From Squalor To Splendor

Chapter 2

"Come on, Isabella. You mentioned that you do not have a boyfriend. Didn't you?” the CEO yelled at her.

"No, I do not have a boyfriend. Perhaps I did before, but not now," Isabella said to the young man before turning her gaze away from him to Justin, who was still enraged.

Her words pierced his heart like a sharp arrow shot by an archer against his foe.

"Justin," she chuckled, "you know I love you. But I have to consider my future. I can not live my entire life struggling to make ends meet. I need security, you know."

Justin was silent, unsure what to say. His world seemed to shatter into a thousand pieces right in front of him.

He loved Isabella dearly and was willing to give up everything for her.

“So that's it, uh? You are just going to throw away everything we own because he has more money than I do?" Justin inquired, tears streaming down his cheeks.

His body shivered like a wet bird, and the cold was about to take his life.

"Well, it is not just about the money, you know. I'm sorry, but I think I need to be with him. You can also go out and work harder to become a wealthy man like him. Perhaps another lady will leave her boyfriend for you. But as for me, Justin, we are done and done forever. You are no longer in my class. You are too poor and filthy for me." Isabella made fun of him.

"Wow," he exclaimed in agony. "I can not believe you just realized how poor and filthy I am right now." Justin giggled.

"Ohh… I had no idea you were waiting for me to say it before you get convinced that you are a poor orphan with no worth who bounces from one job to the next to make ends meet. Come on, Justin. You need to find something reasonable to do so that people will accept you when you get closer to them," she jokingly told him with a bit of truth.

Justin swallowed hard and nodded his head, as if he was not hurting anymore, but he was dying inside.

"You know what," Justin's boss, Liam Grayson, replied. He approached Justin and stood an inch away from him as they exchanged stares.

Justin was not afraid to look his boss in the eyes again because rage had taken over.

"I think it is time you leave this room before you make me fly off the handle, young man," Liam Grayson told Justin.

Justin could not decide whether or not to respond to Liam. Although he was hurt by what he saw, he was not ready to enrage Liam because he had no idea what would happen next if Liam became enraged.

They exchanged stares for a few moments before Justin finally opened his mouth to speak.

“Isabella, I…” Liam cut Justin off before he could finish his sentence.

"You are fired, Justin!" he said hoarsely, grimacing at Justin, who was still trying to process what he said.

Justin thought he did not understand what his boss said, so he removed the wireless earbuds from his ears and waited for Liam to repeat himself.

"Do not act as if you did not hear what I said, Justin. I said you're fired, and I meant what I said…” Just as Liam's words reached Justin's ears, he knelt and grabbed Liam's legs.

“No, sir. You can't do this to me, sir. Please accept my apologies..." Justin sobbed as tears streamed down his cheeks to the cold marble floor.

"Hey, do not push my boyfriend so he does not step on the broken bottle and injure himself," Isabella warned Justin sternly.

Although Justin was upset by what he discovered his girlfriend was doing with his boss, he was not ready to lose his job because it was the highest paying of his three part-time jobs.

Not only that, but Justin hoped to receive a double payment by the end of the month.

He thought it was the best day for him since he became an adult, not realizing it would be the worst day since he was brought to Earth.

“Get your filthy hands off my legs. A worthless rag and a nobody like you have no right to get any closer to me, let alone touch me." Liam spoke through clenched teeth as he kicked Justin away, causing him to fall violently to the ground on his back.

Unfortunately, he was injured by one of the shards scattered on the floor.

“Ahh…!” Justin groaned in agony as blood began to flow from the injured hand.

"Get out of this room right now before I summon the guards!" Liam warned him as he clenched his teeth, but Justin refused to leave.

"Sir, the month is coming to an end in three days. Why don't you let me work for the next three days so you can settle me and I can leave?" In the midst of pain, Justin proposed.

"I see you are being stubborn. You do not need to be concerned. I know how to handle your type,” Liam announced and walked up to the bed and grabbed his trousers.

He fumbled for his phone, ready to make a call.

When Justin realized Liam was being serious, he said to Isabella. "Please, Isabella, help me beg him. Perhaps he will listen to you and let me stay. Do this for me, please..." he begged Isabella, but she frowned and gave him a lethal glare.

"I am not sure why you are having trouble following instructions, Justin. He said you should leave his hotel because you have been fired. Are you too stupid to get what he meant?" Isabella yelled at him.

It was unclear to Justin what his concerns should be: his hand injury, his job, or the fact that his girlfriend cheated on him with his boss and wanted their relationship to end.

Liam addressed his head guards, saying, "Runner, send boys to come and kick this fool out of my sight right now."

“Yes, boss." Justin could hear the guard's voice over the phone because Liam had turned on the loudspeaker. "I will do just that," the guard said.

“Pardon my manners, sir. To be honest, I no longer require Isabella. I will let you take her now. It does not concern me. The only thing I require now is the job, sir,” Justin cried out, but Liam turned deaf ears to him.

Justin said that to avoid losing both his job and his girlfriend at the same time, not because he no longer loves Isabella.

Liam picked up the phone to reach the manager right after hanging up the first one.

The manager answered the phone right away, and Liam told him, "This bastard you asked him to serve me is fired. I would prefer not to see him in this hotel ever again. Not only that, but he should not receive a penny of his pay. If you do not accomplish this, you will be held accountable."

Liam had slid into his pants without putting on his full dress before the red-suited guards with dark sunglasses could enter the room.

No, he didn't wear his trousers because he was done with Isabella, but because he didn't want the cleaner who was coming to clean the room to see his nakedness.

As soon as the guards entered the room and noticed that Justin was still pleading with their boss while kneeling on the cool floor, they yanked him off the ground.

"Sir, do not do this to me. I have benefited greatly from this work, so please do not let me lose it." Justin cried out as the guards dragged him out of the room.

“Go to hell, fool!” Liam spat out every word with anger as he grinned at Justin.

A cleaner entered the room shortly after they left to tidy up the mess Justin had made earlier.

Liam spun around to face Isabella, who was still lying on the bed with her lower body covered by the duvet.

"Do not hesitate to notify me if he dares come back to disturb your life again, okay?" he said to her.