The Rejected Man's Rise

CHAPTER 07

Caleb’s POV:

After leaving the office, I took a detour and went to visit my father’s grave.

I put a single large rose, with the stem attached to it, on his grave and sat down next to it.

The cold weather didn’t make it any easier for me to be there, but I still sat there.

“I miss you, Dad. Every day…”

I fought the tears that tried to come out.

“I don’t even know what I’m living for. I feel lonely. In winters, particularly, I keep getting depressing thoughts. The cold weather is eating the little warmth left in me.”

I put my hand on the gravestone, and it felt quite cold, as if it was mocking me and making me come to get over the fact that my dad was no more.

I looked around.

There was no warmth that could be found anywhere in that graveyard.

Would my dad really want me to be in a place like this when I’m feeling down?

I sucked in a deep breath and got up.

I picked the rose back up.

“I’ll water this rose stem and grow it into a plant, Dad,” I said. “I’ll bring you the flowers it produces.”

A faint breeze blew past my face.

It felt as though my dad agreed to my plan.

“See you later, Dad,” I said and walked away.

A few minutes later.

I arrived at my apartment.

Sure enough, the fat crow started cawing, each caw a testament to its hunger.

I sighed and said, “I have nothing to give you right now.”

But I saw its head tilting to the left and to the right. It was looking at the rose stem in my hand.

“You want the rose?” I hesitated for a bit. “The plant would grow faster without the rose, right?”

I broke the rose off the stem and tossed it toward the crow.

It caught the rose and flew away.

“Is it going to eat the flower? Or maybe it will use the flower to bed its nest?” I had no idea.

I entered my apartment and lay down on my bed without even removing my socks.

I was more tired than I thought.

Before I knew it, I slipped into a deep sleep.

A few minutes later.

The vibration of my mobile woke me up at once.

It was the HR manager calling.

My vision was blurry. I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

Sure enough, it was the HR manager.

“He already fired me, so why is he calling me now?” I wondered. “Did the Phantom Dream investors talk about me? Otherwise, I don’t see why he’s calling me.”

I didn’t lift his call and put the mobile aside.

He called me again.

“Heh, let’s see how many times  you will call…”

I just waited.

He called me five more times.

On the sixth time, I got tired.‘

I grabbed the mobile and waited a few seconds before answering, “Yeah, this is Caleb.”

“I know you’re Caleb. The investment deal went through, so the chairman is throwing a grand party tonight,” the HR manager said. “He specifically told me to make sure you attend the party dressed neatly.”

“Huh?” My heart skipped a beat because I wasn’t expecting Edward’s name to come in this conversation. “Why would he specifically care about me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s seen you dressed poorly before, so he told me to warn you,” the HR manager added. “The chairman may not talk to everyone, but he observes everyone and everything happening in the company.”

“Wait, didn’t you fire me in the morning?” I reminded him. “So how can I attend the party?”

“C’mon, you really thought I fired you. That was a prank,” the HR manager quickly said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“A prank? Surely, you didn’t stop me when I packed my belongings and walked out with shame stricken all over my face,” I said. “Even now, you are not apologizing but are trying to trick me into coming to the party because the chairman told you something about me. Am I correct?”

There was silence.

The HR manager didn’t say a word, but I could almost hear his heart pounding from the other side.

“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll end the call, Manager Andy,” I said.

“Wait, wait, wait!” the HR manager, Andy Rogers, urged. “I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have fired you, but it was Mike’s doing. You know that, too. He pushed me.”

“So what if he pushed you? You’re the HR manager. You didn’t do your job well,” I retorted. “Besides, I told you already. I wouldn’t return if you begged me to come back.”

“Please do me this favor just once—”

I ended the call before he could finish his sentence.

“It’s not over yet, Andy. Your downfall has just begun, and everybody in that office who abused and mocked me will pay dearly.”

Just then, a voice rang in my mind. And a window popped up before me.

[Warning: You’re being watched!]

My breath hitched.

This again!

I looked around, trying to find the intruder.

But I didn’t find any other person in the house.

A new window popped.

[The one who was watching you has left. They might return again, so be careful!]

I gritted my teeth. “How can I defend myself when I don’t even know who’s watching me?”

“A new mission!” Dreamie’s voice rang in my mind.

[Dress up well for the party tonight, impress the investors and earn at least one charm point!

Success: Sleep Optimization. Gets rid of dark circles under your eyes faster!

Failure: Sleep Fragmentation. You will wake up tired no matter how long you sleep. And your dark circles will worsen!]

I closed the message window.

“I was planning to go to the party tonight regardless of the mission,” I uttered under my breath. “I have a lot of scores to settle and regain everything I have lost.”