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Chapter 12

  • It's been a few days since my negotiation at the office with Mr Whitlock, and I haven't heard from him yet. I don't have his phone number so I can't reach out to him until he reaches out to me I suppose, just another way I'm under his control. As per our agreement, I have gone into work today at the university bookstore with the intention of resigning, and I am absolutely dreading it.
  • I've only had the job for a couple of months and I have really enjoyed it; my co-workers are great, our boss is really lovely and the work hasn't been too stressful or hard. I kind of wish I didn't have to quit. I don't want my life to end up revolving around this man, especially if I'm not even sure if I like him that much.
  • You see those women around town who have rich successful husbands and all they do is go shopping, get lunch with their friends and go to the spa; and I don't want to become one of those women. They fill their days with wine and petty friendship drama and doing pointless charity events because you just know that they are so bored with their lives. That's what I know I am going to become if I don't have a world outside of the contract I've signed. He wants me to be available to him all the time when he barely knows anything about me. While at the same time, I know very little about him and I am so willing to say yes to quitting my jobs. He really charmed me at that dinner and I fell for it, so now here I am.
  • "Morning Alice," I say to my boss as I walk into the back of the store and peek my head into her office. She sits at her desk scrunching her eyes whilst looking at a computer monitor, hair falling over her face. She doesn't have her glasses on at the moment, she's probably lost them somewhere. She looks away from the screen and smiles widely at me.
  • "Morning to you too sweetheart, everything okay? You look a little down." It's like she can read my mind, though I hope she can't read it too well as I've signed a non-disclosure agreement. I give her a half smile and sit down in one of the chairs across from her desk and take a deep breath.
  • "Yeah I um, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to give you my 30 days notice. I'm really so sorry I have really loved this job and everyone else here, I just have so much on my plate at the moment with school and everything and that's where I need my focus to be. I'm sorry if I'm leaving you high and dry but I can help you advertise for someone new and-and I can train them before I go, I really feel so bad I'm so sorry Alice" I ramble and talk quickly just so I can get it all out and over with, like ripping off a bandaid.
  • Alice pauses for a moment and absorbs what I've said before nodding her head. "That's okay honey I understand, thank you for telling me. School kind of getting on top of you huh?" The concern in her voice cuts me like a knife, I really hate lying to her when she's been nothing but good to me. But I have to do it this way, legally I can't tell her the truth. 'Hey Alice, have to quit, my new super-rich hotel mogul sugar daddy hates me working shh don't tell anyone!' Yeah, that wouldn't work.
  • "Yeah, I just really want to do well this year, so that's where I need to focus. I really am so sorry" I bite my lip softly to stop myself from crying, Alice sits back in her chair and stands up.
  • "Oh, honey it's okay" She bends down next to me and wraps me in a hug, one of those kind and gentle mum hugs, the ones that instantly make you feel like everything's going to be okay. If only she knew what was at stake for me, I needed a lot more than a hug to fix my down mood.
  • "I appreciate you telling me, not just not showing up at work or telling me by text. I've loved having you work here and I know you are going to go on and do amazing things. Now off you go, go find something to do" Her playful tone makes me laugh and genuinely smile. I nod my head and leave her office, calming myself down on the way to my locker at the back and storing my things away. I slip my phone into my back pocket and head out onto the floor, finding a new shipment of books that require my attention.
  • A short while later I can feel my phone buzzing in my back pocket. Hidden between the shelves as I unpack some new books, I take out my phone and see that my bank has sent me a notification. This notification would normally make me want to crawl out of my own skin or throw the device into the Thames; this one, however, is different.
  • YOUR NEW BANK BALANCE IS 拢1502.89
  • My heart attempts to throw itself out of my body via my throat, for a moment I've completely forgotten why on earth I would have so much money in my account. That is only for a moment, however, before I remember my new job of arm candy to Mr Whitlock. I don't know what to do with myself, I haven't had this much money in, well ever really. So I just slip my phone into my back pocket and finish stacking the shelves, my shift finishes in a couple of hours I can worry about it then.
  • Two hours later I am leaving the store with one of my co-workers Darren when I hear my phone ringing from its new position inside my back. I take it out and don't recognise the number.
  • "Sorry just a sec," I tell Darren before answering the call, it could be one of those survey people or some company I owe money too.
  • "Amelia, it's me" I recognise his voice almost immediately, my stomach drops slightly and I have mixed feelings about hearing from him.
  • "Oh, h-hi how're you?" I ask him as Darren looks at me curiously, I don't offer him an explanation of any kind, I've done enough lying for one day I'm hoping I won't have to do anymore.
  • "I'm fine, I just wanted to check that your payment had come through" His tone is stern and authoritative, it's like a father checking up on a child.