Daddy’s Little Pet

RENEE

Monday came too fast, as usual.

Watery eyes fluttering open, I looked at the clock by my bedside with a frown as the numbers blurred together.

It was seven in the morning.

I should be getting ready for my morning shift at work. I told myself this but couldn’t drag myself out of bed.

I felt trapped, strewn atop the soft mattress, with swollen eyes and aching bones. It wasn’t just the lack of sleep-my nights had been spent crying my eyes out-or the fatigue.

No. It was much more.

The fortified walls built within me were no longer there. The barriers between me and the emotions that flooded my heart were long gone.

And now, since the night of the masked ball, the floodgates of guilt, anger, shame, and repulsion.

These emotions spilled forth when I thought of him. Whenever I saw his name light up my phone screen as he barraged me with never-ending streams of messages. Or heard, “Please call me!” coming from my voicemail after I refused to pick up.

Gosh! How could I have been so delusional? How could I not have seen this coming sooner?

The secrets he’d refused to tell me about, his promises of commitment, and he’d… “Fuck!” I muttered, my lips quivering as I tried to hold back my tears.

My right hand went to my aching forehead, gently massaging it with my fingers, while the other held my pillow, gripping the poor comfort object tightly.

Why me? Why did I always end up in situations where I got so badly hurt? Why did fate keep throwing these calamitous misfortunes my way?

Why did the universe have to be so cruel and bring me someone like this? Not just any man but my ex-boyfriend’s father.

It wasn’t fair. I, Renee Micheal, didn’t deserve this. My weak heart didn’t deserve it, either. Not after what it’d been through.

With a muffled sob, I buried my face in another pillow, crying quietly.

As I drifted off into nothingness, my body stiffened when I heard a constant knocking at the door.

“Renee, please open up.” The familiar voice, panicked and distraught, hollered outside the door.

“Nicole?…” I weakly croaked, my gaze darting to the side of the room where her bed was.

It was empty except for the bedsheet, which was neatly arranged. She didn’t sleep here, and as I slowly rose from my bed, I wondered why.

Last I recall, she’d been by my side the night before, whispering comforting words in my ears while I’d bawled my eyes out and cried over Robert. But now?

“Nicole?” I called out as I approached the bedroom door, suddenly feeling uneasy.

The pounding on the door ceased, then resumed, accompanied by her frantic cry, “Renee?! Please open the door! There’s something you need to see.”

Something I needed to see? What was she talking about?

Opening the door, I stepped aside so she could come in and turned around to face her.

I asked tentatively, “What’s going on, Nicole? What do I need to see?”

I took a moment to look at her. She was wearing her trainers and workout clothes. She must have gone for a run while I was still sleeping.

I let out a sigh of relief.

However when I glanced at her, I noticed something unusual. She had her mouth wide open, tapping furiously at her phone, and finally, she met my gaze.

“Have you checked your phone today?” She asked softly, almost inaudibly, and I shook my head.

“Oh my God, Renee.” She exclaimed, her face paling as she stepped away from me.

“What is it, Nicole?” Even though I had an inkling of the problem, I asked her to tell me, my heart pounding.

“I… Renee, I’m not sure where to begin or what to say. I’m… I’m…” She paused, shaking her head inexplicably.

Tension, fear, and worry were visible in her features, making my heart ache with pain and curiosity.

“I didn’t check my phone this morning because I didn’t want to see Robert’s texts and phone calls. Could you show me whatever you don’t want to say aloud? I already know what it is, but just let me see and confirm it.”

The words came out in a rush, and even though I was trying my best to be strong, I was silently dying inside.

“It’s far worse than whatever you might have imagined, Renee… here…” She stammered, finally thrusting her phone at me with trembling hands.

“God!” I gasped, my gaze darting over the image displayed on the device. But the headlines shocked me the most.

“Renee, this is terrible! They’re referring to you as a slut and a home wrecker. Every headline in the entertainment section is filled with speculations and theories about how you slept with a popular billionaire and his son. Damn… Fuck! How did they know?”

Her voice was tinged with fear and horror, as if every word was physically hurting her. And it was. She was indeed in distress. She shared my anguish.

I also came to understand something. This wasn’t some random gossip or tabloid article that would pass off soon enough.

This was real, and their accusations were the truth. The realization terrified me. It chilled me to the bone, and I choked back a sob.

“Oh no…” Nicole murmured, her hands pulling me into a desperately needed embrace.

“Dylan… Dylan told them. He must have made a pretty profit from that piece of information. Or maybe his mother, I don’t even know anymore.”

“What a prick!” Nicole cursed, and I sniffed.

“He must’ve done this for the money. I saw his look of disgust… and… I… I mean, I expected the headline to be filled with news of Robert’s and my relationship scandal. I was waiting for Monday to face whatever came my way. But this, Nicole, is far worse than I could’ve imagined. Just like you said. Oh my God… God!”

I cried harder, unable to stop myself.

My world was falling apart, which did not bode well for my future.

My reputation was in shambles, and who knows how much further harm these articles could cause to my image? To my professional life? My job and…

Speaking of my job… I blinked twice, then backed away from Nicole.

“What time is it right now?”

“It’s almost eight. What’s the problem?”

“I’m going to the restaurant. I’m running late for my morning shift.”

“Huh? You’re going nowhere, Renee. With what’s happening now, you might get bombarded by the paparazzi if they see you. This isn’t the best time for you to go out.”

“Staying locked in here won’t do me any good either. I have to make some….”

She cut me off firmly before I could finish. “You’ve spent the entire night, or is it weekend, crying your eyes out and barely eating. You can barely stand upright, and you look like a mess. So no! You’re not going anywhere.”

“No, Nicole…” I croaked, sniffing and taking up a stance. “I’m going to go to work, get through my shift, and come home. I don’t care who sees me, and if the paparazzi question me, I’ll ignore them. I don’t give a damn about them.”

“It’s not as simple as you make it out to be, Renee.”

“Well then, what am I supposed to do? Wait till tomorrow? Until the next morning? Until I forget this ever happened? Which will be a long time…. Nicole, there’s nothing I can do but handle this with a straight face. Even if I tried to erase everything that happened on Saturday night and pretend it never happened, nothing I could say would help. So I guess I’d better start getting used to it.” I finished, my chest heaving as I raged.

“Renee…” Nicole called out, attempting to grab my wrists, but I pulled away, refusing.

Instead, I stepped away from her and began walking to the bathroom, determined to get my day started and face the demons awaitinged me.

It was going to be a long day. Regardless, I would face it head-on with all the grace and dignity I could muster.

~~

When I stepped out of the cab in front of the restaurant, it turned out that Nicole’s intuitions and mine had been correct.

The paparazzi were there, with cameras and microphones in hand, and the look of recognition on their faces when they saw me said it all-they’d been waiting for me.

They must have researched me and obtained information about my workplace from whomever, so they’d chosen to accost me this sunny morning.

“Damn!” I mumbled as I walked toward the building entrance, intent on ignoring and getting past them.

I should’ve known better because all hell broke loose as soon as I got within range of them.

‘There she is, the scandal princess.’

‘Miss Renee Micheal, may we speak with you?’

‘Would you mind answering these few questions to clear up the allegations against you?’

‘Is it true, Miss Renee, that you slept with billionaire Robert Clarke to retaliate against his son, your ex-boyfriend?’

‘What are your thoughts on this? Surely you’re not the home wrecker and whore that the media portrays you to be?’

Various voices screamed questions at me, each louder than the last.

Even if I tried to shield my face with my hands, I knew it wouldn’t help, and worse still, I couldn’t move.

Considering how many people surrounded me, I wasn’t even sure how I managed to keep upright and standing.

I tried to look up, straight at the transparent restaurant glasses, to see if a commotion was happening there too, but I saw nothing.

My vision was clustered and… “Woah!”

A strong pair of hands circled my waist and dragged me. I stiffened, not knowing who it was.

Then I heard a very familiar feminine voice-Sally, my colleague. She whispered some incorrigible words into my ear as she pushed past the throngs of reporters and journalists and that’s when I noticed she’d brought some of the restaurant security guards with her.

“I’ve come to save you from these media mongers. Don’t freak out.” She said, soothing me and I softly sighed in relief.

She guided me through the crowd with her hand tightly gripping my wrist, and with the assistance of the security, we finally made it into the restaurant building, albeit through the back.

Customers were out front, and if we followed through the entrance, I would be bombarded with another string of questions from them and my coworkers, and I wasn’t ready for that.

“Oh, Sally…” I started breathlessly, dropping my handbag on a nearby table in the storeroom.

As soon as we got inside, she pulled me into an embrace and I let out a choked sob.

“Renee, I’m so sorry that happened. It broke my heart seeing what you had to go through out there. Hopefully, security will be able to disperse them soon.” She said.

“I hope so, too. You know how Mrs. Andrew feels about things like this. Oh my God, I’m terrified.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“You shouldn’t have come in today. I texted you earlier, telling you to stay at home because I’d spotted the paparazzi cluttering outside the building some hours ago. You never replied and….”

“I didn’t look at my phone this morning, Sally. I’m sorry for missing the text message.”

“It’s all right. How are things going on with you? I saw the news, and… damn, it’s bad, girl. Are the accusations true? Or was it just a coincidence?” She asked, and I nodded shakily.

“I’m at a loss for words, Sally. I’m completely perplexed, and… The restaurant is buzzing with questions, right?”

“It is, girl. If you went to the counter now, our coworkers would bombard you with their questions. They’ve been talking about you and your rich hot boyfriend all morning and want to know if you’re still together.”

“How about Mrs. Andrews?” I asked when she finished, my chest thumping as I waited for her reply, but the door to the storeroom burst open before she could say a word.

My heart plummeted to the floor when I saw who was by the entrance.

It was Mrs. Andrew, and she stood there with her arms folded, flanked by two waitresses.

I gulped hard, noting the stern expression on her face and the way her jaw gritted, indicating that she was seriously thinking about something, and whatever it was, it wouldn’t bode well for me or whoever was on the receiving end.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Renee. When did you get here?” She broke the tense silence between us, and I opened my mouth to respond-to say something-but my throat became dry.

When I didn’t reply immediately, she continued, “I’m sure you must have seen the commotion outside, and you know how bad that is for the restaurant?”

“I… yes… I am aware.”

“Good.”

“I’m so sorry for that, and I-” I began to say something, but she interrupted me.

“Sally, take the waitresses with you back to the counter.” She said sharply.

“Yes, ma’am.” Sally quickly responded, giving me a worried look before hurrying away with the other two women.

Now that it was just the two of us in the storeroom, I was filled with dread as I waited for her to say something.

“I can’t have this happening at the restaurant, Renee.”

“I know, ma’am, and I’m truly sorry. I never intended for it to be this way and-”

“Stop apologizing. What’s done is done. However, it must not happen again, and you must guarantee this!” She snapped, and her harsh tone had me trembling. “About that, I’ve decided to relieve you of your responsibilities. You have been suspended until further notice. Is that understood?”

My jaw dropped in surprise, and I stared at her blankly, trying to process what she’d said.

I was stunned-beyond speechless and rooted to the spot. My mind reeled as I absorbed the sordid news that I was now jobless.

She must have noticed the look on my face and decided to pity me because the stern look on her features softened.

Letting out a huge breath, the corners of her wrinkled eyes shifting, she added, “I’m sorry, but I’m doing this to protect the reputation of this business. A scandal involving one of my employees is never good, and this is the first time. As I said, this is a suspension, not an indefinite job termination. You’ve been a great asset to this restaurant, and I know I shouldn’t just let you go like that. Accept this for now, and I’ll personally contact you once the commotion is over. In the meantime, if you could just come with me to my office, we can review your suspension letter.”

“Okay.” I breathed out and watched her turn around and exit the storeroom, clearly expecting me to follow. But I couldn’t move an inch. At least not yet.

I was still trying to process it all.

She’d stated that this was not a permanent dismissal and would call me back when it was over. Wasn’t that supposed to be a relief? I questioned myself internally, but there was no relief at the time.

When would it all be over? Even if it did, nothing would ever be the same again. And that?… That was my greatest fear.

My entire life was crumbling before me, and nothing could stop it.

If anything, this was just the beginning of the bad things that would happen to me. I could feel it, and my gut instinct was always right.

To think everything happening was because of a foolish mistake and decision I’d made one fateful night in Miami.

‘Foolish mistake? Girl, you still love him and….’ My subconscious started to say, but I shook my head frantically, blocking every unnecessary piece of advice.

Also, I kept reminding myself that I was doomed, whether I liked it or not, and this scared me to death.