"Hey."
"What the hell?"
"Watch where you're freaking going."
Damien's took in a deep ragged breath through his teeth as he tried to dodge the next person, only to hit them harder than the others.
"What in the--" Their words were cut short as they fell down on the ground with a loud thud.
"I'm so sorry," Damien apologized before turning back down the street. He heard the guy he had hit shout cusses at him, but he didn't care at all.
He was already late to work.
Damien raced down the street, clutching close to his chest the documents his boss had asked him to type the day before. His heart pounded loudly against his chest as he tried his best to weave through the sea of people before him. Glancing down at his watch, he muttered a curse word under his breath before increasing his pace.
John was going to kill him.
Damien turned toward the corner that led to the small publishing firm he worked for, only to be stopped at a certain sight-Diana, his girlfriend of two years, standing by a café on the other side of the road, talking to a richly dressed man.
Damien narrowed his eyes, trying to see if he could recognize who the man was when he suddenly heard someone shout his name.
"DAMIEN!!!"
He turned toward the direction of the voice that had called him to see Gerald, his co-worker and friend-even though he denied it-standing on the street, a small folder in his hands.
"Gerald?"
"What the hell are you doing?" Gerald shouted, his brows furrowing. "John is already mad that you're not in yet. Why are you standing out here?"
Damien's gaze flickered between his girlfriend and Gerald, frowning in confusion-should he cross over and ask who the guy was or go to the work he was already late to? Hissing under his breath, Damien turned back to the street and ran down to where Gerald stood.
"This is the fourth time you're coming to work late," Gerald said through clenched teeth as Damien approached him. "What other excuse you go'n give him this time, your mother died?"
"My... my mother is dead, Gerald," Damien muttered under his heightened breath as he looked at Gerald. "She's been dead for over seven years now. I told you last week when you asked why I was crying in the closet."
Gerald paused for some seconds before scoffing. "Whatever, man," he muttered as he turned down the street. Let's go to work. John's already furious."
As they approached the press building, Damien glanced back at the spot he had seen Diana but she was no longer there. Sighing, he returned his gaze back to the path before him.
Damien and Gerald walked for about a minute more before finally arriving at the worn-out building that held the publishing firm. A big sign with the picture of a huge man standing beside the bold wordings, 'JOHN'S PRESS', stood by the side. Damien stared at the picture of the man as he swallowed hard. It was as though he was staring right at his very soul.
"Come on." Damien turned to see Gerald standing by the half opened door, the frown on his face deepening. "Why are you standing out there again?"
"Oh, sorry," Damien said quickly as he rushed into the building, a more annoyed Gerald following closely behind him.
Damien walked past the cubicle of his co-workers and he didn't need to look to know that they were all looking at him. He could feel their piercing gaze on him, following his every movement. If it was this bad, he was definitely fucked.
Knowing that John was going to be at his office so he immediately headed straight for there. Arriving at the door, he adjusted the documents he held to one hand before raising the other to knock. But before his knuckles could land on the wooden frame, the door suddenly creaked open.
"Whoa," Damien muttered, his body jerking as he found John standing behind the door. The frown plastered on his face caused the scar over his left eye to crease, making him look more menacing than he normally did.
"Damien," he muttered under his breath as he pushed the door wide open. "Why don't you come in?"
Damien stood frozen, his eyes traveling to the seat he was gesturing to before. It stood before his desk, torn and looking like it would break under his weight.
"I don't think I want to--"
"No," John cut him off as he moved to the side. "I insist."
Damien hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and walking inside. Once he had gotten in, he heard the door slam shut behind him.
He was really a goner.
"Have a seat," John said as he walked to his seat behind the polished mahogany table and sat down on it.
Damien placed document in his hands on the table, sighing in relief, before slowly sitting down on the chair. It creaked a little, but surprisingly held his weight despite how bad it looked.
"Damien," John called, causing Damien to lift his head up. "You came in late again today. What's your reason this time, your mother died?"
Damien wanted to tell him that his mother was dead and that he had also told him about it but decided not to say anything. "I was up all night trying to compile everything you told me to, and because of that's I woke up real late today," he explained. "But I promise it won't--"
"... happen again?" John completed as he picked up one of the documents I dropped. "Yeah right." He leaned back against his chair as his eyes scanned through the document.
His lips curled into a small smile and I felt the weight in my chest drop. I had come late, yeah, but at least, he liked my article...
"Total garbage."
... or not.
John squeezed the paper in his hands and threw it in the bin beside his desk. "You wrote total garbage... again," he said as he leaned forward on his desk. "You're fired."
***********************
Damien dug his hands into his pockets as he walked down the street. He had lost his job-his only source of income-and he didn't know what he was to do next.
A soft sigh escapes his lips as he kicked a pebble out of a crack on the curb. The little stone flew into the road, past the speeding cars, and stopped in front of the café on the other side.
Damien paused, his brows furrowing as he stared at the spot he had last seen Diana. Taking a deep breath, he headed to the zebra crossing and ran to the other side after the cars had stopped.
He headed straight to the café and looked into window, scanning the people within for Diana and the guy, but they were both nowhere to be found.
Just as he was about pulling out his phone to dial her number, he heard a small giggle behind him. He turned sharply as he recognized the voice, just to see Diana walking toward him, her fingers interlocked with the guy that he had seen, as she stared at him affectionately.
"D-Diana?" Damien called out, disbelief etched in his voice. His girlfriend turned towards him and her face scrunched in disgust as her gaze landed on him.
"Damian?" she muttered as she paused.
"What... why... who is this dude?" he asked as he made to hold her. "Why are you with--UGH!!!"
His words were immediately cut short as the guys clenched fist connected with his face. The blow sent his staggering backwards before falling to the ground with a loud thud.
"What the--" Before he could finish speaking, the guy landed on his and began raining down blows on his face. Damien tried to block them but doing so seemed to enrage the guy further, causing his blows to increase.
It wasn't until Diana stepped in that he finally stopped.
"Ugh..." Damien groaned as he lifted his swollen face to look up at his girlfriend.
"I am done with you, Damien," she said, locking her hands with her new man. "You are broke, ugly and weak as hell. Richard is the complete opposite. It's over between us."
Before Damien could say anything Diana turned and walked away, leaving him on the street. As people began to gather, he could feel his conscious begin to leave him. Just as someone grabbed his hands and pulled him up, everything went dark.
And then--
'HELLO DAMIEN DAMON. I AM YOUR WEALTH SYSTEM.'