Meeting Mr. Mogul(7)

"Smart answer... Andy," he paused for a second as he read my nameplate.  "You don't look like an Andy. Did you steal that nameplate?" he asked,  raising his eyebrow in suspicion.

"No, sir. My father gave me that name since he wanted a son, but he had  me instead," I explained sarcastically. This man is really testing my  patience.   





 

"What is your real name?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with interest.

I looked at him for a moment before giving him a reply. "It's what's  written here, Mr. Maxwell. Bold and clear," I replied bluntly. I also  tapped my nameplate twice for emphasis.

He raised his eyebrow again in surprise. From the way his eyes hardened  afterwards, it was obvious he didn't like my answer. He tilted his head a  little as he continued to stare. "Have you always been this  invigorating?" he asked, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

"I think so," I replied to humor him.

"Are you not afraid of losing your job, Ms. Peterson?" he asked, his voice serious and commanding.

"This isn't the only job out there for me, Mr. Maxwell. I have other  offers," I said with confidence. That last part was a bluff, though. If  he knew how much I needed this job, it would surely fuel his arrogance.

"In that case, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem if we no longer need your services," he stated with finality.

For a moment, I was caught off guard. I can't believe the man just fired  me (what irked me more was I still found him charming, but I  disregarded that notion). "By divine providence, you finally went  straight to the point," I mumbled with tight lips. "You don't have to be  so cunning, Mr. Maxwell. The least you could have done was humiliate me  in front these people," I said sarcastically, gesturing around the  room.

"Would you have preferred to be humiliated, Ms. Peterson?" he asked,  again, raising his eyebrow at me in question. I think that was one of  his tricks.

"No. I was just humoring you, Mr. Maxwell. Besides, since I already  humiliated you once, I thought a man like you would've returned the  favor," I stated with sarcasm as I untied my apron. When it was loose  enough, I grabbed hold of it and threw it at him.

"You don't have to fire me, Mr. Maxwell. I wouldn't want to bother you  with such trivial matters. To make it easier and simpler, I quit!" I  shouted the last two words, making sure my voice was heard throughout  the entire room.

At that moment, the room went silent. I could feel everyone's eyes on me  as I stared at him with rage. I stood there for a second, savoring his  stunned expression. Before he could come up with a reply, I walked away  from him and stomped towards the locker room. In my peripheral vision, I  saw Terry's stunned expression and my manager's shocked face. In fact,  everyone's eyes were on me as I made my exit.

I quickly changed out of the uniform, stashed it in my locker (or what  used to be), and went out through the backdoor. The streets weren't as  busy that night, and only a few people were present as I waited at the  bus stop. For a moment, I felt hopeless. What have I done? I can't  believe I've done something so reckless. My actions must have been  caused by my lack of sleep and extreme stress.

I stopped pondering over what happened as soon I saw a black car stop in  front of me. Afterwards, a man, with dirty blonde hair, got out of the  passenger seat. As I eyed his familiar stature, I mentally cursed him  with all of the profane words I could think of.





Five





"What is wrong with you? You don't have the right to make a scene like  that in my restaurant!" William snapped as he walked towards me.

"Just because you're the boss does not mean you can just treat me  however you want!" I countered just as angrily, jumping up from my seat  in the waiting area.

"I didn't make a scene when I fired you. You should be grateful that I  hadn't humiliated you in there," he stated, practically spitting the  words at me.

"Oh sure! Because firing someone in the middle of work is much less embarrassing," I sneered and rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"Stop being so snarky," he interjected, snorting as he shook his head in  disbelief. "This kind of behavior only shows how unrefined you are. You  lower class people are so outspoken and rude. It's as if you were  raised with no standards at all," he added, stabbing my ego.

"Oh! And you think that your kind is any better? People like you are so  full of yourselves. You think you have the world in your grasp. Well,  news flash! You wouldn't be on top without us unrefined, lower class  people," I barked in rage. The man was exactly who I thought he was. He  thinks just like any rich, douchebag socialite, and he has absolutely no  regard for humanity.   





 

He opened his mouth to reply but closed it again. Then, he took an  unsteady step back from where he stood, looking dumbfounded. I stared  him down and mustered some confidence as I took a step closer to him.

"You might own most of the city, Mr. Maxwell, but you can never own a  person's free will," I resolutely said to him without batting an eye.

I'm glad that the bus arrived right after I said those words. I didn't  wait for his reply or reaction and just hopped in. When I was finally  seated, it was like this smog of contempt was lifted and I could breathe  again. For a moment, as the bus drove away, I saw a glimpse of his  figure. He stood as still as a statue, but his eyes looked turbulent. I  regained my composure and looked ahead, ignoring his pointed stare.

When I finally got back to Terry's apartment, I was so drained that I  crashed on the couch face down. I think the adrenaline rush from being  fired by Mr. Mogul fueled my actions earlier, but once that ran out, I  succumbed to the exhaustion and finally rewarded myself with some  much-needed rest.

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until I heard someone barge the  door open and call out my name. I forcibly opened my heavy eyelids to  see a man's silhouette. Once I adjusted to the darkness, I finally  recognized the person standing in front of me. Terry looked both  surprised and worried.

"My god, Andy! What were you thinking?" he asked in awe.

I blinked my eyes a couple of times and stretched my stiff body. After  that, I slowly sat up in the couch and yawned. "He asked for it," I  replied inaudibly, my voice slurry from grogginess.

"I can't believe you just did that to William Maxwell!" he shouted in amazement.

"Yeah. Don't remind me," I mumbled in disinterest, rubbing my face sleepily.

"Why the hell did you do that?" he asked incredulously.

"Do I have to explain?" I looked at him pointedly.

"Right. The man was a douchebag," he said empathetically. "That was an awesome exit though," he added in praise.

"Why, thank you." I bowed my head in appreciation and twitched my lips  to a smile. I managed to bite them so I could hide my amusement.

Terry couldn't hold himself back and laughed in reply, and I couldn't help but giggle with him.

Later on, I went to my second job (I was unsure if I still had it since  Mr. Mogul also owned the other place I worked in). Terry was very  supportive by accompanying me to the club. I felt a slight chill at the  back of my neck as I marched towards the bar. When Jack saw me  approaching, he gave me a little wave. I took that as a good sign and  continued to walk towards him.

"Hey. I need a hand with these orders," he greeted once I reached him.

I smiled to myself, relieved to know that I still had this job. "I'll get right on it," I replied with a nod.

After that, I concentrated on the work at hand. Terry accompanied me in  the bar as he waited for Andrew, encouraging me the whole time. At least  my busy job helped me forget what had happened earlier in the evening.  By the time the club closed, it finally sunk in that I still had work.  For that, I was grateful.

Jack offered to drive me back home again. And, just like yesterday, I  didn't refuse. We were silent for the first few minutes as he drove out  of the parking lot. But then, he said the words that I prayed he  wouldn't mention at all.

"So, why does William Maxwell want you fired?" he asked, his voice low.

I turned to him abruptly, stunned by his sudden question. "Did he call you?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"He did before you came in. He told me to fire you. Why is that?" he asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

I looked away from him exasperatedly, a little relieved that his  attention was on the road. I bit my lips to prevent curses from pouring  out of me. In an attempt to calm myself, I took a deep breath and  exhaled. "I quit my other job and insulted him," I replied, my voice  shook a little from trying to control my temper.

He slowed down to a stop when the traffic light turned red. Then, he  turned towards me as his lips twitched in amusement. "You insulted him?  Why?" he asked.

"Well, he insulted me first. I just returned the favor," I stated.