Chapter Two

(Diego Ella's POV)

I already knew what was happening to me. It was obvious that Ryan was behind all that had happened that day. From the stealing of the restaurant's money and putting it in my bag, to my dismissal from work, and to the snatching of my remaining money which I had just withdrawn, and right to my properties lying on the ground with the door locked. Ryan was behind all that.

I knew. I believed.

At first, I cut the call. I began to cry now. This was too shocking for me. For goodness sake, I had done nothing other than have a conversation with Ryan. How on earth could he do this much to me? He was showing off his power and influence excessively and this hurt me. However, I knew I had to be strong. I was sure that Ryan would still come for me. All I needed now was courage.

Then my phone began to ring again. It was Ryan calling me. I didn't know what to do at first. I felt like not answering but I thought otherwise. I went ahead to pick up the call.

"Hey, babe! Why are you rejecting my calls? Is that how you pay back someone genuinely interested in your welfare?" Ryan said over the phone. There was this sound of mockery in his voice. I could tell this.

"Shut up your filthy mouth!" I shouted at him angrily. "How dare you toy with my life? What did I do to you that made you think of doing something so despicable? Don't annoy me more than you have already done!"

I was almost breaking down in tears. I was trying to be strong so he wouldn't mock me more. He would use my weakness against me. If I cried on the phone, he would think I was easy to mess with.

"Why are you accusing me of what I have no clue about? If you had a bad day, then that's on you. Don't drag me into this. I am innocent!" Ryan said over the phone again. He was laughing hysterically now with the bid to mock me more. This continued to hurt me.

"Let me tell you this, Ryan," I told him seriously. "I know you're a spoilt, uncultured, and bad-mannered teen who hasn't seen half of the world. I will…"

At this moment, Ryan intercepted.

"Who are you referring to as a teen?" Ryan asked angrily. He sounded grumpy and even more annoying.

It was my time to mock him. I was going to make use of the opportunity properly.

"Of course, you are," I told him. "You are not only a teen but an immature one at that. Some teens are mature but you aren't one of them. You act senseless and immature. I can't help but grieve when I imagine the fact that you're mother took in for nine months only to give birth to something like you. It's so despicable."

"What!" Ryan cried. "I am sure you haven't learned your lesson. All I did was just the tip of the iceberg. Anticipate more!"

"Don't intimidate me!" I shouted back at him. I was afraid but I was making it look like I was strong. "You can't do more than a dead rat would. I am strong and nothing you do would weaken my resolve. Believe me, you'll regret all these acts someday."

"Let that day come first…" Ryan said slowly. "I am done talking to you. Expect more actions from my side."

Then he cut the call.

I took a deep breath instantly. I was really afraid. I looked around to see if I was being watched. I was afraid of Ryan and what he could do to me. I cursed the day I met Ryan. It was an unfortunate incident.

I conversed with my landlord via phone call to ask the reason why my properties were outside instead of the room I occupied in the house. His reply didn't come as a shock to me. I had already anticipated it.

"The house has been sold…" my landlord replied. "I don't think you should have a problem with your properties being thrown outside. Come on, you're owing three months' rent. Just think of this as a way to escape paying the rent you owe. Have a nice day!"

With this, he cut the call. Once more, I took a deep breath. I began to pack up now. I ditched the less important items instantly and stored some others with a neighbor. Still with this deep sense of regret in my heart, I called Charlotte, my best friend whom we worked together at the restaurant. I told her that I wasn't responsible for the theft at the restaurant and luckily for me, she believed me. I also brought her to the current speed of things. She offered that I come over to her place to sleep for the night and I agreed instantly. I didn't even have a place to sleep before.

I couldn't sleep that night no matter how Charlotte urged me to. I cried, thought, and pondered about the next step I could take. After Charlotte had gone to sleep, I brought out my phone and began to browse job opportunities that I could take up at the moment. I was lucky and I found a role at a big organization.

The minor application required me to submit my details. Minutes after I did this submission, I received an invitation email to an interview at the company the next day.

I smiled.

Things were going to be better.

********************************************

The next day, I woke up quite early. I didn't tell Charlotte that I was going to attend an interview that morning. Charlotte left for work before I did and I also went for my interview.

I took the morning train to the company's environment. I had scrapped some cash off Charlotte on the basis that I had to buy something urgently. It was this money I used for my transportation.

After getting off the train and began to jog to the exact company's location. I didn't want to get late.

As I jogged, a car swerved and almost hit me. I didn't expect this and I had already fallen to the ground. I expected the car driver to come out to apologize.

The back windscreen opened and a handsome young man peeped from the car.

"Hey! You've got to be more careful when moving around. You could have died or injured, you know…" The young man said coolly.

I stood up carefully and dusted off my clothes. I was annoyed but what just happened but I had learned a lesson from Ryan's incident. I didn't want to have another rich person as an enemy. I began to leave.

The young man came out of the car and chased me. His bodyguard followed him.

"Wait!" The young man shouted at me. "Why aren't you answering me? I deserve an audience, don't I?"

I was angry and I continued to control myself anymore.

"Leave me alone! I am tired of all these!" I shouted at him. "Your driver almost hit me with your car and instead of apologizing politely, you tell me to be careful. You should be telling that to your driver instead. I didn't dive into your car. Your driver was the one who crossed the boundaries."

"But…" the young man tried to say.

"I'm done here!" I said almost immediately and left. I wasn't ready for an argument.