"What's wrong with me, why am I not fit for this job?"
John grunted, wanting to hit his boss' office table in frustration. He placed his left hand on the side of his hip while he used his other hand to massage his temple.There was no way this could happen to him, at least not now that he was desperately in need of money.His eyes flickered as he stared at his boss, he had shown nothing but loyalty and dedication, even as a personal assistant, then why should this befall him?John frowned and turned his gaze over to his close associate, Alex, who was ready to defend him and then, he turned his gaze back to his boss. "Mr. Balowe, what about those things that you said about my hard work, are you going to throw all that away?"Mr. Balowe sighed. He wished to tell John why he was getting fired but he just couldn't. He was scared, scared of the consequences that would follow suit. All he needed to do was to fire John and be free from the threats that had been directed at his company."There's nothing wrong with you John. It’s just that your services are no more needed in this institution. I will advise that you leave immediately."There, it goes again, those words that were like weapons of mass destruction. There was no other institution out there that was willing to take him in as a staff, not even as a cleaner. Then, he managed to get this one but couldn't even keep it for more than a month.No way, this wasn't happening. No! It can't."If it's about his pay, sir, then he is ready to wait until –" Alex tried to speak up but his words were greatly cut short by Mr. Balowe's next statement"There's no pay, John, the institution has agreed that your services don't deserve a reward."Was this even possible? Could they do that? Isn't that against the employee's rights? But it seems the company owners will go scott-free with their act of cruelty.They were just wretched peasants who would always have to wait for the month to end before they could feed but unlike his friend, John wouldn't get anything for this month. He was going to leave empty-handed just like he came.If only his boss knew how much he couldn't afford to miss this money, he could even consider himself dead if he missed this pay. What would he tell his mother? What would he feed her?But at the same time, he refused to show weakness in the presence of another man. There was only one thing, or one person that could cause this. He understood why his boss had behaved this way but that could not justify the fact that he was going to be sacked empty-handed even after working for a month."This is the work of The Kendricks and Mrs. Grey, right?"No answer was given to John but the leg tapping and the sudden avoidance of gaze was all he needed to get his answer. He realized that there was no way this issue could be resolved as long his mother-in-law and the supposed wife purser were involved."See, John, just leave. My organization was threatened, I can't risk anything because of you. The Kendricks are a powerful family in the country, with just a snap, my institute will be taken down."John could only sigh as he walked over to the door."... and John." The boss called before he could touch the doorknob which was enough for John to halt at his steps but he didn't bother to turn to face his boss. "Be careful out there, there are people who would do anything to harm you."Again, John sighed and walked out of the room with his associate. He needed not to be told twice. He knew the people after him and their reasons but there was no way he would let go of his wife for another man."What next, John? This was literally the last company that was willing to accept you. Where will you go from here?" Alex asked while directing a pitiful stare at JohnJohn could let out a loud frustrated growl as he face-palmed himself. After a moment of silence, he removed his hands from his face."I don't know, Alex, my wife's mother is doing all she can so I leave her daughter. She had deemed it necessary to ruin my life even when she knew the state of my mother. How would I pay my mother's hospital bills if this keeps going on?" John said with a slightly raised voice as if pushing his frustration to his friend.But Alex wasn't bothered by John's frustration. He was happy John had poured out his frustration instead of wallowing in depression."I will be in search of another job for you but in the meantime…" Alex stopped at his words as he dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out its content."This is £40, please, take this from me, at least for your mother's feeding." John zeroed his eyes on the cash being handed over to him. He had wanted to reject the money since Alex's monthly pay was just £10 more than what he was handing off."But… but this money is way too much to give out, I can't take it away from you, your family needs it more," John uttered with his intense gaze at the smooth cash he could really use."No, John. Take this, don't let that woman die of malnutrition. This would be enough to provide for her supplements, at least, for three days ." With that plea, John hesitantly took the money away from Alex."Three days? This is not even enough for a day. How will I face the hospital and my mother? I promised to deposit £100 today with the thought that I will get paid but again, luck has turned against me. Thanks for the money, I will never forget this."Alex smiled on hearing John's words but he couldn't be with John for long since he was still an employee. He excused himself and got back to his daily task.Taking his phone out from his breast pocket, John dialed his wife's number on his phone, wanting to tell her of the bad news, that's if she would ever pick up.As expected, his calls were left unanswered after numerous attempts, he chose to shove his phone back into his pocket.One thing was to get fired and another was to break the news to his demanding wife who had done nothing but threaten him with divorce.Letting out another sigh, John decided to visit his home, at least to explain things to his wife but before he could take a step, a call came through.Surprised by the thought that his wife would actually call back, he grabbed the phone from his pocket in an instant but his smile was immediately cut short when he gazed at the caller's ID."Mother-in-law." He muttered with a creased eyebrow."How dare you ask me to do that to Beatrice, is she in support of this?" John yelled, gazing down at the woman who had deemed it necessary that he left his wife.Immediately he yelled those words, Mrs. Grey dipped her hand in her bag and brought out a sheet but one look at it and the way she had handled it, one would easily know that it contained something huge. Wordless, she threw the paper at John like the miserable man she had always seen him to be. With the anticipation that it was something that could solve his problem, he desperately studied the content of the paper, which the next moment, made his eyes momentarily go wide open. "You made me spend the last penny on me, the money I could have used on my mother to come to see you at this goddamn restaurant. I was hoping that you had changed your mind to help me, but instead, you chose to ridicule me?!" He paused as he gave his mother-in-law a disappointing look but she cared less, all she wanted was for him to sign the f*cking
With no money left with him, John had to run a great distance to the only well-renowned hospital in the city without care of the prying eyes and whispers that roamed the streets. As he stared at his mother, John didn't realize the tears that had threatened to fall from his eyes. This was not how he had planned his life to turn out. He was on the brink of divorce with his wife who had told him to his face that he was a wretched man. To add to his already existing misfortune, he was also on the brink of losing the one woman that really cared for him genuinely.His mother just had a few days if the necessary surgery was not conducted on her but things didn't go smoothly. Whenever there was anything surgery, there was also something called bills which needed money, and this was something that he didn't have. His gaze traveled to her body. The hospital gown that she had worn did some justice to her by covering her skinny body but her arm was not fortunate enough to be unseen. Her feedin
Bang.Shocked would be an understatement when it came to how the medical practitioner felt as John barged into his office. For the first time in a long time, he saw a smile on John's face. 'That's unusual!' He thought. John has never entered his office with a smile, it was either he comes begging for the treatment to be done and he pays later, or he becomes an employee in the hospital so his labor could pay for her bills but not this time. The man in his presence was damn happy."I… I have the money, please commence the treatment."Again, another surprise from John. The doctor knew the amount of money that was involved, there was no way John would have raised such an amount of money. No… no way, it wasn't possible, not even a lottery would give him such an amount of money within a short time. Curiosity took over, shocked and eager, the doctor took off his eyeglasses. "You mean £11,000?" He asked, giving John an intense and suspicious look but John cared less. His mother's life was
He wished to say no but he couldn't. Maybe it was better that his father sees the woman that took care of him and gave him everything that he could ever ask for, no matter how little it may seem."Sure, come see her," John uttered with full sarcasm.With no words left to say, John led his father to his foster mother's ward which was a few meters away from the doctor's office. There, the old butler was still available, clearly waiting for John's and his master's arrival."Butler Chad, you may leave now. My son will move into the mansion today, make preparations for that." With those words, the butler gave a slight nod and left.A wave of silence followed suit as Mr. Sebastian stared at the sickly woman on the bed. It was worse than he imagined. At that point, he asked himself, how could his son settle for something less? Everything about John's foster mother irritated him, her skinny face, her pale body, her financial status– they all gave him some sort of irritable feeling. How could
It was all too much for John to handle. No! This cannot be, he had expected his stepmother to have a kid as her child due to the year she got married to his father but here she was, holding a man's hands like he meant the world to her– a man that for some reason stared at John like he was the only thing that should be hated.John had somewhat expected this. There was no way his step-family would welcome him with open arms and neither was he planning to do the same but there was nothing they could do about his arrival.He was there to stay. There was no going back. He was there to stop whatever plans they had for the legacy his parents built. "Why bring him back? He is of no use here, James. You have Luke to take over your legacy in the newest future. This was not part of the deal." At that moment, John felt some sort of self-achieved feeling. Although he wasn't so pleased to come back to his father, now, his mind was made up on setting his gaze on this gold digger… this money sucker
Dressed into the fine young man that he had always pictured himself as, John was made to think of how his life was going to play out from that moment. He sighed a deal with the devil, now he would have to dance to the devil's tune. Right when the butler was putting on the finishing touches, M.. Sebastian walked into John's room but wait… with a mask? John's face suddenly went into a frown. He understood that whatever his father had planned wouldn't be a nice one that he would be comfortable with. But at the same time, he also acknowledged the fact that this was all done in his favor. Anything this father was doing now, it was all done to preserve their family's treasures."What's that in your hand?" John asked while secretly praying that his reasoning was wrong. "You heard the last time, it's gonna be a masked gathering. With our kind of business, we should be careful especially when it comes to exposing our faces to the public. That's why I deliberately called for a masked gatheri
'What the heck?' John exclaimed inwardly.Without wasting a second, John turned to confirm his suspicions. He cursed again. This can't be, how was it possible? What connection did she have with his father? Can she recognize him? Who was this man she was holding so tightly? The question kept coming but there was only one way they could be answered- he needed to comfort her.Even with that mask on her face, he found it so easy to recognize her.He remained mute, waiting for her to make the first initiative. He wanted her to recognize him. He wanted her to say something that would make him know that indeed, she recognized him.Damn, she even had a smile on her face."Good day sir, I am Mrs. Grey." "Sir?" He muttered without realizing that his voice was loud enough for both his mother-in-law and the man beside her to hear. "And I am Mr. Kendrick, one of your father's business associates." Again, John was shocked. Of course, with an immediate effect, he recognized who the fuck this man