find out about it eventually."

"I know." I sighed as I took a seat. "Okay, I'll spill." I relented, giving him a sad look. "I quit my waitressing job."

"You quit? I thought you liked it," he asked, looking surprised.

"Well, I may have exaggerated on the 'like' part," I admitted reluctantly.

"I knew you didn't like it. You know no matter how much you try to lie, I'll always figure it out, you know?" he said, smiling at my discomfort.

I snorted then grinned in return. "Yeah, I know."

For the first time in months, I told him the whole truth. I didn't hold back and just let go. I didn't know it would be such a relief to get everything out.

"I'm so sorry for lying to you, Dad," I said after a short pause.

"It's okay, peanut. I get why you thought you had to lie," he said as he grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

For the rest of my visit, I gave my father an overview of my life within the past month. I told him about my work as a waitress and a bartender. I also told him about why I got fired. It was pretty hard to tell, but I was able to get it all out. He smiled when I told him about how I scolded Mr. Mogul like a naughty preschooler. He looked pleased by my actions.

Around dinner, I finally excused myself and left. For the first time in a long time, I felt relieved and free.

~~~~

I bought dinner at the fast-food joint beside the hospital before heading home. I was walking to the bus stop when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I balanced the plastic I was holding with one hand and took out my phone with the other. A quick glance at the number told me it was from someone unknown. Out of curiosity, I answered it.

"Hello, who is this?" I asked.

"Andy. This is Jack. I'm sorry for calling you out of the blue. I just wanted to ask if you could come to work early today."

"Jack?" I asked in surprise. "Oh, sure."

"Great! See you then."

The line went dead. I glanced down at the phone in confusion, not sure what the point of the conversation was. Then it dawned on me he might fire me because Mr. Mogul found out he still hadn't. What am I going to do? If that happens, I'd be back to square one: jobless and hopeless.

Before my imagination got the best of me, I got a hold of myself and made my way back to Terry's apartment. I was too distracted to eat.

Since I lost my other job, Jack changed my shift from midnight to eight in the evening. He requested me to come early, so I showed up at quarter to eight.

I texted Terry of my plans before leaving so he won't wonder when he came back from work and found the apartment empty. However, I forgot about the possibility that he might want to catch up and failed to tell him about my new schedule this morning.

The bus ride to the club was long, which gave me time to think about the possible reasons why Jack wanted me to come in early. As I finally stood outside the club, I was thinking about running away when Jack came out of the club. For some reason, he looked stunned to see me.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked in curiosity.

"Long enough to see half a dozen customers come in," I replied nonchalantly with a bland smile.

He chuckled and gestured for me to enter. I hesitated for a moment but followed. I could tell Jack noticed my discomfort but thankfully didn't comment on it. We were already at the door when he stopped. He turned around and looked at me.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Andy. I already talked to her. You can still have this job if you want to, but she does have some conditions. And if I were you, I would listen to them," he said as he stared at me seriously.

Before I could ask what he meant, he faced the door and knocked on it. I heard a female voice behind it, which was a surprise. Jack opened the door and gestured for me to go in. I might have been anxious, but I still wanted to know what he meant earlier. However, seeing his expression, I decided not to press on the matter and went in.

The first thing I saw was her silhouette. I could tell that the woman was tall and fit. As I stepped further into the room, I finally got a good look at her. She was beautiful, with luxurious, golden hair cascading past her shoulders. She wore a pale nude dress, which fitted her body like a second skin. From the way she stood, I knew she was a woman with power.

"You must be Andy Peterson," she greeted.

"Yes," I responded warily.

"I'm Alexandra Maxwell, chairman of MaxwellEnterprises. I'm also the sister of the man you pissed off."