CHAPTER THREE
1616 Words
Chapter 3
I was almost on the other side when the traffic light changed.
Suddenly, I heard a horn.
I turned.
A car hit me.
I fell to the road.
For a few seconds, everything was silent.
Then I heard someone shouting.
“Miss! Are you alright?”
I slowly sat up.
The impact hadn't been strong enough to seriously injure me, but my entire body hurt.
The driver rushed toward me.
“Are you okay?” he asked with a concerned voice.
I stood up.
“I think so.” I replied
He looked nervous.
Then he pulled out a wad of cash.
“My boss said you should take this and go to the hospital.”
I stared at the money.
“Excuse me?”
“Please. Just take it.”
My anger immediately returned.
“You hit me with a car and you're giving me money?” I ask, raising my voice.
“Miss—”
“I want an apology.”
The driver sighed.
“My boss said—”
“I don't care what your boss said. I want him to come here and apologize to me himself.” I said with my hands folded on my chest.
The driver looked uncomfortable.
“He's very busy.”
“So am I!” I interrupted him.
I suddenly felt dizzy.
The driver grabbed my arm.
“Are you alright?” he asked again with concern in his voice.
“I’m fine.”
He handed me the money again.
“Please just take it.”
I looked at the money.
I needed it.
And my interview was only minutes away.
I snatched it from his hand.
“Fine.”
I turned and walked toward M&S Global.
It was only a short distance away.
The M&S Global building was impossible to miss.
It was a tall glass building with clean lines and a large silver sign at the entrance.
The lobby looked expensive without being flashy.
The floor was polished marble, and the reception desk stood directly in front of the entrance.
People in suits moved around quietly.
Everyone looked busy.
I suddenly became aware of my simple clothes.
I took a deep breath.
“You can do this, Lisa.”
I went to the reception desk.
“I'm here for an interview.”
The receptionist checked her computer.
“Name?”
“Lisa.”
She looked at the list.
“Lisa Anderson?”
“Yes.”
“Please take the elevator to the sixth floor. The HR department is there.”she informed me.
“Thank you.”
When I reached the sixth floor, several other candidates were already waiting.
The waiting lounge was quiet.
There were comfortable chairs arranged around a small glass table, and large windows overlooked the city.
I sat down and tried to relax.
One by one, candidates were called.
Finally, they call my name.
“Lisa Anderson?”
I stood up immediately.
“Yes.”
“Please come in.”
The interview went better than I expected.
I answered every question carefully.
When it was finally over, I walked out feeling slightly relieved.
A woman stood in front of the candidates.
She introduced herself as Brenda
She was an African woman in her early thirties, with dark skin, neat shoulder-length hair and a confident appearance. She wore a fitted cream blazer over black trousers and simple black heels.
“Thank you all for coming,” she said. “We will reach out by email.”
we nodded.
“Thank you.”
I left the building.
I had no reason to go home yet.
I sat on a bench and watched people walk past.
But honestly, I was only waiting for one person.
James.
I missed him.
He had been my best friend since my family moved to the city when I was eight.
We used to be neighbors until his family moved to their own house five years ago.
We had grown up together.
Somehow, neither of us had managed to find a serious relationship that worked.
So we made a ridiculous agreement.
We would date each other until one of us found true love.
And if we both reached thirty without finding it, we would simply marry each other.
It sounded crazy.
But it's not a bad idea.
I picked up my phone and called him three times and he didn't pick, 30 minutes later I called back and he picked.
“Hello, Lisa. I missed your calls?” he said over the phone.
“Yeah. I'm close to your office. I was thinking we could have lunch together.” I suggested.
“I'd love to, but you'll have to wait another thirty minutes,” he explained.
“I'm already in Hyde Park.”
“I'll meet you there.”
Thirty minutes later, James appeared.
He smiled when he saw me.
“You look exhausted.”
“I've had a terrible morning.”
He laughed.
“Come on. Let's get food before you tell me the whole story.”
We went to a nearby restaurant.
Once we sat down, I pushed the menu toward him.
“Order for me.”
“You're not even going to choose?”
“I'll eat anything.”
He shook his head.
“Fine.”
After the waiter brought our food, I finally started talking.
I told him about my father's release.
I told him about the interview.
Then I told him about the accident.
James stopped eating.
“Wait. You got hit by a car?”
“Yes.”
“And you're sitting here like nothing happened?”
“I wasn't badly hurt.”
“Did you collect compensation?”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
I pulled the money from my bag and showed him.
James stared at it.
“You actually accepted it?”he was surprised.
“He insisted.”
James shook his head.
“Good. At least you got something.” he chipped.
I smiled weakly.
“I needed the money anyway.”
He looked at me carefully.
“Lisa, what is going on with you?”
“Nothing.”
“You've been acting Off.”
I looked down at my food.
“I've just had a difficult few days.”
He reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
“You know you can tell me anything.”
I forced a smile.
“I know.”
But there was one thing I couldn't tell him.
I couldn't tell him why my father had been released.
I couldn't tell him about the bargain with Mira.
And I definitely couldn't tell him about the mysterious man I had slept with.
James changed the subject.
“If you get this job, you need proper work clothes.” he suggests.
“I know.”
“Use that money.”
“I was planning to.”
“Good. Because if you show up at a corporate office looking like this, they'll think you came to ask for money.” he said jokingly.
I laughed.
“You're so annoying.”
“I'm serious.”
He pointed at me.
“We're shopping tomorrow.”he suggests again.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes. Your job starts soon, doesn't it?”
“I don't even know if I got it yet.” I complain.
So I decided to check my email.
And there is a new email.
My heart jumped.
“It was just three hours ago.”
“What happened?”
“l had an interview with them three hours ago and now they're sending me mail, I hope it is not to tell me that I didn't qualify.”
I quickly opened it.
My eyes moved across the screen.
Then I froze.
“What happened?” James asked.
I looked at him.
“I got the job.”I shouted
His face lit up.
“You got it?”
I nodded.
“I got it!”
I screamed and jumped out of my seat.
I hugged James tightly.
He laughed and hugged me back.
I was so excited that I almost hugged the person sitting at the next table.
I stopped myself when I noticed them staring at me.
James burst out laughing.
“You've finally lost your mind.”
“I don't care!”
I looked back at my phone.
The company had attached my employment contract.
I opened it.
My mouth fell open.
The salary was already more than I had expected.
But the benefits were even better.
There were allowances, medical benefits and other perks.
Then I saw the accommodation clause.
The company would provide accommodation close to the office.
I stared at the screen.
“This can't be real.”
James leaned closer.
“What?”
“They're giving me accommodation too.”
He smiled.
“Congratulations.”
I felt tears gather in my eyes.
“This is more than I prayed for.”
James smiled.
“Then you better be ready.”he chirped
“For what?”
“Shopping.”
I laughed.
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.”.he repeated
He pointed at me.
“You're starting a corporate job. You need to look the part.”
I nodded.
For the first time in days, I felt hopeful.
Maybe things were finally getting better.
Maybe I could leave everything that happened behind me.
Maybe I could start over.
Next morning
James and I walked into the boutique together.
I was looking through a rack of office dresses when I saw someone.
My smile disappeared.
My heart stopped.
Because standing on the other side of the boutique was the last person I ever wanted to see.
And the moment our eyes met, I knew she's about to make trouble.
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