Here Comes the Lord

Chapter 8 No Justice Anymore

Mark 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.