Meeting Mr. Mogul: A Billionaire Contemporary Romance (5 page)

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 prof
ane words I could think of.

“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.

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.