Chapter 14

Scraps of food slid down my face as I stared at Lilith evenly. "I fell asleep yesterday," was all I said. "And who said you could sleep?" Lilith ground out. "How dare you go to sleep without your master's permission! You're my dog!" She fixed me with a vicious stare, but I chose to ignore her sharp words and waited for her to pass judgment. At that moment, Shaun leaned over and tried to calm the wrath brewing before our table. "Ms. Storm, you're here! C-Calm down, and let's use our words…" Lilith continued staring at me with murderous intent. Apparently, my recent retaliation had gotten under her skin. She was irked that I no longer obeyed her, and she was coming up with ways to punish me for my insolence. But she had tormented me enough for the last three years. I had suffered enough. At this point, I doubted there was anything she could do to break me. She knew this too, for she finally snapped, "Don't just stand there gawking! Get to work! I'll watch you closely today!" Her voice was laced with rage. Shaun looked exasperated and regarded Lilith like she was a simpleton. "Ms. Storm, Mr. Schmitt has yet to finish his lunch. How will he have the strength to work if you don't let him eat?" That was as much objection as he dared to muster. Lilith was still the chairperson, after all. She snarled, "I don't care if he doesn't have the strength! Get to work, you dog!" I made no reply as I turned and left the cafeteria. When I passed by the other workers, I did not miss the contemptuous looks they threw my way. I also caught a few sympathetic, exasperated faces. I had already grown immune to such looks. The food scraps and broth clinging to my skin and clothes made me feel disgusting, but I heaved myself into the freight truck anyway. Within seconds, I started moving the inventory out of the truck and into the warehouse storage. When I turned around, I saw that Shaun had readied a chair and a large umbrella for Lilith. She perched on the chair in the shade, smirking as she watched me work. "Don't look at me, you scum! Get to work!" I looked away and said nothing. I had my physique to thank for allowing me to endure the hard labor; anyone else might have collapsed. I thought I would continue moving inventory until the freight truck was empty, but a Rolls-Royce suddenly pulled up inside the warehouse. It was Yaeger's car, and he got out of the luxurious vehicle wearing a grave expression. Panic flickered across Lilith's face when she saw her father. Her defense mechanism had her accusing me first. "Dad, what are you doing here? I, uh, wanted to punish Leon because he refused to pick up my calls!" Yaeger snorted. In a booming voice, he barked, "As if I would believe you!" Lilith was about to argue when she caught the dark look on Yaeger's face and fell silent. He smiled at me and said, "Leon, go wash up. I'll wait for you in the car." With that, he grabbed Lilith by the arm and hauled her toward the car. Only then did I leap off the freight truck. When I walked past Shaun, I thanked him quietly. I figured Yaeger only showed up because he had called the latter. Shaun gave me a conspiratorial wink in return but said nothing else. After showering, I pulled on a clean industrial uniform and got into Yaeger's car. Lilith's eyes were rimmed red. I didn't have to ask to know Yaeger had admonished her, not that this affected me one bit. I couldn't care less if she died; all I cared about was the contract I had with her father, which was only valid for another 20 days or so. "I'm sorry, Leon," Yaeger said. "After today, you no longer have to come here and move cargo." Upon hearing this, Lilith shot me a malicious look, her jaw hardening. "I've gone through the contract the Zieglers sent over. You don't have to sign off on it, either," Yaeger continued. "On this matter, I'd like to thank you for your consideration on behalf of the company. If you'd signed the contract, we would have incurred tens, if not hundreds of millions in losses." Having said this, he turned to glare at Lilith. She wisely stayed quiet. She had been so caught up in some whirlwind romance with a gigolo that her brain was turned to mush. I didn't expect her to understand the implications of the contract. Yaeger did not leave until he had given Lilith another harsh talking-to. When he was about to leave, he warned her to leave me alone. Unfortunately, Lilith's stubbornness knew no bounds. She would never listen to him. "Just you wait, Leon!" she growled, storming away in her high heels. After that exchange, I returned to the company.