"Woo~ what's that smell? Oh! You're cooking!"
Franz came from behind and rested his elbow on Knox's shoulder after crossing his legs and leaning over to the kitchen counter.
"Wow. You said you're working as a manservant for someone. I bet they're drooling every time you cook!"
Knox was smiling, but after hearing that, the corners of his lips faltered after the images of the first time he cooked for Azrael rushed to his mind. His smile crooked and he quickly turned away from his friend.
"You bet. Haha."
It was actually his boss who cooked their food. But there's no way he'd tell that to him.
He took off the apron and hung it on the refrigerator's side, then he faced Franz and said, "Anyway, I'm going somewhere. Let me wash the dishes. You can just put them on the sink. I'll wash them after I come back."
Franz, "Where are you going without eating first?"
"I'm full. I ate the leftover pizza from last night—
"Why would you eat that and then cook breakfast for me?! Geez, man, you're making me feel bad!"
Knox smiled at Franz, "I'm the one who feels bad. I've been crashing here in your place for three days now."
Franz clicked his tongue and replied poutingly, "Do you hear me complaining?"
He sounded hurt. Knox frantically explained and convinced him that he wasn't complaining. But he also knew Franz was dating someone, and although his boyfriend was kind, he didn't want to impose on them too much.
Because of him, they can't date at Franz's home. So, Knox felt guilty and troubled.
Franz just laughed at his reason and responded, "Man~ that's not a problem! I'll just go to my boyfriend's house instead. Easy!"
Knox scratched his head, "Still. Let me do the chores here while I'm staying."
His friend sighed, "Alright. But next time, eat with me, you're not my servant, you know. Anyway, go! Don't be late with your appointment!"
After getting kicked out of the apartment, Knox dialed the number of Azrael's secretary, the one who brought the contract to him in the hospital. The secretary agreed to meet in a café, so without anything to do, he decided to go there and wait.
It was exactly lunchtime when the secretary came.
"So, you want to terminate the contract?"
Knox nodded. He already explained everything. The man was attentively listening to him without cutting him off, which he was grateful for. However, he wondered why such a polite and gentle-looking man was working for such an ill-tempered boss like Azrael.
"Mr. Arden, you can't just terminate the contract just like this. You've already received the advance payment—
"I'll make sure to pay it back!"
"Then, how about the charges for breaking the contract? Just so you know, Mr. Del Valle isn't someone who just lets off someone who wastes his time. He won't let you go easily. At most, you'd end up in jail for simply breaking the contract. And you already know too much about his condition, so who knows, you might end up losing your tongue as well."
Knox glared at the man, thinking – 'I'm taking back what I said about how polite and gentle this man looked. He's an assh*le!'
"Are you threatening me?"
The secretary just shrugged his shoulders and leaned back, "Take it as a warning, Mr. Arden. If you continue working for Mr. Del Valle, not only will you receive a huge salary and pay off your debts."
Knox's eyes widened. Did this person investigate him? He wondered.
The secretary continued, "You will also get to live in a great place and eat great food without spending a penny. You should think this twice, Mr. Arden. Don't pass on such an opportunity. Besides, you don't have any valid reason to quit, do you?"
Knox bit the insides of his cheeks in frustration. There was none. He couldn't probably tell the secretary that he was kissed by his boss when it was even written in the contract to provide sexual services.
He sighed. Is there really no other way other than to run and hide? But where the hell is he going to hide, especially when the person chasing him is as powerful and wealthy as his boss?
In the end, Knox just took a receipt from his wallet and showed it to the secretary, "I actually spent a hefty amount of penny because the boss threw a tantrum and left without paying for his groceries. Please, reimburse me."
The secretary's face brightened and gladly took the receipt. It seemed he didn't want Knox to quit as well. He happily replied, "I will send the exact amount as soon as I get back to my office."
"Well, then, thank you for your time, sir."
With that, Knox had no choice but to unblock his boss on his phone on his way home. He leaned at the bus window and stared at the passing images. His eyes were blank and dazed, so when his phone rang, he almost jumped from his seat in surprise.
He couldn't help but sweat after seeing the name 'Boss Bull' on his phone screen. He could already imagine his nose fuming with smoke because he hadn't been on reach for three days.
Knox nervously slid the green button up, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
All heads on the bus turned in Knox's direction after that thunderous voice echoed from his phone. He pressed the stop button and quickly got off as soon as the driver halted the bus.
"Why aren't you answering? Do you know how many times I've ca—
"Sir, I was on the bus, so I can't answer you properly given how loud you were speaking…I'm sorry, sir," his voice trailed off after realizing how he just spoke to his boss. Before Azrael could shout again, Knox continued, "I lost my phone and figured it probably fell on a bus, so I have to visit the bus line terminal to search for it. The battery drained and I just came back from picking it up and having the battery charged full."
The other line went silent. Each second passed there was no response from the phone making Knox's heart beat louder.
Then, a muffled voice came through, "Why the hell does that sound convincing even if doesn't make sense?"
Knox gulped, "…what doesn't make sense, sir?"
Azrael chuckled dangerously, "How did you find your phone in the terminal if you couldn't call because the battery was dead? What? No one saw your phone sitting on the bus, or lying on the ground? If it was me and I saw such an outdated brand and old phone, I would pick it up and throw it out the window right away. Or if I saw it lying on the floor, I wouldn't even bother picking it up and just step on it."
Knox grimaced. He wanted to remark – 'Not all people are like you, sir.'
The bull beyond the phone continued rambling, "Ah, is that how the battery died? Was it damaged greatly that my calls couldn't reach you? Then, I wonder how the hell you were able to call my secretary and meet him not even an hour ago? What? Does your phone pick who wants it to work on?"
Knox, "…sorry, sir…"
"Hah!"
He jerked his head away from his phone and stared at it with a frown. He's dead. The bull is enraged. He shouldn't wear red if he meets with the boss.
Azrael sighed and spoke, "Get back here. Now."
Knox could hear his subdued voice. He gulped. He stood on the sidewalk for a few minutes, weighing whether to run away or go. A car's horn startled him and sent him back into the present.
He pulled his hair, blaming himself for being too reckless in signing contracts and getting easily blinded by heaps of money.
Ting.
A notification flashed on his screen.
[Bank Alert: A deposit of XXXX was made to your account ending in XXXX on…]
Knox's jaw fell. He only spent a few bucks on those groceries yet the reimbursement was ten times larger than the money he spent! His eyes turned into dollar symbols and the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
He's not someone who's obsessed with money, but he's someone who badly needs it. So, even when he was skeptical and scared, he turned around and headed back to that expensive apartment building.