CHAPTER 1

"Dammit!"

"Julian, you're damn fired!" Supervisor Kevin's voice blared out, his eyes instantly turned red in anger. "Leave my office at once!"

In Julian's wildest thoughts, the last event he could imagine on that fateful day was losing his only source of livelihood in split seconds. Could he be hallucinating? Or one of those frightening nightmares?

"Julian?" His boss's words resounded to his drifted mind and he jolted him back to his messed-up reality. "Poor idiot, don't allow me to repeat my warnings, get the hell outta my office this minute."

Julian's heart pounded vehemently like one of the athletes representing in a marathon race.

He had so much to say but was dumbstruck. His boss's words fell on his anticipatory eardrum like an alarm.

He knew he had to pour out his heart but lacked the right words to employ in such a difficult scenario.

"Sir-Sir … please," he finally managed to spill out after minutes of staring at his boss like a moron. "Please don't relieve me of my duties after five years, please…"

Whilst Julian was yet to complete his utterances, Kevin hastened to his space, and within seconds his face was splashed with a hit. "Slap" he staggered uncontrollably towards his left-hand side and another hit went straight to his right cheek. "Slap again."

The dirty slaps echoed through the supervisor's office. Julian clenched his fists in building anger, his eyes somewhat narrowed in disbelief and pain.

Julian could have bet whilst leaving his wife's in-laws' house that fateful day that his job would be intact when returning to his wife.

Unbeknownst, a big shocker was about to hit him. To cement it all, he had himself disgraced by some displeased customers and got fired after the last customer insisted Mr. Kevin should lay him off or they would lose him as one of their top-tier customers.

"Sir-Sir… you didn't need to abuse my face with a slap," Julian uttered, raising his eyebrow against Kevin who was explicitly glaring at him in disgust.

Kevin drew a deep breath in surprise. "You dare challenge me, little wonder I needed to sack you. Two masters can't sail a ship."

"How could you be so stupid to spill liquor on Mr. Wilfred Hillary, one of our finest customers? What the hell were you thinking, huh? I don't wanna see you anywhere close to Crystalline Grills Bar and Restaurant."

"For Christ's sake, Julian, what's wrong with you all day? You even broke a full bottle of liquor, huh? Be rest assured your salary for this month has been paid off with such a costly stupid mistake of yours."

"Now, I'm done with you," his tone was stern and cold, his index finger pointing towards the office door. "Get out you piece of trash!"

Kevin's words sent shivers down Julian's spine. The more his eardrum got attuned to what his boss uttered, the more his veins ran cold in shock and disappointment.

Julian exhaled deeply in regret, sighed deeply, and gently headed out of his ex-bosses office in a fallen demeanor, clicking his tongue in disbelief, his right hand on his face still holding up the pain of the severe slaps.

For five years working as a part-time waiter; at Crystalline Grills bar and restaurant, in Manchester City, he hadn't been so lost in thoughts that he spilled a drink on any customer. But why today? The answer couldn't be far-fetched.

Today marked exactly four years since Julian and Rihanna walked down the aisle and were proclaimed husband and wife.

Julian had been living off his family in-laws' roots, striving all he could to prove a point that he was useful and of worth to his rich wife; Rihanna. Has he been able to prove such?

Julian waking up that fateful morning had presumed it would be one of the best days of his life. He had planned on buying an expensive red gown for his wife.

A gesture to surprise her and make her happy which will be his fourth-anniversary gift in respect to their union. But his carelessness within five minutes ruined everything.

'What the hell would I tell my wife?' he muttered inwardly, wearing his work attire; navy blue shirt with black tie and black trousers. ' How would I explain to her that I just lost my job? Oh gosh!'

He gently walked beside his coworkers at the counter serving customers' requests, all eyes seemed glued on him after the careless incident that occurred when he had been at Mr. Kevin's office receiving scrutiny.

'Why are they all chuckling in my face?' he couldn't help but whisper to himself, his eyes slightly observing the mocking adventure unfolding around him.

"Hey Julian, it seems like you've been sacked huh?" One of his ex-colleagues sarcastically inquired, with a tinge of concern and ridicule.

Julian sighed and stared at him. 'How managed he assumed rightly?' he had to question inwardly. Julian's mind was promptly taken aback by the fact that his ex-boss voice was damn loud and could have gotten the attention of everyone else.

He knew behind their sarcastic questions and pretentious faces, they all seemed overjoyed with his predicament.

"Dear Julian, isn't the end of the world okay?" Another ex-colleague muttered, winking at the next waiter who was holding up his chuckling in contempt.

He shook his head in a little bit of surprise. His ex-colleagues he's known for about five years, he never knew they never truly liked him but were pretending, finally their true colors were staring right in his face.

'What's in there to despise about a penniless fellow?' he couldn't help but ask himself, his eyes somewhat fixed on his ex-colleagues giggling in his front. 'Why do they hate me this much, is it a sin to be poor?'

His heart fell desperately in deep saddened thoughts, it seemed like a nightmare he wouldn't dare imagine to behold.

He drew a deep breath, his face echoed with bitterness. "Why Me?"