Chapter 2: Unemployed And Shattered

DAHLIA'S POV

“I'm so sorry, sir.” Mr. Peter's voice breaks through the icy silence, reminding me of the position her daughter, as I just realized has put me.

“Please, forgive me. That was a mistake.” I begin to stutter as I go closer and bow my head apologetically.

“Kassie, what are you doing out here? What's this ruckus about?” Mr. Peter reprimands at once when he sees his daughter as she hurries to pick up her phone.

“I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't…”

“Go home, now! All of you!” He yells and the teenagers scattered in different directions, realizing how much trouble they are in and the position they put the man in.

“I am truly sorry, sir. This was all my fault.” I continue to apologize, not knowing how else to make them understand that I meant no disrespect.

“Who's she?” The man asks my boss who makes an attempt to wipe blood off his face, ignoring me.

“She is the delivery van driver. One of our recent employees and I am sorry, I called her off duty to…”

“She was.” The man says, turning towards the bashed car without sparing me a glance.

“Sir? Sorry. She…” Mr. Peter tries to explain again.

“She's currently unemployed and if there's a pending payment, send it to the repair team for the damages she inflicted on my car.” The man says again in a commanding tone without even turning to look at my boss.

“So that's how you feel? You just dish out punishment without understanding the situation? Are you so perfect that you are above apologies?” I feel a screw loose in my head and I taste the harshness in my voice even though his cold words beat mine.

He turns around slowly, lifts his lashes to look me up and down, then fixes an expressionless gaze at my face. His lips twitch as if he finds me amusing for standing up to him.

“Yes.”

My mouth falls open on its own accord as I mope at him. Yes, what? I try hard to contain a grunt at how I am patiently waiting for him to chew me out.

“And even if I am nobody, I'd be above you.” He meets my eyes, holds my gaze for a moment and licks blood that continues to tickle down the corner of his lips where a deep scar runs downwards to stop at his chin dimple.

He must've gotten the scar from when he was a boy or… How's that your business, Dahlia?

I've never thought licking blood would be so arousing until… No! I've no business drooling at the man roasting me!

“I'll make sure you don't get a job anywhere else across the country and beyond. Go write down today's date on your wall and mark my words, you're finished.”

With that said, he enters his car and I watch until it is out of sight, only becoming aware that I am still standing in the middle of the street and my eyes are already filled with unshed tears when my boss touches me.

“I am so sorry about this. I do wish I can help you out of this situation.” The apologetic look in his eyes tells me there's no hope of ever escaping that man's claw even in the future.

But I still have to say something. “He's human, I believe he's only threatening me to scare me for hurting his ego. That's how men react when their egos are bruised.”

That is how Jerome has been acting since the accident. But is that really the case with Mr. Shane, my boss's boss? I doubt it.

He shakes his head and taps my arm. “Not with Mr. Chane. He doesn't threaten people, he makes promises and endeavors to keep them. I apologize again for not raising my child properly. It's all my fault and I shall look for means to compensate you for your troubles.” He also enters his car and drives away at once.

No. This can't be happening to me. I just got this job and Sunny didn't only risk losing her job, but her employer's confidence in her. She didn't just tell me about the job opportunity because she knows that they'd not hire me if they read my file to know who I truly am, so she slipped my CV and other credentials into the last list of the three people who had been potentially sent mails to resume work.

She had removed the information of one of the three guys, forwarded mails to the remaining two and sent one to me to show my boss once I was called into the office. Being that she's a trusted employee, she wasn't doubted, but I do remember how they all looked at me when they figured out I was a lady and the job's position as a delivery van driver wasn't befitting. They still didn't question the process and handed the van’s keys to me to resume work because they trust her judgement.

And now this?

How will I explain to her that I don't have the job anymore? And how do I tell her about the unfortunate way I met her boss? The one she hasn't even met before because he has others in charge of his business and doesn't accept interviews. So no one knows what he truly looks like and won't even recognize him outside. Why in God's name did I react to the childish territory marking of a teenage girl?

I really messed up. Big time.

More angry at myself than my ex-boss’s daughter and Mr Chane, I decide to go visit my daughter where I am allowed to talk to myself and cry as much as I want without anyone asking me delirious questions.

I don't make it to the bus station before my phone rings and I pick up to hear my neighbor's voice, shouting about hearing crashing sounds, smokes coming off the roof and the fire alarm blaring from my house.

I jump into a taxi, not able to wait for the bus to save up money as usual.

Once the taxi stops in front of my house, a small crowd was already gathered around, there's a police car packed nearby and the fire service were already quenching the fire before it crossed to the other buildings. A man is being taken into an ambulance standing nearby, and a young man is folding the stretcher into the car as the medical staff climb in.

“You're Mrs Salazar? Calm down, your husband's safe and the fire was quenched before it escalated.” A police detective rushes words before I can understand the situation or start hauling the questions eating up my mind before I even reach the scene.

“Can you please take a seat? I've a few questions for you about this incident.” Another one says as I try to walk towards the ambulance before they can drive away.

“I need to be with my husband. I can't sit.” I shake all over.

“We know this, but it's important that we have a word with you for just a moment. You can always go to the hospital afterwards. We won't take up much of your time, ma'am.”

As I open my mouth to argue, my phone rings and when I see the caller's ID, I know that I can't ignore it.

“Your daughter is awake, Dahlia.”

The doctor says immediately I pick up and I catch a breath in my throat. Tears rush to my eyes and I can't tell exactly what I feel. Sad, happy or anxious…

But I am aware of my whole body shaking.