The Painting

Chapter 4

I’m really not feeling how this week’s been going. Night still acts like I’m invisible, and my boss—who’s a complete asshole—keeps calling me just to get on my nerves. To top it all off, he barged into my room since I’ve been ghosting him, given that I’m living under his roof.

“Are you ignoring me on purpose?” he said, standing right in front of my TV.

“If you knew me, you’d know it’s all on purpose,” I replied, not even looking at him.

“The job I told you about? It’s here, so you better listen.” Okay, now he had my attention. I turned off the TV and looked him straight in the eyes.

“Remember the new line of restaurants we opened last year? Chamiers? Yeah, you’re gonna be the owner.”

“Owner? What the fuck? Why the owner?”

“You’re gonna manage the whole place. It’s a luxury restaurant on the ground floor of a luxury hotel. And soon, you’ll find out what’s going down on the other three floors.”

“When will you stop playing all these fucking games? It’s not like you’re broke or something. Are you planning to breathe money when you’re on your deathbed? Considering all the illegal shit you’re pulling, that might be sooner rather than later.”

“I appreciate your concerns, my dear son, but your purpose in life is to obey whatever order comes out of my mouth. You’ve got a sister to take care of, right?”

“Don’t you dare fucking call me that ever again, and don’t you dare bring Moon into this.”

“I won’t, as long as you do what I say. You were born to be my puppet, remember? So unfortunate that your parents died so suddenly, leaving you with nothing but Moon and emptiness. I created you, and I can destroy you. Do this, and you’ll be free—I told you.”

I wanted to scream and lash out, but I knew if I moved, I might actually kill him today. I forced myself to stay calm, just enough to keep from going completely insane.

“Go check on everything starting this weekend. Don’t let the staff use the room behind the storeroom. And guide all the new part-timers; make sure they know their jobs,” he ordered, and I had no choice but to listen.

Saturday rolled around, and my day was already ruined by the fact that I had to go to the restaurant today. Guide newbies? Why the hell should I have to do that? All I should be doing is enjoying what little youth I have left.

I arrived at the place, and, as expected, it was luxurious as fuck—exactly what you'd expect from all the dirty money he’s poured into it. I put on the role of a boss, seeing as I had to train the waitstaff who were probably around my age. I was wearing a white shirt and blue denim wide-leg pants, with a pair of shades resting on my head—I was aiming for that "cool boss" vibe. Hands in my pockets, I called for all the rookies to line up so I could brief them.

“Good morning, rookiesssssWHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” I shouted, spotting Night walking in and joining the lineup of rookie waiters. His eyes went wide, and he pointed at me the moment he realized who I was. The fact that I’m going to be his boss is definitely going to rub him the wrong way.

"Okay, dismissed! Everyone, except for this guy right here," I said, pointing at Night. His expression screamed, "Fuck off," but I ignored it and pulled him aside for a little friendly chat.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m here to work, you dumb fuck,” he said, staring me dead in the eyes. And Ouch—that one stung.

“Alright, sweetheart, it was a pleasure working with you. You may leave now,” I said with a smile, gently holding both his hands. Judging by his face, he was not entertained. I did not want him working here, not in this shady place. Out of all the places he could’ve gone to, why here?

“If you want to fire me, I want to hear it from the owner.”

“I am the owner.” I replied

“The real fucking owner, not some second-hand distraction posing as one,” Damn this guy’s tongue was sharp as ever.

“Okay, FINE. DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT! But you’re only going to follow my orders. You move when I say, you breathe when I say—got that? Or you’re fired,” I warned him. I wasn’t sure if that got through to him, but I couldn’t just fire him on his first day. My boss would know about it and will cook up some unnecessary drama.

I briefed everyone on their tasks and made it clear which areas were off-limits. Once my part was done, I sat at one of the tables already set up in the corner of the hallway, where I had a clear view of Night.

He sure is cute, but he is also...okay stop this is dangerous. Am I some kind of psychopath? Why the hell am I thinking like I have a big, stupid crush on a classmate who probably have murder instincts toward me? Whatever that is, I gotta protect him from whatever that is happening in this building and keep him out of drama, I should keep a watch on him, he’s only a weekend part-timer so there shouldn’t be a problem.