Chapter 8 LOYAL FRIEND

Stopping in the middle of their work, all the employees turned to look at him. “Good morning, Mr. Bradford.” They greeted in unison, head bowed on the floor, and not making a single sound.

Finally recovering from surprise, I closed my parted lips and cleared my throat. “Good morning, Mr. Bradford.” I greeted Grey politely, but inwardly killed him in my mind in various ways. The morning started well, but he ended up ruining it, and that’s unforgivable.

“I said, can we talk?” He repeated. Thick eyebrows merging into a straight line.

“Aren’t we talking, Sir?” I replied rather sweetly but with daggers in my eyes while meeting his gaze. If eyes have the power to kill, Grey already dropped to the floor, dead.

There was a horrified gasp from the small crowd. If there was someone in the La Paraiso Hotel who could defy the owner and not get fired, it was me. But of course, none of the employees knew their boss was my husband. They must think I’m out of my mind now.

“See me at my office, Lily.” He turned his back to me. Marching to the door, the employees scattered away in fear. Grey Bradford, the heartless CEO of Bradford chains of hotels, fires employees as if he’s flipping books. Employees avoid him like a deadly plague. I wish I could do the same now–avoid and pretend as if he didn’t exist. Unfortunately, he was my husband. I could not avoid brushing shoulders with him.

“Lily. Now.” Grey barked, stopping on the door. Listening to how he stressed each word, obviously tells how irritated he was.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Bradford. We have VIP reservations today. I couldn’t abandon my duties. We are short-staffed because you fired five of our employees last week. I’ll see you when I’m free.” That being said, I dismissed him with a flick of my hand.

Grabbing the mop, I marched into the kitchen, leaving everyone’s mouth parted in shock.

“Lily! You should go to Mr. Bradford’s office, and apologized to him,” One of my co-worker followed inside the room. Overcome with panic and alarm, her ashen face turned to me.

“No, I will not apologize to him, Lia.” I replied. My calm expression alarmed her even more.

“B-but h–he will fire you.” She blurted out loud, forcing everyone in the kitchen to look at us. I grabbed Lia’s arms and ushered her to the Staff Room, where we could talk in private.

“Maybe he will, but it’s better that way than seeing him every day,” I mumbled under my breath, opening the door to get inside, then returning the mop to where the cleaning equipment should be.

“I don’t want to lose you, Lily.” She whined. “You’ve been my best friend since I started working here four years ago. If you get fired, there’s no one who will share my lunch with me.”

“Don’t be silly. We could still eat lunch together at our favorite restaurant anytime.” I told her calmly, looking at the eyeglasses she wore for the first time, noticing how weird it looked.

“But it wouldn’t be the same anymore. Unlike here, where we could be together all the time.” Lia reasoned desperately. A frown merged her thick eyebrows into a straight line.

“In some way or another, we will have to part ways.” I tried explaining, but it did nothing to erase the betrayal written all over her face. “I have to leave the country, Lia., to grab the opportunity to work abroad.”

“Y-you w-will resign?” Lia gasped, startled at my revelation.

I nodded my head. Lia stared at me, dumbstruck. For a short while, she could not say a word. Collecting her scattered wits, she spoke, “B-but why so sudden? I would understand if today’s incident will force you to resign, but based on your tone, you have plans to resign before this.” She scowled and placed both hands on her waist, then eyed me with scrutiny.

“The offer is outstanding, with several irresistible benefits. Going abroad will also benefit Mom. She will have an excellent environment, advance medical care, and have a more modern medical procedure.” I replied, partly telling her the truth.

“Was it all about that?” She suspiciously asked, able to see past the veil of half-truths.

I gaped at her. Could it be that Lia knew more than I thought she did? I shook my head. It couldn’t possibly be. I’m too cautious about keeping my marriage with Grey a secret. There’s no way she would know the truth.

“There’s no other reason, Lia,” I replied, inwardly cringing at blurting out a lie.

Lia remained doubtful. She continued to eye me suspiciously. Thinking she will shove me a barrage of questions, I took a deep preparatory breath, and readied myself for an interrogation. However, the exorbitant question did not come. Lia sighed, her stiff shoulders relaxed.

“Forcing the truth out of you will not work, Lily,” she mumbled meaningfully. Crossing her arm underneath her breasts, she added. “It seems I’m not the only one who’s keeping secrets here,” Lia added, meeting my gaze.