Chapter 8: Resignation

• Ashley
• I couldn’t believe my own ears. After everything was going fine, suddenly fired? This was pre-planned, wasn’t it?
• I went down, to save whatever self-respect I had left and I really didn’t want to confront him. It looked like it was better to jump from the roof and escape than going down and facing him.
• I went downstairs and I saw him in the living room, sitting with his face down, his hands covering it.
• I discreetly took steps towards the door, when I heard his voice. It was still filled with rage and anger.
• “And” I looked at him. “Don’t ever show your face to me again”
• I never felt this humiliated till now. Never. Not even in the job I voluntarily left.
• “I’d rather be unemployed than work in a company with a boss like you,” I said to him. I was burning with anger and the revenge for insults took me to speak more. “You may be one of the most wealthy businessmen, but trust me, wealth doesn’t give you happiness. Humiliating people who are smaller than you will only give you bad wishes”
• I turned around and left. He heard everything, and he… he deserved to. I can’t believe it. He is such a fake. Everything, every time he spoke nicely to me, showed that he actually respected me, why do they still not seem fake to me? Maybe I am so passionate about not believing that I was such a fool.
• I called Lara to let her know that I am again jobless. In no heaven or hell, I am going back. I applied for resignation online. 
• “Hey,” she replied as she picked up my call.
• I entered the cab. “Um… hi”
• “Okay, did you lose your job?”“Huh, yeah” I sat back more comfortably. “With a lot of humiliation”
• “Gosh, Ashley” she sighed. “I told you, you don’t need to work. We can stay like this for some more time. Until you find a really fine job”
• “To be honest, I thought that this job qualified your really fine job’s criteria”
• “Oh, it did. But you never know what people have up their sleeves”
• “Yup, never”
• “So, now. Are you coming back?”
• “Let me apply for some other job here, okay? If nothing happens. then I will come back”
• “Okay”
• “Bye”“Bye, Ashley. Take care” 
• I cut the call. She is the best sister in this world, I swear. But I just can’t sit and do nothing. I have to find a decent job this time. And to make sure, never fall into any trap like that again.
• I reached my home and went inside. I saw that my resignation has been approved, and it was okay. I don’t know, but I was… I was not feeling completely okay. I mean, I… I had a crush on him. I know it sounds bizarre and probably too much for someone who wants to have ‘self-respect’, but this is it. I had a crush on him, and something in me says that maybe it was just for the moment and he… he isn't like this. But maybe that part is insane.
• I shrugged my thoughts. I can’t do anything anyway, and I don’t have time to waste just because my ‘some part’ says that I have done wrong. I didn’t even do anything. He himself said that I should not work anymore, that, of course, means that I am fired, which means I had to resign.
• As simple as that.
• I switched on my laptop and started searching for jobs near me. I had to apply for something that isn’t much cheap, but I am okay with a normal salary. I don’t want a very huge amount either.
• As I was going through it all, I heard the doorbell.
• -----
• Chris
• I was fucked up as I retraced my steps of yesterday. I have been blaming her for the breach but the truth is that my brothers came to my house yesterday, totally unpredictable. I didn’t know why they came, because we aren’t exactly close. But anyway, I took it as their good intention and we celebrated for some time. They said that they never got to celebrate my success.
• I didn't doubt them and now I remember, there was much time for them to figure my password out and access the files. And they left at night too. Don’t cousins stay for some days when they visit?
• I didn’t even doubt them once, but I am pretty sure now that they were the ones to do that. I almost had a mental breakdown, and thus I insisted she leaves but she was stubborn. I couldn’t help but say harsh words to her. I don’t even know if she’ll ever come in front of me again.
• I had humiliated her so much, she’ll not come. I know. And she… she might be just an employee, but she means a little more to me. Like, Like I feel a connection with her that cannot be with others. I don’t know, I feel at home when I am with her. I can’t lose her, after all these years, she is the only one who made me feel safe and better.
• I have always been a cold boss for all my employees. She is the first and probably the last one for whom I wasn’t exactly cold. But I ruined it all just in some minutes. I had decided to tell her about my suspicion related to my brothers but when we reached my house, I just couldn’t get myself to tell her. And it was all my mistake.
• Regret took over me as I remembered my last words to her. I asked her to never show her face to me again. A respected girl like her would now… now never wanna talk to me again. I have to do something. It is now or never.
• I ran to my car and contacted Kate, the receptionist.
• “Yes, sir”
• “Message me Ash’s address right now” I cut the call before she could reply.
• If I have to beg for forgiveness, I will, Ash.