Chereads / Breed of the Unknown / Chapter 2 - Work or Quit!

Chapter 2 - Work or Quit!

It's obvious that Chase and Hayley probably had some fun yesterday. Cause, Sarah had to knock on their door five times in a row to tell Hayley to lower her voice. However, it wasn't Hayley's fault she was loud.

The next bright morning, we see an expensive salon car approaching a company. It comes to a halt at the entrance of the company and a well-dressed gentleman in black suit comes out from the back seat. He taps the car after he closed the door and the driver moves to park at the parking lot.

He takes out his dark sunglasses and wears them. "What have we got today?" he asks his female secretary who comes to meet him outside with a folder. They start heading inside.

"There's not much." she starts explaining. "You would have probably heard the news about the death of Miss Hilda yesterday..."

"You are briefing me about yesterday's information?" he asks her.

"You didn't come to work so I thought it might be useful." she tries defending herself.

"Nevermind!" he replies. "Go on!" he instructs.

"Okay! At 6:00am, Mr. Luis said he wanted to cooperate with us to invest in his estate development around South-West, 48th Street." she updates him.

"Cancel it! Wanting money and you start begging in the form of a co-operation." he gets Mr. Luis' trick.

"Okay Sir!" she responds, "But he said we could get about 2million if it works out well." she adds.

"And if it doesn't we getting only loss. Cancel it!" he instructs.

"Okay Sir!" she replies.

"Anything else?" he asks as they get into his office.

"No Sir, that's basically it for today." she replies.

"Good! You can leave." he says. She smiles back and turns to return to her office.

"Wait!!" he stops her.

"Yes Sir!" she turns back and replies.

He sighs, "Nevermind! You can go." he says and she goes.

Immediately she leaves he regrets for not saying what he wanted to but let's it go and tries focusing on work.

He starts by writing something and then drops the pen on his table. He hears a knock.

"Come in!" he says. Chase enters.

"You asked me to see you today." Chase speaks.

"You really forgot your manners Chase." His boss replies.

"Come on Henry, it's just you and me." Chase replies.

"Well we are at work." Henry insists and looks at him, demanding a greeting.

"Good..... Morning!" Chase struggles to greet.

"That's more like it!" Henry compliments.

"So why the heck did you ask me to come?" Chase asks, slightly annoyed.

"Slow down!" Henry says.

"Why the heck are you the boss in the first place?" Chase asks him.

"Well it's quite simple, you chose not to be serious." Henry replies.

"Trust me, if I ever get ahead of you, you gonna hate me." Chase jokes.

"I'm looking forward." Henry challenges back.

They hear another knock. "Come in!" Chase answers. Henry looks at him and giggles.

"Ryan! It's good you are here." Henry welcomes him.

"Take a seat!" Henry says, pointing to the two chairs infront of him.

"I want to task you two to something." Henry starts.

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[Hayley! Miss Crane wants to see you." Amy tells Hayley who was quite busy on her desk.

"Got it!" Hayley replies, comes out of her seat and heads to her Director, Miss Crane's office.

"Take a seat!" Miss Crane instructs her as she entered the office.

"You sent for me?" Hayley speaks.

"Yes! There's a competition coming up." Miss Crane breaks the news. She stands up from her seat.

"On the 23rd of next month, all the fashion and designing companies in the City will have a competition to find out the best company with the best designs, personnel and innovation. We are all to present unique designs. No plagiarism, no fake and no antique.

For our company, we are to select a member from each department and from all the department, we'll have 6 members. However, the competition requires 5 people from each company and so we are to leave one out in an indoor competition.

Hayley, I want you to represent our department and you don't let us down. Even if we reach no where in the competition, I want you to be there.

The company that wins at the end will receive a ransom of 500,000 and it's designs will be taken to the capital, specifically, the presidential embassy.

Hayley, you can't let us down! I'm counting on you." Miss Crane speaks. ]

Hayley narrates what happened at work to Chase as she cooks dinner.

"You don't look like you want to do it." Chase comments after seeing a look of disdain on her face.

"Of course I want to!" she replies. Chase waits patiently for her to continue. "But I'm scared." she adds.

"Of what?" he asks.

"My department is literally the weakest in the company. We present the raw sketch of what we intend to design which is edited. If I can't provide a piece they can't alter, we out." she explains.

"That's not fair. You were all supposed to have equal right." Chase replies.

"Fair or not, that's how we've been going for years." she tells him.

"So what are you going to do?" Chase asks.

"I... don't.... know." she replies, a bit distressed.

*************** THE NEXT DAY *************

At Chase's company, Henry sends for he and Ryan again.

"How much have you gotten?" Henry asks them.

"Well not much." Ryan starts to speak. "We checked his biography and we found nothing suspicious. However, his family gave him away." he drops a folder on Henry's table and opens it.

"He has a legit wife with 3 kids. However, we discovered that he has another wife, a side chick as others will call it with 2 kids. After more imvestigations, we later found out that, he seemed to have meet the illegit wife first, she had her first child with him and he left her.

He went on and married the second one and had two straight kids with her. Went back to the first one, had another kid, about the same age as the second woman's second child and then went back to have a third child with his legit wife.

We really thought his legit wife knows about the first one but it seems she looks innocent. I still don't trust her at all." Ryan finishes off.

"Chase??" Henry speaks, directing his gaze to him.

"His legit wife actually has four kids. The fourth is with another man. He seems to be the oldest of her kids. And unfortunately, the two women are half sisters.

When I contacted the illegit wife, she seems to really love him but the legit one is after his money, so any moment from now if he goes down, she's leaving him and securing herself with her first son's father." Chase reports what he also had. He turns to see Ryan looking at him closely with a feeling of anger.

"I thought we were working together?" Ryan asks him.

"I actually thought so, until you left me and went to take lunch!" Chase defends himself.

"You could have called me back!" Ryan argues.

"Cut it!" Henry interrupts. "So what's the conclusion?" he asks.

"If he goes down, his legit wife will abandon him. He will have nothing and only his illegit wife will want him back. If she notices signs of him going down, she'll obviously start preparing." Chase speaks.

"Ryan, what do you have?" Henry asks.

"Well, he's engaged in a lot of illegal drugs and so if he's exposed, he's illegit wife might not accept him. So he's literally going to be jailed, homeless when released and die in absolute penury." Ryan also says his view.

"Illegal what!" Chase echoes.

"Yes! Illegal drugs." Ryan replies. "He works with the smugglers form the North." he adds.

"I never knew that." Chase says.

"You thought you beat me?" Ryan asks with a cunning smile.

"Don't start again!" Henry advises as Chase was heating up. "Good job, proceed to the next stage!" he instructs.

"Yes Sir!" Ryan replies.

"Chase??" Henry calls, looking at disappointed Chase.

"Yes...Sir!" he replies in a broken flow.

"Ryan you can leave, I want to have a word with Chase." Henry tells him.

"Yes Sir!" Ryan replies and goes out.

When Ryan goes out, Henry goes over to his right to pour a glass of water for Chase.

"Why the hell did you pair me up with him?" Chase asks, angrily.

"I wanted you to learn that someone can be ahead of you. You will never remain on top forever." Henry answers and hands him over the water.

"I need an explanation not water!" Chase denies.

"Well, we have to drink a lot of water." Henry says and drinks the glass.

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"I'm trying Brit, I'm trying and each time I do I fail!" Hayley gives up after sketching more than 30 different designs today. She drops the pencil on her desk and puts her head on it.

"You failing because Crane wants you to get in there for our department. You trying because you don't want to let us down." Britney, her best friend tells her the truth.

Hayley raises her head. "Imagine the whole department is counting on you? Do you know what it feels like?" Hayley asks.

"I do! I was sent once to represent us." Britney answers.

Hayley sighs. "You do, that's why you don't understand!!" she adds and puts her head back.

"Hayley, do you remember the time this company was growing, when we almost lost all our finances, you were the one who saved us. We wanted to give up but you gave us a reason not to. You gave us a reason to continue and because of that, we are standing today, among the best in this area." Britney attempts motivating her.

"I did?" Hayley asks, feeling a bit of enlightment as she raises her head again.

"Yes! You told us that we might not be the best, but that doesn't guarantee we stop. We might not bring out the best, but what we bring is not the worst. Even though we are falling, we haven't fallen yet, so there's hope to rise. And Hayley, there's hope you can do it!" Britney adds.

"You think so?" Hayley asks, with a high sense of hope and confidence. She stares at Britney. "It didn't work!" she announces and puts her head back.

"What!! You looked motivated just now." Britney gets surprised it didn't work.

"I didn't want you to feel you didn't do anything but I couldn't pretend for long." Hayley confesses.

"Maybe you should rest. I'll come back for sure." Britney assures her and goes to her own desk.

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Henry is still found at his company at around 8:00pm. He was supposed to have closed but he stayed. He sat on his desk, lost in thought.

At around 8:45pm, he comes out of his office and starts driving home. He asked his driver to leave earlier so he's driving home himself.

On his way, his mum calls him. He connects the call to his car's bluetooth.

"Mom!" he speaks.

"Henry! where are you? I'm worried sick." his mother asks.

"Have you taken your medicine?" he asks her.

"I did, but I want to see you." she adds

"Don't worry mom! I'm almost home." he replies.

"Hurry dear, your food is getting cold." his mum replies.

"Bye mum!" he says.

"Bye. Love you!" his mum replies.

"Love you too mum!" he says and hangs up.

He smiles and in the next second, he steps on his breaks all of a sudden.

In front of him is a creature, with the figure of a human, but giant and muscular. Long claws, fangs and a scratchy body. He quickly remembers the incident that happened a year ago as well as 2 days ago. That creature must be what's doing all that.

He is scared but doesn't want to show any sense of emotion. He quickly starts reversing and with lightning speed, the creature comes from behind, raises the back of his car and somersaults it. Fortunately it doesn't destroy anything except the road.

Henry's car is worse than destroyed and he sure is dead. But, we see him struggling to get out of the capsized car. He's bleeding profusely, especially from the head. The creature jumps and lands infront of him.

It holds him from the head, raises him and it's claws pierce his head, causing him to bleed. Henry struggles in pain. The creature throws him up and opens his mouth, wide enough to consume a full human.