Payback

March 2014, in a far away land.

" You're making breakfast?" Anya looked surprised.

" Well, it's your first day at work, so I thought I'll ease up the tension a bit." Viola smiled.

Viola was Anya's best friend and room mate. Even though they knew each other only for three years, their bond was much more stronger.

" That's so sweet, Vye...are you sure you haven't burned anything?" Anya teased, sniffing her way through the kitchen.

"Aha, we have burnt bread, burnt omelette with burnt butter sauce....but I assure you, they're all edible." Viola teased back.

"I guess I'm not hungry, then." Anya snorted.

"Oh, come on Ann, a simple thank you would have been nice. I made breakfast for the first time and this is what I get?" Viola complained. Anya preferred to be called Ann, as it didn't remind her of the past.

"Okay, okay." Anya laughed and took a piece of the bread.

She was so excited about her new job. It required clearing many tests and fulfilling lots of criterias but that never stopped her. She passed them all and this day was her first day.

"Wish me luck, Vye. " Anya hugged her friend as she was about to leave.

"Best of luck, Ann. There's nothing you can't beat, not even fate." Viola assured her.

Anya knew Viola was right. Anya did beat fate, when she boarded that plane three years ago. Now everyone around her, knew her as Ann, a cute Indian girl orphaned, at a very young age. Nobody knew that she had a family that was still alive. Nobody knew that she was married once. She chose not to tell them, except for a few and Viola was one among the few who knew about her past.

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She smiled at the receptionist in the office and said, " Hey, I'm the new staff, I was appointed yesterday. "

"Oh, yes. Anya right? Please wait in the lobby. You have to meet the manager before you start and he hasn't come yet." She smiled back.

"But it's five minutes past ten, shouldn't he be here, already?" Anya questioned.

The receptionist leaned forward towards Anya, their faces so close to each other and whispered, " Word of advice. Never question the manager. Never. Uh-uh." She shook her head.

" Oh, okay."Anya whispered back. The receptionist straightened back up and stretched her hand. " I'm Sasha, by the way and it's nice to meet you, Anya."

Anya shook her hand and said, "Please, call me Ann and pleasure to meet you too, Sasha." Anya smiled.

" Okay Ann, I'll call you as soon as he comes." Sasha assured her.

She was waiting in the lobby for almost an hour, fiddling with her fingers, tapping her shoes, smiling at people who passed by her and occasionally looking at her watch. She cursed the manager for being so late. She considered all sorts of way to greet the manager since she knew by now that her manager was either ill tempered or irresponsible and that somehow she had to impress him.

Finally Sasha appeared, "Hey, he's here. You can see him now." She smiled.

Anya got up and walked out the lobby when she heard Sasha shout."Hey Ann. Don't forget to knock."

"Of course, I'll knock." She smiled thinking what was wrong with this manager because of all the warnings Sasha had given her.

Anya walked towards a door that had Manager , written in bold letters. She knocked, opened the door partly and asked, "May I come in, sir?"

" Yes." She heard a male voice answer.

She entered with a smile, confidence radiating throughout her body, ready for a new start. She looked up and her smile faded, the confidence ran out of her body and all she wanted to do was run away again.

It appeared as if the person in front of her wanted to do the same as she saw him frown upon her entering the room.

" You!"

She decided to bolt and turned around immediately to leave.She wanted to run without looking back. She didn't care about the consequences, she just didn't want to see him.

"Where do you think you're going? Scared of the infertile bastard, are we?" His voice raised with each word.

She remembered exactly when she called him that. That day was the worst day of past the three years. She had regular nightmares for a week until she could finally forget it.

He didn't seem to have forgotten it either. Who could forget the day of being accused of infertility by a stranger when it had only been a month.

She realised that turning back now would be useless so she decided to face him, to face the man who looked like the man she despised more than anyone in this world.

" Sir, I..." She turned back facing him.

He motioned her to stop and extended his hand in a gesture of asking something. She gave him a questioning glance.

" Your joining letter." He huffed.

She immediately rummaged through her files and handed him a printed sheet of paper. He glanced at it.

"Anya." He worded out her name like it was the worst name he had ever known.

"Anya what?" He asked with a frown.

"Huh?" Anya looked confused.

" Don't you have a surname, Ms.Anya?" He sounded like he was trying to be polite.

" Oh, no, sir. I don't." She shook her head.

He took the receiver from his desk phone, placed it on his right ear and pressed a button. He waited and said,

"Send Patrick up here." He said after placing the receiver back down.

He looked at her and opened his mouth to say something when his phone rang. He slid his hand into his pocket and took out his phone. He turned, his back facing her and answered it.

" Hey baby." He said in a naughty voice. "Yes I am at the office, where else would I be?" He clucked his tongue.

" I know baby. I'm in an important meeting right now. I'll call you as soon as I'm done. Okay. I love you too."

He hung up. He walked towards her when someone knocked.

" Come in!" He yelled.

A short man, in his mid-forties entered the room. He looked terrified.

" You called for me, sir?" Patrick hesitated.

" Yes. What is this?" He motioned towards Anya.

"This?" Patrick raised his brows. " Oh. This is our new staff, sir." He replied.

"Do you think I called you all the way here to tell me that she's our new staff?" He raised his voice.

“I don't quite understand, sir." It seemed like Patrick was mumbling to himself.

"You typed out her offer letter, didn't you?" He exclaimed.

" Yes, sir. That's right." Patrick replied which sounded more like a question.

"I can't believe you just handed the most prestigious job to a crazy woman." He said plainly.

Anya clenched her fists. Patrick looked at Anya and then towards him. " Crazy? I'm....I'm sure this must be some misunderstanding, sir."

"It was my fault, Patrick. My fault. I shouldn't have given you the authority." He said completely ignoring Patrick.

"But she was the best among the fifty candidates that we interviewed." Patrick protested.

"Intelligence and sanity are not the same thing, Patrick.” He let out a sigh of frustration. "But I guess nothing can be done now. I want her to take a Psych eval and if she passes, she can work with us, if she fails which I'm sure she will.” He said looking at Anya whose face had reddened with anger. "I'm sure we can find her a place somewhere more appropriate.” He said walking closer towards Anya. “Like an asylum maybe.” He nodded his head with a grin.

" I resign!" Anya heard herself screaming. She was breathing heavily, her pulse pounding in her ears and her hands shaking.

" See! This is exactly what I'm talking about. She doesn't have the job yet and she wants to resign already." He shook his head.

"Ann, please calm down." Patrick pleaded.

She couldn't stand there anymore. She glared at the manager and bolted outside the door. She walked faster than her legs could bear when she kept hearing her name being called out continuously. She stopped and turned.

" What just happened, Ann?" Patrick catched up to her and asked out of breath.

"Why don't you ask that lunatic?" Anya cried out.

"I understand how you must be feeling right now. I don't know what's  gotten into him, he's never like this but trust me, he's a good man. Just take the psych eval tomorrow and everything will be fine." Patrick said calmly.

"I don't have to prove that I'm sane, Patrick!" Anya snapped.

" I know, I know. But there's nothing to lose if you take it. I mean you're definitely going to pass the eval and besides if you leave now then word about this will spread around, you know what I mean?” Patrick said tilting his head .

" How old is he?" Anya asked rapidly. She didn't know why she wanted to know his age when she didn't even know his name.

"He's twenty seven, why?" Patrick looked confused

"He made manager at twenty seven?" Anya was shocked.

" Well, regardless of what we all think, he is really good at his job. Really good." Patrick assured. " Good luck for tomorrow." He shook her a
Handand left.

Anya stood there clueless.  There was no way she was taking the psych eval, no way.

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