Chapter 6

Trina didn't know yet if she would walk to Darren's office. She could feel the difference in his voice earlier and she knew he was really angry. She just closed her eyes. She slowly headed to Darren's office. It was like she couldn't feel her grip on the doorknob yet because of the nervousness she felt. Her head was bowed when she entered. Darren's back was turned to her.

There was silence in that room for a few minutes before Darren confronted her.

"You said you will pass it on to me now. What happened, Trina?" he asked incredulously. Trina was startled so much that she even closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that would happen."

"There are only three days left from the day I gave you the grace period. This show is important. If you can't appreciate your work, just lock yourself in your room!”

"I did not mean it! I went to the chairman's office because he called me. It was fine when I left it but that's how it ended when I went back. I don't know what happened."

“Because you are not careful! You never know when disaster will strike. Not because you're my wife, you have my last name, or your company is a partner of our company, I will accept this mistake of yours! Remember, you are still an employee in my company.” Darren's veins almost popped out of his neck with so much anger. He ruffled his hair in frustration. Trina remained still with her head bowed down and bit her bottom lip to stop the tears that were coming to her eyes. In her entire life, this was the first time she had experienced being yelled at by someone.

"I'll just do it again," she said. Darren laughed because if she did it again, they would run out of time. He couldn't believe this was going to happen. It was better not to entrust her with the designs.

“Do you think you can handle it? What do you think of yourself, Trina? Are you The Flash?” Trina wanted to answer Darren because he was the only one in a hurry. He also put too much pressure on his employees. She knew that the upcoming show was important to the company, but she just hoped that it wouldn't be like this where there was no time. "If you had only kept your designs, this would not have happened. Now, what are you going to explain to the boards? I'm sorry because I spilled ink, is that so?"

"I didn't put ink on it. I don't know what happened."

“It's still your fault! Who owns the designs, Trina? Isn't it you? Who do you blame for what happened? Your companions? Co-workers? You have no one to blame but yourself. You don't need to explain everything because you already ruined it. You've ruined it. I shouldn't have trusted you with that design," Darren growled in anger. He sat down in his swivel chair and still couldn't believe it was happening. They were running out of time. He looked at Trina who was still bowing. Even though he yelled at her, he didn't feel any remorse. Because who was she to pity? For Darren, there was nothing special about her. Trina was still his employee. “Leave. I don't want to see your face until you show me the designs this week,” Darren said firmly. Trina went out and her tears kept falling. Darren just ran his hand through his hair. Every hour was important to him. He didn't want his employees to slow him down and Trina was no different because she was only his wife on paper.

"What did he say? Did he scold you?” Angel asked worriedly but Trina just went past her. She quickly left their department and then went to the rooftop. There she shed all her tears.

"He acts all mighty. I know he's the boss but I think he's overdoing it! Can't he understand that I didn't mean it? I don't know what happened! He's good at getting angry but he's always in a hurry. What if I ask him to do all those drawings himself? Then, when the artwork is done, he'll still be in a hurry! You have no heart. You don't know how to appreciate your employees. I think it's even better that I didn't marry you. It's even better if Daddy just rejected me because I'm used to hardship. I'm done with my studies and I can support myself. Darren Dela Vegas, you thick-faced man! You have no mercy," she shouted on the rooftop. Her tears continued to flow because his words were too painful. All his words pierced through her heart. They were right. He doesn't pick whom to give a hard time.

Trina didn't know how the ink was spilled because it was impossible. It just depended on if someone came to her cubicle and deliberately threw the ink on her works. But who would it be? Who would go to her cubicle to do that? It was impossible for her co-workers as they were busy with their jobs.

Trina just closed her eyes. She loved what she was doing but she didn't think this would happen to her. To be reprimanded for doing something she didn't mean to do. She stayed for a few minutes on the rooftop and just stopped the tears from running down her cheeks and then she thought of going down. But she didn't go straight to their department.

She made her way to the CCTV room to find out who sabotaged her.

"Excuse me." She grabbed the attention of the employees who were stationed there. "Can I see your CCTV outside Sir Darren's office?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but it's not that easy for us to provide footage unless you have the permission of the higher-ups." Trina took her cell phone and dialed the chairman's number. She didn't want to call Darren because she knew that would only make him angry.

"Hello, Dear. You called. You can just come to my office if you need anything," the chairman said on the other side of the line. The people working there looked at each other because it was as if they were hearing a different chairman.

"I'm sorry, Chairman. But I need something in the CCTV room. They don't want to show it to me unless I have permission from you."

"Give it to Greg." When he changed his tone, they were alerted.

"Yes, Chairman," answered the guy called Greg.

"Give her what she needs right now if you don't want to be fired."

"Yes, Chairman. Right away. Let's go inside, Ma'am," he said.

"Thank you, Chairman. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"No worries, Dear," he said then hung up. They let Trina in and showed the CCTV shot of where she was standing but she just frowned as it looked like someone had cut the video.

"Why is it cut?" Trina asked, frowning because all she saw was Darren going to her. They tried to back it up but it was really broken.

"Johnlee," Greg called when he saw his colleague who had just entered the room.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why is the CCTV footage cut outside Sir Darren's office?" Frowning at this question, Johnlee faced them.

"Did you forget we fixed the CCTV? We first turned off the all CCTV that we fixed, including the ones outside Sir Darren's office. That was why it was cut off. We fixed a lot of floors. Why?" he asked. Trina just closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Why did it have to happen now that she needed to see something?

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. It looks like you won't be able to see what you want to see. What do you want to know?"

"Nothing. Thanks," Trina said with a smile before leaving the room. Her shoulders were slumped when she walked back to their department. That was her only hope to prove that she was not careless. She felt that someone deliberately spilled the ink on her work. She just let it go and then focused her attention on drawing a new one. She would finish it even though she knew there wasn't enough time.

When it was time for them to go home, she went home first even though Darren hadn't come out yet. When she got home, she ate first and then went to her room to do her designs again. She poured her time into the drawing. Maybe it would take three days if she insisted.

She was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't notice the time. She was surprised to see that it was four in the morning. She could only sleep for one more hour so she left what she was doing and went to bed then set the alarm for five because she might not wake up.

She quickly got up from her bed and took a shower even though she was still very sleepy. She needed to chase the time. Only two days left to finish everything and pass it on to Darren. Like before, he didn't wait for her and went to the office first. She was still alone in their department but she had already started her work. As a matter of fact, she could do it at their house but Darren still preferred to work at the company so she couldn't do anything.

"You're too serious about what you're doing. Aren't you going to eat yet? It's already two o'clock," Angel said. She didn't bother her earlier because Trina told her not to but Angel couldn't bear it anymore because of the time. Trina looked at her watch and it was two o'clock. She didn't feel hungry earlier because she was having fun but now that she remembered, she felt hungry.

"I just need to finish this. Thank you. I'll eat first," she said and then went out to the cafeteria. She ate quickly. As long as she had eaten, it was what mattered. Angel even turned to Trina's place when she saw that she was there immediately.

"Are you done now? Are you sure you ate?” she asked. Trina just nodded at her and then turned her attention back to what she was doing. Angel just shook her head and let it go.

It was seven o'clock but she still hadn't come home. Darren also kept looking down because he had just returned home. He knew she would follow soon but an hour later, still nothing.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. Are you working overtime?" The patrolling guard caught her attention. Trina looked inside and she was the only one left.

"I'm on my way home," she answered. She just looked at a sticky note.

[I'll go home first. Rest too because you might get sick because of what you're doing. Sir can't do anything if you can't really give that. Good luck!]

She read Angel's letter. She arranged all her things in the cubicle then took the bag and went downstairs. She was the only one left in the company other than the guards.

Darren opened his bedroom door again.

"Is she still not home?" he asked their maid downstairs.

"Ma'am has arrived but she only took a sandwich to eat then she went straight to her room," she replied. Darren just nodded and then turned to Trina's room. He went in and laid down while Trina was still busy drawing. She only needed a few more designs.

She was so sleepy that she couldn't stop it and fell asleep on her table. She just woke up to the sound of the alarm. Her spirit seemed to wake up when she realized that she had fallen asleep doing what she was doing. She would pass it on tomorrow but it was still not done. She quickly dressed up and didn't even eat so she could go back to the company. She was still sweating when she sat because of the running she did.

She started her work again. She just felt dizzy when she was hungry so she went downstairs to have a snack. She would eat lunch later. She didn't even go to Darren's office to eat. She just didn't want to be with that awful man. She couldn't stomach it.

She was out of time that she didn't sleep all night to finish it, so she didn't realize the time. She just smiled when she finished all her designs like those that were spilled with ink. She took a quick shower and entered the company, carrying all her designs. She just held her head when she felt dizzy. She entered Darren's office and found him focused on his laptop.

"These are the designs. Just see if that's okay," she said. She gave it to Darren and he looked at it. He couldn't say anything because everything was okay and she reached the deadline given to her.

"These are okay," he said blankly. He looked at Trina and noticed her dizziness. He ignored that and put down Trina's designs. Trina could already feel her dizziness. She only ate a sandwich this morning. "You may leave now," Darren ordered. Trina left and then sat in her cubicle. She just breathed a sigh of relief because she was done.

She was so sleepy that she didn't realize that she had fallen asleep in her chair.

Darren came out of his office when he saw that Trina had fallen asleep and other employees were looking at her so he approached her. He dropped the folder he was carrying which woke Trina up.

"What do you think of my company, Trina? A room for you to sleep in? Your colleagues are working and you're just sleeping here?!” he shouted at his wife again. Trina straightened up in her seat and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't mean it."

"If you want to last in your job, fix yourself. Do not sleep in my company during working hours.” Trina nodded her head at his firm words. She didn't want to fight Darren because she didn't know what would happen if he got angry. Maybe he annoyed her sometimes, but when it came to business, he seemed to become a devil and heartless. He doesn't recognize anyone.