Every Wild Needs Innocent

Chapter 1

I am sitting here, waiting to be called. Today is my interview, and I have been feeling intensely nervous. This is my second time facing an interview, so I can't help but feel anxious.

Moreover, my past experience in fast food is vastly different from this one. The restaurant I applied to is famous and high-end, a new experience for me.

"Is Mr. Jullian Ray Francisco here?"

I quickly glanced at the woman who called my name.

"Ma'am!" I stood up and raised my hand.

"Your turn now," she said.

I nodded slowly, wiped my sweat, and walked into the interview room.

You can do this, Jullian!

"Good morning, ma'am," I greeted politely.

She was busy looking at my resume. My nervousness returned as she didn't even greet me back. She looked strict, but I won't let that deter me. I need this job and the money.

It's okay, Jullian! You've been through this before; it's just different now! I reassured myself.

I adjusted my sitting position when the woman, who I estimated to be in her mid-40s, finally looked up.

"So... let's start. Tell me about yourself." She asked immediately.

"First of all, ma'am, thank you for allowing me to be interviewed. My name is Jullian Ray Francisco..." I began.

The interview lasted long. She asked many questions, and I answered them promptly. I kept myself calm to avoid a mental block. Some questions made me pause briefly, but I managed to find my way through. I was honest with my answers, which made the interview somewhat easier.

"For my last question. Why should we hire you?"

I took a shallow breath before answering the final question.

"If you hire me, it will be a great platform to showcase my skills. I set goals and ensure to complete them within the stipulated time," I answered confidently.

I felt nervous again because she didn't show any reaction. She just kept looking at me. Will I be rejected? I hope not. I need this job.

"Okay..." she said briefly, then looked at my resume again. "Based on our interview today, you answered everything I asked. There were only a few things I wasn't satisfied with, but I saw your interest in this job. So..." she paused, "Congratulations Mr. Francisco. You passed this interview!"

It felt like a thorn was removed from my throat, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Is this real? I have a job. Yes!

"Thank you so much, ma'am," I said happily, shaking her hand. I couldn't believe I passed the interview.

"You will start tomorrow."

"Thank you, ma'am. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity."

I smiled widely as I left the interview room. It's true; I have a job. Finally!

My smile remained even when I got back to the boarding house where I stay. I immediately took off my shoes before entering.

"I'm home!"

I heard the bathroom door open. Marjie came out, still wrapped in a towel.

"Oh, you're back," she noticed. "You look happy today, huh! How was the job interview?" she asked right away about the result.

I approached her. "I got the job! I passed the interview," I said happily.

"Oh my god, congrats! I told you, you'd get it."

"Thank you. I couldn't believe it when I got accepted," I said. The interview kept replaying in my mind.

She held my hand. "You deserve it. You're a hardworking and kind person. Treat me when you get your first paycheck, okay?"

"Of course, why not. I also want to repay you. You've helped me so much."

"Oh, stop. Think of me as your own sibling. Don't worry about owing me."

I'm so lucky to have a kind boarding mate who became my friend and support during tough times. In the years I've stayed here, she always covered for me whenever I couldn't pay. I owe Marjie a lot for all her help.

"Thank you so much. If you hadn't lent me money, I wouldn't have been able to apply. I promise I'll repay you."

"Hey! Don't be a stranger. We've been living together for two years and a few months now. And my help is nothing, as I said, you're like my sibling."

Her words made me smile.

Marjie is a year older than me. She's twenty, and I'm nineteen. It feels good to have someone like her around. I'm glad she's my roommate.

THE NEXT DAY, I woke up early because today the new employees will be oriented, and I'm one of them. We will also have an inspection today, so I need to be early to avoid any complaints. I felt a mix of nervousness and excitement because it's my first day.

When I arrived, they hadn't opened yet. I went straight to the headquarters, where I was greeted by two employees. They must be my future colleagues.

"Good morning," I greeted them. They responded with simple smiles. I walked over and sat on a single chair.

After a few minutes, a woman in office attire entered. She wore a red coat and looked young, probably in her mid-30s.

"Good morning, before we start, I want to congratulate all of you. You passed the interview. Out of a hundred applicants, only three of you got accepted. So, congratulations!"

I was stunned and couldn't believe what she said. Really? Only three of us passed the job interview, while other applicants seemed more qualified and better at answering questions. It's surprising.

"By the way, I'm Roxanne De Lavin, the manager of Wolverson Restaurante. It's owned by Mr. Wolverson's second son, Knoxx Cassius Wolverson, a brilliant businessman. You'll meet him later during the inspection."

We nodded as we listened to Ma'am De Lavin.

"If you don't know, this place is frequented by wealthy people: CEOs, politicians, celebrities, and other professionals. So always be presentable and never serve them if you're dirty. Avoid touching them. Do you understand?"

This place is impressive. I didn't realize how expensive the restaurant was. I feel like I don't belong here. I took a deep breath. It looks like this job will challenge me.

"And another thing, don't listen to the conversations of the diners. Most of them discuss business and want privacy. Since you chose this job, strive to be professional. Avoid making mistakes if you don't want to be fired quickly. Be polite and careful with every move."

I felt a surge of nerves, but my goal to go back to school prevailed. This might be the key to saving up money.

"So... you can go now. Change your clothes in the locker room. Have a nice day everyone."

After Ma'am De Lavin briefed us, I went to the restroom first to relieve myself. I was too tense from what she said earlier. Especially when she mentioned that only professionals eat here.

I was the only one in the locker room. Since I was alone, I took off my jeans. There probably won't be anyone coming in since I was just in my boxers. As I bent down to put on my slacks, I noticed someone walking in with expensive office shoes.

Wait...

Walking?

Office shoes?!

Someone's here!!

"Hello, excuse me."

I immediately looked up and saw him glance at my whole body. I panicked.

" I screamed and started hitting him with my slacks.

"Fuck! W-wait, dàmn it!" he groaned while I continued to hit him with my slacks.

"Get out of here! Leav-"

"What's going on here!" Ma'am De Lavin's voice echoed through the locker room.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 2

"Jullian, please take the order to table Number two!"

I moved quickly to avoid getting overwhelmed with orders. I immediately grabbed a tray of food from the top of the counter. I took each step carefully, knowing that if I wasn't careful, I might spill what I was carrying. That would come out of my salary, and I might get a record for it. I didn't want that! So I was very cautious with the orders I carried.

"Excuse me, Sir... here's your order..." I bent down slightly to balance the tray and prevent spilling. I carefully placed each dish on the table.

"Thank you," the customer said with a sweet smile.

"You're welcome, Sir. Enjoy your meal." I smiled back and left him.

I placed the tray on the counter and cleaned the tables that were now vacant. Even though it was only ten in the morning, the place was already packed. It was true what Ma'am De Lavin said, that people from all walks of life eat here. Earlier, a celebrity dined in, and I felt a bit shy serving him because he's famous; I often see him on TV and Facebook. I also assisted some businessmen and businesswomen, but as Ma'am instructed, I didn't listen to their conversations as it's one of the rules here.

After a tiring few hours, here I am now, contemplating outside by the side of the restaurant while eating. Wow, even though it's only been half an hour, I'm already exhausted because customers keep coming in every second. Some of my colleagues are also getting flustered, but they try not to cause any damage.

"Hey!"

I shook my head when someone suddenly tapped my shoulder. It was Evelyn, one of my coworkers. She's been working here for two years, so I often ask her for help because she knows a lot about this place.

"How are you? Tired?" she asked one after another. She walked around and sat next to me. There's a long metal bench by the side of the restaurant.

"A bit, but I'll manage," I said softly. I don't want to get tired because I know I'm doing this for myself. I also know that every drop of sweat has its reward, so it's okay if I get tired.

"Get used to it because we're always like this. We chose this job, so we need to stand by it," she said. She's right. When you take a job, you need to stand by it. You chose it, so you have to handle it.

"By the way, you were a winner yesterday, huh?" she laughed. I immediately understood what she meant. She's reminding me of something I'm trying to forget, but she still brings it up! I pouted and bit into my bread.

"Forget about that! I'm not even thinking about it anymore," I said, pouting.

I rolled my eyes and continued eating.

As the sun set, more people started coming in, so all of us waiters and waitresses had to move quickly. Luckily, I had a short break, so I didn't get tired right away.

"Ma'am, Sir, here's your order... enjoy your meal," I said with a sweet smile and left them.

"Hey girl, still hanging in there?" Evelyn asked.

"I can manage..."

I took other orders to their respective tables and then sat down for a moment on a metal stool to regain my strength. I massaged my arms because they were feeling sore from carrying so many orders earlier.

I glanced at the restaurant entrance and my eyes widened at what I saw. Mr. Knoxx walked in with two men and a woman. The woman immediately caught my attention. She had fair skin, long hair, pink lips, and a fierce look, but despite that, she was beautiful!

Why did I do that? How embarrassing!

What's wrong with you, Jullian? It's only your first day at work and you almost got fired! I'm still thinking about the embarrassing thing I did earlier. I wasn't informed that there would be an inspection before the restaurant opened; I thought it would be later, before closing. I expected my first day at work to be great, but I was wrong. Instead of a good day, it turned out to be foolish and embarrassing.

The embarrassment I felt earlier was overwhelming. Luckily, Sir Wolverson was kind and understood that I was new, but still... it was really embarrassing.

"You're deep in thought; you might burn what you're cooking," she laughed and passed by me.

I snapped back to reality when Marjie spoke from behind me, and that's when I realized I was cooking.

Shocks, Jullian! You're spacing out again!

I quickly turned off the stove before I could burn it. It was cooked anyway. We were having sinigang na bangus for dinner. I poured it into a large bowl and prepared the plates and utensils.

"Marjie, dinner's ready!" I called from the kitchen.

I heard the door of our room open. Marjie came out with a towel wrapped around her head. She sat down and started eating, and so did I.

We were in the middle of eating when she broke the silence.

"How was our first day?" she asked. I didn't answer immediately because I remembered the embarrassment I faced earlier.

"It didn't go well," I said softly. She frowned and looked at me in confusion.

"Why not?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I sighed before speaking. "I made a mistake," I said directly.

"What!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Wait... what kind of mistake? And what did you do?" she asked, confused.

"Earlier... while I was changing in the locker room..."

"Uhmm, and then..."

"I was only in my boxers because I thought I was alone, so I confidently took off my pants to change into slacks. Then... someone suddenly entered my locker. I thought a pervert had gotten in, so I panicked and started hitting him with my slacks," I explained. Marjie laughed a little at my story.

"Why? Who entered? And who did you hit with the slacks?" she asked teasingly.

"The owner of the restaurant where I work."

"What the f- Oh my gosh! Really?! Girl, you nailed it! Hahaha." She kept laughing while I rolled my eyes at her reaction.

What's so funny about that? It's not funny at all! And it's not funny that what happened to me earlier almost got me fired even before I started.

I waited for her laughter to die down. Now she was holding her stomach from laughing. Annoying!

"Girl, you're lucky you weren't fired right away. You made a mistake on your first day, and it was with the owner of the restaurant! You're something else, girl!" she said teasingly. I rolled my eyes and continued eating.

After we finished eating, she helped me clean up. But she still didn't stop teasing me. I'm really getting annoyed... if I didn't owe her so much, I would've hit her with the chopping board I was holding.

She left me in the kitchen and went to our room to change since she has work to do. A few hours later, she came out of the room.

"I'm leaving!" she shouted.

"Okay, take care!" I shouted back.

"Lock the door, or someone might come in, and you'll start hitting them again," she laughed annoyingly. Look at that, she's about to leave but still doesn't stop teasing.

"Che!"

I quickly finished washing the dishes and went to the room to rest.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 3

"Ah, horse!"

I shouted weakly as I nearly tripped and fell to the floor. Thankfully, I managed to keep my balance. Someone had just elbowed me. I looked up and saw Evelyn. Damn it! So she was the one who elbowed me. And she's grinning about it!

"What the heck! I almost fell!" I exclaimed in irritation. This witch!

"Hey! Do your job, stop daydreaming," she retorted. Can't I rest for just a moment?!

"Fine, I'm just sitting for a second," I complained. My arm was really getting tired.

"There's no sitting around here, especially when you're an employee. Your legs need to be as strong as a saleslady's and your arms used to lifting."

Wow, she sure has a lot to say.

"Have they been here long?" Evelyn asked, changing the topic.

"Who?" I asked in return.

"Mr. Knoxx," she said. Evelyn was looking at Mr. Knoxx's table. So she noticed them too.

"Oh, they just arrived," I replied. "By the way, who are those people with Sir today?" I asked curiously.

"The two men are Sir's friends," she started.

One of Mr. Knoxx's friends looked familiar. He was the one who gave me a calling card and almost ran me over.

"Is the woman with them also a friend of Sir?" I asked again.

"No, that's his fiancée, Ms. Adria. Isn't she beautiful? So enviable."

How embarrassing. Mr. Knoxx already has a fiancée. Good thing she wasn't with him yesterday, or she might have been angry at me too.

"Yes, she's very beautiful. How old is his fiancée?" I asked, still curious. She seemed so young.

"Oh, someone's curious," she teased.

"Just asking, is that a crime?"

"As far as I know, Sir's fiancée is 20, while Mr. Knoxx is 23. Their ages aren't too far apart, just two years."

Twenty-three? Why does he seem so young? When I first saw Mr. Knoxx, I thought we were the same age. So he's 23. There's a four-year difference between us since I'm only 19. Wait a minute! Why am I even thinking about our age difference?

"Is it gossip time now?!" We both turned to see the head chef standing behind Evelyn.

"Chef," Evelyn smiled awkwardly.

"You're not paid to gossip. Get back to work," the head chef said sternly.

"Sorry, Chef," I said, bowing in embarrassment. Evelyn and I quickly walked past Chef.

"You're the one asking so many questions."

Why does it seem like it's my fault? She's the one chatting with me.

"Wait, why me?" I asked, puzzled.

"Let's get back to work."

I walked to the empty tables and started cleaning up the mess. While cleaning, I couldn't help but glance at Mr. Knoxx's table. I discreetly looked at them. I almost dropped the dinner plate I was holding when our eyes met. He raised his left eyebrow and looked at the plate in my hand. Shocks, he saw me!

After finishing, I took the plates to the kitchen to be washed. But before leaving, I glanced again at their table and saw someone serving them.

"Jullian." I looked up because someone called me. It was Emerson, one of the employees here.

I approached him. "Why?" I asked.

"Please assist table 4, the customer is complaining that their soup is cold. Can you assist them? I'm helping Chef with peeling," he explained. I saw him peeling onions.

I quickly left the kitchen and approached table four.

"Ma'am, is there a problem?" I asked. She seemed impatient from waiting.

"Yes, why are you serving cold soup?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at me.

"I'm very sorry, Ma'am. I'll replace it... can you wait a bit longer?"

"Okay, please hurry, I have a client to meet."

"Copy that, Ma'am."

I took the bowl of soup and left. Luckily, the customer was reasonable, so there was no misunderstanding.

I went back to the kitchen and replaced the soup with a hot one before serving it outside.

"Ma'am, here is your soup." I placed it down. "Enjoy your meal, and I'm very sorry again."

I returned to the kitchen to finish washing.

"Jullian!" I looked up again because the captain waitress called me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Please serve this to Mr. Knoxx's table." I couldn't react immediately. Why to them?! I'm embarrassed about what I did yesterday. "Be careful, that's their order," she added. I nodded, even though I didn't want to. She might get mad if I refuse.

I walked quickly to Mr. Knoxx's table without knowing why. In my hurry, I forgot that the area had just been mopped, so I slipped. The tray of orders flew everywhere. I fell to my knees and winced in pain as my knees hit the floor first. But I remembered the orders that flew.

"Oh my gosh!" Ms. Adria screamed.

I quickly looked up and my eyes widened. The food had spilled on Mr. Knoxx. I bit my lip because he was glaring at me with sauce dripping from his head.

Oh no!

I bit my lower lip. Dear God, Jullian! You've messed up again. I quickly stood up, ignoring the pain in my knees.

"S-sir, I'm so sorry..." I stammered, hurriedly grabbing a table napkin from my apron pocket and wiping Mr. Knoxx's coat.

My hands shook as I wiped his expensive coat. Dear God! He might make me pay for this, and I won't have any salary left, if there's any left...

I gasped slightly when Mr. Knoxx stopped my hand from wiping his coat.

"Are you shaking?" Mr. Knoxx asked coldly. I couldn't respond immediately, and his hand remained on mine.

I couldn't detect any anger in his voice. Why isn't he angry with me? I'm not wishing for him to get mad at me. But shouldn't he be angry since I spilled food on his expensive coat? It's okay with me if he yells at me and gets mad. I would accept it because I deserve it. But he didn't... Instead, he stopped me.

"Take your dirty hand away from my fiancée!" Ms. Adria said disgustedly, pushing my hand away from Mr. Knoxx's hand.

If Ms. Adria hadn't moved my hand, I wouldn't have snapped out of it. Mr. Knoxx's two friends were also staring at me in disbelief. I suddenly felt very small because of what I had done.

"You b*tch, you can't even serve properly!" Ms. Adria grabbed the water in front of her and poured it on me.

"What the f*ck!"

"Adria!" Mr. Knoxx yelled.

I felt the cold water trickling down my body. I closed my eyes tightly and accepted the consequences of my clumsiness.

"Why did you do that?!" Mr. Knoxx stood up, ready to wipe me off, but I quickly stepped back.

"He deserved that, that stupid waiter!" Ms. Adria said firmly.

Tears streamed down my face from the embarrassment of what I had done. Ms. Adria was right, I deserved it because I wasn't careful.

"Jullian!" I looked up. It was Manager De Lavin. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"That stupid waiter of yours just spilled food on my fiancé!"

"I'm so sorry, Ma'am Adria, for the incident," Manager De Lavin apologized.

"Jullian..."

"Ma'am, I didn't mean to--"

"To my office, now!"

To Be Continued..