Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DERA'S POV

I had only seen Tarella look this miserable once and that was when she had betrayed Sara Martins.

She looked like she had seen a pregnant ghost before coming.

"Are you okay?" Selena asked worriedly

In reply, Tarella took a seat on the couch before asking desperately for water.

I sat opposite her, trying to formulate the right question for the situation. She was stressed and looked like she had just returned from a lot but the gnawing inquisitiveness kept hitting past my self-control.

Selena returned with a glass of water and handed it to her.

I waited for her to gulp down the water, before letting my inquisitiveness take control of me.

"What happened? Why do you look so.... unwell" I asked, taking care to use appropriate and less sensitive words.

She kept mute

Maybe something was truly wrong and sooner or later, I was going to find out.

At NattCom Company

ROXANNE'S POV

I had turned in early for my job, trying desperately to work away the past few days' fear from my mind.

It was my third day at the job and two days away from the acid incident. The acid incident was one of the many traumatic incidents in my life. It was almost the most traumatic, apart from the attempted rape incident.

As usual, Dera was in her place of duty, scribbling away. I didn't bother greeting or starting a conversation with her.

After all, we were enemies and did not need to pretend a fondness that would never be.

Aside from the fact that she was impeccably early, there was nothing likable about her.

Her long black hair and eyes had always made her look like a witch. She had an eerie beauty that would've been less eerie if she had been nice and kind to people.

So just like I intended to do throughout my stay in NattCom, I walked quietly from the entrance down to the cleaners unit, took the necessary cleaning tools, took care not to forget something important and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. 

It eventually happened that I couldn't entirely avoid a conversation with Dera for she had the CEO's office key and I had already reached the fourth floor before I painfully realized my mistake.

But I pressed stubbornly forward, wishing that the door was indeed open and that there would be no need to engage in a scuffle with Dera.

Like a miracle, I turned the knob and it opened.

"Why was it opened?" I stood transfixed, not knowing the next line of action. Should I go in? Or should I run downstairs and ask why the CEO's office door was open?

The past few day's fear became visibly strong in me. "What if this was a trap? A trap by Dera?" My hands shook.

But there was a continuous click on the laptop that drew my legs and eyes to make investigations.

I quietly went on with my little investigation, opening the door slightly to reveal the hands behind the clicking.

Lo and behold, Mr. Edward the CEO was in his seat majestically typing away like his life depended on it.

Noticing he was the one, I quickly made to withdraw but was too late, for he had already caught a glimpse of me

"Roxanne, No, it's fine, you can come in," he said in his richly deep masculine voice.

I walked in shy and afraid, afraid that I would have to make do with some readily available insult so early in the morning.

"Good morning Sir" I greeted, bravely stilling my shaky legs and hands

"Good morning Roxanne. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing good sir" I replied while still anticipating an incoming embarrassment.

He smiled sweetly "Blue looks so good on you," he said taking a long look at me.

"Thank you, Sir," I replied, not quite understanding why he was so nice and sweet.

"Oh, there'll be no need to clean this office. I've cleaned it already. You can go ahead to clean my rest office," he said still leaving a lingering look on me.

What was with that look? It made me feel so tiny, shy and stupid.

For the millionth time, I thought people could be awkward; because, why would someone be rude and nice at the same time?

"Okay, Sir," I replied calmly before turning to walk to the door.

"Wait!" He halted me

"Pink also looks good on you. So you're free to keep using it" he flashed a smile.

I took in the goodwill message rather coldly; for I wasn't going to buy or play pity cards with anyone.

The last time I tried, I was brutally embarrassed and almost lost my job. I couldn't afford to lose this job, for it paid marvelously better than any job I'd ever done.

I stepped out of the office, heaving a sigh of relief. It was a relief that I had made it through the cleaning hour without incurring an insult from any insulter. Now it was left for me to take the staircase to the last floor.

While still going up the stairs, I caught sight of Mr. Brown. The Brown who had smeared my truth with shitty brown by his absence to defend me. 

I was seething inside, ready to unleash a ball of fire after getting his attention.

"Mr. Brown!!" I howled just as he got down the stairs to where I was.

"Good morning ma. I don't think we've met before and you've been mistaken, I'm Mr. Callaway," the words rolled quickly out of his shiny brown teeth

Now the anger was at the brink of descending fully "You don't think we've met before? Tell me, Mr. Callaway, weren't you the one who stopped me just outside the CEO's office to inform me about an invitation to coffee with Dera?" 

He smiled again, disgusting me the more "No, You must be mistaken"

I swore quietly trying to reduce the dangerous rise of anger in me, for if he showed those dirty teeth of his again, I was going to stick the Vacuum cleaner in between his teeth.

"So your timy brain can't recall what happened three days ago? Or does your brain take a leave of absence every Friday morning? Tell me Mr. Callaway if those brown teeth of yours didn't shine on Tuesday to the same facial foliage just like it has done today?" I ranted not strong enough to hold back the boiling rage in me.

"What?" He gasped, forming an O shape with his tiny lips that were so tiny that they seemed non-existent.

He finally recovered from the shock and proceeded to give out a threat. A threat that my angry mind did not wish to take seriously.

"Do you know who I am? Trust me, you will be sacked tomorrow,"