FUBU

veintisiete

Conflict of interest. Situations where a person becomes unreliable because of personal interests that clashes with their professional duties and responsibilities.

This is one thing you would never want to happen to you. Be it intentional or unintentional.

Careers break because of this. And quiet honestly, it may just about to happen to me.

Investigation soon began. In a secretive manner, HR has interviewed people about the incident. Siting people whom they suspect may have the knowledge about the scandal.

They haven't gone to me, yet I know, they will come for me.

After all, the entire conflict of interest will soon lead to me.

My phone rang as I have just stepped out of the building. Seeing the name on screen, I sighed before pressing the answer button.

"Yes doktora, okay." I paused to let her talk. "I can come at 9 but I can't stay longer than 12. I have some business I need to attend to the next morning. See you tonight."

Before I could even move, I felt an arm wrapped around my waist. He pulled me into an isolated corner of the building.

"Do you know what's going on?" he looked agitated when he asked.

"What's going on with what?"

"I heard HR is conducting an investigation. Would you know kung sino ang iniimbestigahan nila?"

"Not that I know of. Aren't you supposed to know more about it? After all, you are the general manager. Why ask me?"

"I just thought that you may have an idea about it."

"I don't."

He paced back and forth, to me, he looked as though the world has gone against him, in a really bad way.

"I need you tonight. Please. Let's have dinner or maybe a drink. I just need something that would distract me. Something is off. And I can't talk to her about it."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I have to be somewhere Collin."

Lie. I will be with her wife, which in all sides of it, I don't understand. Why would she invite me if he isn't going to be with her?

Something is going on and it's too hard to comprehend.

"Great! Just great! When I need you, you're never around. Just great!"

"Collin, relax. I'm sure its nothing."

I suddenly heard a sharp blow, a loud friction of his hand against my skin. He slapped me. And this is the first time that this happened. He has never laid a hand at me.

"Sari, I'm.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"No. Stay away from me. I don't know what you are so worried about but that does not give you the right to hurt in me in any way."

I walked away as fast as I can. He tried to follow me but Jeremiah was lurking not too far away from where we were and came to my rescue. His sharp stare caused Collin to stop.

J helped me towards his car and started the engine as soon as I was comfortable.

He drove me towards my own house, parking the car at the brink of my house's entrance.

"Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine J. I can handle him."

"You can't. And you have to stop doing whatever it is you're doing with him and his wife."