Page 19 of Redemption
“Okay, Henry. No, she’s not in there. Some girl picked her up earlier. She was working all night.” He moved out of my way as I opened my car door and got in. “That’s a nice car, is it Italian?” I put on a pair of sunglasses and looked at him. “Sure.” I closed the door and drove off, trying to figure out why she would tolerate working for a guy like that. If it was because she couldn’t afford not to, that would change soon enough at least. Getting him off her back, though, would probably be another story.
Cabana Cup was much busier than the last time I was here. It felt like a different place now. Half of the people looked like tourists, and the rest were clearly locals seeking their morning fix. I wasted no time getting her some frilly drink and myself a strong black cold brew, relief washing over me at the first few gulps. I got back to the office and found Sophia draping her wet clothes over a clothesline she somehow made by the open window. An accomplished smirk etched on her face as she tightened the line.
“What do we have here?” I asked.
Her eyes widened at the drinks in my hand. Without a word, she rushed forward, took my coffee, and drank as much as she could before stopping for air.
“If I had known you were such a fiend, I would have gotten two. I assumed you wanted this girly one.”
She looked at the other cup in my hand, then puffed out her lip as if she were thinking of keeping mine. I reached out toward the cup, she blushed a little and hesitated to trade with me, but couldn’t resist. I sat at my desk and drank from the half-empty cup, finally feeling somewhat normal.
“Take a seat, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” She sat in the chair across from me cautiously, as if I were just her boss again. “Relax, it’s good news, great news actually.” She perked up a little and fluttered her eyes while taking a sip of her sugary caffeine. I held her curious gaze for a long moment. “I’m giving you a raise and a bonus.”
She looked like she didn’t understand what I said.
“What? Why? I mean, thank you, but why?”
I exhaled through my nose. I expected her reaction to be different. Some people just can’t accept good fortune even when it falls in their lap. She was one of them. “We received a large donation due to our discovery that Rosso Drilling is polluting the coastline. It’s only right you benefit from your work.” I was expecting her to be happy, but she still just looked confused.
“I don’t understand. Have we even submitted the report yet?” She looked at the scattered papers on the ground curiously.
I cleared my throat. “That was just a blank copy.”
She looked back at me, more curious than before. “How did anyone who has a heart to donate even hear about our findings so quickly?”
I leaned back in my chair and shrugged. “Good news travels fast.”
She took another sip of her drink, nodding thoughtfully. “It’s not really good news, though.”
“Sure it is. Now that we’ve discovered what they’re doing, they’re forced to fix the issue, and the ocean can recover.”
I could see the wheels turning in her head, the doubt taking root, growing deeper. “Who donated?”
I took a long sip of coffee, using the time to think. “It was anonymous.”
A sly grin played at the corners of her mouth. “Was it you, Gabriel?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, it wasn’t me.”
She looked at me with dull, teasing eyes that revealed it was a joke.
I shook my head. “Aren’t you at all curious about how much your raise will be?”
She pressed her lips together and looked down at her feet. “Yes. Sorry. I’m just having a hard time believing this is happening. How much is the raise?”
I leaned forward in my chair with a big smile, letting the moment drag on. “On top of your current salary, you will be earning an extra two thousand dollars each month, before tax of course.”
The look of surprise on her face was priceless. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth as my words sank in. Her big, green eyes glistening. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. She let out a small laugh that sounded somewhat choked as she moved her hands to her chest.
“And your bonus is ten thousand dollars. I’ll make sure you get a check in a few days.”
If it wasn’t for the chair, she would have collapsed to the ground. This was life-changing money for her, pocket change for me. I used to blow her bonus in a single night and not even remember it the next day, but that life was over. I had a normallife now, well, sort of. She fanned herself with an open hand as joyful tears streamed down her cheeks.
She stood up abruptly and came around the desk, her arms outstretched. Before I could stand to meet her, she was on me, her tears wetting my face. “Thank you,” she whispered. My skin tingled as her words brushed against the side of my neck. I wasn't used to contact like this. It was almost too intimate for comfort. An unseen cloud passed in front of the sun, and the bright room darkened.
“You’re welcome,” I replied softly as she pulled back from me, leaving her tears on my face, her hands resting lightly on my shoulders. Somehow, her bright smile and happy tears made me feel better than dominating Victor and earning a million dollars overnight.
