For a second, there was a pause, and then his laughter rang throughout the confined space of his car. He still laughed when he hit the gas pedal as the light turned green. It took quite a while before he could say a word in reply. "I can't believe that someone is brave enough to go against a Maxwell," he softly uttered to himself.
After that, I didn't say anything. I kept my mouth shut and stared straight ahead at the dimly lit street. When we reached the apartment, I softly thanked him. He didn't bring up the topic anymore and gave me a pleasant smile. From the way he acted that night (or rather that morning), I thought Terry bluffed about him being a serious person. After all, I just saw the man laugh, smile, and look amused.
By morning, I was able to wake up before Terry. I made breakfast, freshened up, and waited for him to wake up, just like most of my mornings. When he emerged from his room, I greeted him warmly, as if yesterday's events didn't faze me.
"Are you going out early today?" he asked, assessing me for a moment before walking towards the kitchen on the other end of the room.
"Yes. And I might get home a little late since I quit my waitressing job," I said, adding that last tidbit calmly.
"So, you're going to look for another job again?" he asked, his voice slightly disoriented from chewing his food.
"Maybe. I haven't received any responses from the companies I've applied to earlier this week. I'll wait some more before I start looking again."
"Oh. I remember Andrew telling me about this work that he needed some help with. I could talk to him about it if you're interested," Terry offered as he nibbled the bread he was holding.
"Tell me what the job is first and if I like it, we can talk more from there," I countered, smirking at him mischievously. I wasn't going to fall for another job offer from him. Besides, I am barely staying afloat and my job at the club was hanging in the balance.
After Terry finished his meal, I cleaned up and left. When I arrived at the hospital, I noticed there weren't much people around. My guess was because it was past rush hour by then, which was usually at nine in the morning - unless work started out late.
When I reached the hospital, the attending nurse was slightly shocked that I arrived earlier than usual. But she didn't say anything about it. Instead, she gave me a friendly greeting and told me about my father's progress. After our little chat, I went to my father's room and silently opened the door. I knew he was awake because I heard muffled noises. Thus, I didn't have to sneak in.
"You're early today," he remarked when I was a foot away from him.
I smiled in greeting. "Surprise," I stated softly with enthusiasm, spreading my hands in exaggeration.
He smiled at my actions, but it faltered when he took in my overall appearance. "You look worn out. Did something happen at work?" he asked, his voice thick with worry and his eyebrows scrunched together.
"I'm fine, Dad. I am doing well at work," I replied dismissively, not really in the mood to pretend.
"You know you can tell me everything, right? I will find out about it eventually," he coaxed, his soft voice sounded less intimidating.
"I know." I sighed as I took a seat. "Okay, I'll spill," I relented, giving him a sad look. "I quit my waitressing job," I declared dejectedly.
"You quit? I thought you liked it," he asked, raising his eyebrow in alarm.
"Well, I sort of exaggerated on the ‘like' part," I admitted reluctantly.
"I knew you didn't like it. You know no matter how much you try to lie, I'll always figure it out, you know?" he asked, smirking at my discomfort.
I snorted then grinned in return. "Yeah, I know," I nodded in consent.
For the first time in months, I didn't lie to him anymore. So, I told him everything that had happened. I didn't hold back and just let go. I didn't know that it would be a relief to get everything out.
"I'm so sorry for lying to you, Dad," I said after a short pause.
"It's okay, peanut. I get why you had to lie," he said as he grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
For the rest of my visit, I gave my father an overview of my life within the past month. I told him about my work as a waitress and a bartender. And I also told him about why I got fired. That part was pretty hard to tell, but I was able to get it all out, especially since my dad smiled when I told him about how I made Mr. Mogul look like a naughty preschooler being punished. He looked pleased by my actions.
Around dinner, I finally excused myself and left. For the first time since I arrived, I felt relieved and free. Though I still have some debt to pay, I didn't have any other burdens to carry. I didn't understand why I lied to my father in the first place.
I bought dinner at the fast food joint beside the hospital before heading home. I was walking to the bus stop when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I balanced the plastic I was holding with one hand and took out my phone with the other. A quick glance at the number signified that it was from someone unknown. Out of curiosity, I answered it.
"Hello, who is this?" I asked.
"Andy. This is Jack. I'm sorry for calling you out of the blue. I just wanted to ask if you could come to work early today."
"Jack?" I asked in surprise. "Oh, sure," I added when I recovered.
"Great! See you then." Then the phone line went dead.
I glanced down at the phone in confusion, not sure what that conversation was about. Then it dawned on me that maybe he's going to fire me because Mr. Mogul found out that he still hadn't. What am I going to do? If that happens, I'd be back to square one: jobless and hopeless.
Before my imagination got the better of me, I got a hold of myself and made my way back to Terry's apartment in one piece. My thoughts were so clouded that eating dinner became a bad idea.
Since I lost my other job, Jack changed the time I was supposed to report for work from midnight to eight in the evening. Because of that, I decided to show up at around quarter to eight. That was still considered early, right?
I texted Terry of my plans before leaving the apartment so he wouldn't panic when he came back from work and found it empty. However, I forgot about the possibility that he might want to catch up and failed to tell him about my new schedule this morning.
The bus ride to the club was long, which gave me enough time to think about the possible reasons Jack called me in early. As I finally stood outside the club, which wasn't packed, I was thinking about running away until Jack came out of the club. For some reason, he looked stunned to see me.
"How long have you been standing there?" he asked with alarm and curiosity.
"Long enough that half a dozen customers already went in," I replied nonchalantly with a bleak smile.
He chuckled at my reply and gestured for me to enter. I hesitated for a moment but followed him in anyway. I could tell Jack noticed my discomfort, but thankfully didn't press on the matter. He was about to usher me in his office but stopped a foot away from the door. Then, he turned around and looked at me in assurance.
"You don't have to worry about a thing, Andy. I already talked to her. You can still have this job if you want to, but she does have some conditions. And if I were you, I would listen to them well," he stated as he stared at me seriously.
Before I could ask what he meant, he faced the door and knocked on it. I heard a female voice behind it, which made me stop in my tracks in surprise. Jack opened the door and gestured for me to go in. I might have been anxious, but I still wanted to know what he meant earlier. However, seeing his unnerving expression, I decided not to press on the matter and went in.
The first thing I saw was her silhouette. Based on that, I could tell that the woman was tall and fit. As I stepped further into the room, I finally got a good look at her. She was beautiful. The woman had golden hair cascading down to her shoulders. She wore a pale nude dress, which fitted her body like second skin. And from the way she stood, I knew she was a woman with power.
"You must be Andy Peterson," she greeted.
"Yes," I responded warily.
"I'm Alexandra Maxwell, chairman of Maxwell Enterprises. I'm also the sister of the man you pissed off."
Six
"Am I in trouble? Are you going to fire me?" I asked as subtly as I could. Still, I looked at her sheepishly, stood at the tip of my toes, and rocked back and forth.
"Please stop fidgeting, Ms. Peterson. I'm not here to fire you, and you are certainly not in trouble," she replied as the corners of her lips tugged up to a smile. "I'm actually here to hear your side of the story. Since my brother is incapable of telling the truth."
"What... what do you mean?" I stuttered, unsure of her words.
"So, you insulted him. That part is true, right?" she asked with a smirk, her eyes glistening in amusement.