Chapter 8: You're Fired!

I quickly stood up as the coffee began to drip on my dress.

Mr. James continued to scold me. “What will you do with these documents? These have been signed by most of the bosses. But now you splattered them with coffee. I couldn’t believe that they hired a clumsy Secretary like you."

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. James, but it was you who spilled the coffee on my desk." I couldn't afford to stay silent. I knew what I saw.

"What, Ms. Simons? Did I hear it right? You're blaming me? If you didn't drink coffee, it would not happen!” He shouted.

I was not able to refute. He had a point. If I didn't bring coffee to my desk, it would not happen. I looked down in shame.

"Hmph! Now you're not able to speak. Where's your courage earlier? How dare you pass the blame on me. If I don't know, you would not be able to work here if you don’t have a backer. Reprint these documents and route them to all the signatories. I want you to finish it by tomorrow morning. If not, prepare yourself!" Mr. James commanded fiercely.

Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat as a very familiar deep cold voice filled my ears. "Prepare herself?"

Oh, Lord. What was he doing here? Why now? I slowly turned my head, wishing that it was not him.

As I saw Alfred, I was a little shocked. I almost didn't recognize him as he looked different wearing a British Style Suit. His aura was like one of the top officers of this company. His face was dim as he approached us with Mr. Scott. However, I didn't have the time to wonder and ask him now. I was in trouble. How I wish he could still help me this time.

"What's the fuss about?” I heard Mr. Scott ask.

“Mr. Scott, Ms. Simons spilled the coffee on these important documents.” Mr. James reported eagerly.

Then, Mr. Scott turned to me. “Is that what really happened?” He asked.

However, I could not speak. What would I say? It’s my fault whether the spilling of my coffee was intentional or not. I just bowed my head down as I could not look at Mr. Scott. I was afraid as well to see Alfred's reaction.

"Yes, Mr. Scott. I believe Ms. Simons is not qualified to be your Secretary. I will ask HR to find her replacement as soon as possible." Mr. James suggested. I could feel the contempt in his tone.

"Replacement?" Alfred asked bitterly. I was surprised that he butted in. I slyly glanced at him and saw his knitted brows and clenched jaw. Although I know that he would react since he was the one who recommended me to get the job. 

"Ehem... Are you saying that I hired the wrong person?" Mr. Scott questioned firmly.

"I-It's not what I mean, Sir." Mr. James answered tensely.

I was silent the whole time. I was nervous. I was afraid to lose my job. Thus, I felt disheartened when Mr. James said that I was not qualified for the job. I was ashamed as well because Alfred heard those negative things about me.

"You're fired." Mr. Scott declared.

My tears burned my eyes. I heard what I feared to hear. I lost my job again.

"That's what you get for being careless." I heard Mr. James mocked me.

"You're fired, Mr. James." Mr. Scott repeated.

My eyes widened. I suddenly looked at Mr. Scott. Did I hear it right? I was not the one who got fired. Then, I glanced at Mr. James and saw the shock on his face.

"Mr. Scott, I think you mentioned the wrong name." Mr. James didn't believe it, neither did I. Perhaps, Mr. Scott mistakenly announced the name of Mr. James.

"Are you saying again that I was wrong?" Mr. Scott asked grimly. It was my first time to see him mad. I thought he didn't know how to get angry.

"N-No, Sir. But why did you fire me instead of Ms. Simons? She's the one who ruined these important documents."

"We are not tolerating rude behavior in this company. Yes, those documents are important, but our people are more important." Mr. Scott stated. Then, he exclaimed. "Now, get out of my office!"

Mr. James hesitantly walked away. I could feel that he couldn't accept how things transpired. However, he couldn't do anything. It was the order from the Vice President.

Then, Mr. Scott turned to me again. "Ms. Simons, you probably heard the rumor about you circulating in the company. Thus, we arrived at a resolution to clear things out. We found out that it came from Mr. James. In short, whether the earlier incident happened or not, he would be fired. So, don't worry. It's not your fault."

"Thank you, Mr. Scott." I couldn't utter any other word except thank you. I was grateful that I was not fired. Then, I gazed at Alfred, whose face still looked dark.

"By the way, you can go home now. Your husband asked for permission if he could take you home early today. That's why he's here with me." Mr. Scott explained. Now, I understood why Alfred came here.

"A-Alright, Mr. Scott."

"Thank you, Mr. Scott, for defending my wife," Alfred said to Mr. Scott.

"My pleasure." Mr. Scott replied.

The way they talk to each other, I wondered if they were also friends.

Eventually, Alfred and I left the office.

On the way, there was an ear-piercing silence. I wanted to tell Alfred what really happened. However, I didn't know how to start. Besides, it seemed that he was not in a good mood. Was he mad at me because of the trouble I was involved in?

"Where are we going?" I asked when I noticed that it was not the way to his condo.

"It's a surprise," Alfred replied with an enigmatic smile. Finally, he smiled again. I thought he was mad at me.

"Surprise? Why? It's not my birthday." I asked curiously.

"Well, I realized that since we got married, I didn't take you out on a date."

"Date? Do we still need that?" I chuckled.

"Of course. Let's start dating to get to know more about each other." He uttered as he glimpsed at me.

"Isn't it too late for that? We're married already."

"I disagree. Haven't you heard the quote by Mitch Albom? There is no such thing as too late in life."

"Oh, I just heard it now." I was amazed. I didn't expect that a man like him would believe in quotes.

"Now, you know." He grinned.

Then, we became silent again. After a while, I took the courage to bring up the incident earlier.

I turned to him as I wanted to see his reaction. "Alfred, about the trouble earlier."

He threw a quick look at me. "Don't think about it. I know it's not your fault." 

"But--"

"No buts. Forget about it, okay?" He said firmly.

I was not able to respond as he dismissed the topic already.

After an hour, we arrived in a closed amusement park. I was pondering what we were doing here as it was closed to the public during weekdays. However, I was surprised when the guard opened the gate, and we're able to go inside.

I wondered. "Are they open today?" 

"Nope,"

"Then, what are we doing here?"

"You'll know when we get there." He mumbled as he parked the car near the carousel.