Chapter 70: Why do men cheat?
1204words
'I thought as much. Go to your desk and begin the work of the day," Mr. Nathan ordered.
I felt like punching him in the nose and ruining his handsome face. I grudgingly went back to my seat, but my hands were too cold to begin anything. I was freezing. I tried snapping my knuckles, but it hurt with cold hands. Getting drenched last night and coming to work to be in the AC is not healthy at all.
Some moments later, everything felt warm and comfy. What could have happened? I looked at Mr. Nathan and found a table fan on his desk while he was focused on his laptop.
'Mr. Nathan?" I called, but as usual, he had his headphones on.
I sighed and walked up to his desk. He looked at me and took off his headphones.
'Why is there a table fan on your desk?" I asked.
'It's my choice," he replied coldly.
'Why did you turn off the AC?" I asked.
'It's my choice," he repeated, still concentrating on what he was doing. I sat opposite him.
'Can I ask you a question, please?" I asked.
He gave me his full attention, which suggested I could go ahead.
'Why do you men cheat on the women you claim to love?" I asked. I had been dying to ask a man this question.
'I'm not every man, so I can't possibly have the reasons for every man in my head," he declared.
'Okay, why do you cheat on the woman you claim to love?" I queried.
'Did she tell you that I cheated on her?" he asked.
'Why are you using questions to answer my question? I'm being serious here." I almost lost it.
'Then why are you asking me silly questions? I'm neither every man, nor did I ever cheat on anyone, so direct your baseless question to someone else," he declared, plugging back his headphones. I lost it and pulled them from his head, flinging them to the floor.
'What was that?" He jerked up.
'I need a reason why you men do what you do without considering our feelings!" I demanded, jerking up too. 'Someone has to give me a reason. You have to say something about it. Why are you men always heartless and selfish? I'm slowly losing my mind. What did I ever do to deserve that?" I poured out, with tears running down my face.
Without a word, he walked to the front of me and hugged me. My heart stopped beating for a moment. My breath hitched as his cologne filled my nostrils.
'You are going to be fine, okay?" he consoled, stroking my hair. I was puzzled, yet I hugged him back.
'My heart is shredding every minute, Mr. Nathan. I don't know what to do," I whimpered.
'I understand how you feel. You have to stop crying. I'm here for you. I've got you, and I'm going to relieve you of the pain," he assured me.
I wasn't comprehending anything he was saying anymore as I felt light-headed. Was I hallucinating, or daydreaming?
'Let go, Mr. Nathan!" I suddenly snapped, pushing him back.
'Come on, I mean no harm. I was just trying to console you," he defended himself.
Without a word, I wiped my tears and went to my seat. I began snapping my knuckles and cursing whatever just happened deep inside.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. 'Come on in," I permitted the person since Mr. Nathan had blocked his ears again.
'Good day, Mr. Nathan. I'm here…" the man who had just entered said, pausing as he looked at me.
'Scarlett?" he called, moving closer to my desk.
I gasped in surprise as I recognized the face. 'Angelo? Oh, my God!" I exclaimed, hurrying out to give him a hug.
'I can't believe this. Is this really you?" he asked, pulling away and checking me out.
'Of course. Where have you been? You disappeared into thin air on our graduation day. Since then, your line has not been reachable. What happened to you?" I queried cheerfully.
Angelo was my coursemate, and we got a bit close before we graduated. Everyone admired his charisma back then. He still looked charming just like I remembered. He was a typical Filipino man, except for his pointy and slightly curved nose that made him stand out from the crowd. We all knew him as a playboy, but we believed it was just a rumor.
'Why are you two flirting in my office?" Mr. Nathan snapped, drawing our attention to him. He looked pissed off, and even more cute.
'Hello, Mr. Nathan," Angelo greeted with his usual unwavering smile. 'I will be right back," he whispered to me. I nodded and returned to my seat.
'Why the formality?" Nathan spoke, calming down.
'Have you forgotten your words the last time I was here?" Angelo asked, moving over to him.
'Whatever. Why are you here?" Mr. Nathan asked.
'Take a chill pill, bruh. Why are you always grumpy?" Angelo said, making me chuckle. 'How do you manage him, Scarlett?" Angelo asked me. I dared not reply.
'What is the meaning of this, Angelo? Are you here to antagonize me?" Mr. Nathan was losing it.
'It's fine, I'll take my leave now. Mother asked me to drop this with you," Angelo said, putting a document down on Mr. Nathan's desk.
'Thanks. Please, use the door," Mr. Nathan said. Who the hell sends their friend out like that? Mr. Nathan indeed lacked manners.
'Certainly. I wasn't planning on using the window," Angelo retorted, then came back to me. 'We have a lot to talk about, Scarlett. Let me have your digits," Angelo said, handing his phone to me.
'Sure, we do. I can't wait to tell you everything," I smiled and handed back his phone.
'Yeah. By the way, you haven't changed. Still the beautiful Scarlett," Angelo complimented.
'You are the only one who always exaggerates my appearance." I felt heat rush to my cheeks.
'Use the door, Angelo!" Mr. Nathan groaned.
'You are trying, Scarlett," Angelo whispered, and I couldn't help but chuckle as he went off.
'What the hell did that lunatic just say to you?" Mr. Nathan groaned, flitting to my desk.
'You are super rude, Mr. Nathan. How can you treat your friend like that?" I retorted.
'And who the hell are you to question how I treat my friend?!" he slammed his fist on my desk, making my spirit jump out of me. I stood up, staring him straight in the eyes.
'Don't you dare yell at me. You also don't have the right to know what my friend says to me. There are limits to what a boss can know about his employee. Do you get that?" I tried putting him in his place. He gritted his teeth while tightening his fist.
'You are indeed physically and internally ugly!"
His words were so sharp that they pierced my heart, leaving a large hole in it. I watched as he went back to his seat and plugged in his headphones. I dropped back into my seat, tears welling up in my eyes. He didn't mean that, did he?
