Upside Down || [completed]

ChaPteR FouR

Adonis Kant

04

Throughout the night, I was rolling in bed, thinking of another work I could take up to earn quicker money. Selling drugs, however, was out of the equation.

When Bert informed me about the chauffeur vacancy somewhere uptown, I had wasted no time in running all the way to the bus stop to get to the next town where this person lived. I never even got a name.

While my dad was still alive, he was an elder in our neighborhood church which meant I grew up in a religious family. My mom always gave me those Children Bible Stories to read, pointing out the pictures and making me memorize passages.

One description I could remember in those Bible Stories was the one of heaven. The book had described it as a paradise that was golden and breathtaking. The flowers in it flourished without being watered. Their colors appealing to the eyes and their scents inviting to the nose.

As I walked through the estate where the house— no doubt a mansion— was situated, I couldn't help but wonder if this was the picture those books were trying to portray.

On getting to the mansion, it took a lot of self control to stop myself from standing before it and staring at its grandeur. I watched with wide eyes as the gate slid open without my influence but then, my eyes caught sight of the camera at the top of the gate.

"Awesome," I whispered to myself.

"Are you here for the job of the chauffeur?" A built bodyguard asked me. I could only nod as I was dumbstruck. "Well, you're a little too late and Miss Gaye doesn't appreciate that."

My ears pricked at that. Gaye? As in Brie Gaye?

I blinked back that shock and focused on the problem at hand. "What? I'm sorry but I only just heard about this today. In fact, I hurried over here. Just let me get a chance, I'd bear the consequences." He eyed me over once and then moved out of the way for me to go through. "Thank you."

I walked over to the front marble steps that glistened under the glare of the sun. I could already feel how out of place I looked. Even the building was large enough to intimidate me.

A bodyguard at the entrance led me through a corridor to a closed door. "This is where the interview is taking place. You can only hope Miss Gaye wouldn't send you out of here. She hates tardiness."

As he walked away, I raised an eyebrow in confusion. Was there another Miss Gaye or was it the same sweet girl from the beach?

Well, only one way to find out...

***

As I walked out of the office into the corridor where the other applicants sat. I could feel cold beads of sweat forming on my forehead. To say I went through torture would be an understatement. The saying not everyone is as they seem, I realized, couldn't be truer.

After I had walked through that door earlier this morning, not once was Brie Gaye rude.

No.

Instead, she ignored me. Sure, I wasn't expecting her to hop on me and place kisses all over my face but still, a little form of acknowledgment would have sufficed. Instead, she let her eyes roam over me once before looking away.

Like I was nothing.

When she had asked why I needed the job, I felt my throat closing up on me because I knew what I was expecting. And I didn't want it. But when I spotted the look in her eyes, I knew she regarded me not as a nobody but as a pitiful nobody.

And the look of pity I had seen after in her eyes stung me hard. Harder than any other look or lack of that she had sent my way.

I was seated in the corridor, slumped against one of those plush chairs that felt like they were stuffed with water. They seemed to be everywhere in the house. My eyes were closed as I plugged in my earphones to an iPod Bert had given me for my last birthday. I decided the best way to push the anxiety, anger and hurt in me was to block the whole world out. And that was what I did.

Minutes passed until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

Looking up, one of those hefty men in suits stood before me with an expressionless face. He was the same one I had seen at the beach with the princess.

His face only moved when he spoke in a monotonous voice. "Miss Gaye is calling on you."

My eyebrows raised in shock but I gave a nod and followed him into the room where the princess sat.

"Uh hi, Mr. Kant. You'd be the new chauffeur and you're to resume every day at 8:00 AM to take me to work. And then, I leave work at 5:00 PM," The princess addressed me in the same nonchalant way.

"Uh, alright then. When will I be resuming?" I asked, trying to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"Monday. You're also required to wear a suit at all times. Bo here will give you a cheque. That will be all."

My eyes met hers but I didn't make a move to look away. I held her gaze steady with mine and in return, she raised an eyebrow as if asking me to challenge her. I smirked at that and turned to walk away.

A thought was in my head the whole way as I headed home.

The princess hadn't been thinking of me the way I had been thinking of her all week.

***

QOTC: For those that work — unlike my lazy self — how did your first ever job interview go?

The funniest gets a chapter dedication!

KaiA xxx