Chapter １９

7 years ago, my mother found out that my father was having an affair before their marriage, she couldn’t bear it. My father inexplicably hated my mother, more so when she fell down the stairs and was paralyzed from the head-down.

Thus, came my father’s disgust and his hatred flared up towards my mother. He filed for a divorce, and my mother’s heart was totally shattered, from the experiences she’s been through. She had mental problems for some time after that, but no matter how much cruelty he’s done towards my mom and I can’t bear to look at him, but he’s also my dad. I really hated him, I hated him for leaving us and lost the chance of ever being family again, I hated him because of bitch he was towards my mother. Blood is thicker than water. No, it doesn’t exist between us. I am conflicted in bringing up my mother’s situation to him.

But my assumptions failed me as I dialed my dad’s number on my phone and I heard him ruthlessly says that he doesn’t give a damn about my mother, about us. My heart went cold as ice and it made me feel like I can slit his throat if he’s just in front of me.

I know from that moment that I never had a dad again. I only can cry loudly. I knew from that moment on, my dad was good as dead to me. I’ll never reach out to him under any circumstances, he may be ruthless but I bereft of sympathy towards him if it comes the day that he’ll grovel on his feet.

Calvin's P.O.V

My heart aches very much. I am going crazy, even. Although it’s clear as the light of day that I explicitly said that I didn’t care about what has happened in her past but cherish what’s in the present and look out for the future! However, the thought that she shares intimate moments with several men makes me crazier day by day.  She kept on rejecting me and would give a hug towards his first love and even slept with him. Ugh, I feel frustrated.

I grabbed the Glencairn nosing glass and poured a bourbon in it, took a sip. Suddenly as I looked down on my computer, I saw a message in my emails. It’s a letter of resignation of Alexia. I knew that she was predetermined to leave the premises. I wanted to find her, but the thought of not knowing what to say once I saw her, makes it embarrassing. She’s tough as a nail.

Would she care about me anymore?  Drank up the last drop of bourbon, eyes gradually filled with blood. I originally wanted to find her tonight, but I have to go to France first. I should give her a few more days.

Alexia’s P.O.V

I rushed to the Intensive Care Unit ward. Andie was already waiting for me. She told me that the police did an extensive search of the surveillance video from home and did saw someone came in the house that day, but the video wasn’t clear enough. The only thing you’d see was the vague figure of a man and I couldn’t recognize him.

Who was it?

We’ll only know the truth only when mother wakes up from her coma. I learned from Andie that I was summoned back to the company tomorrow to finalize my resignation procedures. Even if I wanted to work back there, the salary cannot fully pay my mother’s treatments, and from my current state I am not viable to show up at work.

Only when my mom is out of the clear from her current condition, I can resume from working. I didn’t worry myself much about the financial instability. Nanny did promise me to take care of my mother, while she is at it.

After 3 continuous stays overnight, the phone call with my father just now makes me tired. I also need to take good care of myself.

When Andie proposes to go out to eat, I hurriedly agree with her suggestion.

When we left the hospital, we do not notice that a Bentley driving into the hospital.

"Bro, guess seem to see our company employee, Andie!" Wallen seems to see Andie in the taxi that just passing by, and there was a familiar figure beside her.

Warren thinks of Alexia. and his heart hurt a little. The next day, I am going to the company to go through the final resignation procedures. Anni says that she wants to go with me.

*******

When I was packing my bag, I suddenly find the necklace he gave me that I stashed away in my bag. I rushed to the hospital again after receiving another call from them, without even knowing what the calls about. I couldn’t help but open the jewelry box that was in my hands and deliberately looking at it. Such a valuable thing. As long as he doesn’t care, maybe, I could just sell it. I could become rich instantaneously with this and I can finance mother’s needs without trouble.

But I can't do it, it was not mine. Calvin would look down on me, and I couldn't do such a thing to belittle myself. But I don’t have the courage and the audacity to do it. Calvin would look down on me even more, and I couldn’t such thing that could humiliate and degrade me.

There were a lot of people on the subway. I wanted to laugh from the thought that this necklace, worth thousands of dollars, wasted in a bin if I didn’t have the guts to take it back from the trash. The majority of people here are working nine to five, just like I am. Hard work and determination just to provide for daily needs and commodities. No wonder people are willing to sell as much as anything of value just to get a great deal of money. Money has both sides. It can either be good or bad. Well, as I imagined it. It should’ve been an easy money for me if I didn’t reject him that night.

At least mother’s expenses would’ve been covered and can easily be resolved. But there’s no regret in me from ever doing it to him, I am a woman of pride and I pride myself not to sell my body just for money. But I really need to find money pronto.

When I returned to the office, many colleagues greeted me, but I don't want to tell them the truth, so I just tell them that I am sick. They didn’t reckon. I only smiled at them, when suddenly…

Then I hear Angel's sharp voice, "This company has done good towards all of you, I’ll give you a choice, either work harder or you’ll join Ms. Brown here on her way out of the company. I guess I’ll choose the former.”  I ignored her wailing.

I packed my stuff from the office, I asked the HR who’s in charge of the resignation procedures. Angel felt ignored by Alexia, thought that her authority was challenged, so she motions Bella to search for my personal belongings. I know it would cause a commotion if I rebuked her malice. So, I let her scavenge my stuff and just leave when their little play is over. The colleagues that were around us were totally disgusted by her attitude. It’s humiliating.

I watch Bella check my things one by one, and throw them aside. Bella checks very carefully, but they couldn't find any problems at all.

"Is the inspection finished?" I want to leave. I squat down and slowly collect the things that are thrown on the ground, and my colleagues help me clean the mess up. I am about to leave but stopped by Angel again.

"Wait a minute, there are still packages not checked!"

"Angel Johnson, don’t push me too far!" I'm really tired, and now I have to be troubled by her, I'm pissed off.

"I'm doing this for the company, and I don't want the company's precious files to be lost!" Angel motions to Bella to grab my bag.

"Sorry, you have no rights!" I can't let them look through my bag.

Bella reaches out and I grab my bag away, but it may be that I am tired these days. I am a little dizzy and fall on the ground. The bag in my hand want also taken by Bella.

She dumps everything in the bag to the ground. Although colleagues help to stop it, it was too late.

Sky Mermaid was so dazzling, everyone was attracted to it.

"God, what a big diamond! How much does it cost!" The colleagues suddenly exclaimed. Bella was also staring at the jewelry box.

"This is fake, it must be fake, how can you afford this!" Angel is also full of doubts, took the sky mermaid over and observe.

"Whether it's fake or not! It is none of your business, it's all mine."

."Where did this come from!" She wants to buy this necklace for a long time, so when she finds out that it is in my bag, she was extremely angry.

“Is there a need to tell you about my personal affairs?” If it weren’t for the people around us, I would have knocked out the sense from her.

"You can't afford such a precious diamond. You must have stolen it!" Angle hold the jewelry box tightly, and couldn't bear to return it to Alexia.

"It's a joke, I can't afford it, but someone can afford it! And you slander me for stealing, but you have to provide evidence. If you have no evidence, we will see you in court!" I stare at Angel and sneered.

"Yes, this jewelry falls out of my, you want to steal it!"

My colleagues were already dissatisfied with Angel’s erratic behavior. When someone says that she could only return the jewelry to me. I glare at her and decide to leave the company immediately.

But when I am about to leave, my colleague suddenly receives a notice saying that I could not resign. I am shocked.

“Who said that?” My colleague was also very embarrassed, saying it was Mr. Smith's order, but now Smith was on a business trip, if I want to resign, I have to explain to the general manager, it was a company procedure.

I have no choice but to talk to the general manager.

"I heard that you are resigning? Are you dissatisfied with your stay and work here in the company?" The general manager asks me to sit down and smiles kindlier.

"No, more of a personal reason." I dare not sit down.

"Did something happen? You can ask for leave no need to resign a job!" the general manager continues.

"I'm getting married, and my husband won’t let me work anymore!" I don't want to stay any longer, just want to leave early. When the general manager hears that I am about to get married, his expression becomes weird.

"You, you said you want to get married?" The general manager hesitates and asks again.

"Yes!" I believe this reason will make do.

Sure enough, the general manager nods and stop asking any more questions, but he still refuses to go through the resignation procedures.

"Well, marriage is a threshold of something big in life. You should ask for leave first and discuss resignation when Mr. Smith comes back." I frown.

"I'm just an ordinary staff."

"It was not necessary before, but recently the company's competitors are threatening, so employees are not allowed to resign without Smith’s consent." The general manager glances at the phone and wipes the cold sweat from his head.

"I'll let you know when Mr. Smith comes back, so please ask for leave these days."

"Then I will take a month off!" I want to spend more time with my mother.

"Please ask for half a month off with salary." The general manager smiles at me.

I am also stunned, and even give me the money? Was there such a benefit just like this? But I also knew that today it must be impossible to complete the resignation procedures.