The day slowly but surely came to an end and the longer Chase worked, he realized what monsters they were."Were all rich people that way? Was he that way to his employees?" He kept asking himself, even as he stood outside and the torrents of rain poured heavily. The weather forecasters had mentioned a little cloud today and if that was what a little cloud looked like, he didn't want to know what a sunny day would be like to them.He stood just outside the lobby, under a little shade as he contemplated going under the rain or waiting for it to stop. He fished out his phone from his pocket and the time was long after 6. He looked up at the sky and when he didn't see any sign of the rain letting up anytime soon, he braced himself to enter the rain.He pushed himself forward and walked on the sidelines. He held his hands across his chest to relieve himself of the biting cold that stung him with each droplet of rain. He kept going, holding on to the promise of a warm shower when he got ho
"I'm not going back there," Chase kept repeating to himself as the hot water from the shower hit his skin, loosening his tensed muscles, driving out the cold and probably wash off his shame.He had come to the conclusion that although the pay was in no way small, it wasn't worth the insult and the constant trampling upon his ego.He finished taking his bath and looked at his ruined shirt, saying a silent goodbye to it because he knew no amount of washing would take off the mud and coffee stain that now turned the white shirt to a dirty brown color.After dressing down for the night in pajamas pants that had slacked from excessive wearing and washing, he pulled a long-sleeved top over his head and walked to the living area which also doubled as his room.He walked to the fridge and after scanning the near-empty space, he came to the conclusion that he was going to sleep hungry because the only thing that stood in the fridge was a can of sardine that expired four months back."I'll cont
The office was eerily quiet as he entered. Even the preppy receptionist had not arrived. Another woman was there in her stead who didn't pay Chase any mind. Chase let out a breath of relief because the lesser people he had to deal with, the better his day would go.He went took the elevator straight to the 50th floor where the offices were located and walked straight to the conference room. He started wiping down on the large table that took up half of the room and the chairs around it. Soon, voices could be heard."Hey Trent, my office,' Paul called and as Chase turned to correct the name, he was already gone. He felt like the man purposely called him other names to piss him off.Other names are better than illiterate, don't you think?" his conscience mocked him and he rolled his eyes and went to Paul's office.He knocked once and was ready to apologize for not having his coffee at hand, reason being that the café nearest to the office didn't operate till 7am but his apology was imme
".......right here is where you get the bleach and any detergent you need. Oh, there are gloves too," she cracked him a smile and he resisted the urge to poke his fingers into her deep dimples. He really didn't understand how she could look so happy in the environment that had been nothing but toxic since he came. If only she couldn't squeeze out some of her happiness and sprinkle it on him….."Huh?" His thoughts were cut short when she looked at him expectantly through the thick blanket of her lashes. She was about six inches shorter than him and as he stared at her, the only word that came to his mind was "cute."She waved her fingers at his face and he realized she had asked him a question and he was pointedly staring at her. He looked away and masked his embarrassment with a cough as his cheeks began to heat up. "Yeah, sure," he didn't even know what he was asked but he had to supply something."Don't be too tense. They don't bite. Some of the at least," she quickly added and bit
"Cleaning service, how may we help you?" Evelyn said as cheerfully as she could as dark beady eyes stared back at both of them while Chase held tightly the cart that had their cleaning supplies in them."I need the toilet plunged," the man said. He had only a towel wrapped around his waist and his hairy chest and stomach were on full display.Evelyn nodded once and pulled out the gloves, handing one to Chase and wearing another one herself. She pulled out the toilet plunger and they walked in. All the while, the man's eyes never left Evelyn. His name was Curtis and we worked for one of the big companies around. Evenly had cleaned his room earlier that morning and he couldn't stop admiring the beauty, which was why he made the call to see her again, when nothing was wrong with the toilet. He was displeased to see her come with someone else.Meanwhile, Evenly plunged the toilet and when it saw it flushed normally and nothing was wrong with it, she shrugged and told Chase they should le
The rest of the day had gone by in a blur. They cleaned a few more rooms and talked more. Soon, it was time to make the evening rounds and go home."Theo, you'll take the top floor, I'll take the 90th and Evelyn, you'll handle this one," Alice shared and walked out immediately to begin her round.Chase felt his jaw tick and the thought of Evelyn going back to that man's room made his skin crawl. "Let's switch", he offered.She immediately caught on and shook her head politely. "It's fine. I'll be in and out before anything happens and besides, there are only three suites in the top floor and since you're just starting, it won't be too hard for you," she said.Chase still wasn't convinced but before he could argue further, she pulled her cart and was out of the room. Sighing heavily, he pulled the last cart and walked towards the elevator. He pressed the red button which was for the 100th floor and went up. Luckily for him, he was the only one in the elevator cab. He let out a sigh of
"Theo," Laura yelled from where she sat in the lobby, waving him over."How did she know I was working here?" He asked himself but still walked over to her."How did you know I worked here?" He voiced his thoughts when he reached her."Didn't you want me to know? I met your landlady while leaving your house and she told me you got a job here. Why didn't you tell me?" All the wheels in her head were turning as she took in the majestic lobby. This place was for the high and mighty and if she could come here often with the excuse of seeing Chase, she could hook a wealthy man. She thought to herself.Chase cleared his throat. "Well, I forgot and I'm done for the day, so let's go," he held her elbow to lead her out but she yanked her hand back."You're working here now so you must make a lot of money. How about we go to the bar and have a drink?" She pouted, trying to draw him in with her innocent look. The cheapest drinks in Gab and Gabe's bar were priced at $700 and her throat itched for
"So what do you want?" Chase asked into the receiver.It had been two weeks since the incident outside the hotel with Patrick and they had gone back to being a normal couple. As normal as they could be at least. Laura's birthday was in a couple of days and she had been hammering on wanting a new laptop for a gift for the longest time but as the date grew nearer, it seemed to Chase that she was no longer as enthusiastic as she was."Nothing. I'll be busy that day so I don't mind you not getting me anything," she replied, which Chase found weird."Are you sure?" He asked."One hundred percent. Gotta go, bye," she rushed out and ended the call. Chase pulled the phone from his ears and stared at the blank screen. Laura was always chatty but recently, she had become more reserved and always in a hurry to end his calls. One time, she even used the excuse of wanting to drink water to end his call. It all seemed weird to him and he had asked her a number of times if she was okay and she woul
"Quickly, place that there," the empress instructed a group of people with a bunch of flowers."Yes, Dame," they said and did as they were told."Mother, you'll only get yourself sick from all that walking around," Imelda said."My grandson is coming back today," the empress replied and continued walking around to make sure everything was in place. "Everything has to be perfect," she added."One would think we're preparing for a president's arrival," Imelda teased.The empress waved her off and continued checking the decorations."Why don't you rest?" She placed her hands on her mother's shoulders. "I'll take care of everything down here. Your grandson wouldn't be happy if he comes back and you're all stressed out," she told her."There's till a lot to be done and little time and…." The empress started."Mother….." Imelda drew out. "I'll take care of everything. Just take a nap," she told her."Are you sure?" The empress asked skeptically."Yes," Imelda assured her."Fine. Make sure t
"Mother, why aren't you saying anything?" Jacob requested angrily, his hands balled in fists on both sides.The empress, not even sparing him a glass continued sipping leisurely on her coffee.Jacob fumed angrily but his wife, Regina, placed a pacifying palm on his arm, subtly telling him to calm down."Mother, you can't just buy the whole Union consortium," he continued.The empress considered ignoring him again this time, but decided not to.She dropped her cup majestically and squared her shoulders before turning to him."I can and I have," she said in a bored tone.The union consortium belonged to Regina's family. Jacob had seen it as a plan B because he wasn't so sure about his place in Gab and Gabe's consortium with Theo in the picture, hence, he planned to get Regina to inherit the company after her father but much to his surprise, the empress had bought the company."Why?" He snapped."Jacob," the empress said sharply, narrowing her eyes in slits. "I think you forget whom you
"Why my daughter?" Evelyn's mother asked.Chase stared at her as he tried to make sense of the question.Silver caught on his confusion and proceeded to clarify her question."Out of every other person, why did you choose to help my daughter?" She asked.Chase sighed softly before answering."Your daughter helped me first," he said loud and clear. "So the question should rightly be directed to your daughter," he said.Malcolm, who had been leaning against the pillar scoffed and walked away."There's something I've been wanting to ask but I guess now that we've met, I should just ask you," silver said."Ask away," he said with a welcoming smile."How did you and my daughter meet?" She asked.The question about how her daughter had met someone so high and mighty had been on her mind ever since but she hadn't had the right opportunity to ask.Chase smiled and rubbed his hands together."Well, we..""Mom," Evelyn's voice from the staircase cut him off.Chase stood up and rushed towards he
Chase was already half asleep when the text message from Evelyn had come in.He rubbed his sleepy eyes, picked up the phone and read through the message.A soft sigh escaped his lips when he read the words."Evelyn…." He muttered under his breath and shook his head before tossing the phone to the side and going back to sleep.He was woken up by the blaring of his alarm clock the next morning and he sat up groggily on the bed.His long-term "mini vacation" had finally come to an end and it was time to return home.He picked up his phone again and skimmed through the many unread messages but frowned when none of them was from Evelyn.He dialed her number but got the automated feedback before it went straight to voicemail."I guess this is it," he muttered to himself.He got up and walked straight to the bathroom to get ready and when he was done with his quick shower, walked into the closet.All of his things were already packed and ready and he got dressed quickly.There was a soft kno
"I know…it's far and…." She started to say."Heck it is," Malcom interrupted her immediately and she sighed softly.Their mother quickly put her hand over Malcolm's hand to calm him down."Let's hear her first," their mother's soft voice echoed.The glare on Malcolm's face didn't lessen but he was quiet now.Evelyn took a deep breath. Even before she started talking, she already knew how difficult the conversation was going to be, given that her mother was still recovering and Malcolm was yet to get a good job. At some point, she even considered going selfish, but she just had to put it out there. "As I was saying, I got a scholarship in NYU," she repeated but her voice was no longer as firm as the first time."Scholarships at NYU aren't easy to come by, sweetie," her mother said softly, goading her to tell them more.Evelyn looked down at her intertwined fingers because that part was going to be a little difficult but it couldn't be avoided. She wasn't going to lie to her family."I
Quietly, she followed him into the car which was already held open for them.She smiled inwardly at all the respect he was getting because she believed he deserved nothing less, given all that he had gone through."Do you want to get ice cream?" Chase broke the silence between them after contemplating for a while.Getting ice cream after lunch or dinner had always been their thing.Evelyn was still overwhelmed from everything that had happened and had barely been able to get food past her throat."Maybe next time," she said with a polite smile.Her words made Chase happier than she knew. It meant that she was actually considering a next time with him, which only meant that that day wasn't going to be the last time they met."How did you do it?" She asked out of the blue, turning in her seat so she could face him.The partition of the car was up, so they were separated from the driver and could have any conversation without fear of being eavesdropped on."Do what?" Chase asked and arch
Evelyn's eyes skimmed through the words on her screen again and again as she tried to understand what she was seeing.She looked up at Theo who had a small smile on his face as he watched her because he had a good idea what had her like that."Wha….what's this?" She asked with shaky hands. "Do you know about this?" She showed him the screen of her phone.He read through the email and leaned back in his seat."You know about this," she said softly. "I can't accept this," she shook her head and started to type on her phone but he gently took it away from her."Eve…" he started but she interrupted him."No, this is too much, I can't accept it," she said hurriedly."You've always wanted this," he pointed out.She reached for her phone but he kept it out of her reach."It was a dream. A dream I had no hope of fulfilling," she argued."And an opportunity has come for you to fulfill it," he countered."I can't accept this," she shook her head. Chase studied her for a few seconds without say
"I know it was you who paid my mom's bills and helped my brother out of jail," she said softly. "I…" Chase didn't know what to say. He had tried as much as possible to hide it from her because he knew how difficult it was for her to accept help. She had done life on her own for a long time and she felt that any help rendered to her was a set up."I just want to let you know how grateful I am and I'll work as hard as I can to pay back every cent," she said and swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat.She hadn't expected her little speech to get that emotional and she wished with everything in her that he knew how grateful she was."I don't need anything back from you," he shook his head. "I didn't do any of that to get anything in return. I did it because I know how much your family means to you and you're my friend. Friends help each other in need," he told her."But I've never helped you," she said and choked on a sob."You have," he replied without missing a beat and leaned
With a small smile and a shake of his head, Chase tucked the phone back into his pocket but not before sending a quick email to someone."Take me to Hovers," he told the driver, who nodded once and turned on the engine.The ride to Hovers was smooth in contrast to Chase's bumpy thoughts on what to say when he gets there.He hadn't expected her to reply but she did and he was going to see her.He tapped his long fingers on his knees impatiently as each second of the ride felt like a lifetime but soon, the driver was pulling outside of hovers.Hovers was a small café downtown. It was far from the whole bustle of the busy city and Chase could really pin that kind of place to Evelyn.The fresh greenery on the outside and the minimal but cozy decor on the inside was definitely her scene.He pushed the door to the welcoming space that smelled of coffee beans open and he looked around for a couple of seconds before his eyes caught her honey brown hair in a corner.He cleared his throat and r