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ch 5

Angry… no, but frustrated, a lot. He couldn’t understand why she was so submissive to a guy who was such a jerk. She already knew he was the boss, but God send a bolt of lightning straight to his head if he ever behaved like that with one of his employees! Andrea not only tried to do the best she could, but she did it well. You’d have to be blind not to see that the idiot Trembley was only belittling her like that to keep her under control. And Zack didn’t know why he was mad at her for allowing it, but it bothered him that she was so docile with her boss. As soon as he saw that she was a little less watched, he followed her to the copy room and closed the door behind him. “Hey, were you born with a cervical problem?” he asked her, stopping her, and Andrea looked at him confused. “Excuse me?” she murmured, not understanding. “Your head only moves back and forth to say yes, I haven’t seen you move it from side to side even once to say no!” Zack hissed and the girl pressed her lips together and her cheeks flushed. “Because it’s not easy…” she whispered vehemently. “Do you think it’s easy to fight a boss as bad as him?” “But there’s no need to let yourself be trampled on either! You don’t have to let him treat you badly. You must have some bit of dignity left behind, right?” Andrea let go of his hand and breathed raggedly as she shook her head. “Dignity? Is dignity going to feed me? If I answer him, who do you think the company is going to defend? I’ve only been here four months and he’s been here for years, he practically owns this place…” “No, no, honey! Peter Trembley is far from owning this place,” Zack hissed angrily. “Did he ask you to alter the reports?” Thank you for reading on LeeNovelas.com. Andrea looked at the floor but shook her head. —Of course not, it’s not something I would ask of someone as insignificant as me… —Or maybe I would, because he has no idea that you are not insignificant and very intelligent —Zack replied—. Don’t help him, Andrea, I warn you kindly. I already saw those reports and I’m not going to allow Trembley to fool the boss. Andrea hugged her body. —I wouldn’t be able to do that… but I can only speak for myself —she said leaving there and Zack had no choice but to stay there brooding over his frustration while watching Andrea work like a desperate little bee. She was like that all day, and although she always made sure to leave Trembley’s office door open, Zack knew that the fat bastard would sooner or later make another move. Remember. Read this novel only on LeeNovelas.com, not on other sites. He could easily get his hands on the matter, the problem was that firing Trembley wouldn’t solve Andrea’s problem, because there would always be a boss who would take advantage of her docility to mistreat her. And that was something she had to be able to face on her own. “Damn it, Zack, you can’t fix the world!”—he said to himself and a few minutes later he felt his phone ring in his pocket. He looked at the screen and smiled unconsciously, because it was his best friend. Benjamin Lancaster and he had been inseparable since they were children, both athletes, and then adventurers around the world until they had found their place in that company. Ben was the unknown partner because he hated responsibilities so he always presented himself as just another representative, and Zack carried on his shoulders the weight of the management and of course, the majority of the shares. —I’ll invite you to lunch. But now, I’m starving! —was Ben’s greeting. —I thought you wouldn’t come for a few days! —Wrong, I said I wouldn’t show up for work for a few days, but the body doesn’t hurt to adapt to the environment so here I am. —Fine, I’ll see you in half an hour, I’ll give you my location. They met again in a restaurant near the office building and hugged each other affectionately. —How’s everything with the new branch? “Have you become the undercover employee of the year yet?” Ben asked. “No, and it sucks. The manager on duty is a repressed Mussolini, but you’ll replace out when you set foot there on your first day,” Zack replied. “Let’s talk about better things.” Ben looked at him doubtfully and Zack finished the drink he was drinking. “What’s wrong, Ben?” “Giselle came to look for you at the New York branch,” his friend replied. “She wanted to know about you, if you were more… accessible.” “That’s something she comes to ask every damn month,” Zack growled. “After the tenth time she was kicked out of my office, she should understand my answer by now.” “She says she loves you.” “A woman who doesn’t love her child, loves no one,” Zack replied. “I’ll never forgive her. Ever!” Ben took a deep breath and challenged him. —Well… since we’re talking about it… when are you going to tell your father? Zack put his hands on his head in a helpless gesture. His father suffered from a chronic and dangerous illness that affected his heart. —I don’t have the courage to do it —he murmured—. I haven’t spoken to him for months just so I don’t have to upset him and with my mother I avoid the subject as best I can… —But you know that’s not the solution, Zack. —I know, but dad has been fighting bravely against his illness for years and the doctors have told me that his health is slowly deteriorating —he murmured while pinching the bridge of his nose—. He’s excited, hopeful that he already has a grandson and I’m not capable of dropping that bomb on him and being the one to cause the heart attack that will kill him. Do you understand me? Benjamin nodded sadly but he understood Zack’s position and knew how much he adored his father. He didn’t have the heart to upset him like that. “Well, the truth is that you don’t have many options,” she reminded him. “In a little over a month it will be Christmas and you have to go see your family.”What are you going to do then? Are you going to keep lying to them? Are you going to tell them the truth? Are you going to stop going…? “I don’t know, Ben! Maybe I’ll hire a couple of actors and that’s it! It’ll only be for a few days, right?” Ben rolled his eyes. “You fucking idiot! You actually thought about that,” he grumbled, spreading his arms. “I can already imagine the ad: ‘Baby Wanted. Millionaire Rents Family for Christmas.’” Zack grumbled a couple of times but didn’t say anything else before Ben continued laughing at him. After lunch they said goodbye and Zack returned to the office, only to replace Andrea with wet eyes and a red nose. Obviously Trembley must have scolded her for something again, but he didn’t even imagine that the old man had gone much further than just scolding her. “You have until tomorrow to get rid of that drone, Andrea,” Trembley had told her and she knew he was referring to Zack. “No, Mr. Trembley, you’re confused,” she had muttered. “I really don’t have anything to do with Zack, he’s just a coworker…” “My balls, coworker! He wants to screw you like a drawer that doesn’t close!” the old man snapped rudely and Andrea clenched her fists. “Of course, it’s certainly very different from what you want to do to me,” she thought with disgust. “I’m only here to work…” she tried to say but Trembley got too close to her, making her back off. “Well, you’re not showing it much, Andrea. And you better be sharp, girl, because I know you have a lot to lose,” he hissed. “Or do you think the State will allow you to keep your little girl for long if you don’t have a job?” Andrea turned livid and backed away. “Don’t even think about mentioning my daughter!” he growled through gritted teeth. “My baby is none of your business!” “No, not mine, but Social Services’s, yes!”—I’m just here to work… —she tried to say but Trembley got too close to her making her back away. —Well you’re not showing it much, Andrea. And you better get sharp, girl, because I know you have a lot to lose —he hissed—. Or do you think the State will let you keep your little girl for long if you don’t have a job? Andrea turned livid and backed away. —Don’t even think about mentioning my daughter! —she growled through her teeth—. My baby is none of your business! —No, not mine, but Social Services’s is! ——I’m just here to work… —she tried to say but Trembley got too close to her making her back away. —Well you’re not showing it much, Andrea. And you better get sharp, girl, because I know you have a lot to lose —he hissed—. Or do you think the State will let you keep your little girl for long if you don’t have a job? Andrea turned livid and backed away. —Don’t even think about mentioning my daughter! —she growled through her teeth—. My baby is none of your business! —No, not mine, but Social Services’s is! —Trembley laughed sarcastically. “So you better do everything you can to keep this job, Andrea, or you’re going to have the saddest New Year of your life.” Andrea couldn’t help crying, and having Zack’s accusatory eyes fixed on her didn’t help much. No one could understand her, no one could put themselves in her place. She walked home in the cold and all the way she couldn’t stop thinking, fearing… Her life was a mess, but at least she had someone to fight for. She confirmed it for the thousandth time when she saw her daughter’s smile again. She adored her, she was the most beautiful creature God had given her and Andrea would do anything for her, even if she had to work until she was exhausted. “Thank you for the food, Mrs. Wilson,” she said, hugging the old woman before going to her own apartment. Her heart broke to see it so empty, when she had worked so hard to furnish it and get it ready for her baby. The urge to cry was unbearable, but seeing her daughter asleep, behaving so well despite sleeping on a sad mattress on the floor… Yes, something broke inside Andrea every day, but her daughter fixed it every night. Finally, seeing her sleep like that, she understood that she had to summon up courage and make all the sacrifices she hadn’t made yet to protect her. Two things, the two most important, she did the next day as soon as she left her baby in Mrs. Wilson’s hands. The first was to call the town hall to ask a single question: “How can I get a divorce if my husband abandoned me and I don’t know where he is?” The explanation was brief and the paperwork was a lot, but she couldn’t keep avoiding it. The second was to arrive at the cafeteria and stop in front of the menu. She put her hand in her pocket and counted the coins she had left. The payment had to be made in a few days, but she almost didn’t have any left, it was barely enough for that coffee, the simplest, a half-watered Americano, but what counted was the gesture, right? She stifled a sigh when she realized she was a few cents short of even the simplest one, but when she was about to leave the boy who was taking orders called out to her. “Wait, don’t go… You buy a lot of coffee here. It’s on the house.” Andrea looked at him, stunned, and then shook her head. “It’s not me, it’s my company…” “It doesn’t matter,” the boy insisted, “let’s see, what do you want?” She hesitated for a second and put the coins in her pocket with a lump in her throat. “Well… the Americano, please,” she asked. The boy immediately prepared it for her in a take-out container and Andrea thanked him many times before leaving. As soon as she walked through the door, the boy raised his thumb in a sign of “mission accomplished” and on the other side of the street a man did the same. Zack saw her walk to her building with that coffee in her hands, as if it were a small treasure. It made him sick to his stomach that anyone who worked so hard had to count their coins and not even have enough to buy a simple cup of coffee. But if he was already feeling bad,When he entered the office and sat down at his desk, he felt much worse; because at that moment Andrea approached with that coffee and placed it in front of him as if it were an offering. She had bought that coffee for him. “Please teach me,” she begged. “I assure you that I will do my part and that I will study hard and… I will study everything you say… but please… teach me.”