Chapter 147: Humiliation
Moana
“Ugh! I can’t believe you!” Sam’s new girlfriend shouted, causing Edrick and I to run over to the scene while a group of other intrigued employees gathered around as well. “You’re a cheater!”
“Baby, it’s not what it—”
Slap.
Sam’s face went red with a mixture of embarrassment and redness from the hard slap that his girlfriend gave him. A chorus of gasps and confused mutters erupted amongst the people who had gathered around, and meanwhile, Mia only stood leaning against a tree with a subtle smirk on her face. Her eyes finally met mine and Edrick’s, and she winked.
I knew then that she had accomplished what Edrick had essentially hired her to do: she had made Sam betray his new girlfriend. I wondered if his new girlfriend even knew that he cheated on me to be with her, or if he just brushed me off as some crazy lady who he didn’t even know when I found them in the restaurant that day.
Either way, Edrick was right. Once a cheater, always a cheater.
“You know, you wouldn’t even have this job if it wasn’t for me,” his girlfriend, a Beta, said with a scowl. “I can’t believe you would pull a stunt like this. We are over!”
With that, Sam’s new girlfriend — well, ex-girlfriend now — turned on her heel and stormed off.
“Baby!” Sam called. He tried to chase after her, but Mia suddenly ran after him like a flash and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “H-Hey! What are you—”
“Save it for the judge,” Mia said with a smirk. She yanked Sam over by his collar, causing him to struggle the entire way, and presented him to Edrick and I like a cat that had just dropped a dead bird on our doorstep. “Here you go.”
Sam’s eyes widened as he stood in front of Edrick and myself. He began to stutter out a series of apologies for causing a scene, but Edrick only stared down at him with narrowed eyes.
“Everyone, return to the picnic,” Edrick said, addressing the crowd that was still standing around us. “Let’s not let pretty high school drama ruin your nice afternoon.” People in the crowd snickered at the way that Edrick referred to it as nothing more than petty high school drama, which caused Sam’s face to turn an even deeper shade of red. His eyes shifted back and forth between Edrick and I, and Mia continued to stand behind him with her arms folded across her chest in case he decided to try to leave again.
I really hadn’t expected any of this to work. When Mia said that she could make Sam betray his new girlfriend in less than thirty minutes, I thought that she was either joking or that she was too full of herself. But now, Sam stood here like a little kid who got in trouble in front of Edrick, and I had to focus all of my energy on containing my smile. It felt good to see him get a little taste of the humiliation I felt when he berated me outside the restaurant on that busy city street.
As the crowd dissipated, Edrick only continued to stare down his nose at Sam, who was practically trembling by now. Once we were alone, Edrick finally spoke.
“I don’t tolerate cheaters and abusers in my company,” Edrick said, his voice low and serious and not mischievous at all like before. “I have half a mind to fire you on the spot just for disturbing my company picnic. And you should apologize to your colleagues for causing so much of a scene.”
“I-I’m sorry, sir,” Sam blubbered, his eyes fixed on the ground. I had always thought that Sam was pretty tall, but Edrick was far taller and towered over him. Edrick especially towered over him now as Sam began to shrink into himself, slouching as though he wanted to make himself appear smaller. He looked like a dog that got caught rummaging through the trash.
“I think you should fire this jerk,” Mia said. She wrapped her arm around Sam’s shoulders and gave him a lighthearted shake as though they were old friends, but it was entirely condescending and emasculating. “He did threaten your fiancee, after all.”
Edrick nodded. “You’re right, as usual, Mia,” he replied. “We’ll fill the role with someone better.”
Sam’s eyes widened even further. “No, please,” he whined. He then turned to face me and clasped his hands together in front of them, pleading with me. “Please, Moana. I need this job. I have to pay my rent. I-I need to pay off my expensive car. Please.”
I couldn’t hide my scoff. Of course Sam would be the type to get a fancy apartment and an expensive car as soon as he got a job at WereCorp, even going so far as to go into debt to appear rich.
But, at the same time, I knew what it was like to struggle financially. I had come from the lowest caste in our society; not just a human, but an orphan, too. I knew how it felt to barely make ends meet, and even though I knew that Sam would have little trouble finding another job as a werewolf, and even though he had done me horribly wrong in the past, I hated to put other people in that situation.
“Please, Moana…”
Finally, I sighed and turned to face Edrick. “Don’t fire him,” I said.
Edrick’s eyes widened. “Why not?”
I shook my head. “I know what it’s like to live as a lower status, and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone else. Not even this sorry sack of shit.”
For several long moments, Edrick just stared at me with his eyebrows raised. I knew that he felt uncomfortable by my request, but I just didn’t like the idea of causing someone to lose their job entirely over this. Sam got humiliated, and that was enough for me.
“Fine,” Edrick said finally, smacking his lips together annoyedly. “I won’t fire you. But you’ll be working in the mailroom from now on.”
I could tell that Sam was not excited about being demoted, but at the very least, he still had a job. “T-Thank you, Mr. Morgan,” he said.
Edrick stared down his nose at him for a few more long moments before he stooped down to Sam’s level and stopped just inches from his face, causing Sam to look even more panicked. He then lowered his voice so no one else could hear.
“And if you say a word about Ella or Moana… You won’t even be working in the mailroom,” he said. “And I’ll make sure you can’t find another halfway decent job in this city for the rest of your pathetic little life. Do you understand me?”
Sam’s eyes widened so far I could see the whites of his eyes all the way around his irises. He glanced back and forth between Edrick and I several times before rapidly nodding and taking a big, nervous gulp.
“I won’t say a word,” he replied.
“Good.” Edrick straightened again, then waved Sam away with his hand. “You can go home now. You’re not welcome at this picnic anymore.”
Sam didn’t say a word. He simply turned on his heel and took off toward the parking lot with his metaphorical tail between his legs.
I felt relieved. It felt nice to see Sam finally get the same amount of humiliation that I felt, and maybe it would teach him not to treat women poorly in the future. But, like Edrick said…
Once a cheater, always a cheater.
