*POW!*

There was a searing pain on my left cheek, my vision became blurry and my knees gave up causing me to tumble on the floor. I tasted blood inside my mouth and felt one of my molars become slightly loose from their gums.

“Pack your things and never return, don’t ever show your face here again.”

The man in front of me shook his right fist, It seems he had exerted a bit of force when he let out a punch. He fixed his sleeves, tidied up his tie, and hastily collected his coat from the leather armchair.

“F-father, wait, please let me explain-" With tears on my face, I pathetically crawled to his feet and grasped his shoes, begging for his time and consideration.

“Do not call me father!" The man combed his ash-coloured fringe with his hand. Rage and disgust seethed from his blue eyes. "I never had a son like you." His gaze had become deathly and shrugged me off from his feet.

"Ein, you don't exist here anymore. Get out of my house."

Father swiftly put on his coat, buttoned them and stormed out of the door. He never looked back and I saw his figure disappear as the door closed shut.

*SLAM*

That was the day I forgot the word called family.

***

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Cold sweat littered my face. Waking up from a nightmare was rough. I picked up my phone from the nightstand, glanced at it, and turned off the alarm. It was 6:45 AM, Monday, October 16, 2023.

"My favourite day of the week, mundane Mondays." I groaned as I emerged from the comforts of my bed. I sat up for a bit and stood up. Then promptly straightened out the sheets, fluffed the pillows, and headed to the kitchen to fix up breakfast.

"Rice cooker is on and the grains are on the quick cook mode, the bread in the toaster will be ready in a few and coffee is brewing! Time to prepare lunch, Are you ready Ein? Yes, we're ready!”

I opened the refrigerator, inspected the inside for ingredients, I spotted a dozen large chicken eggs, milk, butter, and yesterday's leftover chicken curry. I pondered for a bit if it was better to reheat leftover meals but then an idea came to my head.

"I guess chicken curry omurice looks good for lunch. the spices should taste better now. Today's lunch will be spicy, Ein you better bring lots of water."

I hurriedly took out the curry, butter, milk, and two eggs. Then grabbed my water flask and lunch boxes from the shelf and wiped it clean, afterwards I set them on the counter.

I developed a habit to talk to myself in the mornings. It eased the loneliness I've been carrying for years.

It had been 22 years since that event from my nightmare. My father, a distinguished diplomat, had disowned me after learning about my sexual orientation, to make matters worse my entire family became appalled by it and severed all ties with me. Almost all of my friends vanished, the neighbourhood where I previously lived in loathed me, and I got kicked out for immorality from my boarding school.

I tried to stand up for myself, but the people there beat me back down to the ground.

It was too much, I closed my eyes to the scenery outside, I kept my mouth shut and blocked my ears from any noise. I tried to protect myself and silence became my only dear friend.

My heart numbed, everyday sights, noises, and people… They all felt like nothing. Eventually, I got to the stage when I couldn't find sense in anything anymore. My vision gradually disappeared, my ears only heard the quiet, and the next thing I knew, I had become alone in a very dark place.

*MAIL! MEOW! MAIL! MEOW! CHECK ME HUMAAAAAANNN!*

Startled by my phone's annoyingly loud ringtone, my arm nearly swept it off the countertop.

'Did I change my ringtone over the weekend?' I pondered. 'I don't remember setting this, it should be a chime, not an annoying catty voice.' I sighed and grabbed the bread from the toaster and poured my coffee.

I glanced at my phone's notification bar, it was an email from Monique Salva, I hurriedly opened the message to check.

[Good morning! Stop talking to yourself! How do you like your new ringtone? It is cute, right? It sounds so youthful! Keep this set from this day onwards! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧]

[- MonMon yo' Frenny 7:00 AM]

My brows arched with annoyance and my face cringed after reading the message. Why was she sending an email… Wait, was she the one who screwed up with my phone settings? My face twitched with anger and my fingers were itchy. I hastily replied back to the petty email.

[You call that cute? Sometimes your quirks scare me. ಠ_ಠ]

[- Ein the Numbah Wan 7:02 AM]

I chuckled and hit the send button, once it was done, I set my phone to aeroplane mode. 'That should keep Monique at bay.' I sighed with relief then ate my buttered toast and coffee in peace.

Monique Moss-Salva, she's my boss, I work as the company's secretary and her assistant manager.

She is an old friend I met back in high school. She was my senior and I was a freshman. We met during club days, I was part of the Literature and Linguistics Club and she was the president.

When I was thrown away and was drowning in the depths of my own darkness, Monique was the only one who reached out to me. She forcibly held onto me and dragged me back to the light. If it weren't for her actions, I would have stayed there for an eternity.

*BEEP*

My head turned towards the rice cooker, the timer was almost done and it was time to make the curry rice stuffing. I poured the leftover curry into the pot and stirred it while adding a knob of butter to make the mix slightly richer. I then closed the pot to let it cook and finish.

I cracked the two eggs into a mixing bowl and seasoned it with a pinch of salt and pepper, I poured a quarter cup of milk and whisked everything until the egg mixture became bubbly.

"Hmm… the curry is yellow and the eggs are yellow. There should be some fresh greens. Ein, Let's make today's lunch look good too!" I headed off to my flat's balcony and scouted for fresh produce.

Four years ago, an epidemic hit the nation, it was a highly contagious respiratory ailment and the government urged all citizens to stay at home and quarantine themselves to ensure their safety. Due to it, there were shortages on fresh produce coming into the city and food prices inflated to unreasonable rates.

It was frustrating, and that fueled my motivation to grow my own food.

Although years have passed since I started, it has become a productive and enjoyable pastime during quarantine. Eventually, it became a routine for me. My current neighbours followed suit as well and turned their balconies into gardens. On weekends, we would meet and swap vegetables or herbs with each other. the landlord would sometimes see our barters and he would call us the balcony farmers.

I collected a small bundle of chives, sprigs of basil, a head of lettuce, and a bunch of cherry tomatoes, I then plucked a medium-sized lemon from my potted lemon tree.

"Fresh tomato and basil salad go well with egg dishes. Ein, your lunch set will be delicious!" My heart skipped with joy as I headed back into the kitchen.

*DING*

My head turned towards the rice cooker, the rice was done. I immediately opened the pot and took out the curry rice to cool.

I then cleaned and trimmed the herbs and vegetables collected from the garden. I pulled and tore apart the lettuce into bite-sized portions, chopped the chives finely and plucked the basil leaves and the tomatoes from their sprigs. Afterwards, set them aside in a large mixing bowl.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

A 2nd alarm resounded from my phone, time was now 7:30 AM. It was almost time for me to get ready for work, I had to act fast so I won't be late to work.

I took out the pan from the cupboard and preheated it on the stovetop. I then placed a knob of butter and waited for it to melt. While waiting, I turned my attention to the salad. I dressed it with a pinch of salt, pepper a swig of olive oil, and squeezed the freshly picked lemon over it. I tossed it quickly and got back to the pan. The butter has now melted and is bubbling away.

It was time to make the omelette. Pouring the egg mixture into the pan and spreading it around, then forming a flat omelette. I swiftly grabbed the curry rice stuffing that was set aside earlier and placed it at the centre of the omelette. I gently tilted the pan and slowly folded the eggs to cover the rice, thankfully the eggs did not tear and held its shape as I flipped the omelette and placed it on a plate.

”Good job, Ein! You finally managed to make a proper omelette! You're getting better at this, nice!”

I rejoiced and took a quick photo of it as proof of good luck.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

The 3rd alarm rang. It was now 7:45 AM, it was time to wash up and dress for work. Now I really need to double time as the possibility of arriving late to work was high.

I quickly packed the salad and the omelette into the lunchbox and filled up my water flask, then, grabbed my work bag and pushed the lunchbox and flask inside and set it on the table. I took the dishes, utensils, and the pan to the washer and sprinted to the bedroom to grab my Monday attire. While passing through the kitchen, I quickly glanced at the time.

The clock displayed the current time, it was now 7:55 AM.

Fuck.

"Ein, why the hell did you take your sweet time cooking up a good lunch? Do you not value your perfect attendance record since entering the company? I value it, but the food is food and good food takes time!"

Screw this, why am I beating myself up after doing a good job. I should get my shit straight, I don't want a stain of tardiness on my impeccable attendance.

Today might be the day when a marathon bather will be born. If Guinness had a record of 33 seconds for the shortest bath, that record will be conquered today. I then scurried towards the bathroom to finish the rest of my morning rituals in record time. I wore my suit as fast as I could and did a final mirror check.

"Good, everything has been neatly worn, no crooked ties here, and creased collars!" I quickly combed my fringes up as there were stray black hair strands sticking out from my forehead.

"Not bad, let's go to work Ein."

I yanked my duffle bag from the table, flicked my phone's screen, disabled aeroplane mode, and hurriedly booked a ride to work. I then left my flat and went down the lobby to wait for my ride's arrival.

'Hopefully, there won't be any traffic or accidents along the way… If I reach the hotel like the usual time, I would have ten minutes left to spare.' I glanced at my smartwatch, it was now 8:17 AM and my ride is scheduled to come in four minutes.

'Think positive thoughts Ein…. You won't be late! trust yourself, you did your best and you will make it!' I softly mumbled to myself and clasped my hands as if to pray.

*HONK*

A silver sedan drove up the driveway, I checked its plate number and image on the app and it matched the description of my ride. Wow, I must have good luck today! My ride arrived two minutes earlier than the ETA on my phone.

I scooted towards the sedan to confirm my booking and boarded afterwards.

'Please don't let there be any traffic or vehicular accidents.' I quietly prayed and crossed my fingers as I sat on the passenger seat. The driver probably sensed my urgency and sped the car up near city limits.

***

8:46 AM, I finally arrive at Hotel Citron's driveway. Thankfully, my prayers were answered and there was no traffic nor accidents along the way. Looks like lady luck blessed me today.

The hotel's doorman noticed my arrival from a distance and ran towards my direction, he then opened the car door and greeted me.

"Good day, Manager Ein!" An accommodating smile was beaming from the doorman's face.

"Good day to you too, thank you for holding the door." I smiled back warmly to the energetic man.

"Your welcome sir! May you have a pleasant Monday." He then tipped off his hat and returned to his post at the entryway.

My smile flattened as I walked past the doorman.

Pretending to be an accommodating person was one of my skills. I generally detest meeting other people as it drains my energy more, not to mention in this industry, people don't really appreciate the queer folks. Legislation may have passed anti-discriminatory laws and also allowed more benefits, but in reality, people would still fling stones and burn those who do not align with the norm.

I had no choice but to put on a mask and play pretend. After all, people would condemn me if they knew my real self. I learned it the hard way with my family.

I quickly made my way into the lobby's elevators, I only had thirteen minutes to spare before clocking into work, I pressed the up button and waited for the elevator to come down.

"Eiiiiiiiinnnn!"

I heard a high pitched voice coming from behind. I looked back and saw Monique, she was wearing a pair of black suit pants, a black coat, a crisp white blouse and was wearing red stilettos. Monique also carried her black satchel bag on her shoulder, she had just arrived and it looked like she was running towards me.

"Monique, good morning." I gave her a dry smile.

"Ein…" Monique stopped a few steps in front of me and looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

"Why are you ignoring my messages??" She quickly pulled out her phone and showed her email logs. "I sent you loads of messages this morning but you only replied on the first one!" She then looked at my eyes with a sorrowful expression.

"Am I not your friend anymore?" Small beads of tears started to form around Monique's deep blue eyes.

"Don't… give me those crocodile tears…" I cringed at Monique's face. A 42-year-old woman was acting like a kid in front of me. I groaned before replying back to her.

"You're still MonMon my frenny," I whispered to her ear. "And please watch yourself, Monique, you're scaring all of our staff members here."

Monique glanced around the lobby and she noticed that most of the hotel employees we're giving her a strange look. They were not used to seeing her act childish as Monique usually carried herself with a dignified aura.

Monique Moss-Salva. The general manager of Hotel Citron, the daughter of the CEO, and the heiress to the Citron Group of Companies. She is Ein's close confidante and immediate superior. Every employee of the Citron group recognizes her. With her short red hair and deep blue eyes, Monique shared the same physical traits with her father.

"Ahem!" Monique forced a scoff. "You are right, my assistant manager, I must act accordingly with my status." She then quickly collected herself, fixed her hair, and buttoned her coat.

*DING!*

The sound of the elevator opening snapped both Ein and Monique back to their senses. They entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 32nd floor where their corporate offices were.

"Oh, by the way, we'll have a morning coffee chat with the new Kitchen Manager. You are free at 9:15 AM right?" Monique folded her arms and gazed at Ein with an inquisitive expression.

"Wait, a new kitchen manager? I wasn't informed about this coffee chat… Is it perhaps related to Chef Emery's recent retirement?

Monique nodded.

"That's the reason why I'm upset with you earlier! I sent you a message about it but… Well, anyway, moving forward don't you dare ignore my messages or you'll miss stuff like that!" Monique unfolded her arms and inched closer to Ein, she gazed at Ein's blue-grey eyes with an amused expression.

"Also, I heard from Emery... his successor is very skilled with both management and cuisine!" A grin formed on Monique's face. "Emery said his protege was a renowned chocolatier in Canada a decade ago. His parents run River Farms, one of the prestigious dairy farms in Canada and he also moved to London four years ago to pursue higher management."

"Wow, sounds like a pampered child just landed amongst us," Ein replied in a monotonous tone. "Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you coordinate it with the HR Department instead?" Ein let out a sigh, he felt indifferent to Monique's banter.

Monique then leaned on Ein's shoulder and whispered. "I saw his pictures too, he is quite the looker! I have a gut feeling you'll be his type-"

"Monique," Ein interjected sternly. "I'm not here to help you babysit a child, I'm here to work." Ein glared at Monique.

"Oh come on! Lighten up, you old man!" Monique grinned sheepishly and slapped Ein's back. "You only live once! Might as well try having fun with them."

Ein sighed at Monique's childish behaviour.

Monique had been his best friend since high school. Ein knew how quirky and assertive Monique was. She was the type of friend who would cling at Ein if she senses negativity from his mood. Ein did not mind her meddling, he was actually touched to see someone take care of him.

Monique would set up Ein on vacations, blind dates, movie events, concerts, crafting classes, and seminars. Anything to make sure Ein doesn't spend too much time alone. After all, she did witness Ein fall to his lowest.

It broke her heart to see him in such a state, so Monique swore to become his pillar and vowed to prevent him from falling back to the darkness.

*DING*

The elevator doors opened, Ein held the door as the both of them alighted. The hotel employees looked and greeted them as they shuffled through the hallway.

"Good morning Miss Monique and sir Ein." A middle-aged woman donning a pair of red-framed glasses and her hair up in a ponytail greeted Ein and Monique as they entered their office.

"Good morning Seori!" Monique gave the woman a pat on the shoulder. "You should dress up more! I'm getting tired of seeing you wear the same white suit for the past year." Monique then gave Seori pat on the back. "Don't be too uptight, you'll get older if you do that!"

"Says the woman who is older than me but doesn't act like one," Ein mumbled and smirked at Monique.

"Hey Ein, I can hear you talk shit about me." Monique lightly smacked Ein's leg with her bag. "Don't pull punches so early in the morning." Monique pouted. "I haven't even taken coffee yet! You should brew me a cup since you seem to have a lot of sass this Monday."

"Why don't you just buy from the cafe beforehand?" Ein raised his eyebrows at Monique. "To think that Hotel Citron's assistant manager is becoming a barista. Wow, I should get paid extra for this, Monique." Ein sneered at Monique.

"Or how about I report you to HR for talking shit to your supervisor then?" Monique's face had a smug smile. "Hand-brewed coffee sounds better than an HR case."

"Haaaaah, they're at it again." Seori sighed as she observed Ein and Monique bicker like college flatmates.

Seori Avery was Hotel Citron's Deputy Manager, five years ago, she and Ein entered the company as management clerks, they were consistent at being the top-performing members of the team, eventually, Monique saw their competencies and steadily promoted them for four years.

When Monique was appointed as the GM last year, she opted for Ein and Seori to take key positions as her assistant manager and deputy manager.

Seori is probably one of the few employees who could deal with Monique's eccentricities and tolerate Ein's pretentious behaviour. It had been a ritual for her every morning to see two of her bosses duking it out with each other since last year.

"Sir Ein, Miss Monique, sorry for interrupting but, aren't you both supposed to meet the new kitchen manager?"

Seori groaned.

"It's already 9:05 AM, please arrive on time, they have agreed for us to meet at the conference room later." Seori then fixed her glasses and left Monique's office.

"Hey Ein, how fast can you brew coffee?" Monique snickered and gazed at Ein with a mocking expression.

"I won't brew coffee, but I've already ordered it online."

Ein brandished his phone's screen, it displayed a confirmed order for a two-litre serving of Americano from a well-known coffee chain. It also displayed the delivery time which was under 10 minutes as the cafe was just across their building.

"That should be good for our coffee chat later too. Assuming that chef Emery and his successor will be in attendance as well as some of the kitchen personnel."

"Wow, Ein, I'm impressed with your competence to the point that I'm speechless… sometimes I wonder if you weren't my assistant, you would be my personal barista or a butler." Monique giggled as she taunted Ein.

"Stop bullshitting me, Monique, it won't work," Ein replied in a monotonous voice, he also stared at Monique with a flat expression. "Also, please ensure to study and sign some of the papers due today." Ein took out a heavy file folder from his work bag and placed it on Monique's desk.

"I'll prepare for the coffee chat. I'll see you later in the conference room." Ein then took his leave and left Monique's office.

***

Ein plopped his bag under his desk and sat down to quickly check his emails on his workstation. He rapidly searched for email threads related to Emery, the retired kitchen manager of Hotel Citron.

He was able to pull up two email threads, 1st one was Emery's farewell email and the second one was the copy of the employee data form that HR received a week ago. Ein immediately opened the latter.

"Hmmm… Henry Rivers, 30 years old, former chef de cuisine..." Ein massaged his creased brows. "Monique wasn't really kidding about his looks, he really looks more like a model than a chef."

Ein gazed at Henry's portrait photo, his T-zone was well defined, his golden irises had a luminescent glow and his platinum blonde hair looked soft. 'It was the face of a total lady killer.' Ein thought, he then Gave out a resounding sigh.

"Looks like this kid would be a handful in the near future."

~~~~~

To be Continued.

~~~~~