He's meant to my enemy

"It's natural, it's silk, it's comforting, it's herbal luxe."

The small portable television was playing at the corner where Celine was, and she could clearly see the advertisement for the blue and pink color Herbal LUXE relaxer made for boys and girls.

"Looks like you're getting satisfied with an ordinary hair product advert." Mr Cole, Celine's boss said.

"It's not just ordinary, it's a zeal," Celine said smiling.

Her boss is one of the kindest bosses you'll pray to meet. He's old and treats Celine like his own daughter.

Sometimes he will help Celine with the little he has.

"I used to apply it as a kid. But now I can't even afford their hair shampoo." Celine added.

"Leave the hair product for the business class." Mr Cole muttered.

All her life she's always wanted to be rich. Rich enough to take care of her diagnosed mum and her sister in high school who is constantly being bullied because of her lack of resources.

"Celine, take care of the store." Mr Cole said before leaving the convenience store.

The whole afternoon was boring since Mr Cole left. Celine hasn't had any customers come by. It's as if the government placed a curfew she didn't know about.

Just as she lay her head asleep, someone came by with two men in suits.

"Kidnappers or criminals." She whispered to herself. She immediately felt scared.

One could guess from the way she speaks that she's having an overproduction of adrenaline.

"Where is the bottled water section?" one of the men in the suit asked her.

"Over there." She said, pointing in the direction, still feeling terrified, while her mouth shook like she was feeling cold.

"Hi, this is 911..." Celine had just started a call with the emergency center.

"Are you alright?? One of the men said. He collected the telephone from her and ended the call.

"Yes, I'm just fine," Celine muttered, terrified.

The man who entered with them was sitting down at the visitor's chair near the noodle chef.

Celine was confused at that point, and she now proceeded to call her boss instead.

"Hi, sir, please send help. Help, Help." She whispered, shaking.

The other guy in the suit overheard her.

"I told you to stop making stupid calls, we're not criminals," he said, collecting the telephone.

"How dare you?? The other man in the suit added.

They both dragged Celine to the Man who looked like their boss.

He was looking at a magazine and sat as if he were the owner of the store.

"Let go of me, you criminals," Celine shouted.

She pushed the two men and proceeded to bring arms like a can of soda.

"Celine calm down." Mr Cole entered.

"I'm so sorry Mr Wilfred. I think it's all a misunderstanding." Mr Cole said which left Celine mute.

"Who is she? Is she new here? Mr Wilfred said, looking neither angry nor happy. Just less concerned.

One could see through his eyes already that he's heartless.

"She's my sales attendant, she's not new, but she was part-time, now she's working full-time." Mr Cole replied to the man.

"Sir, please forgive her." Mr Cole said again.

"I won't forgive her. Do you know the gravity of what she did??? I can buy this entire store and feed the needy with it." Mr Wilfred bragged.

"You need to fire her! That's the only way to forgive you both." He said again.

"But... sir you can't fire me. You know this is the only way I survive.... please, sir, please, I'll take full responsibility for my actions, but please don't fire me, please." Celine begged Mr Cole.

"It's either you fire her or you pay me all the money you've ever owed me." Mr Wilfred said and left with his boys.

"Who is he?" Celine asked Mr Cole right after Mr Wilfred left.

"He's a very wealthy man. I don't know what he does for a living but he's a very frequent customer here. I borrowed money from him to pay my bank debts and I have been minusing the money from the things he buys here from time to time." Mr Cole answered.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I didn't know he was wealthy. I was thinking that he's a thief. Please, sir, you have to understand me, please." Celine pleaded but to no avail.

"I'm so sorry Celine. If I keep you he's going to take me to prison because I honestly don't have his money now. Maybe this is your opportunity to start looking for a job in your dream company." Mr Cole said.

Celine was speechless. Her mouth was shut but she had a lot to say. From the moment those guys came in to the moment when he commanded her immediate dismissal, down to the time Mr Cole eventually fired her.

"Humans are wicked. Why would someone that rich want me to feel miserable just because of a little misunderstanding?" Celine said to herself while heading home.

"Celine, it's ok. You'll find another job." Magret Celine's sister said, trying to comfort her.

"But why? Why would anyone want to see me suffer?" Celine said with tears all over her eyes.

"It's going to be alright. We can use my savings for now." Mrs Grace Celine's mum said with a weak tone.

"No, mummy, that savings is for your surgery, so we won't touch it," Celine uttered.

"I'll be fine, but you and your sister won't be if you barely eat anything." Mr Grace noted.

It's early morning on Monday. Celine had dressed her best that morning. She wore a basic dress not rough, not expensive, just neat.

During the weekend, she applied for a job at the Herbal Luxe company, but as a cleaner.

She was told to come on Monday for interviews.

"Who the hell interviews a cleaner? Magret asked.

"Mrs Sinclair. The manager of H&L company." Celine answered.

Mrs Sinclair is the front desk and the face of Herbal LUXE. She's always on TV and shows, she's like the CEO that nobody knows. She manages everything starting from the finances to the least.

Rumor has it that she's the daughter-in-law of the owner who died recently, so her husband must be the CEO.

"Does she interview her drivers too?" Magret added.

"Yes, who knows?" Celine replied and they started laughing.

Celine's mother and sister are the best things that have ever happened to her since she was born. She carried the weight of her family since high school, when she worked part-time at the convenience store.

"Celine Johnson!" The attendant called her for the interview.

"Performance art?"

"Yes, I studied performance art in college," Celine said, replying to Mrs Sinclair.

"Well, that's poor."Mrs Sinclair said, still going through her files.

"What concerns a cleaning job with a PhD?" Celine said to herself.

"I studied performance art but I can also clean. I'm a good cleaner man." Celine said, putting on a fake smile.

"Okay Mrs Johnson, you're dismissed for now. We'll get back to you before you know it. Just keep checking your emails." Mrs Sinclair said, packing up Celine's file.

Two days after Celine went for the interview. She received feedback from them."

"Congratulations to you Celine Johnson. You're currently the new custodian. You'll receive a sum of four thousand dollars for this per month you can resume............."

Celine was shocked at the amount she would be receiving just from working as one of the maintenance staff.

"It's definitely better than the two hundred dollars you receive from Mr Cole every weekend," Magret said when she heard the news.

"Mr Cole is a good man," Celine noted.

"And he fired you?" Magret added.

"He had no other choice. After all that man is to be blamed for being heartless." Celine said.

The following day Celine started work immediately. Her dress was good and okay. It's giving a professional cleaner vibe.

Although they had plenty of rules and regulations, the pay is really worth it.

Celine was having a coffee break when the CEO was announced. All workers are meant to stand and wait for him to enter.

According to Evelyn, her CO worker. The CEO only visits once in a blue moon. Sometimes, once a month or every two months.

To Celine's greatest surprise, the CEO was the man at the convenience store. She quickly hid her face to prevent him from seeing her.

"All the newbies should see me for a welcome payment." Mr Wilfred said. Everybody was happy except Celine.

What if she loses her job? That man already hates her and she won't risk it.

"Is it cool not to visit the CEO for the welcome payment? Celine asked Evelyn.

" I honestly don't think it's a good idea. You could lose your job for it, plus who doesn't want to collect the welcome payment?" Evelyn answered.

"And I could still lose my job if I go there," Celine whispered to herself.

She already made up her mind not to go. That she shouldn't get fired for going and still getting fired after being humiliated.

"Celine. newbies are at the CEO's office." Mrs Joana, the head of the maintenance staff, said when she saw her hiding in the cafeteria.

"I'm okay here. Ma." Celine muttered.

"No you're not. You're coming with me now to the office." She said dragging Celine.

Reaching there Mr Wilfred was shocked and asked who employed her.

"I was employed by Miss Sinclair, your manager," Celine said in a low tone.

" Miss....?"

"Celine Johnson," Celine said, replying to Mr Wilfred.

"I'm sorry to break it to you but you're fired." Mr Wilfred said.

"Sir, you can't do this to me. How could you be so heartless? You made me lose my first job and still made me lose my second one. What have I ever done to deserve it?" Celine said with a drop of tears.

Everybody was shocked, not only at the way she was fired but also at how she spoke to him instead of pleading.

Wilfred ordered the security to take her out, which he did.

That afternoon, Celine was fired, which left her miserable. She couldn't process the whole thing.

Why would a stranger want to punish her like this? What did she do to deserve this?.

As she sat in front of the company, these thoughts were going through her mind.

"Miss Sinclair.... Miss Sinclair.." Celine called out loud when she spotted

Mrs Sinclair is the manager of the Herbal LUXE company.

"Why aren't you at work ?? Sinclair asked.

"I just got fired, the CEO fired me." Celine weeped.

"Why? What did you do to him?" Sinclair asked, confused.

"It's a long story....but honestly, I didn't do anything for real," Celine said, pleading with the manager.

Celine and Miss Sinclair went up to beg Mr Wilfred but he didn't accept.

It was late in the evening. Apparently time to go home and deliver the sad news of losing her job again.

She thought of how her sister and mother are going to feel. She's so ashamed of herself, and she can't go back home.

That evening, on her way home, she branched at an alcohol bar. After drinking multiple cans she couldn't move her legs.

She doesn't even know how to go back home, but she tried as much as possible to lift herself up and go home.

On her way home, she tried crossing, but she couldn't. It was as if she had been hit by a car.

"Where am I? Celine asked the moment she opened her eyes. Everything felt blurry. She was very dizzy.

"Ma you had an accident.... but you'll be fine." The nurse said.

"An accident!! How? When?" Celine screamed.

"Ma, I would like you to calm down. Please." The nurse said.

"Who brought me here?" Celine asked.

"I did." Mr Wilfred entered the room, which left Celine in shock.

"Sir, please, what do you want? My life? Or my happiness?.... You made me lose two jobs in the duration of one week, and now you want to take my life." Celine weeped.

Mr Wilfred was speechless. He left the hospital room quietly. He paid for the hospital bills and left.

"My dear are you okay?? Celine's mum and her sister visited the hospital to meet her.

"Mummy, I'm fine... I'm totally okay it's just a minor accident." Celine said.

"What happened exactly?"Magret asked.

"Like I said before, I'm fine."

Just before Celine could break the news of losing her second job, she received an email saying she could resume work and also a credit alert of one thousand dollars for her welcome payment.

According to Mrs Joana, head of the maintenance staff. Celine resumed work the following night because she's meant to work overnight.

While she was working, she overheard someone talking.

"It's all gone..... It's tough ...... very tough. The voice was coming out from the CEO's office.

"Knock....knock...sir, I would like to start cleaning now, it's the maintenance staff," Celine said, but she got no response.

The door was slightly open and she decided to let herself in.

"Are you mad? Who let you in? Mr Wilfred said with a low alcoholic tone.

"he drinks too. Such a careless drinker." Celine muttered.

"What did you just say? Mr Wilfred asked.

"Nothing sir... is there anything you want me to do for you? Celine asked.

"Yes come! He said.

"Sorry? Celine uttered.

"I said Come." Mr Wilfred repeated.

Celine came closer and he dragged and hugged her tightly. At that point, Celine knew he was going through something and really needed a hug.

Celine felt comfortable with the hug because she needed it too.

Mr Wilfred fell asleep and Celine left him to sleep on the office cushion.

"Oh my God! What have I done? Celine said when she saw the ICTV camera just before she was about to leave.