|AFTER BRIANNA RAN OUT OF THE RESTAURANT|

“Jeez! That girl is sooo beautiful.” Simeon said dreamily, the image of Brianna’s cleavage still lingering in his mind.

“She sure is. But you shouldn’t have blurted out that comment earlier. You cost me ten million dollars,” Mr. Sergio snapped, glaring hard at Simeon, whose cheeks flushed red.

“I’m really sorry about that, boss. But you can’t blame me. She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” Simeon mumbled.

“Well, that’s true,” Mr. Sergio admitted, his tone softening. “She’s even more beautiful than my wife was when she was young. Too bad she didn’t take me up on my offer. I’d have paid her handsomely to stay at home, no work required. I would’ve spoiled her with money, but she chose that young, handsome but rude Adrian. Her loss.” He said the last part with a hint of bitterness.

“Yeah, her loss,” Simeon agreed, his voice trailing off.

“What are we still doing here? Let’s go. We don’t have any business here anymore,” Mr. Sergio said, standing up. They both walked out.

BRIANNA

Brandon drove the car onto the company premises, and I didn’t wait for him to stop before I jumped out of the car, not thinking twice.

“Brianna! Do you want to kill yourself?!” I heard Mr. Adrian shout, but I pretended I didn’t hear him.

I walked toward the building without looking where I was going and bumped into someone. I looked up to find it was Lewis.

“Sorry about that, Lewis,” I mumbled.

“It’s no problem, Brianna. What’s wrong? You look like someone just hurt you,” he said, concern in his voice.

“Oh, someone definitely did,” I replied grumpily.

“And let me guess, that someone is Mr. Adrian?” he asked, his gaze drifting to something—or someone—behind me.

“Brianna, why did you jump out of the car like that? Do you want to hurt yourself?” Mr. Adrian’s voice cut through the air.

“Why do you care? Whether or not I’m planning to hurt myself, it’s none of your business,” I snapped, walking away from him.

“Wait, Brianna, I’ll come with you. Seems like you could use some company,” Lewis said, falling into step beside me.

We entered the elevator together, and as the doors closed, I caught a glimpse of Mr. Adrian’s frown and intense stare.

The elevator stopped at my floor, and I stepped out with Lewis. We walked to my office in silence. Once inside, I collapsed heavily into my chair, and Lewis sat in the chair across from me.

“Are you okay, Brianna?” Lewis asked after a few moments of silence.

“I’m fine. Just pissed off at Mr. Adrian, that’s all,” I answered, rubbing my temples.

“Can you tell me what happened?” he asked gently.

“It’s not really a big deal,” I replied.

“It might not be a big deal to you, but I want to know,” he insisted.

“Okay… So, here’s what happened.” I began recounting the events, and Lewis listened closely.

“… And then he told me to start dressing more conservatively. I mean, are my clothes really that revealing? Does he want me to start dressing like a nun? Well, I’ll show him tomorrow. If he wants me to dress conservatively, I’ll give him conservative.” I finished with a deep sigh.

“Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the clothes you wear. They suit you perfectly, and they’re not really revealing. You shouldn’t listen to him. Don’t change your style just for him,” Lewis advised.

“No, I’m going to dress like a nun. After all, I have to listen to my boss, right?” I said, forcing an overly sweet smile.

“Alright, if you say so. But this smile of yours is creeping me out. I hope I’m safe,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe. You’ll be shocked tomorrow when you see the outfit I’m going to wear. You’ll probably think I’m losing it,” I said, laughing wickedly, ideas already forming in my mind.

|CLOSING HOURS|

I walked out of the building feeling giddy, like a kid who’d just been given a lollipop. I couldn’t wait for tomorrow. I’d show Mr. Adrian that I wasn’t the only crazy one.

Checking the time on my phone, I saw it was just after five. It had been a while since I’d seen Cherry, and we hadn’t talked on the phone either. I decided it was time for a catch-up. I dialed her number, and it rang for a bit before she answered.

“Hello, who’s calling?” Her groggy voice greeted me.

“Hey, Cherry, it’s me, Brianna,” I replied.

“Hey, girlfriend! How are you? I’ve missed you. We haven’t been calling each other much lately. How’s work, and that crazy boss of yours?” she asked, a mix of excitement and concern in her voice.

“Calm down, Cherry,” I chuckled.

“I’m fine, work’s been hectic. That’s why I haven’t called. I know you’ve been busy too. And as for my crazy boss, he’s still crazy,” I said, half amused.

“Good to hear. Are you less busy now? I was actually calling to ask if we could meet up,” I added.

“I’m not busy at all. You can come over to my place. Let’s catch up,” she replied.

“Okay, I’ll be on my way,” I said before hanging up.

Before leaving, I texted my mom, letting her know I was going to visit Cherry and would be home a little later than usual.

I arrived at Cherry’s place a short while later and rang the doorbell. I heard footsteps approach, and then the door swung open.

“Who’s there?!” Cherry yelled.

“Who are you expecting?” I retorted, and she flung the door open.

“Brianna!” she exclaimed, enveloping me in a hug like she hadn’t seen me in ages.

“Hey, Cherry!” I said, hugging her back.

“Come on in,” she said after we pulled apart, and I followed her inside.

“Where’s your aunt?” I asked, looking around.

“She’s fine, just not back from work yet,” she replied, settling down on the sofa.

“How’ve you been? Is the restaurant still boring without me?” I teased.

“I’ve been good. And yes, the restaurant’s definitely boring without my best friend. I miss you so much; it feels like ages since we last hung out,” she said with a smile.

“Aww, sorry. But I’m here now. By the way, I need your help with something,” I said.

“Sure, what do you need?” she asked.

“So, my crazy boss told me to start wearing more conservative clothes to work. I actually want to listen to him, and I want to dress like a nun. Do you have anything I could borrow?” I asked.

“What kind of ‘conservative clothes’ are you talking about?” she asked.

“You know, those long dresses that sweep the floor. That’s what I mean,” I answered.

“Ugh, I don’t wear those kinds of clothes. But why does he want you to wear something like that? Did you dress… slutty or something?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No! I didn’t. This was the outfit I was wearing when the incident happened,” I said, showing her what I’d been wearing.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” she said, shaking her head.

“Me neither. But he doesn’t see it that way. He thinks the men weren’t the promiscuous ones. Do you have any idea where I can find something like that?” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Why don’t you ask my mom? She wears that kind of stuff,” she suggested.

“Yeah, but won’t it be too big for me?” I wondered aloud.

“It might be a little big, but not too bad. Plus, your crazy boss wants conservative clothes, right? You’ve got to give him what he wants,” she said.

“You’re right! I knew if I came to you, you’d give me the best advice. You’re the best friend ever!” I exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

“I know, I don’t need to be reminded,” she said, chuckling.