Chapter 10 Chapter 10
Martha's POV
When I arrived at the Silver's Restaurant, the magnificent two-story building stood before me.
As I attempted to rush in, even though I hadn't changed out of my blue dress, the manager, Mrs. Judith, saw me and called to my attention.
"Martha! Why are you arriving at this time?"
I stilled and turned to face her.
Judith Robin was a 35-year-old woman. She was a single mother of two children, a girl who was 10 and a boy who was 8 years old. However, she poured her frustration on us.
"Ma, I woke up late and I couldn't find a cab to bring me early to work," I lied, but Judith shook her head. Her expression firm.
"Martha, do I need to remind you that this is a luxury restaurant? First, we prioritize looking neat, and you strode in here with the dirty blue dress that you wore last night, reeking of body odor. You cannot go in and work. Kindly take your leave," she ordered, blocking my entry as she stood tall in front of the door.
The other staff working in the restaurant peered at me. It was the middle of the month, and I was hopeful of what I had planned to do with my money.
"Judith, you cannot fire me. Who are you to do that? You are just a worker like me. You are not the restaurant owner!" I yelled at her, and her brows furrowed.
"Martha, do you dare to talk back at me?" Judith yelled, as she strode forward to meet me.
"What's going on here?" A man's deep voice reverberated behind Judith, and she swiftly turned around to see who it was.
It was Jasper Weston, the owner of the hotel. Jasper was a 30-year-old man, single, as he stood taller. He wore a yellow shirt paired with polished black shoes. He was dark-skinned with short brown hair that fell across his face.
"Good morning, Mr. Weston. It's Martha. She arrived late to work today, and also, she reeked of sweat because she didn't change out of her clothes from the previous night," Judith said, her voice laced with anger as she glared at me.
Some patrons arrived and went into the restaurant, as I stood at the frontage bathed by the excruciating sunlight.
"Martha, what happened to you? Why do you appear so flushed and plastered with hickeys? What happened? Tell me," Mr. Weston said, as he strode forward and grabbed my arms. His hands firmly held mine, and I trembled under his scrutiny.
"Sir. I am fine. I had an issue with my stepmother and my fiancé. So I didn't sleep at home the previous night. I promise to change my appearance. Please, don't fire me," I begged, lowering my head and avoiding Mr. Weston's gaze.
I couldn't afford to lose my job. I couldn't be arrogant. What if the check was fake? I had to keep my job, even though the salary wasn't much.
I couldn't lose the 200,000 I was paid monthly.
"It's fine, Martha. Judith," Jasper called, as he let go of my arm. He turned to face Judith, even though she was older than him. His voice boomed with authority as he withdrew some cash from his trouser pocket. He handed it over to Judith and said, "Go down to any women's clothing store and get some new clothes for Martha. Hurry up."
Judith's eyes widened in shock. She quickly accepted the money and glared at me, because she couldn't refuse Mr. Weston's orders.
Mr. Weston turned to face me, his voice softened as he said, "Come in, Martha. You can wait for Judith to arrive in my office. The next time something like this occurs, you can place a call and explain why you aren't coming. You don't have to push yourself too hard. Come in."
Mr. Weston crossed his hand over my slender shoulder, and I stiffened at his touch.
Why was he not mad at me? He had sacked some staff for making a small mistake, and yet, he was forgiving me.
I wanted to step away from Mr. Weston's touch. He didn't mind that I was dirty. He led me back into the opulent restaurant.
Most of the staff's eyes widened at the sight of the owner's hand on my shoulder.
Lowering my head, my cheeks flushed as I accompanied Mr. Weston to his office on the left side of the restaurant.
His office sat on the first floor of the two-story building. When we arrived, I refused to step in as Mr. Weston stood in front of me.
"Thank you, sir. I will wait here for Judith to arrive," I said, tensely, as I gently removed Mr. Weston's hand from my shoulder.
Mr. Weston smiled, his lips curved up as he said, "Martha, I honestly do like you, and I will not fire you because of what Judith or anyone says. From the first day I employed you, I wanted to be your friend, but I found out about your wedding engagement to Mark Elliott. It held me back from chasing after you. I wished you were my girlfriend."
"What?!" My eyes widened as I staggered and peered at Mr. Weston with shock.
"Sir, I…" I couldn't say anything. My cheeks flushed as I lowered my head.
Mr. Weston drew next to me. His hand gently held my shoulder as he didn't mind the stares from the other staff.
"Martha," he called my name slowly. His deep voice making my heart accelerate as I raised my head to meet his gaze. My eyes widened at his closeness and how he spoke to me softly.
"Whenever you need help, do not forget to reach out to me next time. I will always be there to assist you, alright?" Mr. Weston inquired. His gaze on my face, and I nodded.
"Yes, sir."
When Mr. Weston wanted to step away from me, his eyes narrowed as he peered at my neck and asked, "What happened to you? Who did this?"
"Did what?" I asked him, confused. But when he touched my neck, I flinched and groaned, "Ah!"
"What happened to you, Martha? Were you attacked? This appeared like a dog bite?"
"Dog bite?" I asked, my voice and entire body trembled.
"No," I swiftly declined. A memory hit me hard like a wave crashing down the shore, and I recalled the man at the hotel. He had bitten my neck the previous night. Heat rose up my neck, but meeting Mr. Weston's deep stare, I cleared my throat and replied, "It's nothing, sir. I will be fine."
Mr. Weston's eyes narrowed and flashed red. But it quickly softened. I thought for a minute that I saw his eyes glow. But his eyes were clearly black as he said, "It's alright. If you need anything, like I said, reach out to me."
"Sir. This is the package you sent me to get," Judith said. Her sharp voice cutting through the tension, and I quickly slipped out of Mr. Weston's hold as he gestured to me.
"Hand it to Martha and return to your job, and do not talk condescendingly of Martha Roger again. Is that understood?" Mr. Weston demanded, to which Judith nodded.
"Got it, boss." She glared at me as she handed the package over.
When Mr. Weston turned to me, he dismissed me, "Go and change out of your dress, then get back to work."
"Alright, sir. Thank you for the gift," I said, bowing to thank Mr. Weston before he slipped into his office, as Judith spun around and walked away.
"It's fine, Martha. Back to work. It's morning, and you know how busy we get on Saturday. We'll talk later."
Mr. Weston stepped into his office, and I quickly went to the changing room to slip out of my blue dress and put on the new dress that Judith had bought for me.