Holding the door open, Mr. Sun allowed Emily to pass before closing it right behind her.
"So, Miss Taylor, how was your assignment?"
"Sir, I was going to call you regarding this assignment. Could you assign me to some other assignment, please?"
"Why, what happened, Miss Taylor? I thought you were very much interested in working with Innovation."
"I was, Sir. Not anymore. Please please do me a favor and give me some other assignment. I can't do this one," she said.
"Miss Taylor…"
Emily cut him off and said, "Please call me Emily, Sir."
"Fine, Emily. I will think about assigning you to a different project…" A huge smile graced Emily's lips when he continued, "but, I want to know what happened at Innovation first."
Her smile faltered, replaced by grimness.
"They didn't like my presentation."
"I see. Are you hiding anything else?"
"Well, if you include me overturning a glass of water and almost ruining my iPad, yes, otherwise no."
"Miss Taylor, I mean Emily, Innovation's CEO called me a while ago."
"He did?" Emily lowered her head. There was no way Gerald was going to give them another chance.
The coffee was getting cold, but she did not have the heart to take a sip. Was fate going to punish her? Why was everything going wrong?
She took a deep breath. When she lifted her eyelids, tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. Holding them back, she asked in a whisper, "What did he say?"
"He said he was going to cancel our contract." Mr. Sun paused, waiting to see Emily confess, but she never did.
Emily sat there in silence.
"Right, let's have coffee first," Mr. Sun said, taking a sip from his cup.
Emily heaved a sigh and took a sip from her cup. Placing it on the table, she said, "I'm sorry, I broke your trust, Mr. Sun. The board of directors were angry with you because of me, right?"
"Mm."
"I… Well, Mr. Whitmore rejected my presentation without rhyme or reason calling us cheaters. I know I shouldn't have lost my temper, but I couldn't hold myself back when he insulted our company. Plus, I was a little too invested in my creation that I couldn't take the insult well. I should've known…"
Tears started cascading down Emily's cheeks like waterfall.
"There's nothing to cry about, Emily. The most important thing right now, is to fix this mess."
"Yes Sir, I understand."
"Good. After a lengthy discussion with Mr. Whitmore, we came to an agreement that you'll be working at Innovation for one month and cater to Mr. Whitmore's needs for one month." Mr. Sun paused and placed his cup of coffee on the desk, interlocked his fingers and continued, "Look Emily, I know you need money and I'm glad that you think about the company too. It's just a month. It'll pass by in a blink of your eye."
"But Sir… please try to understand."
Mr. Sun's pleasant tone changed. His jawline got stiffer as he spat out, "Don't you want them to know that my faith in you is not wrong? Don't you want them to know that the doubts they're having are not true and above all, don't you want to tell that person that your idea is not bad? Nevermind, I expected too much from you. You may leave. I'll assign someone else to this job."
Emily got up from her chair. The fates were not in her favor. She had her own reasons for rejecting it. She knew what Gerald was thinking but she couldn't do it. She couldn't let anyone else toy with her heart again.
Dejected, Emily exited Mr. Sun's cabin and walked towards her own. This was probably the last day of her work here. She couldn't watch the disappointed eyes of Mr. Sun, which once held so much hope for her future.
She gathered her items and started packing up. Gerald's words, the board of directors' words, Mr. Sun's words, the doctor's words echoed through her brain, messing her thoughts up.
'Your father cannot be saved if you don't bring the money in a month. He needs immediate surgery,' the doctor had told her.
'Em, I can only trust and put my hopes on you,' her mother had said.
'Don't you want them to know that my faith in you is not wrong?' Mr. Sun told her.
She closed her eyes and let her tears fall. Holding her head in her hand, she broke down.
The sound of throat clearing made her stop crying and she turned her head to look towards the source of the sound.
"Are you okay?"
"I did not notice your arrival, Marie."
"I was passing by when I heard you sniffling. I told you not to dilly dally while taking the coffee for the President, but you did not listen to me. See, he scolded you, right? But aren't you really faint hearted? Crying for such a simple thing." Marie shook her head as she walked towards Emily.
"It's not that. Forget it. Thanks Marie. You're good." Emily tried her best to smile. Everything was going downhill and Emily did not know what would relieve her of all worries.
Marie patted her on the back and smiled before she gathered her bag and left the building.
Emily looked at the watch. It was only 6 p.m.. She couldn't go to the hospital yet. Her mother would ask a lot of questions. Shaking her head, she got up and prepared to leave.
She would buy a sandwich or two on her way to the hospital. Other than a cup of coffee, she didn't eat anything. Her stomach was growling loudly.
Emily strolled out absentmindedly. A car swerved her way and she almost collided until she felt a strong grip on her arm, pulling her onto the sidewalk.
"Are you okay, Ma'am?"
"Yeah, thank you so much."
Emily started walking in the other direction, when she heard a voice say, "Nevermind, lemme drop you. Where are you going?"
"Murica Cancer Speciality Hospital."
The stranger called a cab, helped her get in and then got in.
He instructed the driver to drive towards the hospital.
He asked, "Did you eat?"
"No," Emily whispered.
He asked the driver to stop the car at the restaurant near the hospital.
"Why are we here?"
"To eat, of course, duh!" The man flicked her forehead.
Emily did not answer.
He slapped his forehead and said, "Look at me, I totally forgot about introducing myself, neither did I ask about you. Hello, I'm Oscar Rivermore and you?"
"Emily Taylor," she whispered.
"Such a nice name. What do you wish to eat, Miss Taylor?"
"I don't know," Emily answered. She couldn't say 'no' to this enthusiastic young man, so she travelled with him.
When she looked past him, she saw someone she never wished to see again.