Chapter 4 THE FASHION BRAND

"Oh, please don't call me that. If my girlfriend is here, she'll be jealous. You know how you calling me pet names gets to me."

He was trying all he could to cheer me up.

I eventually smiled back and sighed.

"You okay?" he asked me again, concerned.

"I'm fine, Dan. You should probably go to your corner, or else our nosy colleagues will start thinking of something else."

"Do I look like I care about what they think?"

He stood up and shouted at them.

"Jennifer, Beatrice, Kate-hey! Are you here to gossip? Go back to work. And that reminds me, the boss will have an important meeting with us, so better prepare for the big news!"

Some hissed, and others muttered under their breath before returning to their places.

I was curious about the meeting.

"Is everything okay? What's it about?" I asked.

"The boss is selling the company. The fashion brand isn't selling as well as it should, so we'll have a new boss today. Hopefully, he'll keep us, but if we're not lucky, he'll replace us with his own team."

Oh my God! Why now? I can't afford to worry about losing my job. First my relationship, now this? I screamed in my mind, panicking.

"You don't have to worry. You're the most diligent worker here. I'm sure the boss will mention that to the new CEO," Daniel said, as if he read my mind.

"I hope," I replied sadly.

Just then, the boss walked into the office, accompanied by two men in suits.

We all went to the conference room to meet with him. I made the sign of the cross and prayed silently.

"First, I need to say a big thank you to you all. You have been the best team I could ever ask for. Gigia fashion brand has been a name known both nationally and internationally because of you all. But sadly, we are not strong enough to compete..."

The boss's words became voiceless to me. All I could think about was how I would go on. How would I start from scratch, looking for a job? I know how long it took me to get here.

"My best employee..."

This statement caught my attention. At least it might help convince the new boss to keep me. Everyone knows I work harder than my colleagues, like Daniel said.

"Ms. Jennifer!"

I almost cursed out loud. What the f***? Jennifer?

Everyone else seemed unbothered and unsurprised, except for me and Daniel.

Jennifer was the boss's sugar-babe. There were rumors about the two dating secretly.

She's a beautiful woman with a perfect body-too perfect to be real. Her front side, tiny waist, and huge backside are lethal. Her skin is like a baby's, and her fashion sense is far better than the rest of us. She's the only one allowed to wear skimpy dresses and mini-skirts.

At the end of the meeting, the boss never acknowledged my hard work. I've received many awards from him for diligence, punctuality, and hard work, but today I needed him to say it. Instead, he sold me out for big boobs and a pretty face.

Men!

Now I know my chance of staying in the company is one percent at best. I had to start job hunting as soon as possible.

"We'll get back to you all through your emails. Send your qualifications to us, and our boss will decide," the two men chorused as if on autotune.

We just nodded and went back to our offices while the boss accompanied them out of the company.

Jennifer couldn't contain her excitement. She bragged about everything and even said something that cut deep.

"Hard work and diligence don't pay no more, honey. You better wise up and put on your lipstick."

Another girl laughed with her.

I wondered if they realized they had just as slim a chance of staying as I did, or if they were just trying to make me feel worse.

I saw Daniel trying to talk to the boss. I knew he was speaking to him about me, but the boss waved him off and walked away. He didn't even look at me as he passed my corner.

I was angry, even annoyed, but as much as I tried to control it, my tears betrayed me. I got up, carried all the awards I'd received from him, and dumped them in his office.

He was angry about how I barged in and shouted, but I didn't care anymore.

After all, I wasn't going to work for him starting tomorrow.

I went back to my corner and packed my stuff. I took a portrait of my ex and threw it into a nearby waste bin. Daniel came to talk to me, but I ignored him and walked out on him.

I felt bad about it, but I didn't want him to worry about me anymore. After all, he didn't even find me good enough to date.

I thought about it. I guess I'm just frustrated. He had a girlfriend before we met.

He's a good person and has been a good friend to me, but he's the opposite gender, which feels uncomfortable.

I took the subway and found two open seats. I decided to stay by the extreme.

I pulled out the invitation card my best friend gave me.

Should I even call her that?

It was a VIP invitation. Inside was a note asking if I'd accept being her maid of honor.

Wow.

What does she take me for? A clown?

I'm supposed to smile and walk to the altar as her maid of honor?

On what was supposed to be my wedding day?

How could she be this heartless? How did we get here?

We were like twins back in school; nobody even knew we weren't related.

How could she let her envy ruin us? And now she's marrying my man to prove she's better than me?

It wasn't a bet. I thought it was just a harmless joke.

As much as I tried to shake it off, it hurt so much.

I slid the card back into my bag and cried my heart out. I cried so much that the people across from me glanced at me.

I tried to control myself.

I covered my face and bent my head, still crying.

I didn't realize when I fell asleep. I have this habit of drooling when I sleep after crying.

I was tapped on the shoulder by the person sitting next to me, the last to occupy the seat before I fell asleep.

I was too drowsy to look. I scratched my head and adjusted while still half-asleep.

Slowly, my head rested back on the seat.

When I opened my eyes, still blurry, I noticed the man in a suit wiping his shoulder with a handkerchief.

I was too embarrassed to look at his face, so I pretended to still be asleep. I closed my eyes tightly until I was sure everyone had gotten off the subway, then I slowly got up.

When I got home, I went straight to the shower, turned it on, and cried for a while.

A few minutes later, I felt a bit better. I took my bath and went to the living room.

My phone rang.

I checked-it was my best friend. Or should I say ex-friend, Kamsy?

I ignored her call, but she called again and again.

I sighed deeply and answered.

"What the hell do you want from me,Kamsy?"