Chapter 7 Deal

“One bucket of beer, please!”

Some people I knew gathered at a bar to socialize. It would be great to spend time together and relax, but unfortunately, work takes priority. I need money more than anything else. So, here I am, taking their orders.

“Coming right up!” I answered.

I stopped walking to the table and ordered a bucket of beer when I saw my former classmate, who was with our other batch mates.

“Aurora?” She narrowed her eyes and looked at me with disdain when she saw me serving their drinks.

“I thought I was just hallucinating. But it is you! How come you work in this place?” she asked.

“I thought you were employed at a prestigious company, just like what I saw on your social media. Was that all a lie?” She snorted.

She is Genvieve, my former classmate and the second top in our class. She always likes to bully me every time she sees me. I wonder why. I just shrugged my thoughts away.

Instead of answering her questions, I took a deep breath and made a fake smile at her.

“Anything else would you like to order?” I asked.

Keeping my problems away from work is my forte. I don’t want my work to be affected by what I am going through. I know many were happy to see people they knew suffer more than to see them achieve their goals. They loved to gossip about people’s failures instead of looking for their own mistakes. I need to swallow my pride to keep this work and not get fired by fighting one of our customers.

The day Mr. Reed visited my home and the loan sharks appeared, I became desperate to find a job. I need to pay my father’s debt. I was trying to recollect the last instance when I could sleep well. I’ve been to different part-time jobs.

I become a waitress at night and a cashier at a convenience store in the morning.

“Are you okay?”

At the back of the bar, during my 15-minute break, I was enjoying a can of cold coffee from the vending machine when my colleague approached.

“I’m just a bit tired, but it’s okay. I’m alright. Thank you for asking.” I smiled at him.

“Are you sure? It seems like you are not.” I can sense in his voice that he was worried.

“I’m cool. Really,” I said before smiling at him for assurance.

“And who are those people? Do you know them?”

I shrugged at his questions. “The girl from earlier was my classmate back in high school.”

“Aren’t you tired? You’ve been working all day at the convenience store nearby. And at night, you worked as a part-time waitress here. Don’t you have a social life? Are you that desperate to get rich?” he asked, which made me chuckle.

“Why are you laughing? I’m serious.”

“It’s not that. I just need money to pay for my father’s debt. I need to work hard to earn more by this coming Sunday and pay the shark loaners.”

“Have you reached the amount you needed? How much is it? I will help you.” I shook my head at what he had just said.

“You don’t know what you are talking about.” I stood up and threw the can in the nearest trash bin before I looked at him.

“But thank you. I have to go back to work.” I smiled at him before I went back to work.

As soon as I entered the lobby of the bar, Genevieve immediately called me to serve them.

“Aurora, give us two buckets of beer,”

“Anything else?” I asked politely. It is better to just be professional and ignore their judgmental stares.

“Nothing. Thank you.” She smiled at me. But I could sense the sarcasm in her tone.

They ended up with ten buckets of beer after placing multiple orders. Inside a bucket, there are six bottles of beer inside. So it is not surprising that they are drunk from what they drink. I even noticed some of her friends were already passed out. Some of them had gone home. I frowned when I noticed Genevieve preparing herself to leave without paying their bill. She was walking like a zombie on her way out. But before she could finally reach the exit, I stopped her.

“Gen, you haven’t paid your bill yet.” I reminded her.

Genevieve could barely look at my eyes. Maybe it’s because she’s wasted and couldn’t handle alcohol enough.

“Who are you to stop me from going home? Don’t you know who I am?!” She even pushed me violently. Fortunately, I managed to balance and avoid falling to the ground.

I bit my inner cheek to avoid having to answer with this woman and maybe cause trouble at my workplace. I could even hear the audience gasping in shock.

“I am just asking for your payment, Genevieve,” I explained my side.

“Don’t you know the customer is always right?” she scoffed. 

“I knew that. But that does not apply to all customers, especially to those who do not pay their bills.” She gasped as her eyes widened in horror.

The people near us gasped in surprise. I noticed Genevieve’s hand shaking. She’s embarrassed and fuming mad.

“How dare you!”

She saw an empty bottle on a table near her and picked it up to hit me, but before it landed on my head, my instinct was to close my eyes. I heard a glass shuttered as if it was broken and gasped from other people. But it felt weird when I expected the bottle to land on my head, but it didn’t. 

When I opened my eyes, there was blood dripping on the floor. I panicked and looked at the man who saved my life.

“M-mr. Reed,” I muttered.

“Get this bitch out here.” His brows furrowed, and his jaw clenched while glaring at Genevieve.

“Mr. Reed, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It was for Au-”

“I know. But you still have to face legal actions.” He said before holding my wrist and pulling me out of the bar.

“Mr. Reed, your arm is bleeding. Let me get you a medicine.” I offered, but he did not let me go away.

“Please let me go, I will get a medicine to clean your wound,” I said again, but it seems like he did not hear me.

“I already paid your debt. And you have no choice but work for me. It’s a done deal.”

“WHAT?!”