Chapter 2: Suspension
909 Words
When the young woman heard this, she became so furious that she lost her composure and slapped the young man named Mackie across the face.
“How dare you slap me?” The young man quickly grabbed her arm, squeezing her wrist until she felt pain.
“Mr. Mackie, let go. I'm not selling myself,” the young woman tried to wriggle free from his grip, but to no avail.
Push! Thud!
“Ouch!” Feeling embarrassed in front of his friend, the young man used one hand to push the young woman to the ground.
“Hey, Mackie, take it easy on her,” Kian interrupted. Watching the situation unfold, he felt things were getting out of hand and gently tried to restrain his friend.
“Get out of here,” Mackie, still angry, immediately ordered the young woman out of the room.
Shortly after, her manager was called up for a serious talk. About thirty minutes later, her manager came down with a rather displeased look.
“I'm sorry, ma’am,” Penelope apologized to the store manager, who had been reprimanded on her behalf.
“Why did you do that?”
“But I wasn't selling myself,” Penelope replied.
“Everyone wants to get close to Mr. Mackie.”
“But I don't want to.”
“Alright, I get it now. What you did today was a huge mistake, young lady. I have to suspend you from work for a while.”
“For how long, ma’am?”
“Probably about a month, until Mr. Mackie calms down.”
“A whole month? Really?”
“Yes, you're lucky he didn't fire you—just suspended you.”
“I understand, ma’am. Thank you so much.”
When she heard that, she immediately felt sad, but she had been bracing herself for it since the incident occurred. She regretted her actions, thinking she shouldn't have done that. Where would she find good tips and a decent income now? She'd definitely be living on instant noodles for a while.
“Oh, Penelope, why did you have to play with fire?” she muttered to herself as she walked back to her dormitory.
***
Inside the VIP room of the pub…
“What are you thinking, Mackie? Normally, I don't see you paying attention to the girls in the club,” Kian asked curiously.
But Mackie remained silent and lit a cigarette to calm his inner anger.
“Cat got your tongue?” Kian asked, annoyed.
Suddenly, Mackie called in a bodyguard, ignoring Kian’s words as if they were just air.
“I need detailed information on that girl by tomorrow.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Hey, don't tell me you're interested in her.”
“She embarrassed me. I've got to teach her a lesson.”
“But she's still young, man.”
“So what if she's young? I don't care. How dare she slap me?”
Thinking about the girl's face only made him more irritated. What kind of woman would dare to slap him? Usually, women were the ones running toward him.
“Calm down a bit, will you? Have a drink. It might help you cool off.”
“I'm not in the mood anymore. I'm leaving.”
“Oh, Mackie, I've only been sitting here for less than an hour. Next time, don't even bother calling me,” Kian cursed his friend in frustration. Normally, he wasn't this hot-tempered. Why did this woman suddenly make Mackie so uncontrollably upset?
“Don't go hurting her, alright?” Kian shouted after the man who was walking out of the room.
He took a deep drag from his cigarette before tossing it to the ground and quickly drove his sports car away from the pub, heading back to his condo.
The next morning, Mackie walked into his company as usual. He was an ambitious young man who had studied abroad, inheriting a real estate legacy from his parents. His drive and modern outlook, coupled with his fearlessness toward competitors, earned him the top position in the company at a young age. This year, he achieved up to an 80% profit, drawing much attention to him. But that was just the surface. In reality, he secretly owned several casinos and pubs.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Come in.”
“Sir, I have obtained the information on the young woman from last night,” the young bodyguard said, holding a file, which he handed to Mackie before briefly explaining the details.
“She’s an orphan. Her adoptive parents found her in a trash heap and decided to take her in as their daughter. She received a scholarship for her good grades and is now in her second year at university, working and studying simultaneously. During this break, she works at a coffee shop and your pub to support herself.”
“Hmm, is there anything else?”
“Currently, her mother is in the final stages of cancer, but her family hasn't told her. Her condition is quite critical, and she’s being treated at a state hospital. It requires a significant amount of money for treatment, but her family is quite poor, sir.”
“You may leave now.”
“Yes, sir,” the bodyguard replied, bowing his head before leaving the room.
After that, Mackie immediately picked up the file to look through it.
“You won’t escape from me, Penelope.”
- Writer
