Chapter 21 • After Effects

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Sunday
July 10, 2011
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"Katherine, it's not going to work." Jake sang in my ear as he followed me to the kitchen to grab something to eat.


"Jake, it's gonna work." I sang back with a roll of my eyes.


"Honey, as much as I wish that you were right and it would work so you wouldn't have to work for that man anymore, I have to agree with Jake and say that this plan is not going to work." dad agreed making me look at him and shake my head.


"Your love really knows no bounds now does it dad?" I asked sarcastically while grabbing some juice from the fridge and then placing it unto the counter.


"You know I'm only looking out for you right?" he asked with a hand on my back.


"I know," I smiled and then gave him a hug which made him sigh softly. I closed my eyes as well but they shot right back open when I heard coughing like someone was choking. I released him, thinking that something serious was happening to him, but calmed down as soon as I turned to find that it was Jake who had choked on my orange juice after drinking straight from the box.


"Serves you right," I told him before turning back to my dad who I bet thought that the hug he had just given me, as some sort of distraction, had worked and I had forgotten my plans.


He smiled at me but I only smirked. ''Dad your hug didn't work." I whispered to him. His face fell making me laugh as I made a move to leave the kitchen.


"My plan will though." I grinned, but it was soon swept away when Jake yelled,


"Still won't!"


Grrr...


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Monday
7:02am
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"Good morning Sara." I greeted with a bright smile as I passed her desk on my way from the break room with Mr. Remora's coffee. She looked at me in surprise.


"Katherine, morning...what's with the good mood? Are you quitting today?" she asked in return. I really couldn't blame her for thinking that since the simple thought of being able to do that made my heart burst in much needed content.


"Sadly, no." I replied, but my smile never faltered. "Let's just say that today is a great day." I continued as I made my way to my desk, my plan for freedom making my feelings skyrocket. I sighed in content as I dropped my new handbag unto my desk and then made my way to Mr. Remora's door.


"Okay, deep breaths Katherine...now go." I told myself before I pushed the door open and ventured into my boss' office, putting my plan into action.


At the sound of the door opening, he paused his typing and clenched and unclenched his fist for five seconds before he continued. Well at least I knew I had an effect on him...


I blinked before I remembered my purpose.


"Hello Mr. Remora!" I greeted perkily as I shut the door.


He didn't answer, no surprise there actually.


I shook off his lack of enthusiasm for seeing me after two whole days and set his coffee down unto his desk. "So, how are you this morning sir?" I asked, clasping my hands in front of me. He looked up from his laptop for three seconds before he looked back down. The little piece of...


"Anyway, can I get you anything? A bagel? A file?" My contract so you can tear it up, or a knife so you can stab yourself? "A glass of water or a cupcake with little hearts on top? You know, that reminds me of this one time, when I was nine, and I baked thirty chocolate covered cupcakes. Best day ever! The only problem was that I tried to sell them but it didn't work out since they were all burnt and you could smell them from a mile awa-"


"Excuse me Ms. Harrington but I am one hundred percent sure that I did not call for you or your voice which is now irritating my ears because of all of your superfluous babbling. Was there something you wanted, because I would suggest you look for it elsewhere as I am not one to give charity to those who do not appear to need it." Mr. Remora said, finally looking at me for longer than five seconds before he went silent and only stared at me from above his clasped hands which were right at his mouth as a result of his elbows on his desk.


I could have sworn I saw red.


I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before the smile returned to my face. This time however, it was very much fake since I wasn't as cheery as I was only minutes ago.


"You have surprised me Mr. Remora as all the men that I've met have told me that my voice is like that of an angel." I lied through gritted teeth while crossing my arms. There, let him suck on that, even though it was less that partially true since I have only been told so once before...by Keston...but that counts for something right?


"Well Ms. Harrington, I'm guessing that they must have been in their eighties and are in need of an hearing-aid as I could not tell whether you were trying to invent a new torture method or just downright kill me." he replied making my mouth hang as he returned to his work. How dare he?


"Urgh!" I groaned loudly, throwing my head back as I tried to leave.


"One minute Ms. Harrington, " he stopped me. "I think I'll take that bagel and the Graysons' shipment file after all. It was good that you suggested them. And by the way, I don't see how groaning like that will help your voice, you should try something more civilized." he smirked..it was a small one but still one the less. I glared at him but quickly caught myself and smiled instead.


"Of course sir." I forced out before spinning around to leave the office again, shaking my head at my failure. Instead of making me happy and firing me, the good for nothing bastard had instead got me irritated than becoming irritated himself. And instead of me becoming happy, he was the one who became happy instead. Why was life so cruel?


"So did it work?" Jake asked over the phone as I looked at myself in the mirror of the floor's restroom. I threw my head back and sighed. Normally I would go to the ends of the earth to make sure that he never found out when he was right about something, but this time I couldn't keep it in. I mean I hadn't given up on the plan just yet so I really had no problem telling him about this morning's failure.


"No." I replied with a sigh, rolling my eyes at his smug chuckle.


"Told you it wouldn't work." he boasted making me roll my eyes again. "I mean annoying the guy into firing you by being nice...not your best plan Katy." he commented.


"Well how can you blame me for thinking that it would work? With his personality and his joy for seeing me unhappy, you would think that he would hate seeing me happy and all friendly when around him." I countered.


"Well when you put it like that, I think that it could've- Nope, it still wouldn't work." he chuckled. I glared at myself in the mirror. "Why don't you just pretend as if you are working for a normal employer who employed you the normal way and just carry out your job as normally as possible? The best thing to do now is just do your job and get the six months over and done with without anymore incidents?" he suggested making me think.


"Well when you put it like that, I think that it might actually- Nah that's not going to work...I need to just continue doing what I'm doing and I guarantee that by the end of the week, I'll be looking for a job again." I decided, but then paused at my words. That sounded a lot more enchanting when I was only thinking it.


"Okay Katherine, whatever you say." he finally sighed, but he said it in the tone which meant 'you'll see that I am right soon enough'.


"Well I've gotta get back to work. I think I'm just gonna get Mr. Remora that cupcake." I murmured.


"What cupcake?"


"Doesn't matter, later." I hung up and then left the bathroom to return to my desk.


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"Ms. Harrington, conference room. Now."


"Yes Mr. Remora sir." I grinned as I grabbed my new notepad and pen. He looked at me funny and for a second he wore an expression which seemed to ask: 'Did I hire an idiot?'. I didn't answer his unasked question, instead I widened my grin.


"Are you on something Ms. Harrington?" he asked with the smallest bit of caution. My smile faltered just a bit but I quickly brought it back to normal.


"Of course not Mr. Remora, I'm just so happy to be working for such an amazing man like you, sir." I lied to his face, which in turn made him raise an eyebrow showing that he did not buy what I had said for even a second.


"I'll take that as a yes." he muttered prior to walking off to the conference room with me following.


"Can I get you anything sir, before the meeting begins?" I asked as we made our way there.


"Ms. Harrington, I am afraid that while under the influence of whatever drug you are taking, I cannot accept anything you try to bestow upon me. In other words, I do not trust this attitude one bit and will ask Mr. Grochen, head security, to keep a special eye on you until you return to your normal self. I cannot take any chances with you since I am getting the feeling that if I do accept any of your offers, I might die from poison." he replied, just before he stepped through the doors of the conference room and took his place at the head of the table.


'Nice going Katherine, I can see how your plan is improving. Give it a week indeed, by the end of it, Mr. Remora will have concluded that you are indeed a psychopath and have placed you into a mad house!' my subconscious hissed making me groan. 


'He is not gonna do that I am sure-' I thought to myself as I entered the room, but I gulped softly when I looked at my boss to see that he was on his phone, speaking softly while shooting small glances my way. 


Yep, sure he isn't, my sub continued sarcastically. 


I swallowed hard but then finally took a seat as the meeting began. 


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Tuesday
July 12, 2011
9:20am
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It had been only one day and a few hours into my act and I was breaking before Mr. Remora. It turned out that Mr. Remora did have a thing for sweet treatments. Now because of my little act, it was apart of my duty to get him a bagel and cupcake along with his coffee every morning until I was leaving his employ. I didn't even know what he did with them! He never ate them, that's for sure, but if he didn't eat them then who did? I bet that he was only making me get them for him because I had to go all the way to the pastry shop next door to get the cupcake with little hearts on top. Why did I have to be so suggestive?


"Okay Mr. Remora, I have completed the survey. Here you go." I said enthusiastically for really no reason as I handed over the booklet to him. 


"Have all the records been checked?" 


"Checked and approved." I replied quickly. He looked at me with a blank stare before he looked back at the page I had left him on.


"Mr. Thomas, floor 13, has made plans to have a very important meeting this afternoon on floor 19...tell him to have the meeting up here in the main conference room and also tell him that I will be joining." Mr. Remora ordered. "Then get me the new schedule for the shipping and freight operations for next week. I want the spreadsheets and stock information updated today and get me a list of all the customers we have for our next shipping. Have you organized the record with the shipping costs, products shipped and receipt dates for the last three shipments yet?" 


"Ah.." I trailed off with a nervous smile, "Well, it has been quite the chall-" 


"Make sure they are ready and on my desk when I return from the meeting today."


"Yes sir, of cou-"


"You are dismissed." he abruptly interrupted before returning to his work, now ignoring my presence entirely and doing a dang good job at it. 


I sucked in my temper and left with a grin on my face...of course when I closed his office door I started stabbing myself with a pencil. 


"I hate my life." I muttered before attending to my duties. 


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Just as the day before, with all the work I had been given, the day flew by in a jiffy. If I sat and went over everything that happened that day, it would have been something like this:


Mr. Remora orders
Mr. Remora orders
Work
Work
Work
Temper release in restroom
Work
Work
Work
Meeting
Mr. Remora orders
Work
Mr. Remora orders
Temper release in break room
Work
Work
Work
Temper release on balcony
Work
Work
Mr. Remora orders
Temper release in Harper's office
Work
Work
End of day


No break, all work...you know, the usual. So Jake, being the super best friend he was, had brought me out for ice cream a few hours after work and so at the moment, I was sitting on my bed like a pity party, eating my ice cream, watching some lame movie as I awaited my bed time. 


I sighed and leaned against a pillow that was propped up against the bed's head, but before I could get comfortable, I shot up, my eyes wide, and the spoon that had been in my mouth- with the last of my ice cream- suddenly fell out as I came across the sad reality. This is gonna be my life for the next five months! I thought in horror. 


I was only gonna work, work and work, and there was gonna be no fun, no breaks... no nothing. My life was gonna be one of an old cat person...minus the cat! 


"Yes, yes it will be..." a man from the movie I had been watching spoke up. What were the odds that that was only a coincidence? None I was sure!


I sprung from the bed and started hyperventilating. No. No, no, no, no! This couldn't be it! 


Chill Katherine, it's only like six months, I tried to tell myself, but let's just say that it wasn't working. I could remember all the crazy scenarios I had conjured up about my future and this had never been one of them. How did my life turn into such a bland one?


I suddenly straightened up. That one question had answered itself. This was all because of that...man! That despicable piece of...man! If it weren't for his lack of adventure or lack of understanding of the word accident, we wouldn't be in this position right now. He would've forgiven me and torn up my contact already!


I pursed my lips and glared at my pillow which had conveniently morphed into Mr. Remora's head. I was just about to start an all out war on it when my alarm went off, signaling my bed time. How...convenient.


I gave the stuffed bag another glare before I decided that it wasn't worth it. Quickly, I climbed into bed and drew under the covers before I turned the TV off with the remote and switched the light switch. Closing my eyes, I tried to not think about what would be in store for me the next day. I thought I had had enough for the day and deserved a good night's rest. 


Sighing, I forced away my thoughts and slowly, I drifted off to sleep.


Author's note


So this chapter was... something, don't ya think? Comment your thoughts on it please as I am not sure what mine are right at this moment. Today was a complete ksbwwvdy but anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter and will continue reading


Prepare yourself for the next chapter because trust me... you'll need the preparation. Until the next...


💕S4_angel

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