CHAPTER 001

Ken whistled in excitement while he changed into his casual clothing from his factory’s protective coverall, ready to hit the road. He had been miles away from home, in the glass factory for over a month where we worked tirelessly, days and nights just to sum up the money for his mother's heart surgery.

“Hey! Ken. The boss is on seat.” His colleague's voice rang off from outside the changing room and his heart fluttered with joy.

“Thanks, buddy! I honestly can’t wait to see my beautiful wife and son. Let me get my pay and get the hell out of this zone!” Ken responded as he buckled his pants. with a cheerful grin. He was being very chatty today and everyone could guess why.

“Quit fantasizing Ken! Hurry now before he leaves,” his colleague called again, a hint of annoyance in his tone, but Ken didn't mind it.

He quickly packed up his hand luggage and headed straight to his boss's office. He let out a sigh of relief, knowing he would be paid a reasonable amount of money that would cover his mother’s hospital bills, and also get his wife the beautiful neckpiece she had always wanted. She even had the image saved as wallpaper on her phone.

For the first time in a long while, he was starting to feel like a man again, a proud provider. This was what he was supposed to do for his family. Being able to do that made him feel as though he was soaring in the sky.

After a few minutes walk, Ken arrived at his boss’s door, he took a deep breath in before he walked through the door. 

“Good day, boss!” Ken greeted respectfully with a smile as he stood at the opposite end of his desk, eagerly waiting for his paycheck of fifty thousand dollars.

Oh, his hands itched to have the lofty sum in his hands.

His sacrifice would soon pay off. It was indeed a huge one for Ken, he was already envisioning the look on his mother's face when he would break the news that she would be having her heart surgery after so many years of painful management.

“I can see you are ready to leave,” His boss stated in a low tone as he continued scrolling through his laptop, barely sparing him a glance.

Ken's heart pumped in excitement when his boss opened his drawer and brought out a white envelope. That was no doubt his paycheck, Ken stretched out his hands to receive it even before his boss handed it over to him.

The man frowned and with a sharp, irritated tone, asked, “Why the haste?” He rolled his eyes but Ken wasn’t bothered about his attitude, that had always been his nature. Even though he spat at him, he wouldn’t even be moved. All he wanted was to get his cheque and head out of the factory.

He had been away from home for too long!

Ken took the envelope containing his salary from his boss and he picked up his hand luggage to leave. Immediately he turned, he had a second thought about opening the envelope to check its content before leaving, just to be sure there weren’t any errors. 

After all, it was fifty thousand, he had to double-check.

To his greatest surprise, his smile froze on his face when his eyes landed on the figure on the cheque. He brought it closer, making sure he wasn't imagining things but no!

The room was suddenly spinning and he found it hard to breathe.

“Boss!” He called out with a shaky smile as his eyes sought an answer. His hands were trembling, maybe he handed over the wrong cheque.

“I… I think you made a slight mistake in the cheque, sir. You omitted a zero from the amount. My payment is fifty thousand dollars and not five thousand, remember? I…. I took an extra shift and worked twenty hours daily,” He stated respectfully handing over the envelope back to his boss to have a closer look.

Ken swallowed anxiously, raising his brows as he watched his boss glare at the envelope. His jaw was already clenching as he tried subduing his emotions. This shouldn't be happening, he exhaled! well let me hope it's only a written error and nothing more.

But the silence rang on, only resonating in his heart like a bomb. When his boss finally lifted his eyes to him, Ken saw his fate.

“T-This is just a mistake! It would be sorted out, stop overthinking.” Ken kept muttering to himself affirmatively, brushing off every negative thought that was beginning to build up in his mind.

“I don’t have all day, Ken. Do you want your pay or not?” His boss responded nonchalantly, as he angrily tossed the envelope not caring where it landed.

His arrogance was like a deadly venom that pierced Ken straight in the heart.

“Sir, with all due respect. This wasn’t the agreement,” he was breathing heavily, hoping it was just a mere prank. Unfortunately, his boss wasn’t one known for such expensive jokes, he barely even interacted with his employees, and in the little time he did, he had nothing but looks of scorn on his face like everyone here was beneath him.

Ken paused, staring at his boss, but his boss’s silence and the serious gaze in his eyes made Ken even more furious and bitter.

Ken had been working in the glass factory for three years, but in the past month, he took a double shift, hoping to smile back home with enough cash to settle his pressing issues. But things unfortunately were beginning to go south and he wasn't having it.

“Look here, Ken!” He commanded, raising his eyes to meet his gaze. “I’m only doing you a favour. Firstly, giving you a job your broke ass wasn’t qualified for, and now you are beginning to feel entitled?” The boss declared with a firm tone.

“I should've known not to hire you from the beginning. You poor people have nothing but entitlement to your name!”

Each word pierced Ken’s heart like a dagger, he was struggling to breathe. He couldn't stand seeing his hardwork and time flushed down the drain. What would he tell his family? H.. his mother? 

Damn!

“This money here is for my mother's heart surgery. I have been begging the management of the hospital to bear with me for over three months. The bills have been piling up, that was why I took this double shift despite the inconveniences that came with it.” 

Ken responded, his face already turning red. The thought of returning home as a failure was already slashing through his throat, making it hard for him to even swallow.

“Ha! Joker!” His boss scoffed mockingly as he went back to his monitor. “Get out of my office before I release the dogs on you!” His voice thundered. “I covered your accommodation and daily feeding for a whole month, who do you think would pay for those expenses, the management?” He sneered, staring at Ken with hatred and superiority.

“This is unfair, Boss. Please, don’t do this to me. I am a family man, and I have bills to settle. I have been a loyal employee for the past three years! You can’t treat me like this.” He retorted and continued. “Please pay me! I broke tears and sweat for thirty days and thirty nights.” He murmured bitterly.

“You have gotten your pay, haven’t you?! What is the fuss about, Ken?” He scoffed, irritation building up in his voice. “Now get the hell out of my office before I deal with you. Coming in here like you own shit– what can you do? You're powerless, Ken. Don’t play with fire, I have the power to destroy you.”

RUFF RUFF!!! (Dogs barked continuously)

The boss’s voice declined at the sound of the dogs that suddenly started barking at the entrance of his door. Did he call them? Was it all part of his plans? If he did why was he acting shocked?

The security guard tried as much to hold them down but they were so huge and stubborn, of course they were pit bulls, it was difficult holding them down. Ken was dying of fright but he still maintained composure even though his steps reclined.

“What the hell is going on here??!” The boss stood in shock while Ken kept retracing his steps backward, wondering why they were barking at him.

“It’s Ken, boss.” The security guard stated, pointing at Ken with a mischievous grin on his face, judging from his look he wasn’t up to anything good. “We caught him stealing valuables from the factory. He intends to sell them and make profits when he gets to the city.” The security man lied openly without a flinch.

Ken's eyes widened in disbelief and his mouth dropped wide open. “Where are all these lies coming from???? This is a pure conspiracy. I…I stole nothing!” He stammered, trying hard to defend himself as the dogs drew closer to him.

“Hold the dogs down!…. I’m innocent!!!” He yelled as the dogs were almost sliding off their leach, spit drippping from the corner of their mouth. Ken went from hoping for a handsome pay, his prayer suddenly changed to leaving the factory alive.

“Run out of this factory at once before I call the cops on you! Disgusting thief! Ungrateful lot!!!” He barked, staring a Ken with disgust and hate.

Ken’s jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth, trying hard to suppress his emotions. He was indeed powerless and he felt like a failure, “can I at least get the five thousand dollars?” He pleaded with folded hands, realizing that was his only hope.

“I said get the hell out of here before the dogs feed on your flesh! You fool!”

Ken hastily ran out of his boss's office through the open window ensuring he didn't get beaten by the wolves in dogs clothing. He panted heavily as he successfully made his way outside the factory, forfeiting his hand luggage. The only thing left on him was a twenty-dollar bill, that would at least get him to CidaVille, the city where he lived.

RING!!!!!

His heart skipped at the exhorting sound of his phone, but when he saw the caller, his eyes immediately dropped in disappointment.

“Oh shit!” He murmured bitterly, squeezing his cell phone tightly in his palms.

That not being enough, the cloud darkened, rain pouring heavily on him. How crazy could his day go?