Chapter 2. A Contract

Avery blew out a stray strand that had made its way into her mouth. Her hands remained on her cheeks, her eyes fixed on the poster.

She let out a sound of contentment and giggled once more. She held her stomach, which had grumbled all of a sudden. She pursed her lips, and after another longing glance at the portrait, she took off her glasses, slid her legs off the bed, and staggered inside the bathroom.

As she brushed her teeth, her curly strands kept getting in the way. She pushed it back, suppressing the urge to groan. After that, a quick bath was all she needed. She had to get back to that food as soon as she could. No— she had to eat first.

If only there was a food that could provide twenty-four nutrition. Without hunger getting in her way, things would be better. Such food was a mystery. If it existed, her life would be much easier. She’d get to read so many books. And who knew how many awesome characters she would have met by now? More than a lot, of course.

She left the bathroom and headed out of the room after picking up her book from where she had left it.

Inside the kitchen, she settled the book on a counter and searched the fridge for anything to eat. The beeping sound of her phone interrupted her. It was still inside the room, and it beeped continuously.

Avery frowned at that. Was it Joey? Well, Joey just left.

However, apart from her best friend, she literally had no one important to call her– at this kind of hour even. Unless it was her parents. Well, it better not be one of them. All she wanted was for her morning to go smoothly. Without any chaos.

Her stomach grumbled, and she couldn’t ignore the sounds from her phone. Not when her whole apartment was bombarded with it.

She left the food to heat in the oven and raced back to the living room.

Her phone was on the bedside table. And when she saw the contact’s display name, she staggered with relief. And with the relief came confusion. It wasn’t Joey. And definitely not one of her parents. But why would the strange contact keep bombarding her phone with calls?

She got her answer when she picked up the phone and put it to her ear. After exchanging pleasantries with the alien voice, the person introduced himself as a secretary of God knew which company before going to the point.

“Regarding the contract you signed with XZ Gaming Corp.” The voice started. “You are required to put in your attendance today.”

Avery’s confusion heightened as she digested the words. A gaming company? She didn’t sign any contract. What the heck was going on?

“I’m afraid you have the wrong person,” she explained to the person. “I didn’t sign—”

“You are Avery Crystal—” the voice interrupted her. “You sent your application through Crystal Enterprise; I’m certain I’m not mistaken. Your CV is here, as well as your signature. You can skip the interview; the job’s in the bag.”

“Huh?”

“You’re hired, Miss. Crystal. We are looking forward to working with you.”

The beeping sound of the phone broke Avery off her trance. CV, signature, interview, and hired? She tried to process those words. And when she finally did, her hand fisted.

She didn’t submit her CV. She didn’t apply for any job. And she didn’t sign any contract. She didn’t also need to guess who did all that.

‘Argh!’ her father. She was so going to rough that man up. Why wouldn’t he leave her alone for speaking out loud?

And how many times did they have to go through this?

Now, he had even resorted to sending in her applications to other companies and forging her signature!?

This was it. She was going to tear up that damned contract.

She stomped inside the closet and grabbed any cloth that first came to her sight. After getting dressed, without minding to glance in the mirror, she tied her hair with a band, put on her glasses, and entered the kitchen.

The stove was off, and her food had heated.

She ate some mouthfuls, then put everything away and left her apartment. Her book was still sitting where she had left it on the kitchen counter. How could this day get any worse!?

She hailed a taxi, which took her straight to her father’s company.

As she scurried through the lobby toward the elevator, the employees gave her weird stares.

When she reached the secretary area, she was relieved to find out her father was in his office. Not in those long hours of meetings he usually had from morning to evening.

Inside the elevator, she had some time to catch her breath. Her father. To what extent would he go before he stopped bugging her!?

Why was he so keen on turning her into a boring workaholic just like him?

She tapped her feet on the floor as the elevator took her up. When the doors dinged open, she braced herself for another race– to her father’s office.

The next thing that happened took her off guard. She never saw it coming. She never noticed the huge figure. And when her face collided with the broad, hard chest, she hadn’t braced herself for the impact.

Her nose stung, and her forehead burned.

Avery let out a yelp, ready to fall right and hit the floor. But that didn’t happen. Instead, strong hands caught her waist, and she was wrapped in a warm embrace.

Her heart raced, and she gulped. Whoever this employee was, he had the guts. He not only bumped into her but also touched her in this awkward position. Avery was mad moments ago, but now she was furious.

“What the—”

The curse didn’t make its way past her lips. Her head jerked up, and her eyes were blinded by the sight in front of her. The words died in her mouth, and her throat went dry.