Lana's POV
After a few minutes of pondering and worrying, the sleep finally came and I didn't try to fight it. Tonight I was going to sleep without thinking about my mom's bills or the hospital or the fact that I had never gotten the chance to explore and experience life to a fuller extent. Tonight I was going to dream, dream about me relaxing on the beach, away from sorrows and struggles.
Slowly I drifted off to sleep and it was the most satisfying sleep I had had in a longtime, my body felt light and calm and I knew it wasn't because the sheets were soft and cold or because the food tasted better today, it was because of him, the man who was just a few feet away from me.
By the time I opened my eyes, it was already 9:00 am. I got up with a quick start, rushed out of bed and showered. Wore my dress and was about to dash out of the room when the door opened and he stood there with a wry expression on his face. "You're wearing that awful dress again," he said to me staring down at my rumpled and clearly outworn uniform but there was nothing I could do about the situation, it was all that I had and till I can save for another pair, this would have to do at the moment, fortunately or unfortunately.
"You see, this is all I've got and till I can get better ones, this would have to do, for the meantime, now I must get to my post. I'm already very late if you would excuse me sir." I tried to walk past him but immediately felt strong hands pull me back.
I was so close to his face I could see the way his eyes sparkled even in the morning, it was so beautiful.
Flashbacks from yesterday came rushing back and all I wanted to do was run away, out of his sight to somewhere safe. Maybe I should quit this job and find a newer one somewhere where he wouldn't be able to find me even if he tried.
He still stood there staring at me and I could tell his eyes began to lower and daze and the same hungry look he had before was there again. "I thought I made it clear that I am now the new owner of the Three Pigeons Inn. What part of I am your new boss do you not understand, Miss Lana Hart?"
He looked visibly annoyed but I couldn't care less and I replied, "Regardless of the newest changes, I still have to appear at my post and be efficient so customers are not left hanging," I said trying to lie through my teeth but his expression didn't change one bit.
"We both know you're lying Lana, you're not rushing off to attend to the customers in the Three Pigeons Inn you want to go home, change and rush to your other job where you have your morning shift am I right?"
He wasn't wrong, truth be told and for a moment I was taken aback as to how he figured that out. Wait that's true, Mr Gonzalo had told him everything about me and I'm sure he must have mentioned this part too so what now? Was he going to fire me or something? Would I have to choose between my job here and the others?
"I do not intend to make life more complicated for you than it already is, he said to me with what I could have mistaken for genuineness, all you have to do Lana is simply cooperate with me and you'll have enough to afford your mother's hospital bills however, if you do not feel like complying, I wouldn't stop you either."
"Well you're stopping me right now," I said with more venom than I intended to announce but he didn't seem fazed at all and looked at me like he had just seen a clown.
He let go of my hand and slowly stepped out of the way without a word and for a moment, I stood confused wondering if I should walk out or wait but I took it as my cue and walked away. I remembered how he took care of me last night and stopped halfway to offer my thanks but he wasn't there anymore. I checked the time and I have barely an hour to meet up at my other job, I have to rush.
I got to my house at 9:30 on the dot, I quickly changed and rushed out of my tiny apartment. I would need to take a cab to the other location which was the restaurant where I worked as a cleaner.
Unlike the Three Pigeons Inn, it was a bit farther from where I lived and if I don't rush, It was certain that I would arrive late and they'd deduct that from my pay.
As I sat in the bus, I prayed that the bus would speed up but unfortunately it went at the regular pace. I kept checking the time and each moment was slowly driving me more and more crazy, I secretly prayed that even if I did arrive late, my manager should come much later.
The bus finally got to my stopping point and I immediately rushed out of it, sprinting to the pathway that led to the restaurant before I had the time to catch my breath. I was lucky enough to get there on time, my manager had also not shown up so it made things much easier for me.
I quick got to work and started cleaning up. Working at this restaurant was my own definition of the ghetto because it was such a nasty place to work at truth be told.
Our manager was a very disgusting man who preyed on anyone including his employees and the only reason why I was safe was because I had no boobs. He had this crazy obsession with boobs. Sometimes I wonder how I got the job here because he clearly hired people according to his type and nothing else.
Also the customers here were just as disgusting as he was, it was so much harder on nights when I had to fill in for the cook or the servers. You could casually get spanked on the ass and nobody would treat it like it was an issue and so I try to avoid wearing clothes that could potentially attract such encounters. I started clearing the kitchen dirt and made a mental note to make sure that I visit my mother today.
My manager arrived and he looked pretty annoyed, I could tell that it wasn't going to be a good day if stepped on his toes so I hid inside the restroom cleaning up and that was when I remembered that in here was the first time I had met Lucien and the look on his face came back again to haunt me. I remember the feeling all too well; it was a mixture of shock and curiosity and if I may add, jealousy too. Curse my luck for adding more problems to my day.