One

Subtitle: My Contract Marriage 

Written by: Marvy Hyacinth

"Jace, you should stop running around!" Alexa shouted for the second time.

It was 11 a.m. and after eating breakfast, the 10-year-old, Jace could not stop running around the house.

"Jace, stop running, it's not good for your health," Alexa said, more like whispered. 

She was out of breath, mainly because she had been chasing after her kid bro. She bent over a little and placed her hands on her knees and rested a while. 

For a 10-year-old boy, he was sure agile and fast.

"Jace, please I'm begging you, stop running" She pleaded one last time. 

"I'm late for my afternoon shift" 

Alexa replied breathlessly.

"But it's only 3 minutes after 12" 

Jace said.

"Yes...I didn't know we had spent so much time chasing after you" Alexa replied.

"But you're only 3 mins late. Mr. Judy won't be angry, right?" Jace asked worriedly.

Alexa looked at him and smiled. 

What does he know? Her boss was one mean human, if not the meanest. He was always in a grumpy mood. 

Alexa sighed and moved towards the rusted iron rail where their scarves and Jackets were hanged on. She quickly grabbed one of each, kissed Jace's forehead, and hurried out of the house.

"Be good Jace!" 

She shouted and closed the door.

"She never says a proper goodbye" 

Jace sighed and went to lock the door.

Alexa slowed down on getting to her workplace, a restaurant. She looked up and smiled as she read the name of the restaurant "En Lunch". She had always wondered why Judy gave it a French name when he was a purely American breed. 

Well, it wasn't her business. She tightened her scarf, straightened her rough gown, took a deep breath to calm her nerves down, and went in...getting ready for whatever fire Judy was gonna spit.

She walked in and sighed in relief when all she could see after glancing through the restaurant was a few customers at their tables. She walked straight ahead, to the counter and greeted the receptionist.

" Hey Tina"

"Alexa! Good afternoon." 

Tina greeted back warmly, a smile plastered on her face. 

This was the only thing in En Lunch that awed Alexa. She could not understand the reason why Tina Michaels always smiled! It was like she had no problems at all.

"Good morning to you too, Tina" 

Alexa smiled back. 

"Judy...?"

"Oh, Judy?" 

Tina repeated and chuckled a little. 

"You're afraid of being caught? Don't worry, he's in his office with one of his whores" 

Tina said, lol, more like whispered and Alexa giggled.

It was a known fact within the restaurant that Judy Brown liked whoring around, but as much as he liked girls, he never harassed any of his workers. He put distance between them and kept the relationship work-related. That earned him a huge chunk of respect from his workers.

Alexa breathed a sigh of relief and went to the kitchen to drop her bag. As she made to step out, she jumped in fright. It was Judy...standing at the doorway, with a mean look smeared on his face.

"Are you just coming in...Alexa?" 

Judy scrunched his eyebrow.

"Ugh...yes"

"By 12.13 pm huh?" 

Judy asked.

"I'm so sorry. I was so caught up in taking care of my brother, I didn't notice the time passing" 

Alexa apologized and bit her lower lip with her head bowed slightly.

"And that's my business how? your brother? He isn't and will never be the only one with heart disease."

Tears clouded Alexa's eyes. She knew he was damn right, but it hurt her so bad.

"But..." 

Alexa tried to explain and worked furiously on not letting even a drop escape from any eyeball of hers. 

"But what?" 

Judy interrupted. 

"Alexa, just stop all these actions of yours. I know your type already. You fucking want to reap when you've not sown, but young lady, listen up. Make sure you don't leave here till 4.30 pm. That's the extra 30 mins you've wasted already." 

Judy commanded and then stepped out.

Alexa felt the tears threatening to pour out, she couldn't hold it anymore. She ran to the toilet and cried to her heart's content.            

       ... a few minutes later...

Alexa took over from Samantha, a co-worker and while the former headed for home, she started her shift.

She wore an apron and started waiting on customers. It was almost 4:30, just 5 mins more and she'd go home.

"Hey!"

"Hey... Waitress!" Someone called.

God! She had fallen into thinking about random stuff... yet again. She quickly walked over to the customer calling her. 

As soon as she got to his table, he shouted and asked why she had not answered him earlier. She apologized softly, but the guy didn't wanna take any of it.

"Why would you daydream while working? Is that how professional you are?" The guy asked with his hands crossed over his chest.

This guy looked cute, God! What was she saying? He was damn handsome, and fucking stank of money, but boy was he damn jerky.

"If I remember clearly, I already apologized. Isn't that enough?" Alexa rolled her eyes at him.

"Apologize huh? That doesn't satiate the fact that you kept me in this horrible place for 2 mins more" The idiot said rudely.

Yeah, she wondered.

What was a guy whose money stank on doing in Crevalle... The most horrible place she's been to. Well, she lived there too, so duh!

"Yeah dummy, since you so fucking wanna leave here fast, why'd you come here in the first place... Rich prince?" She rudely answered and rolled her eyes at him.

"What? Rich prince?" The idiot repeated and laughed, but as loud as the laugh was, it ended quickly too. 

"And wait, did you just roll your eyes at me?"

"Yes! Yes, I did. Wanna roll yours back at me?" Alexa challenged and flipped her hair backward.

"Do you know who I am?" The idiot asked and scrunched his eyebrow.

"No I don't, and I don't care" Alexa replied.

"Well bitch, I'm ..."

"Hey! Did you just call me a bitch?" Alexa interrupted.

"Well, yeah. What are you gonna do bout it?" The guy challenged and leaned back in his chair with his hands at the back of his head, and legs crossed.

Alexa launched forward and took his Jacket collar in her hands roughly and tried to choke him.

He scoffed and said, "with those malnourished fingers, you sure you wanna do that?" He smirked.

"Of course, I will" Alexa gritted and bent towards him so she could hold his collar more tightly, but he pulled himself down his chair, making Alexa lose balance, and her cold nose touched his cheek with her lip only inches away from his.

He could swear at that moment that he felt electricity rush through him. 

"Ugh... Sorry bout that" 

Alexa apologized and let go of him.

"You know, for a waitress, you're sure rude"

"See who's talking about being rude" 

Alexa snorted.

"We're different. We're not in the same class young lady."

"Whatever." 

Alexa hissed and started walking away.

"Hey! You haven't taken my order yet."

"Well, it's 4:34 pm already, my shift ended 4 mins ago. Call another waitress, Rich prince or should I say... Idiot?" 

Alexa blurted and walked to the kitchen to get her bag.

At that moment, Judy came out of the office and walked towards the "Idiot" immediately he spotted him.

"Mr. Green, it's a pleasure to see you here" 

Mr. Judy said with an excited tone in his voice. The surprise lingering over it could not go unnoticed too.

"Do I know you?" 

He asked in a bored tone.

"No, No. I'm just the owner of this restaurant." 

Mr. Judy replied.

"But you know me?"

"Of course... Who wouldn't?" 

Mr. Judy replied thinking something must be wrong with the young man's head.

"One of the mutts you hired here" 

The obnoxious human thinned his lip in frustrated anger.

"And... Who'd that be?" 

Mr. Judy asked and like De Ja Vu, Alexa walked up to him.

"Judy, I'm taking my leave now. My shift's over" 

Alexa announced.

"This is the mutt I was talking about" 

the idiot, Mr. Green smirked.

"She?" 

Judy asked not surprised. Alexa was one hell of a local human, so he had a hunch all the while that she was the "mutt" Mr. Green was talking about.

"Yes! She"

"And what did this "she" who's me do?" 

Alexa asked.

"You refused to take my order!" 

Mr. Green complained.

"Did you seriously do that?" 

Judy asked.

"Well, obviously yes. My shift's ended, so I told him to call another waitress." 

Alexa replied.

"Do you know who this is? 

Judy asked Alexa.

"Now, this sounds way familiar, I've heard this somewhere. Oh yeah, the rich idiot already asked me that. Guess what I said? I said NO! " 

Alexa smiled.

"Alexa!" 

Judy gritted. It was so obvious he wanted to deal with her with words, but he was holding himself back because of the person seated in front of him.

He turned to face Mr. Green.

"I'm so sorry, she'll be taking your orders now" 

Judy said and forced a smile.

"What? No! I'm not taking his damn order. My shift's over and I'm heading back home." 

Alexa protested.

"Alexa, take the order."

No way am I gonna do that"

"Alexa, fucking take the order!"