FEAR OF A TYCOON

EPISODE TWO

I walked home that night, and then I remembered I hadn’t had anything to eat at night. I didn't tell Amy about it because she didn’t want to bother her. I was feeling dizzy, but she just managed to reach my room. Then I opened the door and locked it behind her.

I fell flat on my bed instantly with my clothes and shoes still on. Knock !!

“Who is it?” I asked in a weak tone.

“Ruby, it’s me Amy, please open the door”, Amy responded at the door.

I was surprised to hear Amy knocking on my door at that hour, but I didn’t have the energy to pretend that she was alright.

“Amy, I’m sorry, I’m really busy. Why not come some other time? I tried to avoid Amy.

“I have an important message for you” Amy said, still not leaving that spot.

“You can always send a text message.” This time I spoke in a very weak tone.

“It’s really important Ruby, open the door”, Amy responded in a light tone. It took me some time, then I finally opened the door.

“Ok you won, what is it?….”

Amy interrupted and pushed her way into the room holding a bag filled with items.

“What’s happening?” I asked, confused,

“I knew there was something you weren’t telling me about and when I saw you today I confirmed my suspicions,” Amy said while sitting looking around her and noticing how small and empty the room was .

“ I didn’t want you to get worried about me and, besides, it’s not a big problem.” Ruby tried to calm Amy, but it wasn’t helping.

“ When last did you have a proper meal ?” Amy asked me with a worried expression,

"I can’t remember.” Ruby responded while sitting on her bed.

“Well, no friend of mine is starving on my watch. My mum made you these.”

Amy brought out two different flasks, two loaves of bread and a small basket of fruits.

“My word, this is too much Amy!” I exclaimed,

“It’s not, and I’m staying with you tonight.” Amy assured me and I hugged her friend so tightly and they both ate together.

While talking about how strenuous their jobs were, “How did you come back so early?

"I thought you were on the night shift?” I asked Amy.

“The new guy in the cocktail stand offered to stand in for me tonight,” Amy responded.

“And he accepted just like that ? ”

“Yeah, why not and besides, I was tired” Amy responded .

“OK if you put it that way, but don’t go accepting offers from strangers'' I pressed.

“Ok, that will be my last time. "

"Now stop getting mad at me,” Amy said, followed by laughter, and both girls had fun that night.

When Amy slept, I was still awake. I thought of how cheerful my friend was and how miserable I was and felt maybe it was because she was living with her mum.

Then flashes of my past when my dad died five years ago, when she was just sixteen and my mother got remarried, but her new husband didn’t want to raise a child that was not his own, so my mum left me to fend for herself.

This memory only made me wince in pain, then tear drops rolled down her left cheek. She thought of how nice it would be to live a normal life.

The next morning, when Amy woke up, Ruby was still sleeping and she checked her phone. It was 6:00 in the morning. She woke Ruby up gently so she could get prepared, then she packed her little belongings and hugged Ruby.

“ See you soon,” Amy said as she shut the door behind her.

I fell on her bed weak and tired from crying last night. Although Amy made her feel lively, at times she always felt lonely.

I needed someone who cared for me, someone who would seek me if I went missing, someone who would own me.

I desperately needed someone who I could talk to, but I didn’t want pity. That's why I don’t talk to Amy about my feelings.

I lay on my bed for some time, then I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was fifty minutes late for work when I checked my phone. She saw a dozen missed calls from Amy. Then I saw a message Amy sent.

“Where are you, Mrs? Evyln is looking for you. We are expecting important guests to come now.”

I rushed to my sink, then I freshened up in haste, dressed in my waitress uniform at speed and dashed out the room without even locking the door.

I rushed out of the apartment looking for an empty cab, but they were occupied, so I started walking ahead with the hope of getting an empty cab, but it was futile.

I kept on walking till I saw an empty cab parked across the road. Without too much thinking, I crossed the road. I was already in the center of the road when my phone fell on the floor as I bent to pick it up.

Hearing a screeching noise still kneeling on the road, I turned my back just to see a black Rolls-Royce car so close to and that's when she realized she had almost been hit by this car.

A tall guy with a magnificent build wearing a black tuxedo suit stepped down from the car. His appearance was dominating and I felt chills running down my spine.

When I saw the man approaching me, I didn’t want him to talk to me because I felt I might have caused trouble, so I stood up from the floor and rushed to the empty cab I spotted earlier and entered the back seat of the cab.

I hurried the cab driver to take me to Greenhills. Then she looked out the back window and saw the rich guy that almost hit me with his expensive car standing there, and they locked eye contact. He stood there watching as the cab disappeared into the street.

I wished my lucky stars that the weird guy wouldn’t search for me because I almost caused an accident. The cab driver stopped in front of Green Hill, then I paid the cab driver to step out of the cab with my heart racing.

Not only had I put myself in trouble that morning, I was also late for work.

I entered the main restaurant through the main entrance. The place was full of customers and waiters buzzing down the room then she spotted Mrs. Evyln going to the kitchen.

I rushed to the back of the counter where my apron was and wrapped it around my waist instantly as she was about to leave the counter to take orders.

“Where have you been?” Mrs. Evyln said, holding her arm.

“I’m sorry, it was my ….”

“I don’t care about your little routines and this will be the last time this ever repeats itself, am I making myself clear!” Mrs. Evyln made herself clear to me, and I nodded my head in response, then Mrs. Evyln let me go.

I walked down to the customer who sat on table 16. It seemed his order was delayed.

“Welcome to Greenhill, please may I take your order?” I asked without looking at the customer's face.

“One white cake and a glass of gimlet”, the customer responded with a cold voice.

“Coming right up,” I said with my head still focused on my note. I took the order and when I looked up at the customer, my throat went dry.

The customer was the man that almost hit me with his car earlier.

I could hear my own heartbeat, I dropped the order and rushed to where Amy was busy mixing cocktails.

"Amy I’m in big trouble” I turned around, making sure no one was listening to us.

“What happened and how?” Amy asked, confused because she wasn’t used to Ruby getting herself into trouble.

“I’ll fill you in on the details later but now please can you let me stay here with you till that guy on table 16 leaves?” I pleaded while assessing the small corner beside Amy.

“What if Mrs Evlyn comes here?”.

I kept on begging Amy till she accepted.

After some time, I checked the table where the man sat, but he wasn’t there, so I felt he had left. I thanked Amy and started taking orders again.

After some time, I noticed I was the only one taking orders. This went on till the restaurant closed.

Amy decided that she and I would walk home.

“So tell me what happened between you and the guy on table 16, did he harass you or something? Amy questioned me as we walked by a streetlamp.

“No, he did nothing wrong. "

"I almost caused an accident when I was crossing the road and when I saw him come down from his car, I felt scared, so instead of facing the consequences of what I'd done, I took an empty cab to escape it.” I answered as she kept my focus on people walking by.

“Wow, that is bad.” Amy hugged me as we were already in front of my apartment building.

“I know, and now he knows where I work,” I said, still troubled.

“I don’t think he’ll follow you again, just try to get some sleep and remove your mind from this, ok?” Amy said while waving goodbye.

“I’ll try!” I assured my friend that she would stay strong.

I reached my room, peeled my clothes off as fast as I could, and headed for a nice warm shower.

When I was done, I wrapped my body with my towel, took my body oil, and started massaging my long legs slowly while sitting on my bed.

I was almost done when I heard someone knocking at my door.

“Who is it ?!” I yelled, but no answer, so I felt it might be Amy. Maybe she wanted to spend the night again.

Still in my towel, Ruby walked over to the door and opened the doorknob when I looked up at who was standing there right in front of me. I froze, it was the strange man I met in the morning.