I turned and ran up the stairs, heart pounding. He didn't follow.
Sleep eluded me all night.
The next day, work felt like any other, except I couldn't quite meet Mr. Brown's eyes. When I passed him documents, my head was down, my hands careful.
Thinking about last night's antics still had me cringing.
Mr. Brown, however, acted like it was just another day. He seemed more attentive but never mentioned that night again.
Maybe I thought there was something there, but perhaps it was all in my head.
I felt like a Cinderella—only without any luck. Fairy tales? Not for me.
As expected, after my internship, I was kept on as Mr. Brown's assistant.
During a company dinner, I suddenly felt nauseous and excused myself to throw up.
Right then, my phone rang—it was my dad. Annoyed, I hung up. He called back immediately. Reluctantly, I answered, "What's up? I'm kind of busy here!"
Surprisingly, his tone was soft, almost pleading, "Kelly, do you have any cash to spare? Could you lend your dad some?"
"What about the money from Mom's funeral?" I countered sharply.
"That money... it's..." he trailed off.
"Gone!"
I didn't let him finish, cutting the call short.
Calls from him always meant he needed money.
I washed my face, looking in the mirror at my makeup running down my cheeks. My stomach revolted again, and I threw up.
"Why push yourself to drink if you can't handle it?"
Mr. Brown stood leaning against the doorway, an amused look on his face.
I wiped my mouth and forced a sly smile, "If I don't drink, how will you play your cards right with the clients?"
The next morning, Mr. Brown summoned me and handed me a card, "Heard your phone call last night. Take this for now."
"I don't want it," I insisted.
He chuckled lightly, "Just take it, no strings. Pay me back when you can."
That night, I transferred some money to my dad and called him, "This should keep you for a while. Cut back on the gambling. There's no next time."
At the year-end company party, the drinks were flowing and Mr. Brown started speaking. The crowd cheered, "Let Kelly join in with Mr. Brown!"
"Exactly! Kelly's bond with Mr. Brown is something else! She stayed when all the other interns left!"
"I've even seen her ride home with him!" someone added from the crowd.
Sitting there, I clenched my drink, maintaining a calm facade amidst the snide remarks.