You're fired, Janice

JANICE

“Janice, you’re fired!!” The manager, Mr Harry, didn’t look up at me after he said this, preferring to keep his focus on whatever was so important in that book of his. “We simply do not have the resources to keep you on board.”

“I… what?” I managed, blinking rapidly as if the words would rearrange themselves into something else if I tried hard enough.

I could only stare at the man. The office suddenly felt too small, the air way too thin. The hum of the air conditioner grew louder, pressing against my ears until it was the only thing I could hear.

“In simpler terms, you have to leave, Janice.”

“No… no, sir, please,” I said quickly, stepping forward. “There has to be some mistake. I’ve been working extra shifts, I’ve—I stayed late yesterday, you can check…”

“There’s no mistake,” he cut in, still not looking at me.

My chest tightened painfully.

“Please,” I whispered, my voice breaking now. “I need this job, Mr Harry. I–I wasn’t late, I’ve never… if I did something wrong, just tell me, and I’ll fix it. Just tell me what it is.”He finally looked at me, letting out a sigh, like I was inconveniencing him. “It’s not about that, Janice.”

“Then what is the problem?” I asked, not caring about how desperate I looked and sounded. “Please, just give me another chance. I won’t disappoint you, I swear.”

“I said it is done!”

The indifference in his eyes made something inside me crack.

Mr Harry stood up, smoothing down his shirt, as a way to tell me that the conversation was over.

“Sir…” I rushed forward as he moved toward the door.

He didn’t stop. I followed him out of the office, the sound of my heels clicking unevenly against the floor was the only thing grounding me as panic pushed me forward.

“Sir, please, listen to me…”

People were staring at me.

“I need this job,” I continued, reaching out instinctively. My fingers brushed the sleeve of his shirt, barely touching…

“Don’t touch me!!” he barked, jerking his arm away like I had burned him.

The entire office went silent.

I froze.

“I said get your things and leave this place,” he continued, voice sharp, echoing through the room. “We do not need you here.” He let out an irritated humph, straightened his collar, and walked away without another glance.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, my ears ringing. Some of my coworkers were recording, while others whispered amongst themselves.

Heat flooded my face, burning with humiliation. I lowered my head quickly, blinking back tears as I forced my legs to move.

One step.

Then another.

I walked to my desk, ignoring the looks, the murmurs, the way people suddenly pretended to be busy when I glanced their ways. My hands shook as I gathered my things.

A pen. My notebook. The cheap framed photo of my sister and I.

By the time I got to the hospital, I was more composed. I couldn’t afford to break down here.

“Hey,” I said softly, forcing a smile the moment my eyes landed on the only important person in the world. Nancy.

My sister looked up from the bed, her face lighting up instantly. “Janice! You’re early.”

“Yeah,” I replied, walking in. “Got a rare day off.”

“You never get days off.”

I shrugged, setting my bag down and moving closer to place a kiss on her forehead. “Guess they finally realized I’m overworked.”

It was a weak joke, but it worked.

Nancy smiled, and just like that, I felt something twist painfully in my chest. She looked so small, and fragile. The machines beeped softly around her, a constant reminder of everything I was trying not to think about. She had been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, and since we hadn’t found a donor yet, it was straight up dialysis and medications only.

And that was expensive.

I had two days to make the next deposit for the medication and dialysis.

That had been the real reason I had gone to Mr Harry that morning, begging for an advance, only to be humiliated at the end. I could not afford to let my sister die.

“You look tired,” Nancy said softly.

“I’m fine.”

“Liar.”

My lips stretched into a faint smile, squeezing my hand. “Just get some rest, okay?”

Nancy studied me for a moment longer. She looked like she wanted to say something but decided not to. She drifted off after a while.

I stayed there for a while, just watching her. Memorizing her. If only I could remain in this moment long enough, but reality didn’t wait.

I pulled out my phone, calling the first number I saw. He didn’t pick up. The second went straight to voicemail.

The third answered.

“Janice?” The voice sounded surprise.

“Hi,” I said quickly. “I—I need help.”

There was silence for a few seconds, before the person let out a sigh.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I really am, but I can’t right now. Things are tight for me too.”

I swallowed. “Right. It’s okay. I understand.”

I didn’t, but that was expected of me. Call after call. Excuse after excuse. Or worse… nothing at all. I tightened my fingers around the phone as the frustration and desperation built inside my chest.

One more call.

She answered immediately. “Janice?”

“Yeah… it’s me.”

“Well, well,” the voice said, amused. “Didn’t think I’d hear from you again.”

I closed my eyes briefly. “I need help, Val. I need money and…”

“I might have something for you.” She cut in. “Come to the Angels’ Club at the outskirts of town. Be there at nine.”

“A club?”

“Don’t sound so shocked,” she laughed softly. “You want help or not?”

“I do.”

“Then be there.”

The line went dead. I stared at my phone for a moment, letting out a slow exhale. I didn’t have a choice.

By the time I arrived, the club was already alive. Lights were flashing, music pounding, and bodies moving. It was overwhelming. I stood at the entrance for a moment, my nerves tightening in my stomach before I forced myself inside.

“Janice! Janice!”

It was Val, waving from the other end of the entrance. I walked towards her.

“You actually came!” Val laughed. “I cannot believe this.”

“You told me you could help.”

“I can,” she replied. “But I need help too.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve got two gigs tonight,” she said casually. “One here, one somewhere else. I can’t be in two places at once.”

My stomach dropped. “You want me to… what?”

“Dance,” Val said simply.

“I can’t…”

“No, Janice,” Val interrupted, a stern expression on her face. “I’ve seen you dance before, back in school. So you can and you will do it, or you can leave this place and find your money some other way.”

There was no other way for me.

“How much?” I asked quietly.

Val’s lips stretched into a smile. “We split whatever you make.”It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. But right now, it was all I had.

My performance was… Bad. Simply put. I knew it. From the moment I stepped onto the stage, dressed in Val’s stripper uniform, trying my best to avoid the eye contact of the men and women around me. It didn’t take long for them to lose interest in me.

By the time my set ended, my chest was tight with humiliation. I had barely made anything.

Shit! Shit!

All that work for nothing? No, it couldn’t be.

What was I going to do?

I stood off to the side during my break, my arms wrapped around myself as my mind raced. I needed more money. I needed…

A sudden awareness crept up my spine. That feeling of someone watching me. I turned slowly… and everything inside me went still. Three men sat in some form of VIP section like they owned the air everyone else was breathing. They hadn’t changed a bit. Still the kind of men people avoided.

And they were looking right at me.

My stomach dropped. My lungs forgot how to work.

Aiden Grant. Calder Vaughn. Lucian Graves.

The Business Brothers.

And I was standing in front of them… half-naked.