Irene is now standing in front of the huge table that belongs to her boss, that Mr. Victor, who is nagging, in front of her now because she is 1 minute late. Irene seems cannot catch on what he has said since before and just look at her boss with bore look.
She knows she is at fault, but she got a good reason. Only that, the problem is she know the man cannot accept any reason at all making her didn't even want to voice out her opinion anymore. It's been a long time since she decided to give up on that.
She thought their so-called-relationship is better each day but only getting worse. Mr. Victor is not only bossy, but too emotional, too egoistic, too directly on his words which the list will go on and on.
She couldn't understand why her boss was behaving like a woman who often exchanged their emotions every month, including her of course. Even woman has a good reason behind that. But he, this Mr. Victor is worse than that. As if he was doing it on purpose to lead her to a cliff.
But, little that she knows. Victor actually frustrated looking at her being like that. Just accepting everything that comes to her. He wanted her to be completely out of her shell.
But making her as his slave seems like not effective at all as the girl is really acting like one. Which, he didn't like it even a bit. And today, he felt as if he saw a little hope, after seeing in her annoying face there. So, he decided to push her a little bit. Just a little bit more.
"Are you hearing what I am saying or not? Why just stand there like a statue?" He ask but Irene just keeping her silent.
"Don't be late again or I make you work twice as hard." Victor said that in a cold voice.
"Are you finish?" Irene also said on the same note.
Victor looked at Irene with a look that seemed to have a hidden meaning. He seems to be waiting for something and hope he is not disappointed this time.
Irene watches the man intently with angry tension is in the air. 'Well, if that's what he wanted, I will give him that', she thought. She cannot stand this any longer.
Still, with her cold poker face looking at Victor along with sharp gaze, she opening her backpack. Only her hand is moving, grabbing whatever she wanted inside the backpack while her face still do not change positions. Victor, is now looking at her with full curiosity.
"Here,"
Irene shows their contract in front of Victor. She holds the thick paper so hard even making her knuckles turned white. Also half of the paper now began to ruin by her strength.
"What about that?" Victor pretended not to understand.
Hearing that ignorant question making Irene threw the contract at Victor with all her might. She didn't care anymore if it even hit the man's face. He deserves it anyway. He already treats her worse than that.
"You don't have to threaten me anymore because I quit!" Irene said in screaming. She turned her body, about two left the office just like that, but Victor voice stopping her.
"Do you realize what you've done do you? You still have a debt with me. After all, the amount is too much."
That's what he always said. Over and over again. And she was sick of it.
Irene is back to facing the man. Furious. Walking angrily and as soon as she reached the man's table, she slapped the poor table with both of her hands. Hard. Although she also feels hurt by the impact, but she deliberately did it to show her determination.
"Listen here Victor." For the first time she drops the Mr. word to his name. He is no longer her boss anyway.
"Debt or whatever it is, I don't want to care anymore. You can throw me out of this college and take back all the scholarships, even making me go to jail because of this fucking debt. Do that and see if I care! What I most wanted is, I don't want to see your face in front of me again."
Victor just smirking. Feeling satisfied to hear his name called the girl informally like he always wanted.
Victor swears he can even see a fire in Irene's eyes just now. She turned around to get out of there for the second time, but again she stopped. This time by her own will.
She felt incomplete. There was something that needed to be conveyed to the man before they followed their own path. Because of that, she approached the man again.
She wants to clear things between them so that her heart will feel at ease. With an angry face, she said all that she wanted to say. Things that been building inside her for a very long time now.
"The first time I saw you, I knew you were a trouble. But I kept following your lead because I knew I was wrong that day. But, every day you treat me as if the shoe is much more valuable. Yes, it's expensive, but me, is more worth than that shit. "
Irene grabs one of the papers she threw earlier,
"This, I can't believe I agree to sign this with you. I must be crazy that day. And you. You took advantage of me. I can even sue you about this. What on earth is slave contract are? Do you think I'm a fool? Maybe I am then. Or why can I agree with this kind of stupidness."
Not only towards the man, she is also feeling so mad at her own self now.
"Let me tell you why I am so angry now. How come I need to print all of your work and then correcting your misspelling by hand and then you just said, good job. I just wanted to see if you are good in English. There's hundreds of pages for crying out loud. And you're making me doing all that while I have my own assignment to correct."
Now she started telling. Want the man to know everything. Everything she is not satisfied with.
"Then, you throw your leftover food inside the toilet and making it clung. Afterward, you asking me to take care of it. I'm being drenched in toilet water as it broke down. Still, I'm trying my best yet you said, ah, I just call for a plumber and he will come fix it. Like, what am I doing now? Why not call him sooner? Why you not telling me before I started working on it?! "
Irene is erratic now. She seems cannot be stopped. Her eyes also watering while explaining.
"The other day, you ask me to make a copy of your paperwork for a meeting. Thousand of it. Making me late to get back home. Afterwards you said, Irene, I forgot to tell you that the meeting got cancelled and there's no need for this anymore as it will be an online meeting. Just throw it out."
Irene stopped and looked at the man who faithfully listened to her utterance without saying anything.
"Do you think I'm a joke?" Irene is now sobbing. Her life is a mess that her heart cannot bear it any longer.
"I thought you're different. But you are worse than other people that bullying me. And you're not even sorry!"
"So, why are you telling me now? Why not the first day? When you started to feel all this unsatisfied?" Victor ask. But this time with a soft voice. Not that impressed on Irene's heart at that time anyway.
"What?" Irene cannot understand the man words.
"I wait each day for you to tell me that I was wrong, but you just accept it." He said.
"You know it was wrong, but you still ignore it. You know you can say something about it, but you choose to just keep silent. You know your life is a mess but still you keep trying to hold on to it. Why? Why not breaking free? What is holding you up from you being the real you?! "
Irene deadpan after hearing at that remark. Her chest began to heave again. Then she did the unthinkable.
Pang!
She slaps him. Hard. And Victor, even though he could stop the attack, he just let it be.
"Who are you to teach me?! Who the heck are you?!"
Victor grabs Irene's hand that slap him. Holding it tightly as if wanting the girl to listen well to him now.
"I'm someone that wanted you to realize that you're worth it. More than you think you are."
Irene pulled her hand away with force. Then she ran out. Somehow, her heart broke listening to the words that coming out of the man's mouth.
Victor on the other hand, let out a long breath that he didn't think he was holding while watching her disappear from his view.
"Don't look back after this Irene. I promise I will keep holding your hand until the end." He swear with all his heart.