Resignation Letter

RANLEIGH

I sighed for the fourth time while staring at my computer. I haven’t done anything yet and I am still stuck with the planning. For fuck’s sake! I am so distracted about what happened the day before yesterday and it kept on bugging my mind.

The fuckard just kept on bugging my mind and it’s affecting my work. Damn! This isn’t me and him having this effect on me is disturbing enough. Seriously, this has to stop.

I got my phone out of my sling bag and stared at his calling card which I almost threw earlier. I had to get him out of my mind.

Maybe texting him will help?

I laughed. Crazy. Of course it won’t help, dumb idiot.

I groaned and pushed my phone and the calling card on my table far enough for me not to reach it.

I was playing with a pen in my hand while looking outside the window, trying to remember when was the last time I relaxed like this. I had been working my butt off after hearing about granpa’s debt. Seriously, it was dumb of me to join an org in the underworld, risking my life just to pay the damn fucking debt with my hard-earned pennies, believing that I could pay it all. But all of it went in vain when Bryce offered me a contract to act as his bride-to-be and my father begged me to do it.

In the end, I didn’t have a choice but to accept the offer, did I?

I stared at the check that Bryce gave me and sighed again. That man gave me back all the money I earned and paid to them for the past few months. I managed to pay them fifty thousand dollars and my bank account has forty-five thousand dollars in it.

Only five thousand dollars and our debt would be paid—at least, that was what I thought. I should have expected that Bryce was just jesting when he told me that our debt was just one hundred thousand dollars.

“A penny for a thought?”

I looked at the man who was leaning his back against the wall in front. It was Gabriel Inglesias, my current boss and my childhood friend who helped me find a job when I needed some money to pay my grandfather's loan. I raised my brows.

“My thoughts would cost you a thousand dollars, Mr. Inglesias,” I declared.

Gabriel chuckled, making his dimples become more visible. He’s really damn attractive I tell you. “I have billions in my account. Spill it.”

I combed my hair through my fingers and sighed. “So, this is the tea.” I gritted my teeth. Just thinking about it was making me damn angry to the core. “Yesterday, the loan sharks came to our house and gave my father a good beating. Then all of a sudden I became a chaebol’s fiancee and now he was telling me to quit my job!” I chuckled angrily. “Can you believe that? That unreasonable fucker wants me to quit!”

“Wait… what?!”

I snorted. “Right? He said that if I don’t quit this job…”

Gabriel grabbed my shoulders and shook them. “Did you just say that you are someone's fiancée?” he asked.

“Yeah? What about it?” I asked confusedly. What’s up with this man?

“You are some motherfucker’s fiancée?!”

“Yeah…? Wait, are you cursing me?”

Gabriel took a deep breath. His jaw was clenched as if he was gritting his teeth. “The last time I checked, you were single, Leigh. How could you be someone’s fiancée in that short period of time? Is there someone who would be able to stand your attitude aside from me?”

I clenched my fist and pierced my pen on my table. Gabriel flinched in surprise. “Did you just call me awful?!” I asked.

“No—”

“Then why would you ask such a question? Why wouldn’t they be able to stand me?” I consequently asked.

Gabriel sighed. “That’s not what I meant to say, Leigh. I’m sorry.”

I shook my head and started analyzing the market again from where I left it at. I know he’s my boss, alright? But what he just said is terrible. That’s why I’m doing my best not to snap out of it. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

Gab cleared his throat. “Anyway, who’s the lucky man?”

I cackled. Lucky man? Bryce is just awful and I became his fiancée solely based on our contract agreement. Our agreement was awful enough that I think it’ll make me throw up. And I am really unlucky to have Bryce as my fiancé. To have a heartless and indifferent man as my fiancé is just terrible.

The Vergaras didn’t even tell me why I had to act as Bryce’s loving lover or what they had to use me to push Bryce’s ex away when they could just force the ex to never approach Bryce ever again. I was clueless why they would resort to an agreement. They have everything and based on their past attitude, they would prefer to resort to violence in other cases. So, what made it different this time?

Does Bryce still love his ex but is still in denial so he resorted to having some random girl act as his bride-to-be? It wasn't impossible.

I was about to answer Gabriel’s question when Gabriel’s secretary knocked on the wall to get our attention.

“Sir Gab, someone is waiting for you in the lounge area,” the secretary said.

Gabriel nodded. “Who is it?”

“Your grandfather, sir.”

Gabriel cleared his throat while his brows puckered and his aura became grim.

I felt it. This man's sudden change of mood. I bit my lips and awkwardly asked, “Is that the grandfather you were talking about? The one who abandoned you?”

“Yeah.”

Fuck! Why did I even ask him that?! I laughed awkwardly and immediately shut my brows. “Y-You don’t have to force yourself to see him, Gab. Prioritize what you think would be the best for you.”

Gab just shook his head. “I should still be thankful that he still came to find me, right?” He sighed and forced a smile. “Anyway, I should go.”

I nodded my head. There’s no doubt that Gabriel Inglesias, my best friend, is a good man. There were rumors that Gab is part of the mafia but I just couldn’t bring myself to believe it. He might be a tyrant when it comes to business but he is a good man. I am sure about it as I grew up with Gabriel, of course. And I’ve never seen him hurt anyone. He couldn’t even hold a gun properly, might as well be part of a group who kills for money, right? How could a young innocent boy be part of the underground he detests?

After Gabriel left, I felt her phone vibrate. I immediately opened the message that popped on my phone’s screen.

[Have you already passed your resignation letter to your boss? Or have you forgotten about the deal we made?]

This bastard of a man!

I stabbed my table again using my pen. I wanted to scream and ruin everything on my table because of Bryce who was forcing me to resign from my job. Bryce said that I didn’t need my job anymore because I am his fiancée — that he could give me everything I needed and that didn’t stand well with me. Fuck him and his money! I could feed myself and my family without his fucking help! But I couldn’t do anything about Bryce’s twisted mindset so I had to stomp on my pride and follow Bryce’s unreasonable demands.

I started packing my things on my desk. When done, I gave my resignation letter to Gabriel’s secretary and took my way to the ground floor at the parking lot. Without looking back, I got inside the car that Bryce sent to pick me up.

“Where’s your boss?” I asked.

The driver looked at me through the rear mirror and handed me a pair of gloves. “Please wear this, my lady,” he stated. I got the gloves from his hand. “The boss is waiting at the mansion.”

I sighed before wearing the gloves. I looked outside the window. Everything was just a mess. Everything about my life became a mess after I met Bryce Vergara.

I don’t know whose fault it is. I couldn’t entirely blame Bryce for everything as he was just doing what should be done. My grandfather was just too broken because of my grandmother and resorted to his addiction to forget. My grandmother left because of her parents.

I don’t know who I should blame for ruining my life. That’s why I couldn’t let go of all of my frustrations. I don’t know who to blame with all of this hardships.

The driver cleared his throat before looking at me again through the rear mirror. “A piece of friendly advice, please don’t fall in love with my boss, my Lady.”

I just chuckled. I won’t and never will. How could I fall in love with someone like Bryce anyway? Firstly, Bryce is awful. Second, Bryce hurt my father which I hated the most. Third, although Bryce is drop-dead gorgeous with those ocean-blue eyes and pointed nose, he is just another awful man whom I met.

I’ve met many terrible men and Bryce is one of those.

I looked at the driver and chuckled. “Don't worry. I will never fall in love with him, Sir. Mr. Vergara isn’t my type…” I paused and imagined marrying Bryce. Just thinking about it made me feel gross. “Never.”

“That’s too early to say but we will hold on to what you said until the end of the contract with my boss,” the driver said. “The boss chose you not because you are from a decent family for we all knew, you are not. We choose you because you are convenient which we could just toss away easily as you have neither power nor family to back you up. Do this for your sake: avoid falling in love with my boss. Don’t ever get pregnant with my boss’ child, or you might find yourself running for your damn life.”

I mentally laugh at him. I didn’t expect to hear such crude words from one of Bryce’s men. I knew he was saying those things as a warning — a threat and falling in love with Bryce would wreck me. But whose command was it to tell me those things? Though that only made me hate Bryce even more. If Bryce had just included it in our agreement, I wouldn’t be more irritated than I already am. But he just had to tell me those words through one of his dogs.

I gritted her teeth and clenched my fist. In the end, I sighed in defeat and looked outside the window.

There’s no way that we would get along. I couldn’t even imagine myself encircling my hand around Bryce’s arms when acting lovey-dovey toward Bryce. Hell! I’m not even used to being clingy with someone I know and now, I am supposed to act sweet with a stranger.

The car stopped in front of a large gold gate. There were letters engraved on it. It was painted with a silver color, reflecting the sunlight from what seemed like diamonds.

Hacienda de Vergara.

“We’re here, my lady. Please fix yourself to be at least presentable in front of my boss. Boss is waiting inside.”

His tone made me annoyed for some reason. The driver sounds like he was telling me to make myself presentable because I looked awful. It got me more irritated. He looked more awful than I am. I clenched my hand into a fist. Just how disrespectful Bryce’s men could be?

“I looked okay compared to you, Sir,” I declared.

The driver chuckled. “If I were my boss, I could have chosen someone who is more fitting to be my fiancée. Not someone who looked like a lost lamb in a wolf's lair.”

I raised her brows and laughed sarcastically. “It’s a pity that you’re not him, isn’t it?” I brushed her and got out of the car. After the driver followed me, I then said, “Stop acting tough when you’re just someone’s dog. I am your boss’s fiancée, am I not?” I chuckled. “Insulting me is a derogatory behavior against my fiancé’s power. Why don’t you shut up and wag your tail like you always do, doggy?”