Chapter 5

I took a step out of my body and walked into memory lane, feeling numb.

I crept out of my room in a loose night wear that was in form of a big blue shirt. Glancing left and right, I slowly pushed Sam's door open and saw her sobbing on the floor. It weakened my heart.

Her head was on both her arms and her jet black hair was orderless.

"Has he gone?" I inquired.

She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes and a swollen cheek, trying to force a smile.

"Sam, are you okay?" I asked, feeling compassion for her.

"Yes, he just left and I'm fine." Her voice shook, but she tried to compose herself. "Help me." She stretched a hand to me so I could help drag her up.

I held on tight to her warm, shaky hands and pulled her up with the little strength the fifteen year old Diana could muster. I hated the life I was living and it felt like anyone who lived close to the Richardsons were cursed.

I mean, look at Sam. Father married her off as soon as she turned twenty and I was forced to live with her because according to him, he couldn't live with two daughters because his young blooded wife couldn't stand two kids that weren't hers. She'd always complain about not having some privacy with our dad.

Sam's husband was anything, but caring and nice. He would beat her up and bring numerous women to the house. Worse part was that I had to serve them or he'd lock me up in my room and Sam would be of no help.

If only mother was-

"Diana?" Eliana called out to me, standing the same way I stood when Sam was used as a punching bag.

"Yeah, he's gone." I mustered the same smile Sam flashed a few years ago and instantly forbade going through the same thing.

I would never allow any man treat me like a pile of shit! I'd show them I can be independent and live on my own. I had long scrapped that love shit out of my dictionary.

"Your boss is nice to let you rest unlike-" Eliana hesitated and a sad expression was evident on her face before it disappeared. "Unlike some brutal people."

Instantly, I remembered my boss asked me to meet him at the office and I groaned with my fingers massaging my temples. Mitch wouldn't be the death of me.

"Brutal people?" I swung my feet to the other side of the bed and made contact with the cold floor. "You had a job before?" I strolled to my closet and picked out black pants and a white turtle neck long sleeve.

She made her way to my bed and plopped on it with her eyes glued to the ceiling. "Yeah, I have. They were nice. I was actually talking about some movie I watched. Where are you going?"

"Work, my boss is not as nice as you think." I objected with a light chuckle and pulled my shirt over my head.

"He seems nice..." She sat up with a gleam of delight in her eyes and twirled her finger in her hair. "... He's cute too."

My head snapped to her direction and the look on my face was enough to make anyone drop dead.

"Don't, don't ever let any guy's charm get in your head or they'll get in between your legs." I pointed a manicured finger at her and her brows bumped together in a frown. "I mean it, keep your darn virginity cause no one deserves it."

Eliana suddenly had shifty pupils and an itchy neck.

"Oh... Okay." She got to her feet and walked to the door then stopped when she grabbed the knob. "Is that why you're still a virgin?"

My cheeks heated up and I muttered cuss words underneath my breath because I knew Tcee had been telling Eliana stuffs she was meant to keep to herself. Big mouth.

"What?" I held a hand to my waist. "Who told you that and yes, I am a proud one."

"Tcee told me." She flashed me a smile that wasn't in anyway genuine, but I chose to ignore it and she left.

"Don't get pregnant, Eliana!" I yelled these words even before my brain could process them.

I rushed into the bathroom after wrapping myself in a purple towel.

************

"Good morning." The secretary greeted the moment I got to the fifth floor.

"Morning, is bitch here already?" I whispered with a hint of humor in my voice.

"Yes, even bitchier than ever." She sniggered and I did the same, being careful so as not to spill his coffee.

I turned and walked with the clicking sound of my heels letting the world know that I had arrived. I nursed my neck every now and then, hoping it'd ease the intense pain I was feeling.

My feet stopped when I was in front of Mitch Blake's door. I raised my fist and knocked.

"Hold on." His voice was throaty and I could hear shuffling sounds. "Come in."

I twisted the handle and let myself in. A red head was seated opposite his desk and he had both elbows plastered on the table with a file held upside down in his hands. His glasses were beside his apple PC and there were books neatly stacked on his light brown desk.

"Okay," he cleared his throat and placed the file down. "I'll go over your file one more time and discuss with my personal assistant."

"Okay, I hope to hear from you soon." She got up and I was intrigued by the way her gown was a bit loose on her body, making her butt to jiggle like there was no underwear holding her butt cheeks together.

She turned and I noticed how Mitch's eyes followed her butt–I could have sworn I saw him drooling. What an asshole!

She had a fat nose that was seated above Angelina Jolie's kind of lips. Her lashes were long and extra fake it felt like it was going to poke me in the eye. I suppressed a shudder and stepped away from the door so she could leave.

"The new applicant..." I proceeded to drop his coffee on the table the moment she left. "...Or your new bed warmer?"

"Got no bed warmer, unless you want to be mine." He winked and I rolled my eyes at his stupid lies. "Nah, I'm just over here, going through her resume." He picked the file up and put on a serious face.

"Reading her resume upside down?" I folded my arms. "And without your glasses?"

He didn't get to answer my questions because his phone rang. Mitch strolled to the window and took the call.

"I'm fine, mom." He rushed his words like he was eager to hang up. "I have an interview to get back to, love you."

My eyes lowered and I noticed his zipper was down. Yeah, he was reading her resume with his boner in her mouth.

I took a seat and waited for him to hang up.

"Interview with your zipper down. Wow!" I clapped my hands and he threw stare daggers at me.

"Can you shut your ungrateful face hole up?" He snapped and I pulled myself together. "Go get the things we need for the meeting. If it's one thing I hate, it's disrespect."

"I'm sorry, sir." I got to my feet and lowered my gaze, scolding myself in my head.

He zipped his black pants up and adjusted the black tie on his white shirt, ushering me out of his office with a wave of his hand.

*************

We got into the spacious meeting room and took our various seats. The people were dressed in black and white, looking all serious like they'd punch anyone that got in their way.

The lights were out and the projector was turned on, facing the white board on the wall.

"Welcome to the..." His voice became distant in my head and I thought about Eddie.

My only crime was taking a leap into that toxic relationship without thinking. At first, he was nice and loving–then he turned into a weed smoking devil. I needed to get him out of my system.

"Yes, miss." I heard the voice and saw the fat finger of a man that reminded me of a loaf of bread pointing at me.

"Me?" I asked and figured my hand was up. Wait, when did I raise my hand up?

"Yes, you." He gestured for me to join him in front. "What's your take on this?"

He pointed at a writing on the board that gave me a serious headache from trying to read it.

I shakily got off my seat and felt cold sweat run down my back. Glancing sideways, Mitch smirked at me and mouthed go on.

"Okay, uhm this," I started, pausing to gulp down a big ball of saliva. "According to the casting votes we did last week, we agreed to recruit new ADHOCS and I'm in support of it. After two weeks of training, it'll begin and finish faster. Only thing is we'd have to give the bigger tasks to the old ADHOCS because they are more experienced."

My lips trembled and I wasn't sure I was making any sense because of the eyes that scowled at me. Mitch threw his head back and a mocking laughter flew out of his mouth.

All heads turned to view his face–he cleared his throat and adjusted on his seat.

"She's correct and makes a good point with the little she said." The fat man put Mitch to shame and I bit down a smile.

"She is?" Mitch frowned.

The marker the fat man was using fell out of his hands and I decided to do a good deed by picking it up. The moment I bent to pick it up, the sound of my trouser ripping apart filled the room and my eyes widened.

Gasps escaped from the room because my butt was facing the people seated.