"Ah...." Lisa released a breath, and a scowl settled on her lips. "He was so arrogant, as if he thought I wouldn't be able to reject him."
"And what did you say?" Karen leaned closer, even though she already knew the answer.
"Of course I said no."
"He must have been surprised." Anyone in his shoes would feel so. Karen thought.
"You should have seen his face." Lisa giggled.
"If I were you, I definitely would have been tempted." Karen pointed out.
"Who said that I wasn't tempted? It was a whole ten million dollars after all."
"But you didn't give in. You should give yourself credit for that."
'right. You did well, Lisa.' She smiled.
"So, are you going to go back?"
"I don't know. I might as well hold on for a few more days."
"Right. I was also thinking the same." Karen nodded.
'Hopefully, I will never see him again.' Lisa prayed.
★★★★★★
Wearing a big bear costume on a hot day was definitely not a good choice.
Still, Lisa had to do it. Handing out seasonal fliers to passersby.
It was hard not to feel comfortable wearing the dummy head, and Lisa, who was very sensitive to heat, started to feel dizzy after some hours.
It was her second month on the job, and she was still unable to get used to it, blaming her tiredness on the shift she worked at the bar the night before.
She picked up the carton of flyers, wanting to take a break, when someone bumped into her.
She lost her footing, her back hitting the railings. The carton flips out of her hand, falling right down to the first floor.
"Oh my gosh, I am really sorry." The person who accidentally collided with her apologized profusely, helping her up.
"I'm fine. It's okay." Lisa couldn't bother with him. She toom off the bear head, looking down at the havoc she has caused on the first floor.
There were fliers scattered everywhere, and the part that made her heart skip a beat was that the carton had actually fallen on someone's head. And from the way he was dressed, she could tell he wasn't just anybody.
'Should I just make a run for it?' She thought, only to shake the idea off, quickly rushing down the stairs.
Just as she arrived on the floor, the man removed the carton, staring straight at her.
His eyes narrowed at her. "It's you."
Lisa also recognized him, and she wished she had taken the earlier advice and made a run for it.
Bowing her head, she apologized. "I am so sorry. Someone knocked into me. I didn't mean to throw it on you."
"This is the second time now; isn't it fate?"
"I am really sorry about what happened."
"First at the bar, and now here. Do you perhaps work everywhere?" The two were on completely different pages.
"I—no." Lisa said bitterly
'Out of everyone, why did it have to be him?.'
"You—you, how could you do this to an important customer?" The manager glared at Lisa upon reaching the scene.
Lisa bowed her head sincerely. "I am sorry."
"You should be sorry. Immediately turn in the costume. You are fired."
"But sir!" Lisa panicked. She couldn't lose the job.
"Shut up!" He shouted at her lividly.
"I am the one who was offended. Why is it that you are the one who is getting all angry?"
"I apologize, Mr. Axel." The manager's voice turned sweet as honey when it came to the powerful man in front of him.
"You—" Axel gestured at Lisa, and she tensed up.
He won't sue her, will he?
"Do you need work?"
"What?" Both the manager and Lisa echoed.
Axel pretended to think. "My office is missing an errand girl. The salary is not that bad. If you want, you can come for the interview."
'an errand girl.'
Axel passed her his business card. "I hope to see you." Sending her a wink as he walked away.
"What just happened?" Lisa blinked blankly, feeling puzzled.
____________________
Axel's smile faded the moment he walked out of the building, turning to the bodyguard to his right.
"That manager. Fire him."
"Yes, sir." An immediate reply came.
'good. Next time, he will know not to yell about. Hah....my ears.'
__________________
Lisa contemplated Axel's offer. She was very familiar with the company's name on the card. K-Tech Company is the CEO of Mr. Axel's.
What does he want with her?
'Forget about it. It's not one of my concerns. I am going to pretend that this never happened.'
With the help of kind-hearted passersby, she managed to gather all the flies scattered on the ground, thanking the group of students that had contributed the most and even stayed till the end.
"Here." She fished some cash from her wallet. "Buy yourselves some drinks."
"No way, auntie." The tallest girl in the group shook her hands, saying so solemnly. "We were happy to help."
"Yes, we couldn't stand and watch you do all the work. That guy that bumped into you earlier was really a meanie." A cute one with a short bob pointed out, and the rest nodded in agreement.
"Thanks a lot, you guys." Lisa smiled.
"It was no problem." They all responded. "Bye-bye, pretty auntie."
'Ahh, it's good to be young'
Lisa sighed with a hand full of flyers, forgetting that she had just clocked 24.
She turned in her stuff, like the manager requested, walking into the busy streets of Florida.
She didn't feel that sad about losing the job. Maybe it was because she didn't like the job in the first place.
Or maybe she was too tired to care.
On her way home, she made a stop at the convenience store she always visited to buy some things.
She had just paid when she noticed something wrong. "These drinks aren't mine." She quickly pointed out.
"I know. Share them with your brother." The old man said, Seeing her hesitation, he added.
"It's getting late for a lady to walk around alone. You should hurry and go home."
"Thank you, sir." Lisa said sincerely. The doorbell attached to the door jingled as she walked out.
She hadn't walked far when she heard a loud call of her name. She turned around and saw a group of three boys sprinting towards her.
The load she was carrying was immediately taken away, a smile blooming on her lips. "You guys are done with practice today?"
"Mmm." Bruce nodded, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Big sister Lisa, how long has it been? I really miss your cooking."
"The only thing you think about food." Roy helped Felix drag him off her and then asked naturally. "Big sister Lisa, what are we cooking for dinner?"
Lisa shook her head at the two. She was planning on heating up the food in the fridge. But now that the two had asked, she pursed her lips, brushing back the hair on her shoulder.
"What about pasta?"
"Yes." Bruce grinned.
"You two, I can't believe I know you guys." Felix rolled her eyes at their behavior.
"Say whatever you want; I don't care." Bruce grinned happily, while Roy pretended not to hear.
'seriously. These guys.' Felix sighed.
Lisa watched them argue back and forth as they climbed up the stairs.
Arriving at the door, Lisa's eyes fell on the small notice next to the door. It was from the landlord, urging her to pay the month's rent. She stood, unmoving. She had almost forgotten about the rent. Her bank balance was a minus, and it was already hard enough to survive through each day.
Lisa was the epitome of broken. There was no way she could find a way to gather the amount in a short period of time.
She touched her pants' pocket, where she kept the business card she had squeezed and almost thrown away.
"Big sis Lisa, aren't you coming in?" The boys called from the inside, and she snapped back to reality, forcing a smile on her lips.
As much as Lisa didn't want to do it, she really needed the money.And that's how she found herself in front of the big K-Tech company.Dressed in a black skirt and blue long-sleeved blouse, she was very meticulous about her appearance.Walking into the building, she greeted the receptionist. "Hello, I am here to see Mr. Axel."The lady looked up from her laptop and asked. "Hello. Did you book an appointment with him?" "No, but I do have this card. I am actually here for an interview." She quickly brought out the business card Axel had given to her.The receptionist checked it, then gave a slight nod. "7th floor; take the elevator to the left.""Thank you." Lisa released a sigh.'That was easy.'When she arrived on the 7th floor, she was directed to Axel's secretary.The lady took one look at her, then frowned. "You're late.""Sorry?" Lisa was puzzled."You are the new girl, right? Your resume is at 9. Please keep to that."'Isn't this supposed to be an interview?' She thought while
Lisa added water to the machine and placed grounded coffee beans into the coffee filter. Pushing the single-shot button.Lisa patiently waited for the cup to be almost full before turning the machine off. Stirring in two spoons of sugar. She topped it with milk, drawing a leaf cover on the surface.Every movement was smooth and especially pleasing to the eye."I thought you might need some help, but it shows that you are even better than me." Dallian raised her chin, arms crossed, as she stood by the entrance of the break room.""Huh—thanks." Lisa smiled at the compliment."Also, as a newcomer, you are not just responsible for Mr. Axel's coffee alone, but everyone else's too.""I am?" Lisa's hand holding the tray shook."Hmmm." Dallian gave a short nod. "Here is a tip. Lee and Jamie like their coffee. sweet coffee and full of milk, Ms. Sarah, not too sweet; I prefer mine plain. Oh, and don't bother about Manager Hans; he doesn't drink coffee. Make sure not to mix it up." Lisa stared
"Mr Axel." The star of the event came to meet them at the end.A smile on his face. "I didn't think you would come.""It just happened that I had free time. So I came to take a look." Axel replied indifferently.Author Caleb, didn't say anything. He glanced at Lisa. The book in her hand in particular."You didn't get a signing?""How did you know?" Lisa responded without thinking.She wasn't a reader, but she found the book to be interesting, so she bought it for Karen, who she knew would love it."I didn't see you at the table. It is impossible for me to forget such a lovely face.""Ah!" Lisa blushed at the unexpected response."I think I have a pen with me; would you like a signature?" Author Caleb Asked."I would like one." Lisa's eyes lit up as she quietly handed him her copy."Name?""Lisa—no—I meant Karen."Author Caleb, looked up at her questioning, and she explained. "The book is for a friend, and her name is Karen.""I see. There you go." He handed it back to her."Thank you.
The next morning, in work heels, Lisa rushed to the other end of the city before heading to work.She was some minutes late, but Axel wasn't in yet, and Carol turned a blind eye to her lateness.She rushed through making the morning coffees before getting to work.Carol had her make some slides before having her deliver some files to the fifth floor, then she was asked to attend to a visitor waiting in the lobby."You are working very hard, newbie." Dahlia praised, handing her a chilled soda.Lisa accepted it without any hesitation, downing it all in a few gulps. "Thank you." She wiped her mouth with the back of her palm, drawing in a deep breath. She thought, 'When is he coming?' Glancing at a wristwatch, it was already past four, and Axel was yet to arrive."Is there somewhere you are going?" Jamie asked."What? No." Lisa shook her head."Wow, your heels are so high. How can you walk in that for so long?"Dahlia said, and as if on cue, manager Hans looked up from his laptop, spinni
Ms. Sarah saw this, then voiced out while eyeing him. "I can't believe this. You only served for her? Are we invisible or something?" "Manager Hans, don't you think you are acting partially?" Jamie teased, and Hans coughed up, his ears turning pink. He tried to explain. "That is because she is sitting right next to me.""And what about me?" Dahlia, who was to his left, raised a brow, and he pointed it out. "You already have sauce in your food." "Well, that's right," Dahlia reasoned.The shop lady brought the drinks to their table, and Dahlia filled everyone's cup to the brim.The paper cups met mid-air, and everyone drank theirs to the bottom, except for Lisa, who didn't know the rules."Another cup for Lisa." Jamie yelled excitedly. As someone who was also duped, he was happy to see another victim."What? What did I do?" Lisa was puzzled."There is still some alcohol in your cup." Dahlia said, filling it to the brim again. "It is a team thing. You should always finish your drink in
Lisa wiped the sweat off her face with the bottom of her apron. She made sure that the pot lid was properly covered before strolling out of the kitchen.Checking her phone, there was a new text. She wiped her palms on the back of her pants before tapping on it.It was from Felix; Roy injured his leg during the game. Me and Bruce will be escorting him home, and I may be a little late.She furrowed her brows and typed back, Is he alright?'He is fine now. Only that, he won't be able to play for the time being.'She was less worried after seeing this. Dropping the phone back on the couch.She turned off the cooker, looking outside the window.The sun was already down, and the skies were starting to darken. She had gotten off work earlier since there wasn't much to do. It was hard to get free time like this, so she grabbed her purse and decided to do some grocery shopping.On her way out, she took out the bin, letting out an unrestrained yawn as she climbed down the steps.It had already
"What the—"The two quickly followed behind him, both equally shocked by the scene of Axel holding Maneger Hans from the top of the stairs, threatening to push him off."Was it you, or not?" His tone was calm and steady, as if he were under an umbrella on a sunny afternoon, sipping an exotic tea, discussing the weather, and not threatening to push someone to their death.Seeing that he wasn't saying anything, he loosened his hold, and Hans dangled from just his shirt. "If not, give me a name. Just a name. You should know, right? After all, that is the reason you are the head of the department.""I... I don't know.""You don't." Axel smiled eerily."It was me." A voice came from behind Lisa, and she sighed. The person was Jamie.He said, his voice trembling. "I was the one who passed the design.""So it was you." Axel let go of his prey, and his eyes fixed on the boy, who was already shaking like a lone leaf in the middle of a storm.He stalked over, eyes filled with killing intent. "O
The Cafe was a walk away from the company and was frequently visited by the employees during lunch time.Axel ordered an ice americano, while Lisa settled for a chocolate smoothie.Axel took a sip, then gestured at her blouse. "You wore that last Friday right?""How did you know?" Lisa glanced at the black chiffon top she was wearing then asked. "Do you lack clothes?" He said straightforwardly, and she shifted in her chair uncomfortably."Yes—no—i mean, I do." She coughed taking a drink from her smoothie. "I do have clothes.""Let's go." He stood up, walking to the door."What?" Lisa grabbed her smoothie, looking between him and the waiter behind the counter. "The bill, we aren't paid the bill.""Leave it." Axel threw back only two words.Lisa weighed the pro and cons. The worst that could happen was that they would be stopped at the door.And fortunately she was spared of the embarrassment.________________________"I don't like how you dress. My secretary can't wear clothes of unkn