CHAPTER 5. Difficult Decisions

Furious… no, but definitely frustrated. He couldn't understand why she was so submissive to a guy who was utterly despicable. Sure, he was the boss, but God strike him down if he ever treated any of his employees like that!

Andrea not only tried to do her best, but she did it well. You'd have to be blind not to see that the idiot Trembley minimized her just to keep her controlled. Zack didn't know why it angered him that she allowed it, but it bothered him that she was so docile with her boss.

As soon as he saw she was less watched, he followed her to the copy room and closed the door behind him.

"Hey, were you born with a neck problem?" he asked, stopping her. Andrea looked at him, confused.

"Excuse me?" she murmured, not understanding.

"It's just that your head only moves up and down to say yes. I haven't seen you move it sideways even once to say no!" Zack hissed, and the girl pressed her lips together, her cheeks flushing.

"Because it's not easy..." she whispered vehemently. "Do you think it's simple to fight against such a bad boss?"

"But there's no need to let him trample you! You don't have to let him treat you badly. You must have some shred of dignity left, right?"

Andrea pulled away from his hand and breathed unevenly while shaking her head.

"Dignity? Will dignity put food on the table? If I talk back, who do you think the company will defend? I've only been here four months, and he's been here for years, he practically owns this place..."

"No, no, sweetie! Peter Trembley is far from owning this place," Zack hissed, annoyed. "Did he ask you to alter the reports?"

Andrea looked down but shook her head.

"Of course not, it's not something he would ask someone as insignificant as me..."

"Or maybe he would because he has no idea that you're not insignificant and you're actually very smart," Zack replied. "Don't help him, Andrea, I'm warning you kindly. I've already seen those reports, and I won't let Trembley deceive the new owner."

Andrea hugged herself.

"I couldn't do that... but I can only speak for myself," she said, leaving. Zack had no choice but to stay, stewing in his frustration as he watched Andrea work like a desperate bee.

She was like that all day, and although he always made sure to leave Trembley's office door open, Zack knew the fat bastard would make another move sooner or later.

He could easily get involved, but firing Trembley wouldn't solve Andrea's problem because there would always be a boss who would take advantage of her docility to mistreat her. And that was something she had to be able to face on her own.

"Damn it, Zack, you can't fix the world!" he told himself, and a few minutes later, he felt his phone ring in his pocket.

He looked at the screen and unconsciously smiled because it was his best friend. Benjamin Lancaster and he had been inseparable since childhood, both athletes, and then adventurers around the world until they found their place in that company. Ben was the silent partner because he hated responsibilities, so he always presented himself just as another representative, while Zack carried the weight of management and, of course, most of the shares.

"Let's go have lunch. Right now, I'm starving!" was Ben's greeting.

"I thought you wouldn't be here for a few more days!"

"Wrong, I said I wouldn't show up to work for a few more days, but my body won't suffer from adapting to the environment, so here I am."

"Alright, I'll see you in half an hour. I'll send you my location."

They met at a nearby restaurant and embraced warmly.

"How's everything with the new branch? Have you become the undercover employee of the year?" Ben asked.

"No, and it's actually a mess. The manager is a repressed Mussolini, but you'll find out when you set foot there on your first day," Zack replied. "Let's talk about better things."

His friend looked at him doubtfully, and Zack gulped down the drink he was holding.

"What's wrong, Ben?"

"Giselle went looking for you at the New York branch," he replied. "She wanted to know if you were more... accessible."

"That's something she asks every damn month," Zack growled. "After the tenth time she was kicked out of my office, she should know my answer."

"She says she loves you."

"A woman who doesn't love her child, loves no one," Zack replied. "I will never forgive her. Never!"

Ben took a deep breath and confronted him.

"Well... since we're on the topic... when are you going to tell your father?"

Zack ran his hands through his hair in a gesture of impotence. His father suffered from a chronic and dangerous heart condition.

"I don't have the courage to do it," he murmured. "I haven't talked to him in months just to avoid upsetting him, and with my mother, I avoid the subject as best I can..."

"But you know that's not the solution, Zack."

"I know, but Dad has been fighting his illness for years, and the doctors have told me his health is deteriorating slowly," he murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's excited, hopeful that he already has a grandchild, and I can't drop that bomb on him and be the one to give him the heart attack that will kill him. Do you understand?"

Benjamin nodded sadly, but he understood Zack's position and knew how much he adored his father. He didn't have the heart to give him such a blow.

"You don't have many options," he reminded him. "In just over a month, it will be Christmas, and you have to go see your family. What are you going to do then? Keep lying to them? Tell them the truth? Stop going...?"

"I don't know, Ben! Maybe I'll hire a couple of actors and be done with it! It'll only be for a few days, right?"

Ben rolled his eyes.

"Damn idiot! You've really thought about that," he groaned, throwing his arms up. "I can already see the ad: 'Baby wanted. Millionaire rents family for Christmas.'"

Zack grumbled a few times but didn't say anything else as Ben continued to laugh at him.

After lunch, they said goodbye, and Zack returned to the office, only to find Andrea with wet eyes and a red nose. Obviously, Trembley must have scolded her for something again, but he couldn't even imagine that the old man had gone much further than just scolding her.

"You have until tomorrow to get rid of that leech, Andrea," Trembley had told her, and they both knew he was referring to Zack.

"No, Mr. Trembley, you're mistaken," she had murmured. "I really have nothing with Zack, he's just a coworker..."

"Colleague my ass! That guy wants to screw you!" the old man spat rudely, and Andrea clenched her fists.

"Sure, it's very different from what you want to do to me," she thought with disgust.

"I'm only here to work..." she tried to say, but Trembley got too close to her, making her step back.

"Well, you're not showing it much, little Andrea. And you better be on your toes, girl, because I know you have a lot to lose," he hissed. "Do you think the state will let you keep your little girl for long if you don't have a job?"

Andrea turned pale and stepped back.

"Don't you dare mention my daughter!" she growled through clenched teeth. "My baby is none of your business!"

"No, not mine, but Social Services, yes!" Trembley laughed mockingly. "So you better do everything you can to keep this job, Andrea, or you're going to have the saddest New Year of your life."

Andrea couldn't help but cry, and having Zack's accusatory eyes on her didn't help much. No one could understand her, no one could put themselves in her shoes. She walked home in the cold, thinking, fearing...

Her life was a mess, but at least she had someone to fight for; she confirmed this for the thousandth time when she saw her daughter's smile again. She adored her; she was the most beautiful creature God had given her, and Andrea would do anything for her, even if it meant working to exhaustion.

"Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Wilson," she said, hugging the old lady before heading to her own apartment.

Her heart broke at seeing it so empty when she had worked so hard to furnish it and have it ready for her baby. The urge to cry was unbearable, but seeing her daughter sleeping, behaving so well despite sleeping on a sad mattress on the floor...

Yes, something broke inside Andrea every day, but her daughter put it back together every night. Finally, seeing her sleep like that, she understood she had to muster the courage and make all the sacrifices she hadn't yet made to protect her.

The next day, she did the two most important things as soon as she left her baby with Mrs. Wilson.

The first was calling City Hall to ask one question: "How can I get a divorce if my husband abandoned me and I don't know where he is?"

The explanation was brief, and the paperwork was extensive, but she couldn't keep avoiding it.

The second was going to the coffee shop and stopping in front of the menu. She reached into her pocket and counted the coins she had left. Her paycheck was due in a few days, but she was almost out of money, barely enough for that coffee, the simplest one, a weak Americano, but the gesture mattered, right?

She stifled a sigh when she realized she was a few cents short of even the simplest one, but as she was about to leave, the barista called her.

"Wait, don't go... You buy a lot of coffee here. It's on the house."

Andrea looked at him in amazement and then shook her head.

"It's not me, it's my company..."

"It doesn't matter," insisted the barista. "What do you want?"

She hesitated for a second and put the coins back in her pocket, her throat tight. "Well... the Americano, please," she asked.

The guy quickly prepared it in a to-go cup, and Andrea thanked him many times before leaving. As soon as she crossed the door, the barista gave a thumbs-up in a "mission accomplished" gesture, and across the street, a man did the same.

Zack watched her head to her building with that coffee in her hands like it was a little treasure. It churned his stomach that someone who worked so hard had to count her coins and still came up short for a simple coffee.

But if he already felt bad, when he got to the office and sat at his desk, he felt much worse; because at that moment, Andrea approached with that coffee and placed it in front of him like an offering. She had bought that coffee for him!

"Please, teach me," she begged. "I promise I'll put in the effort and study hard and... I'll study everything you say... but please... teach me."