Chapter one: Pride

This is it huh? After spending days job hunting, this is where I end up with. Finally, I hope this ends well.

"Next," a tall woman with dark tone skin is standing beside the door, holding some sort of book, probably a list with my name in it.

My card number is 24 and I'm pretty sure that I'm the next one to be interviewed. My sweats are slowly falling, my heart is beating heavily and I just remembered that I forgot to eat my lunch!

I look at the candidates behind me and I almost gasp as I saw how many we are, waiting in line to be interviewed.

Time passed by and now I am standing in front of the office. Sweating and anxiety. I neglect all my negative thoughts and took a deep breath.

The assistant told me to just proceed and I nodded as a response.

I look at the man whose back is sitting in front of me. A tall man with deep black hair. It makes me think that I know this person but it's impossible though.

Right? I hope so.

"Uhm...", I uttered.

My jaw dropped as the man in front of me turned his head at me. Makes me lose my confidence in just one snap.

He looks at me in the eyes. His deep brown eyes stare directly at mine. As if it can see how miserable and desperate I am now as if it's reading my soul, wanting to know how I end up in front of him again.

"Your resume is very impressive...", his cold deep baritone voice echoed inside the room.

I can't move. I can't think of something to say. I can't think of something to do. If this is just a dream I just wanna wake up and never tend to sleep again!

"Ms.Bones?"

I jump when I heard him call me. I look at him in the eyes but the familiar feeling wasn't there anymore...

"Y-yes?", I answered.

"Why are you here?"

It feels like the world is ending. I have nothing to say. I have nothing to answer. Why I am here? Right! I resigned three days ago because of my scumbag boss who seems to think that he's perfect! I was just tired of handling the whole company's problem and that's why I'm here...

His question echoed in my mind. Still, I have nothing to say.

"To apply, s-sir,"I answered.

He then again looks directly at me.

"What makes you different from all the other candidates?"

'being your ex, I guess? ' I wanted to give him that answer but I'm professional enough to think that, that wouldn't be appropriate.

I am desperate to find a job and now this is where I end up with. Sitting in front of my ex huh? I still have my pride with me. Right! I'll mess up this interview. I don't wanna work with him though. It's not that I can't find any other better job than this one.

"Nothing. I'm no special though," I stand up and look at him, "Well then, I don't wanna work here though, I was just forced by my mom so bye." I lied.

I lied once again. My mom never forced me to do anything. It's my pride that makes me do the things, the unfortunate things.

I turned my back at him and met the eyes of the assistant. Confused and shocked huh? Probably because of my behavior.

Urggghhhhh!!!!! I'm so frustrated with how things end up like this. Now, I'm starting to regret why I left my recent company, Had I known this will happen I could've just endured the burden it gives me every day.

Why I am so keen to find a job immediately though? It's not that I have a family to feed. Besides, If working means being with my ex every day, no thank you. I couldn't breathe the same air as him. Being a secretary is a pain in the ass.

I parked my car in front of Tricia's house, my bestie. I need some refreshments.

--

"WHAAAAAAT?"

Yes.As what I expected her reaction would be.

"Yeah...I couldn't be most embarrassed in my whole life than this..."I frowned. Still couldn't accept the fact that I just met my ex an hour ago.

"So? What happened?"

Here I am in her apartment, eating fries while watching the third part of Harry Potter, our comfort movie together.

"What do you mean 'what happened?', of course, I left! Hello? What do you expect me to do!"

She unbelievably look at me as if I was some sort of a moron.

"Nothing happened?"

"NOTHING happened," I answered.

"Hmm...your face says the otherwise though..."

what? I look at my face in my front camera and it is all red like a tomato.

"I'm just frustrated, that is!"

She teasingly look at me while drinking her soda, "Frustrated or disappointed? That is the question."

What she just said made me stop from doing anything.

"Uhm, nope! Couldn't think of something to be disappointed with." I said.

She gives me the I-don't-wanna-believe-you look.

"Susssss! It's been five years since you last met him and you're just disappointed that it's your first encounter with him."

I look at her in disgust! I am far from being disappointed! I spend my whole life avoiding every situation that I may encounter but what just happened recently is unpredictable.

"It's just that... never thought that he would inherit his father's business," I slowly said.

"You know what? My boyfriend is opening his bar tonight, why don't you come to join me?" She said as she sipped her soda.

Yeah, right. Again with her long-time boyfriend.

I nodded as a sign that I accept her invitation. Tricia's been there with me through ups and downs, laugh at my jokes still laugh at my worst though but I couldn't be grateful enough to have her by my side all this time.

I need something to enjoy. I guess I need some break from work and I decided to put myself first this time. Enough with being competitive in every field, I know myself better.

I have to stop thinking about what happened earlier. It's making me uncomfortable and disgusted, can't swallow the reality I'm in. Seems that things are going opposite now huh?

I blame myself for everything that happened. I'm at fault all along and I knew it. It's just my pride. The pride that I couldn't abandon. It sucks.