CHAPTER 3
1416 Words
Oh, no. This is it. The end of my career. The final chapter of my janitorial saga. My life is literally flashing before my eyes.
I mean, who in their right mind picks a fight with the personal secretary of Mr. Fishy—I mean, Mr. Fabian—the almighty CEO of MCC?
Me. That’s who– the woman who's poor but fresh and smells good.
And now, here I am, marching toward Sir Leland’s office with my sworn enemy Beatrice, the ultimate office witch, walking beside me, acting like some kind of helpless victim. Ugh!
I swear, if I weren’t trying to keep my job, I’d bonk her with my mop right here, right now.
But no. I need to be smart about this.
I took a deep breath, reminding myself of my life motto: "Poor but fresh and scented.”
At least, if I get fired today, I’ll still smell like a billion dollars. That counts for something, right?
Maybe, if being scented could make me a billionaire, I would probably be one of the richest people in the world today. Oh bless!
The moment we stepped into Sir Leland’s office, a blast of icy air hit me straight in the face. I swear, it felt like I had just entered the Arctic.
I instinctively hugged myself, my arms covered in goosebumps. Wow. MCC really spends all their money on air conditioning, huh?
But more than the freezing temperature, the scariest thing inside this room was Sir Leland himself.
There he was, sitting behind his massive desk, dressed in a sharp suit that made him look ten times more intimidating. His eyes were sharp, his expression unreadable.
I gulped. Oh boy. I'm dead.
Beatrice, the drama queen that she is, immediately launched into her act.
“Sir Leland! You won’t believe what she did to me!” she whined, pointing at me like I was some kind of criminal. “I was just minding my own business when—BAM!—she attacked me! Look at my hair! Look at my blouse! She completely lost control!”
I crossed my arms, rolling my eyes so hard they almost fell out of their sockets. Oh, please.
I had to defend myself.
“Excuse me?! ‘Just minding your own business’?! Were you also ‘just minding your own business’ when you dumped coffee on my head? Huh, Beatrice?” I shot back, stepping closer to her. “Did the coffee magically fly into my scalp? Oh, wow, maybe we should call a paranormal investigator for this supernatural phenomenon!”
Beatrice gasped dramatically, like I had just insulted her ancestors. “It was an accident! You’re the one who went crazy! You destroyed my desk! You embarrassed me in front of the whole office!”
I scoffed. “Oh, I’m sorry. Would you like me to mop the floor with my tears? Should I schedule an appointment with the janitor—oh wait, that’s ME.”
Beatrice fumed, looking ready to pull my hair out again, but before things escalated, Sir Leland finally spoke.
“Enough.”
His voice was cold, firm, and dangerously low.
Instant silence. Even Beatrice shut up.
I turned my gaze to him, my heart pounding. Oh no. I don’t like that tone. That’s the tone of a man who’s about to fire someone.
Sir Leland leaned back in his chair, looking between the two of us, completely unimpressed. Then, he turned his piercing gaze directly at me.
“Maurice.”
Oh boy. When the boss calls you by your first name, you know you’re in deep trouble.
“Do you even realize what you’ve done?”
I pressed my lips together. Uh… got my revenge?
But obviously, I couldn’t say that out loud. So instead, I put on my most innocent, misunderstood victim face.
“Sir, with all due respect, I was merely defending myself. Beatrice threw coffee at me first.”
Leland exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples like he was getting a migraine just from dealing with us.
“So you thought the best response was to start a full-blown fight in the middle of the office?”
I blinked. “…Yes?”
His jaw clenched. Wrong answer.
“You slammed a mop against her desk.”
“Yes.”
“You threw papers all over the floor.”
“Yes.”
“And you physically fought an employee of this company.”
“…Also yes.”
At this point, even I knew I sounded guilty.
Sir Leland sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before leveling me with a deadly serious stare.
“Maurice, do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’re in?”
Okay, okay. This is the part where I should probably start acting like I regret my actions.
So, I took a deep breath and did what any logical person would do in this situation.
I clasped my hands together, put on my sweetest, most apologetic smile, and—
“Sir Leland, I was merely executing my duty as a janitor.”
Leland narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me?”
I nodded solemnly. “Yes, sir. As a custodian, my job is to ensure cleanliness. Beatrice dumped coffee on me, which meant I had to clean myself up. She also made a mess under her desk, which I was simply trying to fix. Unfortunately, while doing so, my mop accidentally made contact with the desk. It was a tragic accident.”
Beatrice practically choked. “ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!”
Sir Leland did not look amused. Not one bit.
“Maurice.” His voice was low. Dangerous. Like a strict professor dealing with the most stubborn student in class. “You’re lucky that Mr. Fabian isn’t here right now. But he will be back soon, and when he hears about this…”
I gulped.
“…he will decide whether or not to fire you.”
I froze.
Wait. WAIT.
FIRED?!
I knew I was in trouble, but fired?!
No. No way. This can’t be happening. I may have questionable decision-making skills, but I still needed this job!
Beatrice smirked, flipping her hair like she had already won. “Good. Finally, some justice.”
I slumped into the chair like a lifeless noodle, feeling my soul slowly leave my body. This is it. My tragic ending.
All because I couldn’t keep my rage-filled hands to myself.
But just when I thought my suffering was over, she just had to open her big, annoying mouth again.
“Sir Leland, you have to make sure she gets fired,” Beatrice whined, flipping her hair like she was some kind of helpless princess. “Employees like her ruin the company’s image. She’s violent, unprofessional, and—”
She paused to give me a smug look.
“—completely replaceable.”
Oh. Oh, she did not just say that.
I shot up from my chair so fast, it nearly fell backward.
“Oh, wow, Beatrice. You’re so kind. So generous. So full of wisdom,” I said sweetly, clasping my hands together.
She blinked at me, clearly confused.
Then I lunged forward.
“TOO BAD I DON’T BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD YOU JUST SAID!”
If it weren’t for Sir Leland’s lightning-fast reflexes, I would’ve been gripping Beatrice’s hair like a contestant in a reality show catfight.
“Enough!” Leland’s deep, commanding voice boomed through the office again.
I froze. So did Beatrice.
The room went dead silent, except for the low hum of the air conditioner.
Leland, with his usual I-have-no-time-for-this expression, let out a long, suffering sigh before rubbing his temples like he had just been hit by a migraine.
Then, he turned to me.
“Maurice, sit.”
I blinked.
“…Like a dog?”
His jaw tightened. “Just. Sit.”
I immediately plopped back onto the chair.
Then, he turned to Beatrice.
“You. Shut up.”
I choked on my own spit.
Beatrice gasped, clearly offended. “Excuse me?!”
“I said shut up.” Leland’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. “You’re not innocent in this situation either. You provoked her.”
“But sir—”
“No buts. This discussion is over.” He gave both of us a cold, final look. “Mr. Fabian will handle this when he returns.”
Oh, great.
Mr. Fishy is coming back soon.
I groaned again, burying my face into my hands.
I am so, so dead.
- Writer
