My Psychotic Boss

Paranoid

The next morning chatter had rung around the office. Seren had a hard time focusing on her work until she heard a keyword "Delancey" which made her no better than to listen to their gossip.

"Poor Delancey, she'd acted pretty depressed these past few days... "

"I bet it was Seren. Seren must have bullied her so harshly that she quit."

"Why's Seren so jealous of Delancey anyway."

"Delancey hadn't responded to my messages. I hope she's okay."

Seren's eyes widened at the gossip. Had it been true? did Delancey really quit, and why... Malrick made his way over to Seren's desk, freshly brought pastries now decorated her desk as he carefully placed them down. He patted her head with a soft gentle smile. "Thanks... could I ask something?" Seren asked, her voice quiet enough that only he could hear.

"Hm?" he leaned closer, tilting his head.

"Did Delancey really quit?"

"This morning, she came in, dropping off her letter of resignation." Malrick shrugged it off casually.

"Why would she leave?"

"Not sure, it's strange to us all, but I have to do my job either way. I can't dwell on people wanting to quit." Malrick gently lifted a strand of Seren's hair then he let it go, watching it slowly fall back in place. Seren looked up at him, she couldn't understand him entirely. She felt strangely safe around his calmed, poised demeaner. "I hope you enjoy the treat, I won't overwhelm you with gifts anymore unless you ask for it. So, I'll treat you to sweets instead." Malrick smiled then returned back to his office casually. Overly jealous co-workers snickered at her as they looked at the pastries Malrick had given her.

Back at Delancey's apartment. The door had been barricaded with a bookshelf. Delancey sat curled up in the corner of her living room with a kitchen knife in hand. She was shivering, shaking. "I'll come back for you later... " That simple sentence had haunted her more than she thought they would.

Malrick wasn't a simple man. He had demons... demons he wasn't afraid to show to those he disliked. She had quit her job early in the morning abruptly out of fear of what Malrick could do to her. He spoke vaguely but, those words could only mean one thing.

"Knock, Knock!"

Two fashioned knocks could be heard on the other side of the door. She gripped the knife tightly in her hands in the darkness of her home. She wasn't going down without a fight, she admitted to herself that she isn't a good person, that she's done horrible things to Seren and others alike. She just wanted to be seen, to be liked... and if it meant pushing somebody down in order to do so she would do it. I'm human! her mind raged on, finding excuses.

"U-um, Delancey. It's Rowan. I want to talk with you." Rowan's voice could be heard from the other side of the door. Delancey quickly dropped the knife, she began pushing herself up against the bookshelf to move it. Rowan stood there behind the door, puzzled by the sounds coming from the other side of the door. He had heard about her quitting randomly, so he left work early that morning immediately to see Delancey.

The door creaked open slightly, "H-hurry come in!" Delancey grabbed his arm pushing him inside, she glanced down the hallway before shutting the door, locking it. Then, she began pushing the bookshelf back in place. Rowan noticed the kitchen knife on the floor then he turned over to see Delancey struggling to push the bookshelf in front of the door.

"Delancey! what are you doing." He grabbed her arms to stop her from hurting herself in struggle.

"D-Don't stop me, please! I'll explain everything. J-Just sit down please." Delancey fought his hands off her.

Rowan frowned walking over to the window to open the blinds, then he proceeded to sit down on her couch. Delancey finished covering the door she stood in front of Rowan. He could see the terror in her eyes. She was clearly afraid of something, or someone...

"What... happened to you?"

Delancey muttered at first then she spoke clearly. "Malrick is coming for me. Last night I-I was uh... working late, Malrick had happened to be there too. We rode the elevator together to go home when... " She suddenly stopped, her hands shaking.

Rowan stood up, embracing her in a warm hug. "It's okay... go on."

"H-he, threatened to do things to me, he spoke weird. H-he cornered me in the elevator. He made me repeat the same things over and over again. He told me he would come back for me later. T-That's why I left!"

He grabbed her shoulders to make her look at him clearly, "What did he make you say?"

"I-I u-understand... He told me to say that over and over again after he told me that he was going to do something to me whether I liked it or not."

Rowan frowned, visibly irritated. "He's a narcissist. I-I..." He thought about Malrick getting cut by his mug in the breakroom and why he was there to speak to Seren. "I happened to be in the breakroom where Seren and Malrick were there. Seren was uh, talking to somebody else when I think... Malrick broke his mug on the edge of the sink then cut himself... causing Seren to attend to him immediately... I saw Malrick, grin and give some type of death stare to that person... Like he was severely jealous of the attention Seren was giving them or something." Rowan gulped, he lied in his story a bit, but Delancey couldn't know that his intentions were to confess to Seren and that it was him who Malrick had gave the death stare too.

"We have to do something about this!"

Rowan sat down on the couch with a sigh, "I can't get fired by him. I won't be able to support us when we get married." He frowned.

"Then I'll do something, but I'm afraid to be left alone. H-he could kill me."

"How about you tell Seren about this, tell Seren to make him backoff. If anything, she could have told him to act like that." He leaned back on the couch, frustrated.

"I'm not close to Seren anymore, she doesn't want anything to do with me... "

He leaned forward, "Well you have to try. alright?" He stood up.

"W-wait where are you going?"

"I have to return to work, this isn't a sick day. I'll try my luck with Seren too alright." He walked over to the door.

"N-no you can't leave me! what if I'm dead tomorrow." She grabbed onto his arm, attempting to pull him back.

"I have a life Delancey, just text her, hide out in your apartment till I come back." He almost elbowed her trying to shake her hands off him. Her hands slowly slipped off him till they fell dead at her sides. She thought He'd do anything for her, she thought she had won but, here he is leaving... leaving for Seren. What made her so special that Rowan and a deranged man want her so badly. Even in College, Seren was everybody's crush, all she ever heard was the name 'Seren'. Seren this, Seren that. It's always about Seren. Never her.

She watched as Rowan effortlessly moved the bookshelf and walked himself out. The door shutting felt like a thousand doors just shut in her face...