Old wound

Chapter four

Martina POV 

“Tell me why you’ve been moody. You didn’t even tell me about your job interview. Did you get it?” Vera asked, and I took a long, deep breath.

“That bastard owns the company,” I said.

“Which bastard? The guy who tried to molest you and you beat up?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No.”

“Bruno,” I said quietly.

“Wait—you mean your ex? That bastard baseball pitcher?” she shouted, and I nodded.

“What the fuck?” she exclaimed, rubbing her head. Then she looked at me. “I thought he wanted to be a baseball pitcher all his life. When did he suddenly become a CEO?”

I stared at her. “Is that question for me?”

She sighed when she realized. “I guess he must have left his sunshine, then.”

I shook my head again. “They’re still together. She’s even a director in the company. They’re getting married soon—she bragged about it. And he even had the nerve to pretend he didn’t know me.”

“Such a terrible day for you,” she said angrily. “I wish I was there—I would have knocked out one of their teeth. I’ll never forget how he chose your mom’s surgery day to break your heart.”

“I don’t even want to talk about them,” I said tiredly. “I have work tonight. I need to pay the rent and my mother’s caregiver.”

“I thought you said you already had the caregiver money?” she asked.

“I did,” I nodded. “But the electricity bill was deducted from it.”

“Gosh,” she muttered. “You know what—don’t work tonight. Let’s go clubbing. I’ll lend you the caregiver money, and if you get kicked out of your place, you can stay at my house with your mom.”

“I wanted to accept that,” I admitted, “but no. I can take the money, but I won’t move in. What if your boyfriend wants to visit? I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

She didn’t argue. She knew I would always refuse.

“It’s fine,” she said. “But I don’t think working tonight is a good idea. Let’s go party. Maybe we’ll meet some rich guy who’ll sponsor our drinks. Enough of being single.”

I exhaled slowly.

Maybe she was right.

I really needed that—needed to clear my head of all the bad energy.

We arrived at the club. Everything was booming and alive, and I almost felt overwhelmed, but Vera dragged my hand and pulled me to the front, forcing me to dance. Knowing I didn’t want to dull the energy, I started dancing, shaking off my pain. The last time I visited a club was with Bruno, Vera, and Jeffrey—before everything fell apart.

Even though I had a lot on my plate to sort out, I decided to enjoy the moment.

Vera went to get alcohol, and we started drinking. I didn’t know how, but out of the crowd, someone’s coat dropped on me. I must say it was from over excitement.

I removed it, and Vera laughed it off. I was about to drop the coat when it was suddenly dragged away from me. I turned to see a guy in a singlet. He looked incredibly handsome—like a real bad boy—but I was mad at how he snatched the coat from me, so I confronted him.

“You’re so rude,” I said.

Instead of replying, he only smirked.

I was about to walk away when he finally spoke, his tone angelic—somehow even sexier than his face.

“If you weren’t actually beautiful, you’d have had it. But you are beautiful, so I’ll let it slide,” he said casually.

I was furious.

Was he serious? He threw his coat at me and was rude at the same time.

“You’re supposed to apologize, you know that?” Vera barged in.

“Apologize that you got the chance to hold my high-fashion coat? Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Her beauty has already cured my evening,” he said, then walked away.

It felt like a dream, and I wondered what kind of character he was.

“Forget about him,” Vera said. “It’s obvious he’s just a distraction—some rich, spoiled brat.”

But then he came back.

“I’ll ignore you calling me a spoiled brat,” he said calmly. “Anyway, can I have your card? We might actually catch up again. This kind of beauty shouldn’t be seen just once.”

I nearly lost my mind. The audacity.

“I don’t have a card,” I said, already forming a plan in my head. “But I can give you my number.”

He smiled and immediately pulled out his phone.

I scoffed, grabbed it, and smashed it onto the floor.

His eyes widened in shock, and I saw his mood change instantly. Then he scoffed.

“It’s okay. I can get another one,” he said. “I’ve dealt with beautiful girls like you before. I know you have anger issues. I can handle it.”

I wanted to punch him in the face, but Vera dragged me away.

“Why don’t you let me deal with him?” I asked, and she scoffed.

“That guy looks rich. If you hit him, I’m sure you’ll end up spending your remaining money at the police station. I know you—you were definitely going to hit him next. This is how I avoid situations like that,” she said.

She really knew me. I wasn’t going to walk away without dealing with him.

Vera asked me to wait, saying that after some time he would be gone and we could go back inside. A few moments later, an email notification popped up on my phone. It was from one of our schoolmates I hadn’t been in touch with for a long time.

I opened the email and saw an invitation to apply for a secretary position in a company. She explained that she wasn’t around to take the offer and thought I would be the best person for it. She had left school to go abroad before we finished—maybe she didn’t know I hadn’t completed my education.

“Why are you so focused?” Vera asked, then snatched my phone.

“This is good news!” she exclaimed after reading it, but I didn’t feel the same.

“Tell me how this is good news. I’m a dropout,” I said.

“Who told you you can’t do it?” she replied. “Come on, didn’t I tell you my director was a dropout? Yet he’s more intelligent than most graduates. Give it a shot, baby girl.”

I went quiet, thinking.

Should I really give this a shot?