THE TRASH YOU MOCKED

2

Evan walked under the morning sun, feeling so ashamed.

He had nothing, no money, no future.

All his life, he’d lived with Clara’s family, relying on them for everything.

Now, with the divorce finalized, he had nowhere to go.

No hope.

But one thing was certain, he wouldn’t let her crush his pride again.

The thought burned through his pain once again.

How dare she bring another man into their home and kiss him right in front of him?

Like he was nothing. Like he never mattered.

He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of watching him fall apart.

He would go and stay with Samson, his best friend for a while.

Even though, Samson’s place wasn’t as grand as Clara’s, he didn’t care.

He would stay there for now.

Till he saved enough and buy himself a house.

He boarded a bus and headed straight to work.

He arrived at work five minutes early.

He didn’t want to, not after the morning he’d had with Clara's family but If he was going to fall, it wouldn’t be in front of them.

He kept his head down as he stepped into the building. The scent of cheap coffee and air freshener filled the air.

As he entered the third-floor customer care department, the air shifted.

Nobody greeted him.

He noticed the quiet stares. The smirks and that weird tension, like the room already knew something he didn’t.

He ignored and went directly to his desk.

At his old desk, someone else was already seated.

He stood there, confused.

“Hey, Blake,” someone called from the side. It was Randy, the new floor supervisor with the loud mouth and the fake Rolex. “Didn’t you get the memo?”

Evan turned slowly. “What memo?”

Randy grinned. “You’ve been reassigned.”

“To where?”

“Facilities,” he said with a shrug. “Congrats. You’re the new cleaning guy.”

A few snickers echoed from the back of the room. Most of them came from Evan’s old team, the ones he once trained, covered shifts for, stayed late to help.

He blinked. “There has to be a mistake—

“Talk to HR,” Randy interrupted, already turning away. “They said you're lucky to still have a job.”

Lucky.

Evan stood there for a moment longer, feeling very angry.

First the divorce.

And now this.

His day just kept getting better.

He stared blankly at Randy, who didn’t bother to explain further.

“Come on,” Randy said, already turning. “I’ll show you where you’ll change.”

Evan didn’t argue. He was too tired to.

He just sighed quietly and followed.

Not like he had a choice anyway.

he could hear the quiet laughter from the hallway.

“Damn… from customer care assistant to janitor?”

“Bet he won’t last the week.”

Evan walked out quietly, ignoring them.

He passed the copy room, the glass-walled conference room, and finally ended up downstairs in the janitorial supply closet.

That was where he found his uniform... faded gray overalls with “Building Maintenance” stitched on the back.

He changed in silence.

By 9:15 a.m., he was mopping the hallway he used to walk through.

He passed his old floor again. This time, no one pretended not to see him. They saw him and some smiled.

“From headset to toilet scrubber,” one whispered to another.

“I give him four days,” a second voice replied.

“What, before he quits?”

“Nah. Before he kills himself.”

They laughed.

Evan heard every word.

He smiled bitterly.

Not because it was funny.

But because it confirmed what he’d already known them for.

Bullies.

He rolled the mop into the CEO’s floor with slow, steady steps.

The office up here looked like a different world.

Everything screamed wealth.

He quickly began mopping.

It was nearing the end of the day. Evan dragged the mop along the hallway, exhausted. Just one last place to clean, the CEO’s private toilet and he could finally sign out.

He had already texted Samson: "Crashing at your place tonight. Long story."

He didn’t want to stay a second longer than he had to. The office was empty now, except for the security guards downstairs.

He pushed open the door to the CEO’s bathroom, gloves on, head low. As he scrubbed the sink, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He checked it.

Unknown Number.

He let it ring once… twice… almost ignored it.

Then he answered when the calls were getting annoying.

He hesitated, then answered. “Hello?”

A calm voice spoke. “Mr. Blake… your grandfather’s will has been unsealed. ”

Evan’s heart stuttered.

“…My grandfather?”

“Yes, sir. The will has just been unsealed. We’ve been trying to reach you for the past week.”

Evan blinked. “What? Why?”

“Yes. It concerns you directly.”

He leaned back against the wall, stunned. His grandfather? But his grandfather was dead.

That didn’t make sense. Evan frowned. “There must be a mistake. My grandfather died long before I was even born.”

He looked around the empty bathroom, half-expecting someone to jump out with a hidden camera.

“Is this some kind of joke?” he asked flatly.

“It’s not a joke, Mr. Blake. I understand your confusion. But everything will be explained when you come in. The documents are real. The will was sealed until now, by legal instruction.” the voice assured him.

Evan stayed quiet, trying to process. His clothes smelled like bleach. His hands were in gloves. And someone was calling him about a will?

“Where exactly is your office?” he asked finally, still cautious.

“We’ll send a car to pick you up,” the voice replied. “First thing tomorrow morning.”

Evan hung up slowly, phone still in hand.

Wondering what just happened.

He continued to stare at the screen for a long second. AI voice scams were everywhere these days

Deepfakes, cloned calls were all over the news.

“A will?” he muttered. “Yeah, right.”

He shoved the phone back into his pocket and picked up the mop again

What a stupid prank

He thought and continued mopping.

But the phone rang again. Then again.

He clenched his jaw, yanked it out, and stared at the screen in frustration.

“Enough,” he muttered and angrily switched it off.

Whatever game this was, he wasn’t playing. Not tonight.

He rinsed the mop, packed up his things, and walked out.

Right now, he needed food, a bed, and some silence.