celebrity dimension

chapter 7

Morning sunlight filtered gently into Vicky’s apartment as she moved around the kitchen, humming softly while preparing breakfast. The warm smell of food filled the room, and everything felt peaceful.

Suddenly, her phone rang from the bedroom.

Wiping her hands on a towel, Vicky walked quickly to check it. She picked up the phone.

“Hello, this is Vicky,” she said.

A firm voice replied, “This is the director of D.C.C. You are needed at D.C.C. Company by 10:00 a.m. today.”

Vicky blinked in surprise. “What?” Then she forced a polite smile even though he couldn’t see her. “Okay, I will be there soon.”

The call ended. She glanced at her wall clock — and her eyes widened.

“Oh! It’s 9:30 a.m. already!”

Panic rushed through her as she hurried back to the kitchen.

“Let me quickly finish preparing breakfast and take a shower,” she muttered to herself before rushing out of the room.

Zubby was typing on his laptop, focused and serious, when a young man walked in with Vicky beside him.

“Good morning, sir. She is here,” the man said politely.

“You can leave,” Zubby replied without lifting his eyes from the screen.

“Yes, sir,” the man said and quietly walked out.

Vicky stepped forward, trying to steady her breath. “Good morning, sir.”

Zubby finally looked up. His face was stern. “You are a minute late.”

Vicky’s heart dropped. “I’m sorry, sir. It’s because of traffic.”

“In this industry, that is not an excuse,” Zubby said sharply.

“I’m really sorry, sir,” she whispered.

Zubby stood up slowly. “Do you know what opportunity you have missed? Sorry, Miss Vicky, you can’t be accepted in this company. You are a late comer.”

Vicky felt her eyes burn. “But sir… please. Just give me one more chance. I will prove myself. Please, it’s my dream job, sir. Please…”

Zubby looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

“Sorry, Miss Vicky. There is nothing I can do. You have to leave now.”

Her shoulders fell. She forced a small, painful smile, even though her chest felt tight.

“Okay, sir… thank you,” she said quietly.

She turned and walked out of the office.

But the moment she stepped into the hallway, her smile faded. Her vision blurred with tears she had tried so hard to hide. She had prepared all night, rehearsed every answer, prayed for this moment… Only to lose it because of one minute.

As she walked toward the exit, workers passed her, busy with their day — unaware of the dream that had just slipped out of her hands.

Outside the building, Vicky finally stopped, took a deep breath, and wiped her tears.

“Maybe… this isn’t the end,” she whispered to herself.

“Something better must be waiting for me.”

She forced herself to stand straight, even though her heart was shaking.

And she walked away.

After Vicky walked out of D.C.C Company, the rejection still stung in her chest. She stepped outside, took a deep breath, and called Honesty.

He sent his address immediately, and she took a ride straight to his apartment.

When she arrived, she pressed the doorbell.

Honesty opened the door almost at once. “Hey… come in.”

“Hi,” Vicky said quietly. She stepped inside and sat on the couch. “Thank you.”

Honesty closed the door behind her. “So… what can I get you?”

“Anything,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “My head is hot.”

He nodded and went to the kitchen. A minute later, he came back with chilled exotic juice and a clean glass.

“Here.”

“Thank you.” She took it and looked around the apartment. “Wow… you really organized this place. It looks nice.”

Honesty chuckled. “Come on, Vicky… you know I like arranging things.”

She nodded and smiled weakly.

“So,” Honesty said, sitting beside her. “How was your day? How did the meeting go?”

Vicky looked up sharply. “Wait… you knew I had a meeting today?”

“Of course,” he said casually. “I saw your file on the table.”

“Oh.” She sighed. “Well… thanks anyway.”

He studied her face. “Something happened, right?”

Vicky exhaled slowly. “You won’t believe it, Honesty. They called me by 9:30 and told me to be in the company by 10:00. Who gives thirty minutes’ notice? I was cooking. I rushed everything just to make it…”

She paused, her voice dropping.

“…and I still came one minute late.”

Honesty frowned slightly. “One minute?”

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “And they rejected me. Just like that. No chance to explain. Nothing.”

She looked down at her fingers. “The way he talked to me… like I was irresponsible.”

Honesty leaned forward. “Listen, Vicky. I warned him not to pull something like that. Just relax. Tomorrow, you don’t need to see him. Just resume normally.”

Her head snapped up. “Really?”

Honesty nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry.”

Vicky let out a relieved breath and smiled for the first time since she walked in. “Thank you… honestly. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing,” Honesty said softly.

Their eyes met. The room went quiet.

For a moment, neither of them looked away.

Honesty shifted slightly, his hand brushing against the glass cup. It slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor, shattering.

“Oh—damn,” he muttered, embarrassed. “Sorry…”

Vicky looked at him and smiled shyly. “It’s okay. Really.”

Zubby sat behind his desk, typing on his laptop, when the office door swung open.

Honesty walked in with a cold, unreadable expression. Zubby shot to his feet immediately.

“Good morning, sir,” Zubby said, trying to look composed.

Honesty didn’t waste time. His voice was low but sharp.

“What happened yesterday? Why was Vicky rejected?”

Zubby’s throat tightened. “Sir… I’m sorry. But that girl isn’t good for our company. I just… don’t like her, sir.”

Honesty’s eyes narrowed, the tension in the room rising instantly.

“Since when,” he asked calmly, “does your opinion matter here?”

Zubby looked down. “I’m sorry, boss.”

“Who brought her to this company?” Honesty asked.

“You did, sir.”

“Did I, at any point, ask for your personal judgment?”

“No, sir.”

Honesty stepped closer, his tone colder now.

“Didn’t I specifically ask you to hire her?”

“Yes, sir… I mean— I’m sorry, sir.”

Honesty folded his arms. “Zubby, do you want to lose your job?”

Zubby’s heart skipped. “No, sir.”

“Then hire her back,” Honesty ordered. “She resumes work immediately. And you—” he pointed directly at Zubby “—will be responsible for training her. Every step.”

Zubby swallowed hard. “Yes, sir.”

Without another word, Honesty turned and walked out of the office, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

The moment the door closed, Zubby let out a deep breath he’d been holding.

“Sh*t…” he muttered under his breath. “The girl hasn’t even started working yet, and I’m already getting threatened because of her.”

He dragged a hand over his face, frustration and fear mixing inside him.

This was going to be a long day.

The Urban Bar was half–filled that evening, the kind of crowd that preferred quiet conversations over loud music. The warm, amber glow from the hanging bulbs softened the rough edges of the place — scratched tables, uneven tiles, and the faint smell of malt and old wood.

Honesty sat hunched over his drink, barely touching it. His finger traced the rim of the glass, slow and distracted. Alvin slid into the seat across from him, studying his friend carefully.

“Bro,” Alvin said, leaning forward, “what’s going on with you?”

Honesty forced a small breath out. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” Alvin shook his head. “If you were fine, you wouldn’t call me out of nowhere to come drink with you on a weekday.”

Honesty lowered his eyes. For a moment he didn’t speak. Then he lifted the glass, took a small sip, and set it back down.

“It’s Zubby,” he said quietly. “He disobeyed me today. I told him to assign Vicky to a simple task and he refused. Said she’s not right for the job.”

His voice carried a mixture of annoyance and something Alvin recognized instantly — confusion.

Alvin tilted his head. “Alright… but that’s not all of it. What’s really eating you?”

Honesty didn’t answer immediately. His jaw tightened, and he looked away toward the bar shelves lined with bottles. Finally, he spoke.

“I don’t know what it is. Whenever I see Vicky… something happens to me.” He shook his head as if arguing with himself. “I get frustrated. I lose my patience. I can’t think straight.”

Alvin exhaled slowly, a knowing smile forming. “So you’re into her.”

Honesty blinked sharply. “What? No. Stop.”

“Then why are you so angry that Zubby turned down her interview?” Alvin asked plainly.

Honesty sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. “I just… I can’t stand the way I feel around her, okay? It’s like she gets under my skin. And I know she wouldn’t accept someone like me.”

“What makes you think that?” Alvin asked gently.

“I don’t know,” Honesty whispered. “It’s just… a feeling.”