Chapter 7 The boss

Jumping up in fright, I looked up at the CEO leaning casually on the door of the bathroom.

“What are you doing here?” I narrow a look at him.

My heart was beating fast to the extent I was afraid it might jump out of my chest any moment from now.

He cocked a brow, “it's my company, I have every right to walk into any office in this company whenever I feel like it and won't be questioned about it”, he took in my clothes, “it's slightly better than yesterday's.”

“And what was wrong with my attire yesterday?” I frown at him.

“You should have asked your mirror before you left yesterday. Had the job been about your dress code, you wouldn't have gotten the job.”

“And who said I was concerned about getting the job?” I fold my arm in anger as I glared down at him.

“You don't want the job? What are you doing here, then?”

“I came —” It felt as if the words hooked on my throat, and refused to be released.

I had to mentally slap myself for this.

" I want a cup of hot coffee from the coffee shop three miles from here, a cube of sugar, no cream”, he left without further words.

As if?

I scoff in anger.

Who does he think he is? Ordering me to do his bidding as if I'm an employed slave.

And of course, that is what I am.

An employed slave. And as an employed slave, I need to do what my master asked of me.

Please.

I walk towards the elevator before I remembered something. The boss didn't give me any money.

But instead of going back to ask for it, I decided to make use of mine.

I have a little money on me, one I intended to board a taxi with after work.

I guess I will have to utilize it, who knows if he will pay me for the services I rendered to him.

Thanks to the talkative worker, I got the address of Sly's favourite café.

I bought the coffee as requested and walked back to the office, panting from exhaustion.

I skipped breakfast, so my sibling can have something to eat when they return from school.

“Did you run all the way?” The man at the door asked.

“You bet.” I look up, “I had to race here so as not to be late.”

“The boss can be quite demanding.” He chuckled.

How can a human be as heartless as this? I will murder him if I meet him in my dreams. I sighed in bliss when the elevator got into focus.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus thanks for little mercies and thanks to the person who invented the elevator.

I made a beeline for it, the saviour of men which is the elevator.

A talkative worker blocked my path, she smiled apologetically, “the boss requested not to allow you the use of the elevator. He asked that you make use of the stairs instead”.

“That bloody has —”

Her eyebrows were raised to the extent of you wouldn't know where they stopped and her hair started.

Realizing my mistakes, I didn't need to give the gossip-hungry something juicy to gossip about.

“Those bloody bastard stairs are strength killers,” I said the first words that came to mind.

She nodded in pity, “I know, am sorry about that, but orders are orders, and you won't like to cross the boss. He said you need to exercise.”

Exercise you say?

I ignored her as I walked toward the stairs in question. Climbing a flight of stairs to the sixth is no easy fit, but I can manage, no use making him know how much it gets to me.

I will make him chew his orders, wait until he sees me dancing as I skip up and down these stairs, then and only then will he know this nothing to me.

I know he's trying to punish me for talking the way I did to him yesterday.

That bastard can sure hold grudges, I've forgotten about it and the fact I vowed not to work for him just yesterday, but he clearly remembers them word for word.

Thanks to my morning exercises, without it, I wouldn't have been able to make it up six flights of stairs. Knocking once on his door, I waited for him to ask me in.

I stood there for like half an hour before I heard a “come in”

I walked in to find him lounging comfortably on his chair with his legs up on his table, “what took you so long?” he asked as he took a sip of the now cold coffee.

Take it, bastard, I cursed inwardly.

“What the hell is this rubbish?” He spat the coffee out.

I maintained an innocent look, “Coffee sir, wasn't that what you requested?”

He narrowed his eyes at me, “I requested hot coffee, not this rubbish, How did it get cold so soon?”

Before I can stop myself I retorted, “walking three miles from this office building back and forth, standing in line until I'm attended to, walking those drastic flights of stairs are the reason for that.”

I'm beyond caring what he will do, to hell with him and his job, am a worker, not a slave.

“Get me another cup of coffee from the same shop and I want you to be back before thirty minutes elapse”, he opened his computer, apparently dismissing me and whatever words I might resort with.

I could have told him to shove his job up his arse if not for the urgency am in.

I need the salary this job will provide more than any other thing. My siblings are counting on me and I can't let them down just because I can't keep my mouth bloody shut over a matter as trivial as this.

I stomped out of his office and headed towards the elevator, turns out the devil incarnate is hell-bent on making me suffer, the elevator as it turned out was locked, and it requires a key card to unlock it.

I ran those flights and towards the coffee shop, ordered the coffee in a flask and ran back to the building.

My life and future are in his hands, if he sacks me now, my siblings will be thrown out of school.

I ran up the stairs, ignoring the looks of workers who don't have anything worthwhile to do.

I rushed into his office, not bothering to knock, he didn't look up my entry, nor did he pause on his task. Realizing my mistakes, I walked out and knocked like I should have done instead of barging in.

“Come in”, I sighed in relief, walking into the office, I placed the coffee on his table, he took a sip and resumed working.

The cold coffee was nowhere to be found, and the stain earlier was non-existent.

“Are you going to stand there gawking all day without achieving anything?”

“Are you going to leave the coffee I laboured so much for on the table without taking more than a sip?”

He looked at the cup of coffee and back at it, he stood up with the coffee and walked into the bathroom where he proceeded to drain the coffee, he threw the cup into the waste bin.

“What the hell did you just do?”