Ex-convict to Executive

Chapter 4

As the Taxi pulled in front of North way art gallery, Dante dipped his hand into his pocket and paid the driver the wet cash, the taxi driver who was about to complain, took it nevertheless and drove off.

By this time the rain had stopped failing but Dante was soaked with the rain and on top of it, he was late from his break.

Dante sprinted into the building only to be met face to face with the manger of the art gallery who was busy ordering the staffs around as usual, Dante's plan was to sneak his way inside but he knew that plan failed when his boss shouted his name from afar

"Dante! Come here now!"

Dante obediently jogged to meet him with his hands at his back as he bowed to his boss in a show of respect "Why are you late? Your break time elapsed fifteen minutes ago"

"The rain delayed traffic and-"

His boss thundered with a loud voice "Didn't I give other staffs as well break? Didn't I-"

"I had a family emergency-" before Dante could complete his statement a very hot slap landed on his right cheek, making the spot on his face to turn red and Dante to clench his teeth because of the pains

"How dare you talk back at me? Since when do you start talking when I am still talking?"

Dante feeling guilty looked down at his wet and dirty shoes while his boss ran down insults on him.

"...for that I would deduct from your salary this month..."

That words caught Dante attention that he looked up to his boss face, the man was blabbing continuously with anger, in fact he was always angry and never pleased.

 It was the first time since Dante started working in the art gallery that he was late but It wasn't the first time Dante wouldn't be paid in full by his boss.

Dante was hardworking, honest and dedicated to his work, because of his love for art pieces and history he left his cleaning job in a restaurant to become a cleaner in an art gallery, but ever since then he hasn't been promoted nor his salary changed.

"Get out of my sight you idiot!" Dante bowed again at his boss and cowardly left for the dressing room.

****

As Dante stared back at his reflection in the mirror, he cursed under his breath, Natty had been right, for over six years he was working like an elephant yet eating like a rat, no one gives Dante respect because of his peasant life, a peasant earning peanut.

Truthfully, Audrey had been too patient with him since they married, believing that he was soon going to start earning enough salary and eventually go back to law school.

Was Audrey patient with Dante because he lost his scholarship because of her? Dante was the person that saved her from being rusticated from the university years ago, or did Audrey really love him?

Audrey and Dante were dating while they were both in the university, Audrey an art major studying real estate management and Dante a final year law student.

Audrey secretly got involved sexually with a male lecturer for grade, someone knew about it and threatened to reveal it to the public and school authorities unless she succumbed to his every wish.

If the news came to limelight it would lead to Audrey rusticated from the university, but before the news could spread in the university and she could no longer bare the anonymous threat, she came clean crying and telling Dante. 

Dante felt betrayed that Audrey had gone behind his back to cheat on him with her lecturer on the other hand he was sympathetic with her that she was on the verge of loosing everything she wanted, her university degree, her future career and also her family reputation would be dragged in the mud as soon as the news of the business tycoon daughter having an affair with her lecturer for grade made the headlines.

Audrey was still being threatened for months by text while she paid money anytime the threatener demanded for it just to keep her secret safe between her, the threatener and Dante.  

When the demand for money became too much that Audrey couldn't bear, Dante promised her eyeball to eyeballs that he was going to make sure the threatener paid back all her money or paid back with his life, next thing news of Dante being expelled from Law school spread around and Audrey threatener never sent her a text ever again.

Dante snapped out of the thought of his past, the sacrifice he made for his wife and the mother of his children.

Dante looked still looking at the mirror, deep down he was blaming himself for dropping out of school because of Audrey just to be insulted by her family, even more he had regrets of stopping the illegal drug business just to be insulted by the man he called boss in his legal job.

Dante scoffed to himself as he thought of his daughters, he wanted to be able to look at them and tell them about his job, his daughters needed to know their father as a reputable man, one without any criminal record or illegal source of income even if he died poor he didn't want any stain to his name.

The dressing room door swung open

"Did you see the news?" the male voice asked as Dante turned to look at him, Jean his co-worker, friend and brother from the orphanage, they grew up together wearing the same shoes life gave them, in the sense that they were parentless, just them in a world where they had to strive because they were poor.

"What news?" Dante asked Jean "My in-laws exhibiting their art too? I already know that"

"No, who care about your in laws" Jean blurred out, that was the least of his problem that moment.

"What other news then?" Dante looking at Jean

"Charles, he just opened another hotel" Jean gritted his teeth with hatred. Dante was speechless, they both had unsaid words of regrets. The life Charles was living could have been theirs too.

Dante, Jean and Charles were raised by the same foster father but in the present Charles, popularly know as “Ghost” was doing better than his two other brothers.

"They called the net worth of the hotels, its billions of dollars" Jean broke the silence

In disguise of Charles hotels and clubs built everywhere in the country were actually illegal drugs hideout.

Their foster father was a drug lord and from a little age of twelve the boys were already delivering drugs to his customers.

Dante and Jean took the decision to stop the business, leaving the foster home to fend for themselves, working numerous job just to make money legally.

"Do you want to take up Charles's offer?" Jean asked Dante, for years Charles have been asking his brothers to join him again in the drug business.

If  Dante was still in the business he would have been wealthy with illegal money and he knows it, his in-laws wouldn't look down on him, instead he was doing a cleaning job with little pay and no dignity.

Dante mind trailed to a better life when he joins Charles again in the drug business, a life were he would not be treated as trash!