Dedicated to @Loniseni @radheeyah @shahrani0 @herbby05 @_Curleyyy_@MaOne01Ne @Janiceblaq @moonflower_126@Dance201117@charlytime for voting.
Enjoy.
Unedited.
Three Weeks Later...
Work was unwelcome and omitted. Issac was fussing all night, his body swaying in excitement and delight as he continuously watched Tom and Jerry for the last hours.
I put the series on, believing a cartoon was more suitable then a Rated R movie Nessa wanted to watch for the night.
Issac was addicted and the daycare had called every once in a while — more so every thirty minutes — and it was driving me insane. With the gala coming up and my boss biting my ass, everything has being sort of crazy.
My head was burning in irritation and my patience was slowly fading. It was tough being a mother and this job wasn't helping either. I pushed the keyboard away, groaning as I saw all the files I had to go through. I swear it was a hurricane in here. My desk was a mess, distorted files and notes scattered across the plane and empty coffee cups crammed in the small trash can by the desk.
I wanted to scream. Scream until all my worries went away... but at last I knew that was not going to happen. An invasive knock interrupted my thoughts as I saw Diana come in.
Diana was a mutual co-worker, sweet, and nice to talk to. She was easygoing and relatively fun as I presumed.
Diana forced generic smile, "Ms. Matthews wants you to see you in her office." My eyes surpassingly ceased in an eye-roll at the mention of the surname.
What could it be this time?
Sarah, excuse me, Ms. Matthews, throughout the several weeks has been stressing everyone with props of the gala, and the company's showcase. There was things to be done, and the clock was ticking, but for the love of god, Dereck form the Tech department was stressed. Dereck wasn't from our department. Everyone was tense, and I was confident we were all loosing it.
With a whine I leave the office, my feet finding themselves in front of the stale door. Also, known as hell.
Another breath, I walk in. I am immediately greeted by a horrid scene. I bite the scream between my teeth, slapping my eyes shut. Oh my god.
It was a whimpering Sarah and a clearly satisfied Mr. Miller doing, you know what, in her office. My thoughts are blank, flaky, with flashes of confusion. If I could recall, Mr. Miller was the man I saw months before, refusing to go into details of the discrimination case against me and other workers.
This was the reason why Ms. Matthews wasn't getting punished, unfired because she was sleeping with a superior.
Okay. Smart but extremely, extremely gross. This is a workplace, a place where employees can walk in and out. Do they care? Nope.
I swiftly and quietly shut the door, trying to cleanse the porno I just witnessed. I walk, basically run, back to my office, my sanitary of safe haven.
Abruptly, and having the curiosity I was known to have, I swipe the modern computer at my desk, investigating about the two a bit more.
Mr. Miller was a superior, yes, but there had to be more than this right? Well, I hope because it's what I need to get Sarah off my back.
Typing as fast as I could, I google search their names. I'm faced with disappointment minutes later when I see nothing, absolutely nothing, about them.
Blank. Is what I get. I'm thirty minutes in my search when I see a familiar Mike Miller, standing next to his pregnant wife of four years. I push the keyboard away fed up and resentful. The date was published about a month ago which meant the article was recent.
My heart goes to the pregnant wife whom probably doesn't know about her husband's whereabouts. This piece of information could destroy Mike and his reputation, not that he has one. He promptly sleep with an employee and used his title for a personal interest of his choice - Sarah. The affair was disgusting and well easily beneficial to me, but was it worth it?
I wasn't entirely sure.
~
"Autumn, are you okay?" Marcello asked, his features written with worry. All day I was pre-occupied, wondering if finding out the affair was a good or bad thing. On one hand, it could benefit me and several other workers on one case, but on the other one end a person gets hurt. Hurt like I once did. I was conflicted because either way it was a lost against another.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I muttered meekly, poking the chicken salad with no interest to eat. How could I?
I was in Marcello's office for the first time ever. I knew he was important figure to the company, the CEO to be exact, but at the moment I was too worried to even think about the fancy office he had. His office was stain and white. Simple yet sophisticated for a businessman like him.
We were sitting at the classy white couch he had in the stuffy corner of his huge office.
"Actually, I'm not." I pushed my chicken salad away, placing it on the remote coffee table. Marcello raised an eyebrow also stewing his food aside. He hovered closer but body couldn't notice as I was too worried.
Marcello sends me a sweet reassuring smile. "I don't know what to do."
"What do you mean?"
"It's kinda of a long story," I admit pathetically. "I'm sure you don't want to hear it,"
"I have time."
"Okay.... There's something I know and it's not...well the truth is there's a man and he's potentially cheating on his wife. She's pregnant and I don't know if I should say anything or pretend it never happened. I feel like I shouldn't keep it a secret but I just don't have it in me to hurt someone like that. I mean is it bad that this could help me? Like in a way where my life gets easier? Or is it selfish of me to do?"
"I really don't know to do Marcello, and I don't think this is just a problem." I say as my voice cracks. I facepalm myself, attempting to ease all the stress I have been feeling the past month. Everything has been so difficult, it was a lot. The stress was weighing me down, forging me to want to cry and yell all the frustrations out.
I think I was at my breaking point and this lunch was supposed to be nice and now I was trying my hardest not to break down in front of Marcello. It's pathetic, I'm pathetic.
I couldn't look him in the eye. My body and my mind were both tired. Another logical reason why I couldn't give myself fully or be in a relationship. It was too much. Everything was too much.
"Hey...hey." His soft voice uttered enlightening a tingle in my stomach. His finger creeped underneath my chin, forcing me into those dark greenish blue eyes I loved to see. "Just breathe."'
Marcello gives my hand a reassuring squeeze in an attempt to help. I admit, it works for like a second before the waterworks started to work up. "Autumn, breathe." Marcello takes a deep breath, telling me to do the same. I follow, copying each movement he makes. "See, that's it."
A couple breaths in, my panorama fades away and I was left with Marcello looking deeply into my eyes. I looked away in coyness. Marcello senses it and lets out a cough before moving on.
"How's Issac? By the way..." I was still in shock by the moment I think we shared, I was so sure Marcello felt it too.
I grab the salad I wasn't eating in the first and set in my lap again. "He's good. He's actually obsessed with Tom and Jerry right now," I chuckle as I recall his adorable pout and laughter when he sees the yellow eyed cat get hit by another piano or a block of cement.
"Really?"
"Yeah, he's addicted."
"You should eat," Marcello's voice broke out, seeing me with a lack of appetite. I should eat... problem was I didn't have it in me.
"I know, I kinda of lost my appetite." I admit slowly. Marcello eyes died down, his green orbs showing care.
"Do you want something else? I can get you something if you want."
"N-no, I'm fine." Marcello gives me an I-don't-believe-you look, not believing my lie.
"Autumn..." Marcello rolls my name on his tongue, testing it out. The sound made my cheeks blush in both excitement and also in shame. He was scrolling me though some parts of me liked it. I liked that he worried about me, and cared about the little things I did.
I shook my shoulders, flushing the feeling away taking the green leaves to my teeth. "Happy?" Marcello bob his head, chuckling, probably seeing my cheeks full with the chicken salad as I continued to chew with chubby cheeks.
I gulped, remembering I wanted to ask him about the small get together I was having at my place. Nessa was mostly helping me plan it, the only thing I was actually looking forward to was Issac's fourth birthday party. Birthday party meaning it was small with few family and friends coming over.
It was technically Issac's first birthday party, the first one he could remember at least. I had a baby shower when I was pregnant with Issac at six months, the most that was ever closest to a party.
Issac was pretty excited, explaining to Nessa and I what want he wanted. He wanted a Cars party with a mix of Tom and Jerry. It was adorable hearing Issac talk about having his favorite food and candy for the main dish.
"Um... I was wondering...uh.. Are you busy this weekend?" I say, after I gobble a piece of a slice chicken.
"I am why?" I was going to lie and say u wasn't disappointed because I was. Mostly on Issac's part.
"It's nothing. Issac.. its his birthday this Saturday, but if you busy it's okay. Next time,"
I smile faking another lie. It wasn't actually nothing, it was Issac who begged me to make Marcello to come. Who was I to deny the birthday boy?
"I'll come. What time should I stop by?" Marcello mouth broke into a charming smile, not pointing out my confused face.
"I-I thought you were busy?"
"I am, I wasn't lying, I just have to clear my schedule. Is two a good time?"
"Um.. yeah. It's a good time but Marcello are you sure?" I asked just to be sure. I didn't want to make him feel like he should have to come, I never want him to force him to do anything.
"I'm sure."
~
Heading back downstairs to my office, Sarah yet again asked to see me. I was praying she wasn't going to pile on the workload I had and I certainly didn't want to go knowing what she has done, excuse me, did.
So, now I was standing in the same position. The exact place I was standing before I caught Sarah and her lover in the act. My stomach was wary, almost threatening to come back up just picturing the idea which I am trying not really hard not to do.
I knock, waiting for her response. "Come in,"
I push the wooden door lightly, my heart pacing as I encounter my boss for second time this day. I take a seat right away, abruptly understanding what she expected of me.
"I need you to run to copy machine and print out these files. Come back after they are finished and I need you to do this," She hands me a sticky note of items listed in the square, files in a stash and a pair of keys.
Staring at the sticky note, there was rush fonting and markings. Dry cleaning, hair appointment, get Chinese food from 5th street by 1:30. The list went on with ridiculous for-tails. I scoff, out of all the things she will send me to do. This wasn't okay. I wasn't a maid, I was a businesswoman with a degree I work for four years to obtain and there was certainly no way in hell I was doing this.
I had enough on my plate and Sarah just now to deal with it. I slam the stick note and files on the desk, standing up.
"I'm not doing that. I'm not doing anything. You have to hire someone else to do it, wait no you have everyone working as slaves here and that's not okay."
Sarah scoffs in surprise, her features growing into a malice rage. "Miss Black, you're fired,"
She threatened as I laughed. "I'm not, actually. I have one condition, you need to treat everyone with mutual respect and stop being a pain in the ass. Maybe you should work and actually be a boss."
She laughed, getting angrier, "That's it you're done here. Pack your shit and leave."
"No, maybe you should leave. I mean I'm pretty sure Mike would love that wouldn't he?" I said sarcastically. Sarah stumbles back, a hand over her mouth as she gasp.
I hit a soft spot and she knew it. Her little secret could ruin their reputation. I didn't want to do this but for once in my life I had to speak up.
"What do you want?" She asked, coding for what will it take for you to shut up. I grinned devilishly, I had her right where I wanted her.
"I want you to stop treating everyone as if they are your slave. I want you to quit and I most importantly want you to stop your affair with Mike. If you don't I will have to tell his wife. Don't you realize what your doing? You are causing pain and it needs to stop ASAP. I think you're done here."
Sarah eyes grew in more anger than I ever knew was possible. Her shoulders high and her eyes morphed into daggers. "Fine."
"But you better watch your back, Miss Black,"
~
That's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Comment down what do you think? Until next time...
Love, The Author
-Katherine