CHAPTER 2

“Bullshit!” he growled, glaring at her. “I’m not here to play games, Atticus. If you’re after money, you won’t get anything from me.”

Her mouth fell open, but she quickly shut it, glaring back at him. “What are you even talking about, Sir? I’m just here to interview for the vacant position at your company. If you don’t want to interview me, just say so, Mr. Everette. I’ll leave. You don’t have to yell at me.”

He froze, his intense gaze still locked on her. “What’s with the ‘Sir’ and ‘Mr. Everette’? Why can’t you call me by my name?”

Her patience was thinning, but she forced herself to stay calm. She had to remind herself that this man was a potential employer. “Sir, let me clarify something, okay?” she said, her voice steady despite the irritation building up inside her. “I don’t know you.” She emphasized each word. “I only know that you’re the owner of this company and, if I’m lucky, my future boss. So I don’t understand why you’re acting like you know me or why you’re speaking to me as if I’ve wronged you. With all due respect, Sir, I don’t know you.”

His face darkened even more, and his jaw clenched as if he were restraining his anger. “Get out of my office. Now!” he thundered.

Startled by the volume of his voice, she jumped slightly before walking quickly toward the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he called out sharply.

She stopped abruptly, confused, and turned to face him. “Sir?”

“Get back here!” he barked.

Her brow furrowed. What was this guy’s problem? He just kicked her out, and now he wanted her back? Her temper was close to boiling over.

“Get back here, Atticus!” he shouted again, his tone furious.

She rolled her eyes and ignored him, continuing her walk out of the office. What nerve! First, he kicks her out, then calls her back. Was this some kind of joke? What a jerk.

When she stepped out of the office, the woman who had escorted her earlier asked, “How did it go?”

She huffed in frustration. “Your boss is insane,” she replied. “I don’t want to work for him. He’s a complete jerk.”

The woman simply sighed and rolled her eyes as Atticus stormed out. Ignoring the other applicants who were staring at her, she walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button.

She was still fuming. That brute of a man! He belonged in a mental hospital. He could’ve just told her she didn’t get the job instead of playing whatever twisted game he was trying to pull.

When the elevator finally opened, she let out a relieved breath. “Thank God,” she muttered under her breath.

This was exactly why she hated applying for jobs. Running her own business, no matter how small, was far better. At least in her little store, she didn’t have to deal with insane bosses like him.

Phoenix leaned back in his swivel chair, holding Atticus Roan’s resume in his hands. He had been reading it over and over, still unable to believe that she had shown up again after two years. He looked at his cane and the reason why he was having this is because of that woman.

What now? What game was she trying to play this time? He was done with her games. He had put an end to them when she walked out of his life two years ago because of that accident.

He exhaled loudly. “Fuck!” he cursed under his breath, running his hands over his face before letting out a deep sigh. For a year, his life had been peaceful. But now, seeing Atticus’s beautiful and innocent face again, he felt like he was losing his mind all over again.

“You look shaken, my friend,” came a voice that startled him.

He turned quickly to see Lee standing in the doorway.

“Hey,” Phoenix greeted lifelessly. “What are you doing here?”

Lee stepped in, holding a paper bag behind his back. “There are so many women outside. They’re practically lined up to catch a glimpse of your charm.”

Phoenix shot him an annoyed glare. “Get out of my office, Lee. I still have interviews to conduct.”

“I visited Calix already and let me tell you it was boring over there,” Lee said, shrugging. “No one to talk to. My secretary drives me nuts. I don’t want to go mental.”

“Not my problem.” Phoenix frowned at him. “Now, get out of my office.”

Lee just laughed and placed the paper bag on Phoenix’s desk. “I got you something,” he said with a grin. “It’s for you.”

Phoenix opened the bag with a bored expression and sighed loudly when he saw its contents. “Seriously, Lee?” He looked at his friend with a deadpan expression. “Phoenix drinks? Get out of my office!”

Lee laughed as he opened two bottles of the drink. “Take a break from interviewing,” he said. “Let’s have a drink at my bar.”

“Fuck you! I don't want to walk there using this fucking cane.”

Phoenix sighed but picked up a bottle and took a small sip. When he looked up, Lee was staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

“What?” Phoenix asked, frowning.

“You’re drinking while working?” Lee asked, still in shock. “Wow. What the hell happened to you?”

Lee knew him too well. Phoenix never drank during work hours.

Phoenix let out a long breath. “She’s back,” he said, referring to Atticus.

Lee’s brows furrowed. “Who?”

“My wife,” Phoenix admitted with a heavy sigh. He looked at Lee, who was staring at him with his mouth slightly open. “My wife, Atticus. She’s back.”

***

Atticus’s POV

Atticus collapsed onto her bed with a sigh of exhaustion. The mattress creaked under her weight, threatening to give out. The three-hour commute from the city back to her small provincial home had drained her completely. Two job interviews today. Two rejections.

How am I supposed to survive?

This is my 5th time and I still get rejected the worst that guy yells at me.

She let out a deep breath, the crushing weight of reality pressing heavily on her. How could she get a job without credentials to prove her education? Her grandmother always told her she graduated from college, but whenever Atticus asked for proof, her grandmother claimed the documents were lost in a flood. She knew she was educated — she spoke fluent English, didn’t she? But without papers, no one would give her a chance.

And her plus-size figure didn’t help. The judgmental glances during interviews were enough to make her want to disappear.

“Life is so unfair,” she muttered.

She forced herself up and trudged to the kitchen to cook rice. The familiar hum of the rice cooker was the only comfort in the silence.

“Atticus!” a cheerful voice called. She looked up to see Lineth, her closest friend, smiling at her.

“How did the interviews go?” Lineth asked while stacking firewood.

Atticus sighed. “I’m giving up. Maybe I’ll work on the farm or at the bar with you.”

Lineth raised an eyebrow. “Atticus, I lent you fare money to go to the city because you don’t belong here. You have an education, and you’re too refined for farm work or the bar!”

Atticus’s lips pursed. “It’s not that simple, Lineth. They want credentials, and I don’t have any.”

Lineth placed her hands on her hips. “You’re aiming too high. Apply as a housemaid.”

Atticus blinked. A maid? She hadn’t considered that. It didn’t require credentials.

“Maybe…”

“Just be careful,” Lineth warned. “Some employers are perverts. Find a female boss with a decent husband.”

Atticus sighed. “How do I even do that? I barely know how to clean.”

Lineth shook her head. “What kind of life did you live before that you don’t know basic chores?”

Silence fell, and Lineth quickly apologized.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I know you hate talking about your past.”

Atticus forced a smile. “It’s fine. I need to cook.”

“Do you have food?” Lineth asked.

Atticus shook her head.

“I have roasted turkey. I’ll bring some over.”

Atticus’s face lit up. “Thank you, Lineth.”

As she washed the rice, her thoughts drifted back to Mr. Everette. The man whose eyes burned with disappointment and anger. The man who still haunted her thoughts.