Chapter 3

Brittany 

I angrily scooped up a bag of ice from the freezer, wrapping it around a towel before holding it up to my cheek, which throbbed from the slap I got from Leila earlier before I rushed out of the house.

It's been four hours and thirteen minutes since I got home and not a single call from Andre.

Not that I was checking.

Sighing, I realised that my eyes was straying to the phone and I looking away instantly.

God, how messed up am I?

Shoving aside the recent crisis that invaded my life, I looked around the disaster of a house that we lived in and heaved out another tired sigh.

The wallpapers were peeling and some of the pipes weren't good, resulting in water leakage, smells and damp spots in certain areas in the house.

Aside from the fact that so many things needed repairs in the house, there was also the matter of food and bare essentials.

I never thought a day would come that I'd have to beg my parent for food but sadly, that's the situation I'm in.

Ever since my Mom died, my life turned upside down.

I no longer had a reliable parent that loved me wholly in my corner, instead, I got a deadbeat dad who cares more about his job than he does me.

He's so neglectful that sometimes, I think he forgets he even has a daughter.

It hurts…. Knowing that you have someone who's biologically related to you but couldn't bother to give a fuck about you.

It's not like he's attitude is new but while Mom was alive, she acted like a shield, covering up for his inadequacy.

My heart throbbed at the memory of her but my stomach growling with hunger forced me to push those thoughts aside.

I rummaged in the fridge, and thankfully, I spotted a can of soup that was still good and a tub of milk.

Just as I had opened up the can of soup, placing the contents into the microwave, I heard the keys in the front door jingle, the door opening to reveal Dad or as I like to call him, Jacob.

He dragged his feet as he walked in his tie askew, barely tossing me a glance as he walked past. “Hey,” he mumbled, heading straight for the stairs.

I didn't bother to respond him, chomping down the soup as soon as it was ready.

Usually whenever Jacob gets back, he usually heads straight for the bedroom and doesn't resurface until the next morning or if I'm lucky, the next evening but tonight he chose to grace me with his presence and said the most annoying words, “Is there any left for me?”  He pointed at the bowl I was eating from.

My mouth dropped open, followed by the spoon.

I do try to be respectful despite his nonchalant behaviour towards me but I couldn't hold it back any longer especially the shit I've been through recently.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I jumped up from the counter. “You walk through that door, nonchalant about me or my emotional wellbeing yet you have the fucking guts to ask me for food?!” I take the bowl and toss it across the room. “You know, I try to make excuses for you but now I'm realising that you're just a horrible person!”

Annoyed and angry that my only source of food got tossed aside, I ran upstairs to my room, locking the door behind me.

The next thing I did as to slam on my headphones and fall into bed, drowning my problems with music.

Only to wake up the next day with the sun shining down on my face, my alarm beeping wildly to remind me that I was late for work.

My eyes flew open immediately as I jumped out of bed and straight into the shower, panicking once I realized I had barely thirty minutes to get to work, including traffic.

Of course, the asshole I call a father couldn't be bothered to wake me up.

In between jumping into my clothes and running out the door, I glanced at my phone, noticing that neither Andre not Claire had called me back.

I tried not to let it bother me so much, placing my focus on getting to work on time.

My manager, Brian can be a real asshole about punctuality.

Despite how much I hurried to work, I was still 5 minutes late which elicted a frown from Brian on my way to the changing room.

“You're late and your section is slammed.” Clara, my work colleague informed me, tying on her own apron before leaving.

“Fuck this,” I muttered under my breath, heaving a tray of drink and food, heading to the back of the cafe where my section was.

In no time, I had cleared my spot and busy taking down report when I got alerted that I had a customer in my section.

Sighing, I grabbed my notepad and pen, striding towards the lady.

Her back was turned to me so I didn't see her face until it was too late.

It's Leila.

If it wasn't because I had Brian's eyes on me and it won't look good to walk out in a customer, I would've balked.

Instead, I let my cool, mustering a tight smile. “Hello, ma'am. What can I get you?”

“A conversation…” She says cooly. “Sit your ass down.”

I bristled at her tone but fear overshadowed my anger. “Um, I ca-can’t. I have to work.”

She nonchalantly slapped a $100 bill on the table. “That should cover talking to you for the next 30 minutes.”

With a nervous gulp, I sat down gingerly. “How can I help you?”

“I have a preposition for you,” She pulled out a thin envelope from her bag, pushing it across the table to me. “I promise you it's a good deal.”

A quick glance at the envelope told me that she wanted me to quit my relationship with Andre and testify against him in court…in exchange for a large sum of money.

“Oh, fuck no!” I turned down her proposal. “I'm not doing any of that.”

The pleasant look she had on her face turned to frown. “Hmmm, you'll soon realise how generous my offer was but sadly, it’ll no longer be available to you when you need it.”

With that, she turned and walked away, the subtle threats turning my insides cold.