|Honey Crown Restaurant|

~Manager’s Office~

ADRIAN

“Good afternoon, Sir,” Mrs. Williams greeted me timidly. If I didn’t know her better, I would have thought she was a gentle woman. But in reality, she’s far from gentle, and that’s why she’s still working for me.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Williams. I came to see how everything has been going. How are things?” I asked.

“Everything has been fine, Sir. Lots of customers have been coming daily, and sales have been going smoothly. We even had to restock the food items twice last week,” she said, smiling.

“Wow! That’s great. Are the employees performing their duties well enough?” I asked.

“Yes, they’re doing great. But some of them come in late sometimes and always have excuses for their tardiness,” she replied.

“Who are they?” I asked.

“One of the cooks and two of the waitresses,” she responded.

“Are they here now?” I asked.

“The waitresses are present, but the cook hasn’t arrived yet,” she replied.

“Since when has she been coming late?” I asked.

“She’s only come late twice, and she had excuses for it,” she said.

“Okay, warn her when she arrives that if she’s late again, she’ll be fired immediately,” I said.

“Alright, Sir. I’ll do that,” she nodded.

“That’s all. I’ll be going now; someone is waiting for me,” I said as I stood up. I walked out of the office, Mrs. Williams trailing behind me. I reached the table where Manuel and I had been sitting earlier but found it empty. I paused, confused for a moment, then remembered I’d told him to wait for me in the car. I exited the restaurant with Mrs. Williams following behind me. As I stepped outside, a woman was about to enter the restaurant, but Mrs. Williams stopped her.

“Hey, Cherry! Come over here,” Mrs. Williams called out. The woman looked at her and then walked over.

“Sir, this is the cook I told you about,” Mrs. Williams said. The woman looked puzzled.

“So, this is her? Just let her know that if she’s late again, she’ll be fired immediately,” I said before walking away.

I walked to the parking area, but my car was gone. I checked around, but none of the cars looked like mine. Don’t tell me it’s what I think it is. Just then, my phone rang. It was Manuel. I answered it without a greeting.

“Where are you, and where’s my car?” I asked, frustrated.

“Something came up, and I had to take your car. I would’ve returned it, but I got a call from the office,” he explained.

“What the hell? How did you get into the car? Didn’t I lock it?” I demanded.

“Well, turns out you might have forgotten to lock it,” he said, chuckling.

“This isn’t funny! How do you expect me to get home?” I yelled.

“You can take a cab or walk if you want to get some exercise,” he suggested casually.

“I’m going to get back at you for this,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Whatever. Take it as revenge for yelling at me and acting like you’re my dad,” he cackled before hanging up. I gritted my teeth in anger.

“Manuel… I’m so going to deal with you,” I muttered angrily. Since when have I taken a cab? I’ve never even been in one in my twenty-eight years of life, and Manuel expects me to now. Fine, I’ll take a cab... and get him back later.

I waited by the side of the road for nearly twenty minutes before I finally saw a cab.

“Good day. Where are you going?” the driver asked after I sat down in the back seat. The seat was hard against my backside. My car seat is way softer than this.

“I’m not sure of the address, but do you know Collins’s Fashion Industry?” I asked. The driver smiled.

“Of course, I know the place. Who wouldn’t?”

“Okay, take me there, please, and drive fast,” I said.

He started the car. During the ride, I used the time to check my emails and respond to the important ones. I looked up when I felt the car shake for a second.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Sorry about that. The car hit something,” the driver explained.

“Oh, okay,” I replied, turning my attention back to my phone. After a few more minutes, I looked up and noticed we weren’t there yet.

“How much longer?” I asked, starting to get impatient.

“We’ll get there soon,” he replied.

“I thought there was a quicker route?” I asked.

“There is, but there’s heavy traffic on that road right now,” he answered.

“Okay, just drive faster. I need to get somewhere,” I urged.

“I’m going as fast as I can. If I go any faster, we might get pulled over, and I’m sure you don’t want that,” he said reasonably.

“Fine, just keep going,” I said, leaning back in my seat.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we arrived at my destination. I got out of the cab immediately, closing my eyes to inhale the fresh air. I felt like I was suffocating in there. I’m never taking a cab again.

“You haven’t paid yet,” the driver called out.

“Oh, right,” I said, pulling a few dollar bills from my wallet and handing them to him.

“This is more than the fare,” the driver said, glancing at the bills.

“Yeah, keep the change,” I said before walking away without waiting for him to thank me.

I entered the building and took the elevator to Manuel’s office floor. When I entered his office, it was empty. I sat down at his desk and waited impatiently.

“Yo, Adrian, what are you doing here?” Manuel asked in surprise as he entered.

“I’m here to collect my car keys. Where are they?” I asked coldly, holding out my hand.

He dug into his pocket and handed me the keys.

“You didn’t have to come all the way here for this. I could’ve just sent my driver to drop them off at your place,” he said.

“Well, I’m here now, and I’ve got what I came for. I’m leaving,” I said, standing up.

“Wait… don’t tell me you’re mad?” he asked.

“Of course I am! You made me take a damn cab! Me!” I shouted.

“See, I’m sorry, okay? It won’t happen again,” he said.

“Keep your apology. I’m done here,” I snapped, glaring at him before storming out of his office, making sure to slam the door loudly behind me.