Ex-convict to Executive

Chapter 5

“I saw the way Joe insulted and slapped you” Jean address their boss with his name “He thinks he can command us anyhow because we work for him, You know Charles’s offer would change our lives”

“No” Dante replied  “I rather sweat to make my money than push drugs” Dante replied with gritted teeth

“I knew you would say that” Jean responded, Dante has a good heart but he wondered why life was against him.

After Dante left the orphanage home, he was able to get scholarship into the university and then lost it, years later the decision of leaving their foster father’s drug business, was the wrongest because they were still at square one-poor while Charles was a billionaire.

“Be quick here, we have a lot of work preparing for the exhibition tomorrow” Jean told Dante as he left the dressing room.

******

Dante Willow carefully dropped the heavy art canvas on the table as he heaved a sigh of relief to rest a bit, for the past four years that he worked at the gallery, he suddenly hated his job for the time.

“Quickly, quickly” A loud voice making orders brought him out of his thoughts, it was the manager of the art gallery, his boss, Joe-a tall and very demanding mean man that slapped Dante moments ago.

“Dante? Do you want more deduction from your pay this month?” he questioned, narrowing his eyes to Dante who was sweating profusely.

The slap that Joe dropped on Dante face still hurt, as he clenched his teeth remembering it, Joe was about Dante’s age or a year younger than him yet he didn’t mind the way he treated Dante.

“Are you still standing there and staring back at me you idiot?” the boss barked at Dante

Dante wanted to give him a piece of his mind, he waited so long for a day like this to come and it was finally here, he didn’t mind if he lost his job.

As Dante approached his boss with anger boiling inside of him, he felt a hard grip on his wrist and he turned around to see Jean

“Don’t. I know how you feel but don’t” Jean whispered to him as tried to cool Dante off his already boiling temper

“Is anything the matter?” the manager asked seeing Dante serious face and Jean holding his hands.

“Dante feels really sick and weak” Jean answered trying to cover up for Dante

“Who cares?” The manger asked smirking bitterly “You idiot came back from your lunch break late and now you want to leave work?”

“I would cover his work for him sir” Jean replied again

“I pay him don’t I?” Joe asked and Dante was tempted to ask if it was the little salary he was bragging about “This gallery has an art exhibition tomorrow, top celebrities and wealthy families are bringing in their arts today against tomorrow, I can’t afford to lose any worker now!”

“Is fine, am fine. I would work the day off” Dante said shaking off the angry feeling and the urge to disrespect his boss.

“You better. The Xanros family are bringing their art in fifteen minutes time” Joe glanced at his wrist watch “Well since they are your in-laws, make sure it is secured into the safe room for the exhibition, understood?”

“Yes sir” that moment Dante felt sick for real, he swallowed a lump at the thought of all his in laws coming to the art gallery the next day.

“Now all of you get back to work immediately!” his boss shouted

****

Dante tiredly walked outside to wait for the delivery van, his wife family happen to be one of the most influential family in the country and the art piece they would be bringing to the art gallery cost millions of dollars, it is a painting passed from generation to generation and it is a significance of their heirloom.

As Dante waited outside, many vans were driving in one after the other to deliver art pieces that would be entrusted to the gallery for tomorrow’s event. His co-workers were moving the art piece inside the gallery after getting the signature on the contract signed, security guards were on standby securing the gallery because of the worth of every pieces. 

The art exhibition holding the next day is said to be one of the biggest events in the country.

“What happened back there?”

Dante turned around to see Jean, he was the only person at their work place that was nice to him-in short they had each other.

“I am tired, are you not tired of being ordered around?”

“I won’t lie, I am but this is the only cleaning job with dignity we could ever get, don’t blow it now Dante” Jean whispered 

“You have been saying don’t blow it for four years dude, my salary hasn’t increased, prices of things in the market are not the same as four years ago yet our salary is still same. My kids are growing too” Dante said angrily in a low tone, gritting his teeth.

“I am working on something to better our lives-is about Charles, after the exhibition tomorrow I would tell you. For  now keep you cool”

“Promise?” Dante asked waiting for reassurance

“I promise” Jean said and the both of them shacked their hands and hugged at the same time like they have always done.

Jean approached a van that just arrived and parked in front, the middle-aged man dressed in an expensive suit came down from the van with a sun glasses covering his eyes.

“Please sign here sir” Jean said giving him a paper and a pen, the man scanned Jean from head to toe in a disgustful manner. He put his hands in his pocket and brought out his own pen, refusing to touch Jean’s own pen, then he signed the paper.

“This belongs to my Zoyaui family, anything happens to it? You would pay with your life servant boy”

Jean nodded his head obediently, then he carried the painting that was light weighted and looked inexpensive into the gallery.

Dante watched the man humiliate his brother, right there he swore under his breath that he would find a better life for the both of them.

Minutes later his in-laws van arrived escorted by other cars and entourage, Ellie his sister in-law came down from the van, she saw Dante and she immediately shouted for him to come even though he was already approaching her.

“Come here!” She shouted disregarding that by age he was by far older than her

Dante gave her the paper to sign which she did murmuring under her breath “I don’t know why my sister has to put up with a good for nothing husband like you”

He could clearly hear her but she didn’t even mind, to her Dante was a worthless brother-in-law and every chance she got she made sure she reminded him.

“That is my family most prized possession, from the nineties, painted by the popular world-renowned artist and we would show it to the world tomorrow, so the country would know that the Xanros family is powerful” Ellie spoke pompously at Dante.

Dante carried the canvas inside the art gallery while Ellie left with the entourage and the next van pulled up in front of the art gallery.

After dropping the art canvas inside the safe, he came out sighing. It was final, his In-laws would be at the art gallery tomorrow, the thought of it made him sick.

As Dante was about walking to the lobby to carry more art pieces, he heard a gunshot from outside the building, followed by multiple gunshots.

Dante’s heart raced as the exchange of bullets continued, Dante decked to find a place to hide as well as the other co-workers.

The SUV arrived with a group of dangerous looking masked armed men, dressed in all black, they matched into the building after gunning down the security men outside.

They swiftly turned off the security alarm and shot all of the security cameras hanging on the wall. They also jammed the network of the area so it was impossible for anyone to call 911 or make a call for help.