Meeting Mr. Mogul(10)

Before William could say a word, Terry appeared behind me. He was still  in his sleepwear, which consisted of only sweat pants. We both turned  towards him as Terry stood there, his eyes wide in shock. I didn't give  them both the time to react on the situation by saying goodbye to  William and slamming the door on his face before he could say a word.

"What was that about?" Terry asked. He was still in shock as I passed by him on my way to the couch.

"The man was asking for directions," I replied nonchalantly.

"Right... like William Maxwell knows anyone from this side of town," he  snorted sarcastically when he recovered from the shock. He shook his  head in disbelief but didn't press the subject.

I continued watching television (only this time with the volume back on)  as if nothing had happened. I was glad Mr. Mogul didn't pound on the  door and demanded an answer, or my cool exit wouldn't have been cool at  all. I continued with the rest of my routine without showing any  indication that the incident that morning affected me. I thank the  heavens that Terry wasn't nosy. He did his thing without second-glancing  or hinting at me about what happened recently.

However, I knew my exit was just too good to be true. I mean, this was a  man that followed me to the bus stop just to insult me. I knew that  William wouldn't give up that easily. I had a suspicion that he would  strike back sooner or later. But when that happens, I would make sure  that I wouldn't be caught off guard and come up with some witty and  cunning retorts myself.

True enough, when I got out of the apartment building, he was already  there standing next to his sleek black car with a man in black beside  him. I stopped a few feet away from him, eyeing him aloofly. When he  noticed me, he didn't hesitate to walk towards me, meeting me halfway.

"We are not finished," he stated sternly as he reached me.

"We sure are not," I mumbled in agreement and sighed in defeat.

"What did you discuss with my sister? Is she planning something behind  my back again?" he asked in a rush. His eyebrow scrunched together in  annoyance.

"If you chill out for a second and not hound me with questions, I would gladly answer them." I held up my hand in defense.

He stepped back slightly and held out both of his hand in surrender.  "Okay. I'm sorry. But you're making it really hard for me to keep my  cool."

"That makes two of us," I agreed with a strained chuckle. After letting out a breath, I answered him.

"Your sister offered me a job. That was all we talked about. Nothing more," I said and left out some essential parts.

"That's it?" he asked, looking surprised at how little I gave away. "Are you sure?" he probed.

"Yes." I nodded curtly.   





 

He brushed his hair with his right hand and tussled it for a second as  he let out a breath of relief. When his eyes locked with mine, he  flashed a genuine smirk before it turned into an arrogant smile.

"Well, thanks for nothing," he said as he turned around and waved once.  The wave looked more like he was brushing me off than a farewell.

I stood there for a second and watched him walk back to his sleek ride. I  gathered my wits and took a step towards his direction.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you. I'll be working at the same place as you this  Monday. So good luck seeing this face more often," I called and pointed  at myself in emphasis.

This made him stop him mid-stride and turned back to look at me. He  looked confused for a second until he realized what I meant. He opened  his mouth but closed it again when he couldn't think of anything to say.

"See you, Mr. Maxwell. Have a great day," I nodded my head in a gesture  of farewell. Without waiting for his reply, I made a quick exit and  walked in the direction of the bus. I didn't dare look back. As I got a  few blocks away, I smiled to myself triumphantly at having the last word  again. Take that Mr. Mogul!





Seven





The next morning, I woke up from an unpleasant pounding on the door and a  man calling me by my surname. At first, I thought I was dreaming. Then  someone nudged me by the leg and startled me awake.

"Wake up. Someone is looking for you," Terry stated wearily and yawned.

I rubbed my eyes sleepily and pushed myself up in the couch. I mentally  cursed at whoever had the nerve to wake me this early in the morning. In  a daze, I walked towards the door as Terry went back to his room. I  stopped for a second in the hallway, glancing at his retreating back, a  bit stunned at the fact that Terry woke me up. I didn't dwell too long  on that thought as the man on the other side of the door called my name  again.

I walked up to the entrance and peeked through the peephole before  opening the door. I was making sure that the man wasn't any of the  following: (1) a serial killer, (2) a drug dealer, or (3) the prick with  the initials W.M. When I checked, I was surprised to find out there  were actually two men waiting outside. The first guy I noticed wore a  red plaid polo shirt over a white under shirt, while the second simply  wore a business suit (the latter convinced me to open the door).

"Morning. What can I do for you this early?" I greeted grimly, not  really feeling courteous. Considering how early they showed up, I think I  had the right to be rude.

"Ms. Peterson?" the man in a suit asked, speaking up for both of them.  "My name is Kevin. I work for Ms. Maxwell. We are here to move your  things to your new apartment," he continued in the same breath.

His words sobered me up. I glanced at the two them back and forth,  trying to assess if they were serious. The man in the suit sure sounded  serious enough.

"You guys should have called. It's pretty early for me to move," I replied with a small smile.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience. We are only doing what we were told  to do," Kevin stated shyly and bowed slightly for emphasis.

"It's okay," I interjected, shaking my head. "Please come in," I gestured my hand inside as I opened the door wider.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, miss," the man in plaid shirt whispered to me as he passed by, giving me an apologetic smile.

When I guided them to the living room, I realized I had left the couch  in a mess. I excused myself, and walked ahead of them, so I could go  through my things and clean up as much as I could. I didn't do much but  pile the pillows, throw away the empty Chinese takeout from the coffee  table, and pick up the clothes left on the floor last night. Once they  got to the living room, they stood there for a second to scan the place.

"Please, take a seat. I haven't really packed yet since she didn't give  me a heads up," I said after a long pause to break the silence.

"We understand," Kevin replied with a small smile as he took a seat in one of the kitchen stools.

"Do you guys want anything to eat?" I offered, walking towards them.

"No, thank you."

"A cup of coffee would be lovely."   





 

They both replied at the same time.

"Coming right up," I cheerfully replied, then turned on the coffee machine.

It took us about an hour to pack my things, which was a sad thought. I  just realized how little I had. I called in the hospital to leave my dad  a message that I would be late today. I didn't say anything about the  move since I wanted to tell him myself.

After all things were packed, Terry was awake and already looked decent.  He was silent throughout the packing, loitering nearby. He wanted to  help but I refused outright, mainly because he had already done enough  help. When it was finally time to move my things, Terry started to  become emotional.

"I'm going to miss your tanned skin and dark hair. And, I would definitely miss my breakfast meal," he stated with a chuckle.

"Yes. You just can't help it, can you? You treated me like I was your own personal housemaid," I joked with him.

"Really, Andy. I'm going to miss you here," he stated with all honesty.

I gave him a brief hug and offered him to come over at my new apartment  once I've settled in. He was pleased with the offer and said he was  going to visit this afternoon with Andrew. I replied with a big sure. I  didn't have much going on except arranging my things, anyway. At the  thought of my new apartment, it hit me that I had no furniture. I hope  the place would at least have a couch.

Terry saw me off outside the apartment building before we left for my  new place. I carried my essential belongings inside a small box. When we  got outside, Kevin, who was opening a black Audi SUV, greeted me. Terry  and I stood there, staring in awe at the car. Kevin walked up to me and  offered to carry my things. When I finally snapped out of my daze, I  permitted him to take them to the car while I made my way to the back  seat. Terry gave me one last beaming smile and waved as we drove away to  my new apartment.

I silently sat and thought of what my new place would look like. I hoped  it was somewhere in the same street as Terry's. I wouldn't even mind if  it was a small studio apartment. At least that was better than living  on a couch. But as the car drove further and further away from Terry's  place (to the upper side of town, to be exact), the idea seemed more and  more farfetched. Finally, when the car started to slow down at a decent  looking street, the first thing I saw was a huge building (a  condominium, I think). There were also stores made out of red brick and  had clear glass windows, which gave us a good view of the inside. In  short, it looked like we were in a high-end street.