2025-01-11 01:47:10It was already few minutes past 8AM when Jason reached Xavi Cafe and fillings. He knew he was late and had to face his boss and not the present head deliverer, Jones. Jones was a 65 years old Irish-Latino sturdy man who looks like he took 20 years off his age with his pinkish baby like skin, grey iris and black hair. Jason believes that Jones understood him better than anyone else.
‘I know I'm safe with him. I hope he is able to convince the boss.', Jason thought as he drove into the garage. As soon as he parked his scooter in the general section, he spotted his boss' car in the reserved corner his brain sent a shiver down his spine. He felt a throbbing pang in his heart as he turned off the ignition. He harbored the thought that he might one day have a cardiac arrest as a result of the shocks his heart receive from the fear of his boss. He had secretly hoped that his boss would not be at work so early. ‘Past 8 isn't so early if you asked me’, he reminded himself. ‘Well, here goes nothing!’ He said to himself as he made his way to the entrance of the magnificent two decades old Xavi Cafe and fillings building which had brick walls sprawled one storey high, serving and delivering beverages and pastries. His entry instantly drew smirks and sneers across the Xavi's dining area on the faces of the two out of five staff working their morning shift. ‘Good morning, Mr Jason!’, Daisy cooed from behind him. Looking startled and confused as he did not hear her enter, ‘Good morning, Daisy’, he answered as he turned his head to look at her. ‘I have a piece of advice for you’, she said while plating with the leather bows attached to the leather belt on her waistline, ‘Buy yourself a clock with an alarm… If your lawfully wedded wife has decided to remain unfaithful to you, at least the clock wouldn't.' Jason was more confused and made to ask her what she meant by what she said but Daisy had walked away from him immediately after she uttered those words. Jason looked around to check whether anyone had seen or heard them. He noticed that the 2 girls sitting close to where he was were staring at him as the taller one whispered something to the shorter one. ‘Dee is everything else… but unfaithful?, he thought and sighed heavily. Jason knew he was not ready for a case on his wife's fidelity on an early Thursday morning and walked straight into the head deliverer's office. ‘Good morning, Boss J. I'm sorry ...’ ‘Good morning, Jason.’ Jones interrupted without looking up from his laptop, ‘The boss is waiting for you in his office Be careful of what you utter this morning. He is not in a good mood’, He added. ‘Thank you, mini boss’, Jason said playfully. Jason made his way to his boss's office. His boss, Mr ZacXavi had established Xavi's Cafe and fillings 21 years ago starting as a make shift kitchen doubling as an outlet outside on his family house's courtyard. Mr ZacXavi relays the story of the humble beginning of his two decades old treasure ‘Xavis Cafe and fillings’ to everyone who cares to listen as many times as possible. Jason knocked gently on the door and got no response. ‘Good morning, Boss.’, He called out with a pitch too high than he had intended. He got no response again. He decided to open the door to check whether his boss was on seat or not. As he did, Jason checked his boss's corner and found no one. He stepped into the office to probably wait for his boss but was startled by his boss's raspy voice. ‘How many times have I warned you not to enter into my office without my permission?’ ZacXavi asked while shaking the ashes off his cigar in the glass ash tray on the wooden stool in his front. ‘Good morning, boss ‘Jason replied looking like a dog that got caught with the neighbor's shoes in its mouth, ‘I knocked but no one answered, sir.’ He continued without missing a beat and listened intently for a reply. ZacXavi continued to draw the smoke from his Cuban Cigar and puff it into the air with his eyes closed and head resting backward on his brown leather couch. Jason stood still unsure of what to do, whether to keep quiet and wait for his boss to speak or say something to grab his attention again. ‘Boss?, Jason whispered ‘Jason, Jason, Jason!', ZacXavi called with an angry tone as he rose suddenly in a way that startled Jason again. He walked steadily with his ash tray in his right hand and the Cigar in his left in a way that screamed 'Mafia!' with a body that seemed as though he worked out every single day with his blond hair making a statement on his head complementing his greyish blue irises. His well-built physique and ocean eyes, like Daisy called it, has women drooling over him. Jason had once heard Diane mention to her sister that his boss was a hot number. ‘What is today's date, Jason?’, ZacXavi asked as he sat on his office chair. ‘Huh 21st of May?’ Jason replied after a few seconds pause sounding unsure as he wondered where the conversation was headed. Good its nice to hear that it’s few hours to payday. How many times have I called you into my office this month?’, ZacXavi continued while puffing out smoke from his Cigar. ‘Its been 3 times, Boss’, Jason replied while staring down at his shoelaces before he shifted his focus to the faded wooden floor. ‘Good! Then, how useless can you become that would make me dismiss you from work?’ ZacXavi asked staring intently at him. 'And raise your freaking head up when Im talking to you!', Jason immediately raised his head up but found it extremely difficult to look directly at his boss. ‘You still don't get it, do you?’ ZacXavi continued ‘Xavi's Cafe and fillings has been standing strong for a mostly good twenty one years, you know I began with just a few dollars to my name accumulated from series of jobs I took on as a teenager.' 'Oh Oh! here we go again with the daily dose of grass to grace Ted X', Jason thought and chuckled mentally ‘Do you think that I would be here today if I had handled my business with the level of irresponsibility you are handling your job with? ‘ 'I'm so sorry boss', Jason replied sounding remorseful. ‘Sorry for yourself, Mr man!...This is your fifth year here and you still lack the basic qualities of a responsible employee!’ ZacXavi said with a voice that showed that he was visibly irritated, 'I wonder what your wife sees in you that is making her stick with you.. I promise you, she deserves better'. ‘What has my wife got to do with this again? Your wife this, your wife that. Y'all should leave Dee out of this already.', Jason thought as he felt his patience hitting its rock bottom. He was jolted back to his boss's office as he someone knocked on the door. ‘Come in, Iglesias.’ ZacXavi called out. A frail looking boy teenage walked in with a cup of hot coffee and dropped it on the table in front of the boss. ‘Look at Igly...', ZacXavi said as he pointed at him. ‘He comes to work early before I do he makes sure my coffee is ready at the appropriate time just the way I like it and it is common knowledge that he is still a teenager and at his age, he understands perfectly that one must be responsible and carry out his duties diligently.’. Jason could clearly see that Iglesias was grinning at his discomfort as he did not even bother to respect his presence. Its my fault, anyways, Jason thought as he felt his eyes stinging from tears threatening to pour. ‘This should be the last time I call you into my office for this nonsense and irresponsible attitude of yours. Close my door behind you.’ ZacXavi said as he lifted his coffee to his mouth. ‘Thank you, boss’ Jason replied looking remorseful ‘Don't thank me, fool. Get out of my office and go do your job! There's too much delivery to be done today and we are lagging already No thanks to you.’ ZacXavi replied, ‘Igly boy call me my secretary’ He said facing Iglesias ‘Alright Boss.’ Iglesias made for the door with a smile on his face. Jason left immediately after Iglesias did to avoid further insult and to ensure that he covers his mark for the day. ‘I think I've ruined my chances with the boss already. How do I become head deliverer now?’, he thought ‘See me through this, Jason. I believe in you.’ He said to himself as he headed to his designated delivery van already stocked with pastries and beverages to be delivered. Then, he saw her again, 'Daisy'. She smiled and winked at him awkwardly which threw him off balance. 'I really don't understand this girl. One minute, she's raging like a dog, the other minute, she's acting all sweet… It better not be what I'm thinking.’ He thought as entered into the van and turned on the ignition. 'Hey Jason!', Daisy called out loud 'Come back as soon as you can, sweetheart I have a surprise for you, the boss has a surprise for you or... let me say, we all have a surprise for you', She said and winked before turning back to enter the building 'I just left the boss!', Jason replied 'Oh really?' she said as she turned back 'Yes!', Jason said and sighed heavily. 'Trust me, he has a bigger surprise for you. A beautiful one… Dont tell anyone. It's a secret', she whispered loudly in a way that sounded creepy and it horrified Jason that he felt something crawling beneath his skin. 'Drive safe, sweetheart and remember... Daisy loves you', she said and smiled creepily before entering the building. Jason had always thought that Daisy was just been an annoying brat but at that moment as he shifted the gear to drive mode, he felt sorry for her. He did not understand why he did but he had it in mind to ask her what she has up her sleeves this time. 'And yes, the boss... I don't even know whether she's lying or not I'll know when I return', he thought and sighed as he drove out of the premises.
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CHAPTER 33
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...Cain leaned back in his chair, visibly frustrated but unwilling to show weakness again as he opened up his laptop. Cain knew he had lost this round. Jason had already made his point: he was fearless. And that was something even Cain couldn’t manipulate.Cain glanced up from his laptop, his eyes flickering over Jason with an almost dismissive glance. With a practiced air of nonchalance, he closed the laptop with a swift motion, standing up immediately. He didn’t bother to acknowledge Jason directly, choosing instead to carry the laptop with him as he walked towards the far side of the office. Jason, unfazed as ever, immediately proceeded to start where Cain had vacated. He began sweeping the area under the desk, he realized that the office, with its sleek, polished surfaces and sharp edges, felt almost suffocating in its perfection. It was large, almost as big as the president’s office, and it offered a commanding view of the rest of the headquarters, and beyond that, the sprawlin
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After the staged grab and shove by the securities as well as the brief tete-a-tete with his father in his office, Jason became not only the most gossiped about individual amongst the workers of the cleaning agency but also in the whole of the ArkWrath headquarters. Nobody knew what he did except that he was taken to the president’s office where he spent almost an hour and came out unscathed or battered which was very much unusual. The rumour, which quickly spread of the newcomer Janitor, was that he possessed an ample amount of information either for or against the president for him to be allowed to wear a nose-mask around the premisies and defying the laid down rules and norms. Surprisingly, Jason was totally aware of what was going on alongside the expensive rumors but what shocked him most was the fact that Cain, his cousin requested him to clean his office. Cain was however not interested in the works of an ordinary Janitor. Rather, he wanted to come face to face with someone who
CHAPTER 27
Jason had no expectations from his new job. He knew exactly what he had to do and expected almost nothing in return. It, surprisingly felt too natural, as if this role had always been something he was familiar with. Like there had always been someone above, giving orders, telling him where to go and what to do.The first week was too simple. His introduction to the job consisted of observing the routines of the other janitors, who moved through the headquarters with a quiet, almost military precision. The task was simple, clean, scrub, organize, but it required a keen eye and a focus on detail. He’d been taught how to clean without disturbing the sensitive documents that filled the offices, how to polish the glass surfaces without leaving a streak, and how to ensure that every inch of the topmost floor of the building was spotless by the end of his shift. The mask he wore over his face and the glasses that shielded his eyes had now become a part of his identity. They were the first
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It had been three months since Jason began his reintegration into the system, and in those three months, his life had become a series of routines and adaptations. As the sun pierced through the blinds at 7 am, Jason rose from his bed, the rhythm of his body waking up as instinctively as his mind. The gym had become a non-negotiable part of his day, a daily ritual born out of his need for discipline and control. The private martial arts training that his father had arranged for him had transformed his body, honed his reflexes, and instilled in him a quiet sense of power. But today, as he prepared for his morning workout, something was different.On his study table, already cluttered with an assortment of packages that had arrived over the past weeks, was another box. It wasn’t particularly large, but it stood out among the others, as though it was waiting for him. The note attached to it was simple, scrawled in his father’s familiar hand: "Wear this."Jason raised an eyebrow, the feeli
CHAPTER 25
Jason stood in front of his father in his home office, the weight of everything was now pressing down on his shoulders. He had never imagined this moment would come, this confrontation that seemed to have been waiting all his life."Why didn’t you ever look for me?" Jason's voice broke the silence, hoarse with a mix of pain and accusation. "You just let me go... and didn’t try to find me. All this time, you never even cared enough to search."His father didn’t respond immediately. The old man looked down, his hands clenched tightly together, as if searching for the right words, but finding none. Finally, he sighed, a long, heavy exhalation, as if the weight of the past had crushed him too many times."I did look for you, Jason," Mr. ArkWrath said quietly, his voice trembling with a vulnerability Jason had never heard before. "I searched... but your letter..." He paused, as if the mere mention of it was a wound too fresh to touch. "You told us not to. You wrote that we should leave you
