*At Mr Jones office *
* knock knock *
"Come in ", he said as the door opened and a familiar face entered , " Miss Pierce , what can I do for you ", he asked indifferently.
"Why was 'My' presentation given without me, why was your son given the credit for 'my' work? ", she said emphasizing the 'my'.
" Its just business ", he said while shutting his laptop and finally staring at her , " if you get what i mean Miss Pierce "
He had a calm face on but his eyes mocked her . She couldn't take this , "Sir , I'll take this up to the board if I'm not given a valid reason ", she said .
" Oh...., and what evidence do you have ? what makes you think they'll believe you ? ", Mr Jones asked .
" I .... "
" Listen Miss Pierce, I've had a discussion with the board and we've agreed that there's really no room for an incompetent employee ",
he said interrupting with a mocking gaze .
He wouldn't dare to fire her now would he ?, No, no, no, I cant be !! Her expression became blank.
" Unless .....", he continued as he got up and stood beside her, " You can fulfill your duties to me as a woman to a man "
He got closer to her. What was this man thinking? She frantically moved away from him. He saw this and sighed, "Hand in your resignation letter before the day ends if your not willing to cooperate ", he said walking back to his desk.
She walked out with her head hunged low. What kind of woman did he think she was, she couldn't do such a thing. She walked quickly to her work space ignoring the eyes and comments aimed at her. She quickly packed up her things and left the building.
" Wasn't all high and mighty a moment ago?"
" I bet she got fired "
" Could it be because she offended Mr Duke "
"Whatever it is, good riddance "
The employees mocked and criticized her. Evelyn was brimming from ear to ear. Finally, now that Layla was gone, she could finally be the belle of the company once more. She suddenly stood up and walked to the center of the office.
" Guys let's calm down, I hope with lose of a fellow employee, we can work even harder ", she said with an air of charisma around her
"YEAH! , let's work hard "
" We'll follow you miss song "
" She's so talented "
....
Evelyn enjoyed the compliments given as they continued to butter up to her.
Layla sat in the cab with an expressionless gaze. Her eyes were lifeless, she just stared out the window as the cab drove towards home. Why me? Why do I have to suffer so much? Her thoughts filled with pain that she didn't even notice when she arrived at her destination.
She alighted from the cab with her things before it drove off. She stood gazing at the huge gates before her and sighed before hitting the buzzer.
" Who is it? ", a voice sounded through the speaker.
" Layla Pierce ", she said bluntly and shortly after the gates opened up for her and she walked into the villa. The villa was grand and luxurious with fountains, lawns, gardens, gazebos and a number of mansions stood tall.
Layla took a route that led to a small bungalow at the back. It was an eyesore from the rest of the beautiful houses in the villa but it still looked presentable. Its lawn was neat and beautiful, its garden well kept. She walked in and dropped her things on the living room floor then headed towards her bedroom and began to prepare a bath.
She gently soaked her slender body into the tub and began to recuperate. She felt weak and tired and saw this as the only thing that could soothe her at the moment. She sat there, pondering about everything that went on, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
On her first day at ZedN Corp, she was harassed by several male employees including Duke but she inevitably turned them down. The same happened with Mr Jones, he tried to make a move on her but she rebuked him. She was surprised when she'd gotten the job but what she had done was the cause of Mr Jones hostile behavior towards her.
She let out a long sigh. At least she wasn't in that toxic company anymore, she thought while zipping up her outfit. She sat in front the mirror to fix her hair and put on a light coat of makeup. She looked ever so stunning but her green eyes were still dull.
She realized she had to find a new job quickly before the mistress of the house found out. The mistress, Helen Moore, who was also her aunt was currently ruling the villa with her husband, Elliot Pierce who turned out to be her biological uncle.
After the sudden death of both her parents, Layla was left in the care of her uncle and aunt who later too I'm over the house and her father's wealth.
She. was constantly abused till she reached the age were she could move into the bungalow but it came at a cost. If only she could maintain a stable would she then be allowed to live here freely.
* DING *
The door bell rang, she was hesitant to open it at first but still ended up opening the door. Her eyes met those of a young lady around the same age as her but seemed to be taller with ginger colored hair and peach toned skin accompanied with her light brown eyes that shone under the dark sun shades she had on. She was beautiful but not a moon among stars.
" Caitlyn, what can I do for you? ", Layla asked feeling tensed.
" There's no need to be so formal with your favourite cousin, my mom isn't home so cut back and chill", Caitlyn said as she hugged her and walked into the house .
' There she goes letting herself in again ', Layla could only shake her head and shut the door. She entered the living room to see an already relaxed Caitlyn on the couch going through a magazine.
" Really Caitlyn ", Layla sighed.
" What kind of guest would I be if I didn't make myself at home "
Layla shook her head. Same old Caitlyn, she's been like this since they were kids. Caitlyn was the only child of Helen Moore and Elliot Pierce and therefore the heiress of the Pierce villa. She had always been close to Layla, of course without her parents knowledge. On the surface, it may look like she has the perfect life but no one knows what goes on behind the scenes.
Her parents have always wished for a boy to take over but when they had Caitlyn, they took out all their frustrations on her always demanding the best and nothing less from her. She may look like she's fine but knows what her dear cousin is going through.