Chapter 45 There is work I need to do
“I need this job, Molly. Injustice is nothing to people like us,” I heard Agatha say, and my heart sank.
I had experienced a lot of injustice myself, which was precisely why I couldn't let this happen. But how could I protect her job?
The call ended, but it soon began ringing again. “Her job here depends on you, Molly,” Nicole said as she answered the call. Gianni sounded worried.
“Molly, why did you not answer my call, and why did you hang up earlier?”
I thought of the best excuse to give to not complicate Agatha as I had no way of proving her innocence at the moment.
“It’s nothing. I mistakenly dialed your number.” I felt stupid with every word I spoke, watching the satisfied smiles on the faces of our oppressors.
Gianni wanted me to be strong, but faced with oppression, I lost my confidence once again.
“Then where are you? I’m at your office, and you aren’t here.”
‘At my office? Why was he even there?’ I asked myself, catching as Nicole’s expression hardened. Listening to my conversation with Gianni must be torturing for her.
“At the cafeteria, having lunch with Agatha,” I replied, cursing myself internally for falling for these scams and ashamed of the fact that Gianni was believing every word I spoke.
“Oh, sorry about that. You aren’t allowed to have lunch there. I already made special arrangements for you.”
I felt relief hearing about not having lunch at the cafeteria because I planned to rather starve if I couldn’t order food than bring myself here again but the more he spoke, the more upset Nicole looked, and the more uncomfortable I became.
“It’s alright. I will finish up and return to the office.”
Nicole ended the call immediately. “See? That wasn’t hard, was it?”
Feeling like a coward, I could only wish for everything to end. “Let bygones be bygones. I lost my appetite anyway,” I pleaded with her, just so Agatha’s job could be secured.
I held Agatha’s hand, about to leave when Nicole blocked my path. “Why are you in such a hurry? You came to eat, right? Why don’t we all eat together?” She asked with a sinister smile, and I realized my mistake.
The issue with bullies is that once you let them win once, they feel like they've won forever.
I should have realized this wasn't going to end. "Time is running out, and I have work to do. If I don't leave now, Gianni will be upset." All I was trying to do was to make up an excuse to leave the cafeteria.
But despite my efforts, I couldn't bring myself to call Gianni by his full name, and whenever I mentioned Gianni, I received strange looks.
"Don't worry about that. The plan is to declare you incompetent so you'll be fired," Nicole revealed. I smiled bitterly, but my confidence grew.
"You're mistaken. I don't care who you are to Gianni, but he would never have the courage to fire me."
I was certain of this because Gianni owed me his life, and I was leveraging that to reclaim everything Wesley had taken from me. I wasn't expecting affection from him, just for him to honor his word.
Before I could react, Nicole raised Agatha's arm and slapped me with it. The pain burned on my face, and Agatha looked pale.
"I'm so sorry," she apologized softly, but Nicole raised her arm again and struck me with it, causing my head to spin. She made it appear as if Nicole was the one hitting me, ensuring her fingerprints would be on my face.
"Why don't you do it yourself if you dare?" I raged, tears welling in my eyes, but the other managers laughed as Nicole responded,
"My goal is to get you both fired, so why would I use my own hands?" Some of the managers murmured,
"She doesn't know who Nicole is. She'll run away with her tail between her legs, just like those other women Nicole sent packing."
“That's right. The boss fired Marie because of her, and I guess it's time for her to pay."
"Poor thing, she keeps thinking that the boss would save her. If only she knew that Nicole doesn't leave clues."
As they murmured as if I wasn't there, I saw Agatha grow even paler, confirming their words with her expression.
"Ma'am, please, let's beg them and leave," Agatha pleaded, but I knew that wouldn't work.
However, what none of them knew was that I lived with Gianni and was responsible for his son. No matter what they did, Gianni would know if something was wrong with me.
Then I remembered. Wasn't Nicole supposed to go with him to that dinner?
"Nicole, I thought you'd be choosing your dress for that dinner, but here you are, wasting precious time."
My words seemed to strike a chord, and she smiled profoundly. "Today is your lucky day, but as soon as I help Gio with Don Black, not even you will stand in my way. He will do anything I want, including firing you."
I smiled confidently, knowing that wouldn't happen. "I'd like to see you try. My relationship with Gianni is something you would never understand."
Perhaps I was too bold because Agatha's hand was used to do the job again, and a tear fell from my eyes. I quickly wiped it away.
She leaned in, about to say something, but suddenly, she embraced me. "Molly, I will seek justice for you, I promise. This woman has to pay."
The significance of her actions only sank in when I saw the man walking towards us with two bodyguards. My heart warmed instantly.