"It's you and me. Together," he says. "Us against the world."
*****
All my life, I've never trusted men. The image of them planted in my head is the figure of my abusive stepfather who has made my mother and I live in hell.
But then, an encounter w...
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When I come back to my workplace, Lais isn't here, and that makes my pulse quicken. I grab my desk phone and call Mark's secretary.
I swear, if he dares to call her again...
Once Mark's secretary answers the phone, I ask, "Is Lais there?"
The answer is negative, and I sigh in relief, hanging up, sinking into my chair. I'm becoming paranoid.
There's no way that Lais is still going there after what happened yesterday. Right. I'm worrying too much.
I grip the termination letter in my hand, gritting my teeth. Damn Mark.
There's no way that I would just leave, knowing that he's still here, after her. But he has the authority to fire me, so of course he did.
I should tell George and the others about this letter, but I expect that the HR Division Head will inform George in no time, so I'm just going to wait for it. Wait until George calls me and asks what the hell this letter is all about.
But Mark is his superior, and everybody is afraid of his power. At this point, I can't be so sure which one is a friend and which one is an enemy.
I can't trust anybody.
I can only think about Lais. I don't want to leave her in this state, knowing that she's still in great danger.
No, I won't pack my things yet.
While waiting for her to come back, my desk phone rings, and I pick it up. It's Tracy again, from HR. I listen to her, and a scoff leaves my mouth.
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It's funny that earlier this morning, I was having a conversation with a junior staff who handed me my termination letter, and right now, I'm facing the HR Division Head, Charlie, who just tore that exact same letter in front of my face.
Wow. The tables are turned so quickly, aren't they?
I'm sitting in front of his desk, watching as he makes small talks and throws nervous laughter once in a while.
I don't blame him for what happened, though.
He was only executing the instruction given to him -- I bet that Charlie didn't even know about the assault. He should give his staff, Tracy, an outstanding mark for trying to go through the correct procedures after listening to my side of the story.
