Chapter 3. Harry’s Destruction

“Mr. Harry! We demand our salaries be paid, sir! All employees have agreed to resign from this company; please give us our rights!” One of the loudest voices out there, followed by a boisterous response from his fellow employees.

Inside the room, Harry sat pensively with a frustrated look on his face. The bags under his eyes were evidence that he had been having trouble sleeping for the past few days.

“Mr. Harry! Get out, sir! We all can’t work here anymore; we want to resign!” Again, the loud voice of the man outside was heard. Harry let out a long sigh. Never could he have imagined that the destruction of his life had already begun.

Divorced and betrayed by a woman who was now his ex-wife, Harry now also had to endure a new sadness because he was abandoned by his workers, who had always been loyal.

Harry didn’t want to accuse or think that one of them was the source of the uproar because he realized that his company could no longer be saved.

Sales were down, the company was losing money, and several business partners were canceling partnerships that Harry had long ago imagined would be as fantastic as the profits.

“Mr. Harry, come out, sir!”

The door opened.

Harry stood in front of dozens of his employees, and the atmosphere suddenly became silent after the boss and owner of the company came out of his hiding place.

Some of the employees looked down in fear, while others stood with their chins up, defiant, waiting for what policy would come from the lips of the stout man.

Harry scanned their faces—people he had once gladly welcomed when they applied for a job here. Now, lo and behold, these people wanted to swallow Harry alive just because their paychecks were a little late.

“It doesn’t work this way.” Harry finally spoke, the man’s voice breaking the silence but adding to the tension.

Everyone looked down in fear; even a security guard, whom Harry thought wouldn’t join in, stood at the front as if leading the crowd.

Harry was disappointed.

“I didn’t promise to pay your salaries when, but I did say that I would pay your rights as soon as possible. I’m trying, but the company is not doing well.” Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I’ll take responsibility; how could I let you work without pay? I just need time; after that, I will pay you all along with severance pay.”

Everyone looked up as soon as they heard the word ‘severance’.

“Because you’re the ones who asked for it, you’re the ones who want to get out of here. Right?”

“Sir.” The man with glasses standing in front of Harry suddenly raised his hand.

Harry turned to his employee.

“Sorry in advance, sir. But can we ask for our salaries to be paid today?”

Subsequently, some of them seemed to talk to each other softly and whisper. Some marveled at how brave the bespectacled young man was.

Harry smiled wryly. The one who had just spoken was one of his favorite employees. Because the young man was indeed quite smart and diligent, unfortunately, at this time he was the most eager to leave here.

Harry seemed to think that this problem was quite difficult for him. How could he lose the trustworthy people who had been working hard?

Ah, the hell with it. Once the company is back to normal, Harry will open job vacancies and get better workers later. Just let these people go; Harry will let it go.

Without thinking, due to their insistence, they never calmed down. Finally, Harry made a decision.

“Alright, I’ll transfer your salaries and bonuses today. Please pack your things and leave here. Before that, thank you for being part of the company,” Harry explained later.

Everyone stared at Harry, a sad look on each worker’s face. Finally, they could breathe a sigh of relief, despite having to say goodbye to their friends.

Harry turned around and went back into his room, not wanting to hear or see those traitors, who could no longer trust Harry.

“Just because profits decreased, sales decreased, and some contracts were canceled, they chose to resign simultaneously and demanded today’s salary as well.” Harry grumbled while exhaling harshly; he rubbed his face in frustration.

“Where is their loyalty? Instead of rising above this and helping me create new innovations for the product, they want to leave me!” The man shook his head weakly as he leaned back in his chair. “They’re just like Angeline, traitors!”

Life is unpredictable; no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Everything is a mystery, and God’s destiny is unpredictable.

In a short period of time, Harry’s life changed one hundred and eighty degrees. His marriage fell apart, his company went bankrupt, and Harry had to think about the huge amount of debt. Yes, the man was forced into debt to make up for the losses and pay his workers.

That’s it.

Not only that, Harry didn’t get any help. None of his business friends responded to him; distant relatives who Harry thought would be willing to help were in fact reluctant to lend a helping hand.

All of his assets were sold off, leaving only the house he could still live in. The house left by his parents, as well as a building full of memories from when he and his ex-wife were still together.

Harry smiled bitterly at the thought of his life now; he was almost crazy if he didn’t remember his late father and mother. The man could still control his sanity, and he could still control his emotions well. Not immediately depressed.

“What did I do wrong, God? Why is my life like this?” Harry’s voice broke the silence of the dark night. He stood on the balcony of his room, looking up at the pale moon in the sky.

Between his fingers was a lit cigarette. Harry smoked the end of it and exhaled the smoke into the air. Harry vented his stress with nicotine, something he hadn’t touched in years.

Harry had lived a fortunate life; even when his parents left, the man thought his life would always be secure until he was old.

However, this was not the case.

Harry threw away the cigarette in his hand; it flew through the air and fell amongst the green grass below. He turned around and stepped into the room.

Harry slammed his wedding picture frame with Angeline, and the madness began in the house.

Glass scattered, and Harry emotionally grabbed the picture and carried it to the balcony. With his face red with rage, Harry took a match from his pocket, and a moment later the photo was burned.

“Get rid of all the painful memories.”