Chapter 5: Caught in the storm

The room was filled with people sitting around the chair, and they all turned towards me, confusion written all over their faces. I didn't know what to say or do at this point; it felt like I was dumped into a cold ice.

Just as I was about to walk outside, Alexander, who had been backing the people, turned and saw me standing beside the door. I could see the surprise on his face, but it changed to disgust way too quickly, and at that point, I knew that I had messed up.

"What if his boss sacks him because of me? I shouldn't have come here," I thought, tapping my thighs as I stood there.

"And what are you doing here?" he asked, loud enough for me to hear from where I was standing.

"I... I..." I tried to say, but I couldn't get words out of my mouth.

"I will just go for now," I said impatiently and walked out of the room with my heart beating fast.

I tried to locate somewhere I could sit around the place. "I could have just waited for him to come outside. What came into me to do that? Well, on the other hand, I thought he would be alone like the other time."

As I sat there, I couldn't help but think about how he looked so handsome in that blue suit. He was standing there with so much elegance and confidence; one might think he is the boss of the whole place. He is a fine man, and I...

My thoughts were interrupted by the loud sound from my phone. It was a text from one of the nurses in the hospital that my sister was finally awake after the surgery. I threw my phone into my bag and ran quickly to the hospital.

Unfortunately for me, on getting to the hospital, she had fallen back asleep. "There's no way I'm going back to that place today," I said, sitting beside her bed, reaching into the bag. But I was greeted by a weird surprise.

"This must be a joke," I said loudly as I reached into my bag again, my heart now skipping a beat as my fingers fumbled through its contents. My eyes widened in disbelief as I realized my phone was nowhere to be found. A surge of panic washed over me, and for a moment, I felt disconnected from the world around me.

"How? When?" I thought, sitting there looking helpless. That phone was my only source of livelihood. "I need to find it. I need to get it back," I said in a shaky voice, walking out of my sister's ward.

I began to trace my steps from where I was coming from, as strong as I tried to fight the tears, I couldn't hold them back as I walked down the road. "Where do I get the money for another one? How do I find out about the result of the interview I went for? I don't want to believe I have to work in the bar again for money."

As I continued searching for my phone, dark clouds rolled in overhead. The sky grew heavy with anticipation, and before I knew it, raindrops began to fall, gently at first and then with increasing intensity. Caught off guard, I hurriedly sought shelter, but it was too late.

"The situation had to get worse? How didn't I even notice?" I said loudly in frustration.

The rain poured down, soaking me to the bone. I found myself trapped inside, my phone still missing. It was as if the weather mirrored my internal turmoil, leaving me feeling both physically and emotionally drenched. The storm outside seemed to reflect the storm within me.

I sat on a long bench on the road, with no thoughts crossing my mind, just there watching how other people were running for shelter and how something like a phone can ruin my day.

"If only I hadn't gone there, if only..." I tried to say, but I felt the rain had stopped pouring on me. I could still see the rain falling in front of me. I lifted my head up only to see a man with an umbrella standing behind the bench with a blank face.

"This isn't safe for your health; you should get up," he said before I could even say anything.

His face looked very familiar, but I didn't bother to stress myself on where I could know this very handsome man from. And from what I can see, he looks way above my league.

"Where are you going? I can take you there," he said loudly as the rain continued to pour down heavily.

"Just mind your business and leave me alone, please," I answered, and I could hear him smile from behind.

"What's funny?" I asked angrily.

"Vivienne, you think doing this all the time makes you look scary? Nah. I want..."

The moment I heard my name, I turned back to look at him, and I couldn't help but get more confused.

"What do you mean by 'all the time'? Where the hell do I know you from, and how do you know my name?" I replied.

"Okay, easy, angry bird. I just..."

"Don't call me that," I fired back.

"Oh, my bad. I will explain to you, but can we leave the rain now?"

"To where? You want to kidnap me too? Leave me alone," I said loudly.

"Okay, okay," he said, raising his hand up in agreement, and he walked away with his umbrella.

"He couldn't even drop the umbrella," I said under my breath as I watched him walk away.

Just as he was about to open the car door, he turned back and began to walk towards me again, this time without the umbrella.