Chapter 2

Jake was looking forward to a busy eye-opening day. Instead, he gets reeled into coffee duty and has to make infinity trips to the kitchen. Larry was right, it was brutal.

Two hours in the Director comes out of his office, asking for the coffee jock for the day. Sure enough, the supervisor points at Jake.

So he got called into the boss' office for an important mission. "Strawberry milk and a slice of chocolate cake with a pistachio filling. Get it at Bakes N' Dates and be back before three-thirty."

"Bakes N' Dates is an hour away from here," Jake forgot to keep his thoughts in his head.

"Yeah, you should get going...I won't tolerate any lateness," The Director wooshed him out with a commanding finger.

"What did he want?" Larry bumped shoulders with Jake when he came out looking like a missing ostrich. "Bakes N' Dates," Jake muttered.

"Holy crap, you're in trouble," Larry froze.

"Why, what's wrong?" Jake was even more confused.

"Strawberry milk and chocolate cake with a pistachio filling?"

"Yeah, how did you...know?"

"Dude, only one person makes that specific order and when she comes down, there is always trouble. The boss of all bosses, Iris Cadell Amery," Larry spaced out saying that ominous name.

Jake broke out a small grin. He admired the said C.E.O. who took Amery Conglomerate by storm at the tender age of seventeen. Now she pretty much runs the business world.

"There is always a devastating queue at Bake N' Dates so run if you want to beat time!" Larry snapped the newbie into order. Jake storms out of the company, not taking a second to catch his breath.

**

Two hours pass and Jake is miraculously ten minutes away from the company. Why did Larry have to be right about everything- he nearly tore an arm ordering at Bake N' Dates. For future struggles, Jake took a worker's number for easy backdoor orders.

Jake also made it this far because he gave up on a cab along the way. Traffic was choking up the streets and he had little time left. He sighs with relief when he gets closer to the company, knowing he had already made it.

"No! Get off me!" The cry of an agitated female struck his ears on the busy sidewalk. He was going to ignore it, but his conscience would reel back when everyone else seemed too zombified to hear it. Funny enough the noise came from a narrow alley right beside his workplace. 'A robbery in broad daylight?' That did not sound right in his head.

Jake found it more urgent when he saw what the ruckus was. Luckily it was not a robbery situation but a young lady had been cornered by this guy in a leather jacket. "Hey, unhand her," Jake did not have to play nice to pretty rich-looking boys who loved harassing women.

"Butt out, this doesn't concern you!" He got the response he was expecting.

Jake seriously had to go, but he couldn't leave the lady behind. "Uhh, how do I do this," He looks around for a safe place to put the paper bag in his hand. He loosens his tie when he decides the place is too dirty and approaches the two.

The other guy had to back off after a direct punch. "Hold this for me, will you?" He says to the brunette with purple and pink highlights in her hair. Putting the opponent in his place had to come quickly because he was in a hurry, but Jake was satisfied seeing him kiss the floor.

"Thank you," said the girl as she hands over the package.

"Don't mention it. We should leave this place, it's not so safe," he winked. After they came out of the alley Jake took to his heels. All this commotion had left him with zero time. The boss shouldn't be so upset if he was three minutes late, right?

"No, no, no!" He ran as fast as he could but missed the elevator. The security guard nearly believed he was a lunatic. Jake thought on his feet and used the stairs to catch up with the lift on another floor.

Meanwhile, the Director was sweating his head off, his temperamental superior staring at him with a fierce and intimidating look. Iris liked to drop in whenever she had issues with his work. Their discussion was to last for at least thirty minutes but she cut it short when a phone call came through.

"I want to see a new report on my desk by Wednesday morning," She said.

"Yes, Ma'am," the Director bows lightly each time she speaks. Everyone at the department looks busier as Iris Amery walks towards the exit, the Director following like a puppy.

Just about then, the elevator dings and the doors slide open. A flustered Jake, peeking at his wristwatch with all the fear in the world hanging on his chest, darts out without watching. He slams into the first person in his path, and they tumble to the ground.

"I am so sorry... Miss..." Jake gapes when he gets a good look at the woman he just speared. As if that was not bad enough, there was a flood of strawberry goodness, running down her neck. It was a disaster.

Time stopped at that moment. All eyes were on the floor, mouths flying wide open when Iris is helped off the ground...

That was how Jake got the axe on his first day. Meekly, he gathered his stuff at his cubicle and left for the elevator with his head bowed low.

Jake presses the button and waits. A young lady surprisingly bolts past him. He catches a glimpse of the pink and purple highlights in her bouncy hair but it doesn't matter, nothing matters at this point. This was the worst day of his life.

Two Weeks Forward...

After a hard double shift, Jake finally got home at seven. He is more than happy to take off the sweat-drenched overalls for a nice warm bath. Things did not go his way, the water seized halfway through the bath. He wraps a towel around his waist and tiptoes to the kitchen for another alternative.

Thank God for the bottles of tap water he saved for later.

After what happened at Amery, Jake crawled into a shell. He focussed on working three jobs and rewriting his plans.

Jake popped some instant ramen into the microwave. He was saving up the gas. He sets the food on the shakey dining table and eats as slowly as he could. He cleaned up afterwards and decided to occupy the rest of the evening with a well-deserved sleep. But before that, Jake walks to his roommate's door and knocks. Better to ask him about the water situation now, than start an argument by waking Mitch up in the morning.

"Come in," He heard a faint voice echo through the loud heavy metal music. Mitch wanted to finish up on video games. Jake patiently waits for the discussion to happen and he goes straight to the point.

"The tap is not running, did the plumber check the pipes?"

"I don't know man, ask the landlady," Mitch laid down a shrug.

"Okay," Jake had to pretend that was not a dumb answer. "What about the money I gave you to get the pipes fixed?" He said.

"Oh, that, must be lying somewhere around here. I don't know, I haven't had the time to go out and all," Mitch shrugged again, watching the multiple screens like an owl.

Jake rubbed his face, eaten up by frustration and a tint of anger. He attempts to look around the littered study table in the room and he becomes more reluctant at pursuing this. There were used plates and leftovers that had grown moulds. Jake could not imagine when they were put there but it grossed him out and he wouldn't pry through them. But then an envelope stained with what appeared to be tomato ketchup caught his eye.

His name was boldly typed on it.

Forgetting the disgust, Jake picked it up and shook off some of the rubber mess. He turned to Mitch, eyes furrowed when he said, "Why did you not leave this mail at my door?"

Turns out it was not just one letter he missed, there were about ten of them out of the bunch addressed to him.

"Pfft! I don't know, maybe I forgot," Mitch had started another level of shooting people and causing mayhem in a virtual town and Jake was irked by his attitude. He was so pissed he debated between getting the door when the bell rang or giving Mitch a piece of his mind.

He chose the second and got into an argument heated enough to make him tell Mitch to stop living like a pig.

Jake forgets about the doorbell when he gets out for a second but a knock on the door sends him flying in that direction. "Who the hell could it be!" He flares up from the intentional banging.

"Wha-!" He went mum after getting it. For a second he thought he was hallucinating about the queen of  Amery standing in front of him.

"Are you not going to be a gentleman and invite me in?" Iris lifted her chin, her chiselled expression sending chills to the man she kicked out of her company merely days ago.