Chapter 9: Catastrophe!

Lin Wei was familiar with disasters, to be very honest. A disastrous moment was that one time in high school when she was calling her mathematics teacher a-gremlin-with-stick-shoved-up-his ass, while the said teacher was at her back with his mouth agape. That had earned her two weeks of suspension. Another disastrous moment was when she farted, not a cute little toot but an outrightly loud fart that threatened to tear a hole inside her leggings, while she was on a first date with a potential boyfriend. But nothing, nothing could top this moment of apparent mortification molded into an overwhelming catastrophe. She fell flat on her face, her nose rimmed into the hard marbled floor. Gasp flew around the room, and a few people chuckled. Heat of embarrassment and shame climbed up her neck, and she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. She scrambled to get up, her face flaming red. She dusted the martini and small chops from her tight skirt and bent down to pick? Pack? The broken glass on the floor. She regretted her decision over and over again, wondering why she was wearing this tight skirt and the ridiculously high heels. Hell, the sole of her shoe was lodged in the floor, and sweat trickled down her armpit. Oh God, she was in for some deep mess. What if Esther decided that she was going to remove the damages from her wages? "What are you going to do about this mess?"A voice spoke flatly from above her. The voice was oddly familiar, and somehow it sent a shiver of fear down her spine. She raised her gaze to look at the muscled wall of flesh, a broad chest that led into a tapered waist that eventually gave way to strong thighs. She let her gaze linger on the soft, elegant finger and the expensive-looking watch strapped to it. And finally, she let her eyes trail to his face, and she almost keeled over with surprise. The room had gone deathly silent now; she fancied she could hear the loud thump of her heartbeat against her ribcage. "I..I..I'm sorry," she sputtered. She could see the pink sloshed stain on his suit. Ohh hell. She was in deep trouble again! How much did his shirt cost now? Enough to feed her for six years, surely. "So? So what if you're sorry?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. His voice was cold and unearth. .. Did he not remember her? Did the gods perhaps help her and erase the memories of that particular time from his memories? If so, she would be eternally glad. "I'll..help you clean it," she squeaked. "Clean what?" He asked again. Something was unnerving about his voice, something extremely cold and distant that most feel reprimanding. "Your shit..I mean shirt," she spluttered. Suddenly, the embarrassment turned into a rising wave of anger. "I'm so sorry, Ezekiel." Another man in a black, tightly fitted suit came rushing. His face was red, and spots of sweat were forming on his forehead. He offered his handkerchief, fussed with the said shirt, and when the guy leveled him with a withering glare and he immediately withdrew his hand. "It's okay," he shrugged off the stained shirt, revealing his inner white tee. And dear God, Lin Wei almost swooned. Did she think he was gorgeous before? He was an outright menace to her heartbeat. The white tee fit snugly, hugging his biceps, and she could see a tattoo peeking out. LinWeii licked her lips and made an involuntary swallow. "I'm very very sorry, sir, I should have..." Esthebeganin, but was cut off with a dismissive flick of the guy's hand. "It's fine," he said. He let his gaze wander around and finally settled on Lin Wei, much like one would look at a disturbing housefly or mosquito. "It's you again," it wasn't an accusation, it was a statement. He said it with a small shake of his head, like he should have known. "Send those slides to me, I'll check for their merit," he said to the man who was beside him. he paused, pointed a long finger at Lin Wei's eyes, "You really should get help." He strolled out, not even batting an eyelash at the several awkward attempts at goodbyes from all angles. "You should get to cleaning," Esther snapped. No doubt annoyed by the arrogant behavior. LinWeii sighed softly as she removed her shoes and tiptoed around the broken shards to get the cleaning equipment. The anger and embarrassment were still there, but she couldn't stop the slight pang of relief that wormed its way into her heart. He remembered h, er and that must mean ly remembered the accident, which of course could only mean he remembered the debt! But he said nothing about it. It was a huge relief, but she couldn't stop the apprehension that comes with it. What if she was just deluding herself? If she were just a delulu, wanting her debt to be forgotten by all means? The two situations were possible, she mused gently to herself as she swept the shards into the bin. Like she had guessed already, it wasn't a meeting as much as a get-together and let-out for spoiled rich brats so that they could gossip. She vaguely recalled the guy talking about the merit or something like that, so that must mean some business must be involved. Bits and pieces of some floating conversation reached her ears, and she couldn't help the snicker that came out as a result. "Did you see his chest?" Someone said with a dramatic gasp. "I could shag him right there and then. The way everything just molded into his body so perfectly, I wanted to be a shirt so bad", the other one cooed. LiWeiei rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but agree. He looked like he walked straight out of women's fantasies. "Miss Wei? We need to talk," Esther called. LinWeii groaned. Her fantasy was coming true. Jail beckons!