4: You're Fired

Almost before anyone knew it, The departmental leader smacked Ann so hard that it made her face reddened.

A fulminantly pain on Ann's face blossoms, as if her leader had used great energy to hit her. But she pretended as though it didn't hurt.

Then the department leader's ranting voice followed.

"Are you out of your mind? Instead of apologising, you kept running your mouth. Is behaving like a sociopath a way for you to go about hitting people?"

"Then if you want to be a sociopath, go to the psychiatrist hospital where mad people are meant to be, not here!"

Once again, there was an explosive roaring laughter that immediately filled the air of the department office.

Her mean jokes always amused everyone in the department.

Most of the time, she had always made fun of Ann whenever she did something wrong or committed a slight offence and everyone would laugh at the departmental leader's sardonic jokes.

However, the departmental leader was always looking for a medium to pick on her, because obviously right from when Ann joined the computer department, she didn't like her and everyone knows that, that's why her colleagues would always say;

"Don't get on Ms Brown's nerves if you don't want that bombshell, come for yeah!"

Months back, it was a little bit fair, since most times her colleagues often covered up for her, but as she had completely disassociated from them, they turned against her and began to worry.

"...I'm done taking your shit, this time I'll make sure you get fired. In fact you're fired, start packing your things already. Because as soon as I come back here, you're leaving this company for good. I can't tolerate a sociopath working with me anymore."

The departmental leader ordered contumeliously and walked out of the office, probably to finalise Ann dismissal.

As soon as the departmental leader left, the air was filled with chattering, bad-mouthing, mocking and laughter.

The three girls were laughing too, while watching Ann's humiliating situation.

"Boom!" Laura said to Ann's face, who stood stiff, looking like a hapless human.

"It's finally happening like a movie. You heard her. Start packing your things or I could help with that?"

"Are you gonna touch her stinky stuff?"

"Not really. I was only gonna help her destroy it." They burst into another round of laughter as they strut out of her presence to join the others, bad-mouthing Ann.

No one in the department felt pity or remorse for what they were doing to Ann, except from her taciturn seat mate.

Though he didn't uttered a word or console her, nor had stood up for her, because he don't want to fall a victim of work bully so he stay quite, yet didn't joined them to laugh or make fun of Ann, but the pitiful way he looked at her showed that he doesn't like what they were doing to her.

Ann managed to muster the courage to flop into her chair and began to pack her things.

It's indeed possible for a department leader to dismiss an employee in his or her department, for some reasons of violations and even if it wasn't finalised within a day, the following day wouldn't be an exception.

So, in advance, Ann decided to leave after work with her things and never return.

It's heartbroken and painful, undergoing such a plague, while already in a predicament.

How will she cope financially now?

Those moments as she was getting ready to leave the company, she had completely forgotten about the diner with the President.

\*\*\*

After work hours, few minutes to 8. Ann trudge wearily on the street with a big box, containing her personal work items, held by her arms and hands as she embraced it tightly to her stomach.

She intentionally didn't take a taxi, because she had been craving to take a walk, freely, then, at a long distance, she would take a taxi, in order to enable her to arrive home just in time.

And suddenly, her smartphone beeped, but she totally ignored it, seeing the big box she held with her arms and hands.

But, actually the reason Ann didn't regard the incoming message was because she knew her shadow lover doesn't normally use messages, instead he rather called and whoever was calling would wait till she got home.

And surprisingly, at exactly 8pm, her smartphone ranged. Ann jolted a little and had to halt for a while as she quickly glanced into her phone and saw that it was an unknown number.

But her assumption still remains the same, because multiple times he had used several unknown numbers to contact her, whenever she had refused to answer his calls.

Ann answered and it was his voice she heard, but it sounded more gentle than his menacing voice and…

"Ann, are you there? I'm at the fashion house premises, but I didn't see you here. Where are you?"

She got it all wrong. It was actually her boss, not whom she was thinking of.

Only then, she remembered the diner that she was supposed to have with him, by 8pm And it was already 8 p.m.

How could she have been so foolish to forget this one?

"He's already at the fashion house?" Ann questioned herself.

Her plan is ruined. And she didn't think she would be able to go with him without a disguise. But, it's an opportunity and at this point can't let the President down.

"I'm sorry sir. But I don't think I'm right there now. Please can you wait for me to get right there?" Ann said determined to go to the tete-a-tete Supper with her boss.

"Tell me where you are. I'll come pick you up,"

Ann glanced around casually and replied, "Lewis street," She told him.

"Okay. I'll be right there," He hung up.

Ann was already determined to have dinner with him, even if the shadow man finds out, she would proudly face the aftermath of her actions.

Only then, she realised her appearance.

How would the President react if he sees the lady he wanted to have dinner with holding a big box, face appearing shabby and her outfit wasn't that good looking, like that of Laura, West, Courtney, the three fashionable girls that if were in her position would look so perfect than ever. But, she was still figuring out what to do with her appearance, not until…

Not until, his sports car suddenly showed up.

He stopped the car right in front of her, close to the driveway and was peering at her through the open window of the driver's seat. He was the one driving. Ann had formerly thought that his driver would have been the one driving, not the Boss, himself.

She was frozen at the spot that she stood like a statue, staring at him.

"Get in,"

She quickly freed herself from her inert state, looking left and right as she moved closer to his car, checking if any suspicious person was spying on her.

She wanted to enter the back seat, because she felt it wasn't proper to sit at the front with her boss, but he stopped her and asked her to climb into the front seat.

Ann was reluctant, but had to obey.

She swung in, putting away the box at the back seat as she tried to fasten her seatbelt. It seems stuck again, like those times when she owns a car, it was quite difficult to fasten her seatbelt.

That's why she had always used the back seat and let her driver do the driving.

He noticed it and drew closer to her seat, helping her with fastening the seat belt.

Ann swallowed saliva down her dried lungs as she was conscious of his strong presence, especially his acute nose almost touching hers.

More likely, she could have inhaled his breath if she hadn't held her breath. It was almost like he was going to…

Then he abruptly withdrew and started the car.

Ann quickly faced the window angle and began to look back on the street, feeling hot and awkward.

Soon, they drove back into the driveway and sped off.

On the driveway, he began, "What with the box?"

Ann withdrew her head from the side glass where she inclined it.

"Oh - I-was…" The last word was so difficult for her to utter, because it seemed humiliating.

"You were fired." He sharply completed her sentence.

"It hasn't been quite easy on me. But I was unwilling to leave, so lucky it happened. I was sacked and It's a good thing I was fired,"

Instead of Ann showing sadness in front of him, in order to acquire pity from her boss and retain her job, she was honestly glad to be fired.

They fell silent again, as he had made no comment concerning her dismissal from his company.

Few minutes later, the car was parked inside the premises of the Gucci fashion store and Ann was surprised.

"Sir, are we supposed to be here? Isn't this place the wrong destination?"

He shifted his gaze at her.

"Do you think we were going to have dinner like this? Or were you planning on embarrassing me."

"No. That's not what I meant. I was just surprised…"

He wasn't listening to Ann anymore as he unfastened his seatbelt.

"Get down and follow me," He ordered and stepped outside of the car, leaving Ann behind.

Why didn't he help her with her seatbelt like he had helped her fasten it before?

Ann groaned in irritation. His lordly manners were offensive.

She managed to unfasten her seatbelt and get down from the car. By then he was already heading inside the store. Ann quickly half ran to him.

They were inside the VIP section as he picked an appropriate diner dress for her. It's the first time she tries on a dress a man picked for her and to her greatest surprise, he knows exactly what size she wears.

They haven't even melted for that long and he already knew something personal about her.

And at once, the attendant took her somewhere else to the dresser room as he waited at the showroom - waiting room, for her to try the dress.

Within a few minutes, a make-up artist touched her face with make-ups and she wore the dress, with heels.

In the standby full length mirror Ann took a look of herself in the beautiful red dress and magnificent touch of bright makeup that transformed her into a different person, much more advanced than her usual beauty look.

Her appearance was described by the makeup artist as gorgeous, glamour…

And that was what made the makeup artist and the attendant begin to idle talk behind her back. Unknown to them that she overheard the distinct whispering of their conversation, in assumption of if she was the president's new woman.

When she heard that, she was the second woman the President had brought to buy a dress, after the sudden death of his ex-girlfriend.

Ann had only thought, It was gossip and might be true or not true.

And then, they went so far, gossiping that they never had believed to see him with any other woman, after he had mourned his late lover for too long now.

But, when Ann overheard this part, she didn't doubt it was untrue because there was still a trace of woeful look, left on his facial expression.

Later on, they lead her back to the show room and show off the dress to the president.

By her alluring sight, he couldn't compliment or utter a word as he pictures someone else's face on Ann's body.

He wasn't enthralled by her appearance, but his late ex fiancee, in Ann's figure.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***