Risky Gamble With The Boss

Chapter 4 HUMILIATION UPON HUMILIATION

"You know what?" Cynthia rose from her position and walked towards him. All her anger and hatred towards him were oozing out from her as she glared at him.

"Pack your things and clear your desk, your new workplace will be at the janitor's closet and if you don't like it I suggest you quit." Cynthia said with disdain in her voice.

Arthur was short of words, he didn't know what to say and how best he could explain it was an accident, judging from both Lilith and Cynthia's expression they wanted him gone and the only reason he was still in the company was because the big boss wanted him there so they had no choice than to deal with him which wasn't easy on his part.

He swallowed and nodded meekly, it was just a matter of time before he would be able to do so and get away from them but for now, he would manage whatever they threw at him even if it means watching them humiliate him.

"Wait" Cynthia called, making Arthur halt in his tracks. Arthur turned towards her direction with a new hope blooming inside of him. He assumed she would change her mind but alas, it was only a futile hope.

"Apologize to your Miss Lilith Geisha before you leave." She said, clearly wanting to humiliate him even more than she had done earlier.

Arthur contemplated his decision. Should he allow his boss to treat him in such a way? Apologize for something he didn't do or mean to? Or should he walk away?

But, he had nowhere to go.

"Of course, ma'am" he gritted out. How he wished he could tell her what he knew about her and watch her cower in humiliation. He wished he could show the office the video of her being someone else so she could feel what her humiliation did to him but he had other plans, he wouldn't make it so easy for her. He would make sure she passed through more than he did.

"You should kneel and apologize, grovel at her feet" someone said from the crowd. And he turned to see who it was.

Joshua was a sales representative on his team. He scoffed silently, Joshua had always hated him and had always done things to make him look bad in whatever he does at work and now, he was bringing him down at all cost.

"For such disrespect, he deserves this and more," another added. Cynthia and Lilith pretended like they didn't hear the murmurings coming from the crowd. Deep down, Cynthia wished to see him more humiliated and she loved that the employees were perpetrating it without her asking.

"Make this bastard kneel and apologize!" Joshua said again and as he spoke, others joined in. Arthur knew there was no choice for him and with everyone yelling at him, he didn't want to be the cause for alarm. If he was going to leave the company, he would leave on his own accord.

"Yes, or we'll get him arrested!"

He stood still, feeling the weight of a thousand fingers pointing at him. All the insults and curses were like knives stabbing into his heart.

"Didn't you hear what everyone said? Get on your knees!" Cynthia Pierce held her head high, acting as if she was above everyone else, as if making him kneel would be a great favor. Perhaps it was.

"Just f*****g get on your knees!"

A voice came from behind him, immediately, he felt a sharp pain in his left knee which made him lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The pain from falling on his knee abruptly with so much force was so much that he gritted his teeth, but he did not cry out or yelp but instead he tried his best to endure it. He felt humiliated as everyone looked at him in disgust while he was on his knees.

He turned around, and it was none other than Joshua who had kicked him on his leg, forcing him to kneel. Before he even made eye contact with him, Joshua assaulted him with slews of insults.

"Arthur, you're such scum. The manager didn't fire you because she's kind hearted, and you still dare to hesitate to do what she asked!"

"Doing such disgusting things in front of everyone and still trying to deny it, you're such scum. Being your colleague makes me feel utterly ashamed!"

The others standing there agreed and then a few echoed "Scum, loser!"

Cynthia Pierce just folded her arms and watched him without saying a word.

Arthur wanted to retaliate, he wanted to beat up Joshua but he thought against it, that would further implicate him at the end.

"Miss Geisha, I'm really sorry for how I acted towards you, I didn't mean to do that" the words burned his tongue as he said it. Him apologizing made it seem like he had violated her on purpose when that wasn't the case but he had no other choice.

"Mrs. Pierce, I'm sorry for how badly I had behaved, it won't happen again, I promise" he muttered. He stared at his feet, his eyes shut in embarrassment at the words he uttered.

When they said nothing, He stood up quietly and began to gather his things from his desk and left for the janitor's lounge.

As he moved, everyone mocked him, and he felt so humiliated and then and there, he swore he would work so hard to never be this humiliated in his life again. No matter how long it will take to achieve such success, he will do it.

His uncle had worked so hard for him to get into the company, he couldn't just fail him... at least not now. He would make sure his uncle would be proud of him and he would make sure they would all feel his wrath.

Sexyslender would feel his wrath but for now, he would make sure he earned her trust then humiliate her like she did to him.

With that in mind, Arthur decided he was going to find out more secrets about his boss and Miss Lilith to teach them a lesson he hoped they would never forget.

"Hey, loser! Get to work!" the head of the janitors yelled at Arthur and immediately Arthur grabbed a broom and began to get busy. What he didn't understand was what gave them the right to demote him in such a way. If he had behaved unruly, shouldn't he be reported to the human resource rather Mrs. Pierce had felt it more appropriate that he be humiliated?

Arthur grabbed his utilities and went to the restroom and began to clean.

"Look at him. It's because he is so useless that's why he had accepted to do such work instead of quitting to give himself some respect" an employee who didn't bother to keep her tone down said.

Arthur ignored their murmurings, their talks wasn't going to affect him, he promised. After all, when he is done with Mrs. Pierce, she would wish she never crossed him and of course he would need them to spread the gossip.

Arthur knew his thoughts might make him sound like a mean person. His late mother had once said paying evil with evil doesn't make you the better person, but he wanted them to have a taste of their medicine and there was no stopping him.

He decided to get to work ad while he was working, his head began to play different scenarios that could implicate. Mrs. pierce at least provided some comfort while he worked.

Arthur paused as his mind drifted away. How did things escalate so quickly? One minute he was texting anonymously with Mrs. Pierce and the next he is a scapegoat and object of mockery in the office.

The only good part about the day was when he was discussing with Mrs. Pierce. She was so civil to him that he wondered what he had done to her make her hate him so much and treat him unfairly.

"You better get to work and stop fantasizing about someone else!" The voice of one of the janitors brought Arthur back to the present.

He quickly turned around and realized where he was. He had been losts in thoughts... thoughts about Mrs. Pierce.

He knew how badly they had treated him ever since he set foot into the company.

"Here" she threw the Janitor's uniform at him which almost fell to the floor but Arthur quickly caught it.

"Get to work and make sure you take out the thrash" she added and with one last glare at him, she walked away, shaking her head in pity.

Arthur returned to work, he wasn't sure how long his demotion would be... Perhaps he would call it punishment until he found out what exactly it was.

Celia who has been absent from work for days and hadn't known Arthur caught him cleaning and frowned.

"Who is he?" She questioned. Watching him, she took notice of his features, his strong jaw, his pouty lips and his eyes which tend to hold lots of emotions in them.

"Oh him. He works with Mrs. Pierce and was caught being a pervert. Mrs. Pierce wanted to teach him a lesson and brought him here," Celia's friend, Jessica replied giddily.

To Jessica, it was news like that, that gets her day moving and Arthur had just created one. Her life was no fun. She was miserable and if making someone's life that way then she would.

Arthur heard the discussion but kept his head, pretending to listen to the news spreading around would hurt him and pretending not to have heard them was the same thing. Although, Arthur wasn't sure if he could survive the day. All he knew was that he needed to do his work and cross his fingers by tomorrow, he would return back to his desk.

"Arthur! This side needs to be cleaned" another colleague called him. Arthur was a mocking stock at the office that day, even a properly cleaned place that needed no cleaning. Arthur was called to clean it up and as he did so, they made sure to mock him to his face.

Arthur took his closets and walked towards the spot the colleague had pointed.

"Make sure it is spotless. We wouldn't want you to be demoted again and to the lowest spot of all post" the colleague mocked.

"Perhaps there could be a spot for perverts too at the organization, Andy, we never know" the other added and they all burst out into laughter.

Arthur swallowed. They were all bigger than him in the company and he had only gotten in because of his uncle's influence even if he wasn't as certified as them.

Being poor wasn't a crime, he didn't choose to be that way but the way he saw it. It seems it was a sin he had committed and won't be forgiven anytime soon.

Arthur made sure he wiped the floor properly, taking his time to make it shiny and spotless despite it being clean already and when he was done, he packed his broomstick to leave but couldn't as he was held back.

"Are you done?"

Arthur at first, wondered if the question was directed to him. He glanced around and when he noticed all eyes on him then nodded silently.

"Yes" he muttered under his breath.

"I don't think so. Does this place look clean to you?" The female superior questioned and Arthur swallowed the tears that were threatening to burst out of his throat.

"Yes, ma'am, I made sure to properly clean it," he muttered.

"Well, I don't think so" she walked towards the desk, with her little finger she touched the table and pointed it at Arthur.

"Look at my finger, there is still a speck of dust around. Clean it!" She ordered.

Arthur watched her silently. They all think they had the upper hand just because he was below them in the station. He wondered how people could be so mean to treat someone in such a way.

His eyes caught Mrs. Pierce who was watching everything from the corner. She was the cause of it all. She had put meaning to something meaningless. Everything was an accident, a total misunderstanding but her hatred for him had made her spurn it into something else and he was at the receiving end of it all.

He watched all of them, his eyes moving from each of them as he stared, he wondered what secrets they all could be having, hiding deep in their closets and yet they felt the need to harass him. He wondered how humiliated they would feel if their hidden secrets came out. Maybe they would understand how he felt at that moment.

"Didn't you hear Miss Angel? What are you staring at her like that? Are you thinking of what to do to her too?" Jessica yelled, bringing Arthur's attention to reality.

Arthur closed his eyes and muttered only for his ears, "God please give me the strength"

"I did, I will get to work immediately" he said and picked up the dustpan, spray bottle and feather duster and got to work.

As he approached the desk, a colleague made sure to cross her legs properly and as he walked closer, she slightly widened her legs giving Arthur a glimpse and Arthur quickly turned his eyes.

He knew what would happen next if he wasn't careful. He would be called more names than he was called and then forced to defend himself if he was given such an opportunity. Something he knew he wouldn't be given.

"I... Um... I need to clean here" Arthur mumbled, taking his eyes away from what could cause him troubles even if the person in particular kept on flashing him, perhaps with the intention of causing more damage to his already ruined reputation.

Danielle was the fashionista of the company, during the company's Christmas holiday before the employees would leave, the company tends to award its workers and Danielle had always been awarded for the fashionista of the company.

Now, Danielle wasn't one to ignore, her light coloured and short dresses or skirts often brought attention to her even Arthur had once been taken aback by her beauty and boldness but he dared not act on it. And at that time, he didn't speak to her as he knew her type goes for men who could properly take care of them and he had nothing to offer. Hence, termed her out of his league.

"Miss Danielle, I really need you to move a little so I can get here cleaned" Arthur said and Danielle smiled seductively at him, while trying to move from his way, Danielle accidentally hit the duster which fell to the floor and Arthur bent down to pick it up but came face to face with Danielle's thigh.

Just then a series of click sounds made him realize what was happening, he quickly looked up and caught Jessica smiling at him, behind her was Joshua who was taking a series of photos.

"See!" Joshua exclaimed, pointing at Arthur and the scene.

"I told you all np amount of punishment given to him would make him change. Once a pervert, always a pervert" Joshua added sardonically.

"Look at his ugly face, didn't you see where his eyes were?" Joshua pointed his phone around, waving it and even at Arthur.

It was such good timing for Joshua that he had captured the exact moment Arthur bent to pick up the duster from the floor when his eyes had landed straight at Danielle's thighs.

The laughter and jeers from the crowd made Arthur know it was just a set up. He hadn't done anything in any way to offend Danielle, then why would she set him up.

Danielle walked towards Joshua and whispered but Arthur heard.

"Joshua, I have held my end of the bargain. Do not forget what you promised me"

Arthur shook his head, he had gotten an answer to why she had set him up. He had done nothing to those people and yet they tried their best to bring him down.

"Of course," Joshua replied. He walked towards Arthur and showed him the phone so he could have a proper view of himself.

"You see this," he touted, making sure Arthur's eyes were glued to the screen.

"I will make sure I show this to human resources and trust me, you will be out of here sooner than later. Human resources won't be nice to you like Mrs Pierce and they will make sure you never get employed anywhere. After all, no one wants a pervert working with them"

Arthur had never felt such shame, pain, anger and fear in his life and if he didn't do anything at that instance, his life would be destroyed.

"Joshua, please do not do that. Please, I would do anything" he pleaded, his tone shaky almost at the verge of tears.

"Tell me why I shouldn't report you? In less than an hour after you have been caught, you still tried the same thing with another female colleague" Joshua mocked.

"I didn't do..."

"You didn't?" Arthur paused. Perhaps he should rephrase his statement if that would mean Joshua giving up the pictures.

"I did," he silently said.

"But I will do anything you want. Just please delete the pictures" Arthur hoped that Joshua would listen to him. He hoped Joshua would have a little bit of sympathy for him, to at least not take the only thing he has.

"Anything you say?" Joshua held his chin like he was deep in thoughts. Meanwhile, he already anticipated the whole thing.

"Yes," Arthur answered in desperation. He saw the look in Joshua's eyes and knew Joshua couldn't be trusted but he was so desperate to get him to delete the pictures that he didn't care about anything else.

"Well then. I will take all your clients for a few months, hope you wouldn't mind?" Joshua asked and Arthur swallowed.

He wouldn't mind? What was Joshua saying?

Everyone at work was already calling him incompetent and giving his clients to Joshua means he would have nothing on his assessment and not to forget his recent assessment. What could he do?

"Can't you ask for something else? You know my recent assessment isn't enticing and I don't want to give the big boss more reasons to fire me" he pleaded silently but his pleas met the deaf ears of Joshua.

"Either you are in or you are out. Choose fast, I have other things to do" Joshua threatened and Arthur was forced to do something he knew he might regret later.

"Fine, I will do as you wish," Arthur said and Joshua smiled. His cheeks in a wide grin.

"Good decision my friend, good decision" he patted Arthur's shoulder then walked away, leaving a devastated Arthur behind who was left to think about his life.

Arthur watched as Joshua walked away. What had he done? How long does he have to endure the hardship and humiliation in the company?

With tears in his eyes that refused to fall, Arthur packed his equipment to clean the next place before he would throw out the trash.

"Asshole!" Someone called but Arthur ignored, walking away

"Asshole, I am talking to you" the voice taunted and Arthur, having had enough, made a quick turn and stride towards the owner of the voice.

"My name is not Asshole" he gritted through clenched teeth.

"But you answered didn't you" the personal assistant of the director replied grinning at her smart comeback.

Arthur wished he could wipe that smile off her face but he had no choice than to pretend otherwise.

"What can I do for you?" He asked quietly, trying to keep his anger out of his head.

"The director wants to see you in her office" she said and threw him a look of disgust.

At the mention of the director, Arthur's heart almost flew out of his mouth. Did Joshua report him already? Or did Danielle report him? But it wasn't his fault, if anything, he was the one who was being harassed.

"I will be there" Arthur nodded and turned towards the direction of the office. Whatever it was, he told himself he has to be strong.

Arthur arrived at the office, he knocked but got no response and decided to open the door. The first thing that hit him was the terrific order oozing out of the office.

What was that? He coughed, closing his nose at the weird and distinct smell he was inhaling. Weirdly, it didn't smell bad but rather, it had a pleasant smell and Arthur had a feeling he knew what it was but never drew to conclusion.

He was about to call out to the boss when he heard a loud noise