Chapter 2 Dismissal

All efforts to reach Auden proved fruitless as his two vigilant guards stationed at his office entrance would not grant access to Evelyn and Brenda.

"I'm done for, Miss Brenda. Where do I begin? How will I provide for my children?" Evelyn's tears flowed uncontrollably, her lips trembling with emotion.

Feeling compassion for her colleague, Brenda embraced her warmly and allowed her to weep for a while.

"But why were you late, Evelyn? Is there an issue with one of your children?" Brenda inquired once they let go of their embrace.

Sniffling, Evelyn wiped her face and proceeded to explain the events that caused her tardiness.

"To hell with that despicable driver," Brenda fumed with anger.

Evelyn whimpered again and grasped Brenda's hands, pleading with her, "Please help me, Miss Brenda. This job is my only means of supporting my children. I can't afford to lose it, please."

Brenda's heart ached for her colleague and tears welled up in her eyes. "That man doesn't strike me as someone who would take back his words, Evelyn. We need to come up with another solution," she suggested.

Evelyn burst into a fresh wave of tears, her shoulders heaving with sobs.

Brenda paced back and forth, brainstorming on how to assist Evelyn. Suddenly, she stopped and a bright smile lit up her face.

"I have an idea, Evelyn!" she exclaimed, clutching Evelyn's hands with excitement.

Evelyn's tears ceased as she sniffed and eagerly awaited the good news.

"Remember Quinn, the friend of mine who visited last year and admired your work?" Brenda's face beamed with anticipation.

It didn't take long for Evelyn to recall who Brenda was referring to. "The man with long hair who acts like a woman? Yes, I remember him," she replied.

"Excellent!" The sound of Brenda's palms coming together in sheer delight echoed through the hall.

"Do you recall how much he wanted you to join him, Evelyn? Your designs are adored by him and he was willing to pay whatever amount you named."

Evelyn let out a heavy sigh. It was impossible for her to forget how that man had pestered her that day, incessantly begging her to leave her current job and work for him instead.

However, she couldn't shake off the thought that this man, who acted almost like a woman, was being serious about it.

"I will give him a call for you now, Evelyn. I'm certain he would be absolutely ecstatic to have you on board," Brenda interjected, already on her way back to her office to fetch her phone.

Upon her return, she was already speaking to Quinn on the phone.

"I hope you're not playing a trick on me, Brenda. That brilliant designer is going to work with me? Me?!" Quinn exclaimed with excitement, a slight smile creeping onto Evelyn's face.

"Yes, Quinn. I'm not joking. When would you like her to come in so the two of you can discuss this?" Brenda carried on.

"How about right now? Can she come now? I just can't wait to see her again. Oh my goodness, Brenda. You have no idea what this means to me," Quinn's emotional voice rang through the phone, causing both Evelyn and Brenda to let out a soft laugh.

"Enough with the drama, hang up and I'll give her your office address so she can come see you soon," Brenda quickly responded, ending the call immediately.

"How can I ever repay you, Miss Brenda?" Evelyn broke down into tears once again, embracing Brenda tightly.

The older woman smiled and gently ran her fingers through Evelyn's hair. "The only way to repay me is to always remain true to yourself, Evelyn. Never change who you are."

Later, Evelyn exited the building and headed to meet Quinn. She slowed her pace and stole one last glance at the facility, tears threatening to spill from her eyes once again.

She still couldn't believe it. She had worked there for nearly a decade.

At a mere six months old, her children were barely past infancy when she began working at Glamour Designs and Textiles. And just as abruptly as it began, her time there was unceremoniously ended, leaving her devastated.

What a cruel twist of fate.

Evelyn swiftly brushed away her tears, taking a deep, resolute breath as she resumed her walk. However, her determined pace was abruptly halted when a familiar car caught her eye.

Not just any car. It was the same flashy vehicle that had splashed mud all over her dress earlier that morning, leading to her dismissal.

Without a second thought, she rushed towards the car, parked among countless others in the lot.

As she neared the car, she nodded to herself incessantly, as if to reassure herself that she wasn't mistaken and this was indeed the same car with that familiar license plate.

Without a moment to lose, she circled the car and pounded on the driver's side door upon realizing there was someone in the driver's seat.

"Get out of this car right now, you reckless driver!" Evelyn demanded, continuing to bang on the car in a careless frenzy.

The driver quickly emerged from the car, looking bewildered as he met Evelyn's gaze.

He didn't recognize her at all, making it even more confusing as to why she would be so aggressively attacking his car.

"What seems to be the issue, miss? How may I be of assistance?" the young man, around thirty years old, asked politely, catching Evelyn off guard.

In her mind, the driver who had ruined her dress earlier in the day would not have the gall to be so courteous.

What a jerk!

"Everything is wrong because of you, careless driver! Do you have any idea what you did to my dress this morning? Your recklessness got me fired!" Evelyn shouted at the man, trembling with fury.

She had never lost her temper in such a way before.

The driver didn't seem surprised at all and appeared to already know who was truly at fault.

"I apologize for your misfortune, miss. But I must inform you that I was not the reckless driver who ruined your dress. In fact, I just arrived a few moments ago and-"

Evelyn's eyes widened in shock, disbelief etched in her expression. "What?" she exclaimed, "Now you want to deny the obvious?"

"Don't misunderstand me, Miss. This may be the car that provoked your anger, but I can assure you I wasn't the one behind the wheel. My boss was the one who brought this car here," the driver calmly clarified.

Evelyn's gaze narrowed, curious to know who this mysterious boss was. But before she could inquire further, a deep, familiar voice interrupted them.

"What's going on here?"

Both Evelyn and the driver turned their heads simultaneously, spotting Auden Bernard striding towards them.