Free

Adele stretched her body to its maximum with a beautiful smile on her face. The moment she turned to the other side, she fell to the ground. Because she was very happy, she just laughed at her silliness and sat up. She was happy because she didn't wake up to any annoying stepbrother and also, no strange visitors appeared in her dream.

She rolled her eyes as she heard Gina still snoring out loud. She stood up and walked straight to the bathroom. She washed her face before staring into the mirror. She was genuinely happy and she could see the difference.

She admired her full face blessed with light blonde hair which stopped at her back midway, bright pink lips that most men were dying to play with, and bright blue eyes that could make anyone drown when they stared into it. Her brows were naturally shaped and when she smiled, her full dimples came into view. She was the definition of beautiful. It was why Lance fell for her. He saw all those features behind the big, unattractive clothes, and thick glasses she always wore.

"Wake up, Gina. We need to go and get my stuff from my room." She shook Gina slowly in an attempt to wake her up but her plan failed. She snored even louder. She tried tickling her but it didn't work. She thought hard about what to do. Then, an idea struck her.

"I'll get you some cake when I'm coming from work." With that statement alone, Gina sprang up from the bed like a dead man who was risen.

"Don't ever tickle me again. Also, I need a five-layer cake." Gina licked her tongue as she got out of bed. They went to her house. Adele was quite tense. She had never stayed outside without anyone knowing. The door opened, revealing the face of her mother.

"Good morning, Mother," Adele greeted and walked inside with Gina following behind her.

"Good morning, Mrs. Bennett." Gina waved.

"Where are you coming from?" Mrs. Bennett inquired. Her hands were on her wide hips as she stared inquisitively at her daughter. Her hair fell beautifully over her shoulder and if not for her reckless drinking behavior, she would have been every man's dream.

"Not like you care," Adele muttered. "As you can see, I'm with Gina. And also, I'm moving in with her. I only came here to say my final goodbyes and pick up my important things." She announced and headed upstairs while Gina stayed back. She bumped into Bryan but eyed him maliciously before proceeding.

"Good riddance," Bryan said, descending the stairs with a scoff.

"I wonder why it took her this long to realize that she's not supposed to be here."

Gina wanted so badly to interfere but she didn't want to upset her friend. Adele never liked others to involve themselves in her family matters. So, she held her tongue. A few minutes later, Adele came down with her bags.

"You are not leaving this house, young lady!" Her mother yelled. "You hear me? You are going nowhere."

"And you let me pack before saying this? Not happening." Adele fired back.

"I feed you and I house you. If you want to leave so badly, you have to pay for all those."

"Sure, no worries. I will pay you back as much as you want. Also, I will pay you for leaving me with that good-for-nothing son of yours that always brings different girls to your house and toys around with them. Also, I will pay you for not being there ever since dad died, and also I will pay you for never caring how my life went."

"It was always about you. You want this, you want that. Did you care what I wanted? Don't worry, I will pay you for that too."

Mrs. Bennett's tongue was tied down. Instead of speaking, she turned to the kitchen and place her hands on the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room.

"Yeah, reflect on all I've said," Adele spoke with a cracked voice. She knew it would be very hard to forgive the people she once called family. They were the ones that made her life a living hell.

"By the way, where did you sleep?" Gina asked on their way back to her house.

"On the couch," Adele replied, not making eye contact with her friend.

"Oh... Well, that can be fixed. There's an empty room close to mine but I keep unimportant stuff there. I'd clean it out and create space for you."

"Sure, thanks." Adele was grateful. She could finally think straight and not have to worry about facing her family. Dinner with them was always awkward. She always took her food to her room.

"Don't worry, Adele. You'll be fine." Gina patted her shoulder and smiled soothingly. Seeing that side of her best friend made her worries wash away. With the help of Lance and Gina, Adele got a brand new room. Inhaling the free air that comes with a new room, Adele felt her life had been restarted. And she planned to make the best out of it.

With her clothes in her possession, she prepared for work. Lance and Gina had already prepared breakfast which she quickly ate and zoomed out. She thought she twenty minutes late and she knew how much was leaving her salary. Not that she even earned much.

When she got to work, surprisingly, nobody was there yet. She was still a new worker and hadn't been given a key hold yet. She was happy.

"My five dollars is safe." She almost squealed.

Shortly, she sighted the manager coming in.

"Well, well, well." He mused. "Aren't you the first one here today?" He smiled at her. For the first time.

"Good morning, sir." She greeted.

"Keep this up and we might eventually increase your salary." He winked at her. Her heart leaped for joy. She had never spoken one-on-one with the manager of her company before. After she confronted her fears, everything started turning around for good.

"He's a curse and I'm happy to be free at last." She said effortlessly when she settled in her small office. She worked in a writing company where she proofreads authors' books and gives feedback to the boss of her department. It was an easy job because reading and giving her two cents was what she loved doing.

She glanced at the clock and saw that she was twenty minutes early. She checked her phone to find out the timing wasn't aligned. She quickly fixed it and started her day with a smile. She was more productive that day since she started working. Her mind was open and her heart liberated. She gave it her all and when she submitted it, her boss was impressed. Even the manager commended her for a job well done.

To heighten her joy, the manager tipped her and offered to buy her dinner.

"Thank you so much, sir." She bowed.

"It's nothing. Talents like yours should be greatly awarded." He winked at her.

"You may leave. I'll see you at closing time." He dismissed her. She passed by a group of whispering ladies and she already knew her nerdy dress sense was their topic.

She always dressed unattractive on purpose and wore thick glasses to ward off men.

Thinking about what had what happened earlier, she regretted accepting her boss' off but heck, she needed the money badly. Since she was living with her friend, she had to contribute to pay the house bills and every other bill that came with it.

After work, her manager, Dylan, drove her to a nearby restaurant, bought her some food, and drove her home.

"Thank you, sir. I really appreciate this." She smiled warmly.

"It's fine. Goodnight, Adele."

She alighted from his car and he drove away immediately. Adele opened the door to meet the prying eyes of her best friends.

"Who was that?" Gina started.

"My boss." She answered, closing the door behind her.

"So, what now? You now go on dates with your boss?" Lance arched a brow.

"Point of correction, I did not go on a date. He only bought me dinner, that's all." She rolled her eyes. Lance was now playing the overprotective game.

"I just want you to be careful. Having a close relationship with someone at work doesn't always end well. I'm just looking out for you, kiddo."

"Thanks, Lance. But I'm good. Besides, I'll definitely reject his offer next time. I've learned my lesson. I realized I don't want to get close to him. I could lose my job." My face fell to the ground. It took me months to get that job and I wasn't going to lose it because of one person.

**********

Dylan looked at his rear mirror to see Adele walking happily into the house.

"I've found her, big brother." He said over the phone.

"That was quick, Damian."

"I'll give you the details when I get back." He replied.

"Hope you didn't kill the manager." Mr. Hale sighed over the phone. He knew what his brother was capable of doing.

"Nah, he's on vacation." Damien grinned sheepishly. He had called several ladies to the real Dylan's house and had him put to sleep after a long wild morning. Handling three beautiful thick ladies was no child's play.