Chapter twenty three
The lobby hummed with the quiet rhythm of an afternoon at work, heels clicking on marble, muted conversations, the distant echo of a printer. Kairen moved through it slowly, a phone pressed to his ear, his head bowed. The cleaner's uniform hung awkwardly on him, the fabric stiff, the fit wrong, and though he felt the eyes on him, he kept walking, lips pressed thin.
On the line, his mother's voice cracked with weariness.
"Sweetheart, they said I need to go for another check-up. The bills…"
Kairen's chest tightened. He glanced down at his sleeves creased, too long, smelling faintly of bleach and swallowed before answering. "Just… just give me some time, Mama. Maybe by the end of the month, okay? I'll send something then." He tried to lace his tone with confidence, but it came out softer, almost pleading with himself.
His mother sighed, a sound heavy with both love and disappointment. "And your new job? How's it going?"
He looked at his reflection in the glass wall rumpled uniform, a pale shadow of the man who had left Amara's apartment that morning glowing with confidence. He forced a small laugh. "It's fine," he said simply, because what else could he say?
She shifted the subject. "Your sister's already gone out. She's working now"
Kairen stopped in his tracks, brows pulling tight. "Working? No, no, Mama. She shouldn't be working. She should be in school." His voice broke sharper than he intended, drawing a few curious glances from employees passing by. He lowered it quickly, his jaw set. "Don't let her do that. Please. I'll find a way. I don't care what it takes,i'll figure something out."
There was silence on the other end before his mother's voice softened, almost apologetic. "Money is running out, Kairen. We don't have options."
His throat ached, but he forced himself steady. "Then I'll make one. I promise you." He said it as though the promise itself would bend the world to his will.
She hesitated, then added, "Have you thought about talking to your father"
"No." The word cut clean, too quick. He closed his eyes, inhaled sharply. "Don't bring him up. Not now." The silence that followed felt like a wound neither of them could dress.
After a moment, her voice warmed again, a balm to the heaviness. "Extend my greetings to Amara, hmm? Tell her I miss her loud mouth."
That drew a weak smile from him. "I will."
They said their goodbyes, and when the call ended, Kairen lowered the phone slowly. For a moment he just stood there in the middle of the lobby, surrounded by the noise of keyboards, footsteps, and whispers. He caught his reflection again in the glass wall dressed in a borrowed uniform, looking like he didn't belong. To everyone here, he was small, out of place, ridiculous.
But to the people on the other side of that call, he was everything. The weight of that truth sat heavy on his shoulders as he finally tucked his phone away and walked on.
The lobby hummed with its usual rhythm heels clacking against polished marble, phones ringing, the drone of muted conversations. Kairen walked through it all with his head slightly lowered, the janitorial uniform hanging loose on his frame like a punishment carved in cloth. Every now and then, a stifled laugh followed him, or the sharp glance of someone who quickly looked away the moment he passed. He didn't bother to flinch. This was exactly what Sebastian wanted humiliation that traveled with him like a second skin.
He was already bracing himself for when Sebastian would return from the meeting. That would be round two. The thought made his stomach knot, but he pressed on toward his office.
From the opposite side of the lobby, Ms. Jo emerged, balancing a mop bucket in one hand. She saw the uniform first navy, oversized, marked with the faint bleach stains of janitorial labor. She frowned. Strange, she thought, they didn't mention a new hire. She walked closer, craning her neck to get a better look.
And then she froze.
"Kairen?" The name slipped out with a gasp as her hand flew to her mouth. Shock flooded her face, quickly followed by guilt. She had delivered those very clothes, wrapped neat in nylon, not knowing what Sebastian intended. And now, here he was draped in them like some cruel joke made flesh.
"Oh, my God," she whispered, abandoning her mop bucket to the side. She hurried forward, eyes wide, words tumbling out in a rush. "I—I didn't know. I swear, I didn't know what he was planning. I never would've.."
Kairen shook his head softly, stopping her. His voice was calm, almost too calm. "You were just following orders, Ms. Jo. It's not your fault."
Her face crumpled anyway, the guilt refusing to let her go. She leaned closer, lowering her voice, her brows knitting tight. "But why, Kairen? Why is Sebastian doing this to you? What did you do to him?"
Before he could answer, footsteps echoed across the marble. Both of them turned as Julian came into view, climbing the last steps toward the lobby. His expression tightened as he took in the sight Kairen in that uniform, Ms. Jo hovering over him, the whispers still circling in the air.
Julian's pace slowed, but his eyes stayed locked on Kairen.
And for the first time that afternoon, the shame Kairen had been carrying wasn't his alone.
Ms. Jo excused herself with a final, flustered apology and slipped away, her footsteps soft against the polished floor. The air she left behind seemed heavier, too quiet, until only the hum of computers and the faint shuffle of papers carried from the employee section below.
Kairen stood rooted, still clutching the bundle of clothes, when Julian finally reached him. They stared at one another, a silent pause strung too tight between them.
Julian broke it first. His voice was low but carried a weight that made Kairen bristle.
"What's the meaning of this?"
The words landed wrong. For some reason, they scraped across Kairen like a blade. His chest tightened, anger bubbling hot, desperate for an outlet. He snapped back, his tone sharp, almost venomous.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
Julian blinked, startled by the hostility.
" I meant..."
he gestured toward the uniform, his brows furrowed. "Is this some kind of are you trying to get attention or something? You looked..." he hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "good this morning. Sharp. Confident. Now this… it doesn't make sense."
But Kairen wasn't hearing reason. His nerves were frayed raw, his dignity stripped by Sebastian piece by piece, and Julian's words felt like one more shove.
"Then tell Sebastian..." he caught himself, his teeth clicking shut before he corrected, "Mr. Cross. Tell him that."
Julian's confusion deepened. "What? Kairen, I'm not...."
But Kairen was already turning away, voice cutting and bitter as he muttered, "You're all the same."
"Kairen..." Julian reached a step after him, but the sharp reply came like a slap over the shoulder.
"Fuck off."
The finality in those words hung heavy. Kairen's figure retreated down the corridor, his shoulders stiff, head held a little too high for someone being laughed at behind his back.
And laughed at he was. From the corners of the office, whispers bloomed. A cluster of employees leaned from their desks, murmuring, grinning.
"Are they quarreling?"
"Maybe he's embarrassed… his date showed up dressed like a cleaner."
"Downgraded, huh? That's tough."
Julian shut his eyes, jaw tightening. The comments stung more than he wanted to admit. When he turned, the gawkers scrambled, fingers clattering noisily on keyboards, eyes glued to their screens as if work had suddenly become urgent.
He made his way back down the stairs, each step slow, deliberate. And when he reached the lower floor, his gaze met Elodie's. She was watching, lips curled into a smirk, eyes alive with mock-dramatic delight at his humiliation.
Julian exhaled through his nose, gave a small shake of his head, and descended the rest of the way, the weight of the entire office's eyes pressing on his back.
The descent to the employee section felt heavier than it should have. Julian's steps echoed against the polished stairs, dragging the weight of frustration, of shame he shouldn't have felt, but did. He had only wanted to help Kairen just to check if he was okay and somehow, in return, he'd been pushed away, spat on like an enemy. That sting clung to him like smoke.
The moment his shoes hit the ground floor, Elodie's laugh tore across the air loud, sharp, and wicked enough to make a few heads swivel. She clapped her hands together dramatically, her chair spinning halfway around to face him.
"Oh, Julian," she crooned, voice dripping with glee, "heartbreak looks good on you."
Julian ignored her. His jaw set, his shoulders squared, he walked straight to his desk, though every step felt like walking through a spotlight. He could hear it the whispers, the giggles, the shuffle of gossip curling through the rows of desks. Elodie had thrown the first stone, and the others, hungry for distraction, were following her lead.
As if the ridicule wasn't enough, Elodie's voice rose again, this time not in words but in song. A heartbreak tune, sweet and cruel, lilting like a dagger hidden in melody. Her voice was surprisingly pretty, but the mockery wrapped around each note was vicious.
Julian's sigh came heavy. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He knew if he opened his mouth now, he'd only feed her fire.
"Ohhh, the love is one-sided, I guess!" Elodie announced between verses, tilting her head like she was delivering breaking news. Her eyes glittered with satisfaction.
More laughter. More murmurs. The office felt less like Maison de la Croix and more like a high school cafeteria where cruelty had no leash.
Julian stayed silent, but his silence betrayed him it made their words true, or at least it felt that way. He bit down on his thoughts, swallowed back the instinct to defend Kairen, to defend himself. Instead, he sank into his chair, his chest tight, his ears burning as the background noise of chuckles and whispers carried on.
Elodie leaned back in her seat, victorious, twirling a pen between her fingers, basking in the chaos she had stirred.