2024-04-10 10:59:28Mark squinted at Anthony Curtis. Something is really off on this day.
Could it be possible that Anthony was trying to please his son, knowing that he is dating Celia, and decided to punish her ex-husband for something he didn't do?
How else to explain this scathing injustice?
Anthony, still with a serious look, turned to the other employees.
"Well done! The guy is not working, so he doesn't deserve his salary!" João exclaimed, laughing uncontrollably.
Laughter echoed throughout the hallway.
Anthony knew that Mark was an exemplary employee. Often, he would go above and beyond to keep a good impression on his superiors.
If Mark has a fit body and toned muscles, it is due to the hard work of his profession.
However, everyone had a prejudice against Mark for being poor and for his appearance.
In a company that worked with fashion and physical appearance, Mark always seemed to stand out from the image Glamour wanted to portray to the public.
But Anthony was not stupid. If he only punished Mark, maybe the fool would finally gather the courage to protest, so, not to be so obvious...
"And why are you all laughing over there?" Anthony turned to the others, "We have a magazine to publish, articles with deadlines to be edited, and a program to record.
"But all of you are watching the clown Mark, huh? Do you want to go without a salary too?"
Everyone immediately stopped laughing when they realized they wouldn't be spared.
"Manager Curtis, it's not like that!" Mary Ellen tried to explain, "It all started when—"
"Blah, blah, blah, you all just talk, talk, talk, and don't deliver any results to me!" Anthony shouted.
João, the editor, pointed a finger at the general manager, "Don't even think about cutting our monthly salary, Mr. Curtis! All the power you have wouldn't prevent the Labor Court from receiving our complaint and lawsuit!"
Anthony was shocked. And now, what to do?
Mark smiled smugly, satisfied with what he saw. It seems that there is justice in this company, after all...
Glancing at Mark and seeing him smile, Anthony became angry and decided to escape using Mark as bait, "OK. I'm not careless enough to risk the company being sued. I know your work is harder than janitorial services."
Mark's smile quickly faded.
Excuse me? Janitorial work is less demanding than writing, editing, and layout?
While I bust my butt with brooms, mops, and scrub brushes, these cretins spend the entire day in the comfort of air conditioning, with their butts in a cushioned chair, clicking and typing on the computer!
"But so I won't be unfair, you will lose a day's pay! Let this chaos not happen again!" Anthony decreed and quickly spun on his heels, returning to the safety of his office.
Mark was outraged. He felt that Anthony did not correct an injustice, but instead, dropped another bomb to explode in Mark's lap!
The employees turned to Mark and nearly lynched him as was done in the Wild West!
"YOU DAMNED JANITOR! It's all your fault!" João shouted.
"Why did you have to take a day's pay from us?" Mary Ellen whinnied.
"Do you hate us so much to be so cruel and inhumane?" Gisléne complained, "While you have the ease of janitorial work, we shed our blood to keep the fashion world working!"
Mark couldn't control himself anymore.
"Are you kidding me? Do you want to spend a day scrubbing floors and washing dirty floor cloths?"
João crossed his arms and approached Mark with indescribable disdain, "No, thank you. That's what happens to people like you who don't specialize in anything.
"Let me describe you, because I know people of your kind: you wasted your time in high school, didn't pay attention in class, got horrible grades, and graduated out of pity from the teachers.
"Since you obviously couldn't get into any college, you do what every poor guy does: take the first crappy job you can find, bed a girl from the slum where you live, and marry her without a shred of love.
"Now, with your life being the mess that it is, you rebel against people who didn't follow your lead and think the world owes you something. That's why you cunningly manipulated Manager Curtis to punish us today!"
Mark was taken aback by João's words.
He had never heard such calumny and absurdity in his entire life!
But instead of a single soul warning João that he is exaggerating, the other colleagues applauded João and booed Mark.
"Pretty right, João! That's how scum like Mark lives!"
"He should be fired, that's what!"
"If he were smart, he would resign, it would be better than working a whole month for free!" Gisléne laughed mercilessly.
Mark only had one thing in mind: to get out of there as quickly as possible! He feared if he stayed for too long, he would become as blind and arrogant as these idiots.
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Here Comes the Lord Chapter 9 'Disciplining' the Janitor?
Mark couldn't believe things were escalating to this point. Not only had he become divorced overnight, but now several employees from the company where he worked had taken the day to mock and unjustly accuse him. Something inside of him said that what Anthony Curtis had just done was an indirect favor for his son, now that he was with Celia. "What are you doing standing there, janitor?" João wouldn't leave Mark alone. "Are you thinking of quitting?" "It's better to take João's suggestion," Mary Ellen neighed. "You have no future here anymore." "Unless you want to see your beloved ex-wife happy with another guy every day," Gisléne added, making the others laugh. Mark seemed immune to the employee's provocations. If they expected a violent reaction from the janitor, they would be disappointed. A smile creeping up on Mark's right corner of his lips made the group stop laughing. "What's so funny?" João asked indignantly. "The funny thing is that you guys lost a day's salary by ki
Here Comes the Lord Chapter 10 Keep Up the Good Work
"Miss, do you know this guy?" João pointed at Mark with disgust."I don't know him intimately," she replied, "But he is not entirely unfamiliar to me.""IMPOSSIBLE!" Mary Ellen screamed, "You and he come from completely different worlds!"Gisléne stepped forward, "Miss, let me explain: this guy, although he is not wearing a uniform, is the most deplorable janitor in our company. The other janitors at least manage to keep their uniforms clean, but Mark insists on keeping his always dirty and grimy." Mark smiled ironically. His uniform was the dirtiest because Celia always dumped it into the sink and used it as a mop every time he had hand-washed it. To make matter worse, Celia forbade Mark from using the washing machine because she didn't want his uniform to stain her clothes. João added salt to the wound, "Furthermore, he made us lose a day's pay today, so we need to straighten things out with him." The lady disagreed with the views of the others, "Excuse me, but I thought I was e
Here Comes the Lord Chapter 11 Nothing Personal, Just Business
Mark was about to continue walking when he thought better of what to do.Miss Vasconcelos would probably be busy with Manager Curtis now, so he could stop by the office later.So, he decided to go first to the janitors' room to gather his things before resigning.As he spun on his heels, he realized with exasperation that Mary Ellen was still at the door of her office."Forget it.""Forget what?" Mark frowned."Her. Forget her. She's not for you." Mary Ellen grinned wickedly."Don't you have anything better to do, Mary Ellen?" Mark crossed his arms.He swore that Mary Ellen would be the first on the list to be fired!"Well, since you did me the favor of making me lose my day's pay, I have no motivation to work anymore." Mary Ellen mocked."So get ready to clean, mop floors, disinfect sinks, and unclog toilets." Mark shook his head."Why? You won't be around anymore to do that charity work for us?" Mary Ellen chuckled strangely, as if she suffered from bronchitis, "You really believed
Here Comes the Lord Chapter 12 An Unusual Rescue
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Here Comes the Lord Chapter 13 Marry Me
Mark came to think that he deserved the prize for both the unluckiest and luckiest person in the world.OK, Mark didn't consider 'unlucky' to have met a beautiful woman like Briana Vasconcelos.The big problem, in his view, was the completely unexpected situation in which he found himself with the same Briana!Everything seemed to conspire for Mark not to escape from his predicament, starting with the same Briana who locked the car with a technology unknown to him.Then, it seemed that the drug had given Briana some strength from beyond to subdue a man.As Mark had noted before, the car was parked in a spot away from the other cars.Also, the employees usually have lunch at a nearby restaurant and walk there, so no one would enter the parking lot and find one of the cars in this unexpected situation.Mark almost strangled himself struggling to prevent Briana from taking off his shirt, but, with no way out, he no longer stopped her and resigned himself.He convinced himself that Briana
Here Comes the Lord Chapter 14 A New Spirit
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Here Comes the Lord Chapter 15 It's a Shame, But I Will Have to Fire You
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Here Comes the Lord Chapter 16 Interim Manager
Anthony Curtis was catatonic for a few seconds. He couldn't believe what his ears had just heard.Him, fired?He was about to fire the troublemaker janitor!How is that possible? What did he do wrong?Anthony shook his head and questioned, "Gene, today is not April Fool's Day. Stop with the prank!"Gene rolled his eyes and signaled to someone, "Manager Curtis, this is not a joke. We received strict orders for your position to be terminated today.""Gene, I demand that you give me an explanation—"Anthony was even more shocked to realize that Gene had hung up on him.João, Mary Ellen, and the other employees were in shock, not knowing what to say. Did they hear correctly?"Manager Curtis, why are you reacting as if YOU were the one being fired?""Didn't you explain to HR that it's janitor Mark who has made our company an impossible place to work?" João asks scandalously, entering the office.Mark, glancing disdainfully, warned João, "Careful, idiot. You never know when HR is in a bad m
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Chapter 508 James Got a Job
Left alone with Briana, Luana adopted a smug, confident posture. “Brie, good morning. What’s on the agenda?”“You had a lot to do yesterday after lunch,” Briana said icily. “But no one could find you.”“I was home. Being protected. By my boyfriend.”Briana shook her head slowly, seeing right through that excuse. “Mark tried visiting. He heard your screaming and... other noises from the hallway. So tell me, did that help at all?”Luana crossed her arms. “I just came from the precinct. I was honest and real with the sergeant.”“Did you say you were sorry?”“NO!” Luana scoffed. “I said everything I’d been choking on for weeks!”Briana looked stunned, horrified by Luana’s complete lack of self-awareness.******Just a few doors away inside Mark’s office, Karl had approached the door but paused as he heard voices inside. It was Ribeiro, speaking with Mark.“She didn’t express regret?” Mark asked, clearly troubled.“It’s complicated, Mr. Ferro,” Ribeiro said. “Your wife’s friend may be faci
Chapter 507 The New Sponsor
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Chapter 506 Lord Ferro, as Always, Was in Control
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Chapter 505 Zero Remorse
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Back at Vasconcelos Company, in Gilson’s office, the CEO was once again fiddling with the panels on his door, checking their alignment as if his life depended on it. Claudia sat on the couch nearby, reviewing a freshly updated list of internal changes set to affect the company.Unbeknownst to her, the very couch she sat on was the one where her supposedly faithful husband had defiled more than one assistant.“Darling,” she snapped, clearly irritated, “Forget the door for a second and listen to this!”Gilson turned, offended. “Why does no one respect my door? It has my name on it!”If people didn’t respect the CEO’s door, he reasoned, they didn’t respect the CEO.Claudia didn’t disagree. “Indeed, they don’t respect you! Look at the decisions Sandro and Nadir have made!”“Where are they, anyway?” Gilson demanded.******The answer was bouncing rhythmically beneath the covers of a king-sized bed, in Sandro’s suite. The entire bed shook with wild abandon as its two occupants — Sandro and
Chapter 503 Catching a Spy
Back at the Ferro House, still in the master suite, Briana set her phone down and began sponging her arms and shoulders, mulling over her father’s news.Moments later, Mark stepped into the bathroom, dressed in a sky-blue robe, gazing at her as if she were a goddess.“Good morning, my love,” he said tenderly.“Good morning. I just spoke to my father — right before my mother devoured him alive,” Briana quipped.Mark stiffened, a little embarrassed to be privy to his in-laws’ bedroom antics. “What did he say?”“They’re thinking about firing Katrina. Apparently, she finally showed her face at the mansion.”Mark sat beside the tub, running his fingers through her hair and brushing bits of foam from her skin. “You know, Katrina spent most of her time in Lagoon City spying on me. Ray Dixon showing up was like divine intervention — he distracted her.”Briana tilted her head, teasing. “It’s almost like you sent him there on purpose, sweetheart.”Mark hesitated. How could he possibly explain t
Chapter 502 Your Mother’s Thrilled over Here
Elsewhere, at the Pratt Entertainment building, the morning found Armando entering an abandoned studio, now cold and empty following his family’s bankruptcy — an event engineered by none other than Mark. James followed him.His eyes welled up with emotion. “I’m back, James. I’m back in the game.”“Congratulations, man,” James replied, glancing around the space with awe, his mind already spinning with creative possibilities.“Yes,” Armando nodded solemnly. “I’ve learned my lesson: no more disrespecting the wrong people.”James gestured around. “Which show was filmed here?”“This was the set of Love Is the Cure,” Armando answered.James froze. Love Is the Cure had once been a prime-time hit, eventually purchased by SBT, a rival network. In desperation, the Pratt family had sold the rights to their most successful shows, just to have something to survive on.“What a shame, buddy,” James said gently. “But now you can build new shows from scratch, right?”“Exactly. And with two of the hott
Chapter 501 Katrina’s Finally Back!
The next morning, the grand dining room of the Vasconcelos Mansion held a calm atmosphere as Gilson and Claudia sat alone, enjoying their breakfast. That tranquility was quickly interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps echoing through the marble halls — someone was clearly in a rush.Before either of them could comment, Katrina swept into the room with a radiant smile, as though she'd just returned from a delightful vacation in Paris.“Good morning, beautiful people!” she beamed.Gilson shot up from his chair so abruptly that it scraped loudly against the floor. “Daughter!” he shouted. “Where the hell have you been?!”Katrina stopped in her tracks, startled. “What is this, Dad? Is that how you greet your beloved daughter?”“Where have you been?” he demanded, voice sharp. “Or do I even need to ask?”Caught off guard, Katrina searched for support, her eyes darting toward her mother.From Katrina’s point of view, Claudia offered no salvation — only a disapproving shake of her head.
Chapter 500 Lord Ferro Will Cut Your Berries
Back at the Glamour headquarters, in Briana’s office that same afternoon, Briana lowered her cellphone with a sigh, shaking her head.“No. Luana’s not answering,” she said.Mark stood nearby, visibly awkward. “Brie... I think I know what’s going on.”He hesitated before confessing, “I tried visiting Luana and Karl at their place, but when I got to the door... it sounded like they were in bed. I think it’s their clever little way of dodging the police and avoiding interrogation.”A flush crept up Briana’s neck.“This is ridiculous!” she snapped. “The police can break down their door if they have to!”“Well,” Mark said, rubbing the back of his neck, “Sergeant Ribeiro did say he was going to try. Luana can’t just run away like this.”“And meanwhile,” Briana added, “Ray Dixon stopped by here.”Mark’s posture stiffened. He scanned his beloved wife’s body language like a hawk.“How did he behave?” he asked carefully.“Like a gentleman,” Briana replied. “Very charming and polite. He wants to
