Chapter 5: THE MEDICHI EMPIRE
1580 Words
Chapter 5: THE MEDICHI EMPIRE
The next morning, Lucas woke up at the same time that he was used to getting up since forever. By 5 in the morning.
He was still yawning, when he threw his feet off the couch in a bid to stand up, but all his feet met was water.
His eyes widened as he realized the couch was in a pool of water. Infact, all of his things that were on the floor before were now soaking wet and destroyed.
He stood up, rushing to the sink in the tiny kitchen, were he saw that the sink was overflowing with water and that the water had filled the kitchen and then started entering the living room and other room.
He turned off the tap, his heart sinking to the bottom of his stomach. His bed was soaked through and because of the fact that the landlady had scatter his things and he'd been too tired to properly place some, some of his stuff had also gotten soaked through.
His clothes, his bed which was always flat on the floor, his shoes and the bdd covers were all wet and soggy.
The morning light filled the apartment, but the mood inside it was dark and gloomy. Lucas felt like breaking something. He couldn't even remember leaving that kitchen tap on.
Now everything he owned was either soaked or about to be and he didn't know how to begin to take care of the water in his apartment.
An annoyed knock sounded on his door.
Frustrated as all hell and with a darkly frowned face, Lucas went to answer the door.
It was the girl from the other day. And she looked pissed about something.
“There's water in the hallway. And it's from your apartment. Kindly take care of it.” she left in a huff, her perfume floating to Lucas. It was something with peaches and strawberry.
Lucas wished he'd had the luxury of also leaving behind his shitty place immediately. He really didn't want to be here, about to mop up his sorry life.
He got to work and in a couple of tiresome and dreary hours, he had mopped up his room, and the hallway outside.
He had also carried his bed and other wet stuff all the way to the roof of the building to dry them. It had been tedious and he'd been so embarrassed at having people see him, but it had to be done.
Now he was sure there was gossip about him spreading through the building as the most miserable and poor. Everyone who lived here in his building couldn't afford to do better, he knew, because if they could, they surely wouldn't be there.
But somehow he'd managed to catch the ends of conversations labeling him the poorest and the most troubling. He'd stiffly walked past the couple of girls that had been discussing him.
Now he was done and he couldn't find his stupid phone. He couldn't even remember where he had dropped it when he was mopping.
He started to search and finally found it in the bathroom, on the counter that was high up on the wall, so that water couldn't touch it.
He checked his phone. It was almost 10 on the morning now and he had an appointment to keep with the unknown caller from the previous night.
He took a shower in his tiny bathroom, and while drying himself, considered what to wear. The truth was that, most of his good clothes were all wet and drying on the rooftop, now he had nothing presentable to wear.
He went through the few clothes still hanging in his hanger and found an old pair of washed out jeans and a black shirt. The shirt was already faded in some spots and if he had a choice, he wouldn't even bother to put it on, but he did not have a choice.
After he was dressed, he looked for something to wear, and when he couldn't find anything else suitable enough, he settled for his still wet shoes from the rooftop.
It was either that, or his flip flops, or a sandal he had which was torn at the sides. He picked the shoes. At least no one but him knew they were wet, he concluded.
He locked the door and made his way to the rooftop were he grabbed the shoes. They'd dried a little, but when he slid his feet in, he could still feel how wet they were.
A voice in his head asked him why he couldn't just use part of the money in his bank account, after all, what was in his bank account was surely his own.
But he didn't know how that money had gotten there. And he didn't know what he would owe the real owners if he touched anything there.
He left his building, and took his scooter. He could get to the business district on his ride, but he didn't think what was left in the fuel tank could last that long. He just had to manage.
He also hoped his shoes were fully dried by the time he got there.
He pulled into the traffic and by the time he got to the Medichi towering skyscrapers, it was another hour gone.
He parked with a couple of bikes in the parking area and then approached the entrance of the first Skyscraper.
It was a busy place, with people entering and leaving and he could see the activity in the lobby through the wide revolving glass doors at the entrance.
By the time he'd made his way to the entrance, nobody else was there but him. He went to open the door, but a hand reached out and stopped him.
“Excuse me, but I'd like to know what business you have here at Medichi.”
It was the security man, a huge towering man that had a grim, no nonsense look on his face.
Lucas wondered what he would tell him. He didn't know the name of the person on the phone last night, and he didn't really have an appointment.
“I have an appointment to see someone here at Medichi. I was given this address.” Lucas slid out his phone and then found the text message with the address, showing it to the security guard.
The man didn't look the least bit interested at what he was saying. “That does not have anyone's name on it. And you do not have any business being here if you don't have an appointment with a specific person. I'm afraid you have to leave, Sir.” The sir was said with a sneer, as if Lucas was anything but.
“But I really have to meet someone here, and it's really important. Just let me in first, I'll consult with the reception.”
The security man shook his head firmly. “You will not be entering this place to cause a commotion. Once I saw you, I knew you were one of the no good types. You can't come here without an appointment, looking like that, and expect me to let you in.”
Lucas huffed out an incredulous breath. “It's just to speak with reception. If no one made sure to tell them to let me up, I'll leave.”
The security man laughed. “Do you know how many people work here in the Medichi Skyscraper, young man? Do you think that if what you are saying is true, the person wouldn't have told you their name so you wouldn't waste any time in getting up to them?”
What he said made sense but Lucas was getting pissed nonetheless. “I don't know why they didn't include their name. But just let me ask—”
Suddenly, the security man pushed at Lucas and he stumbled back a few paces. “Leave!” he yelled at him.
Lucas turned away, his hands balled into fists. If he was dressed like the many worker bees inside the building, he wouldn't have to suffer this humiliation.
What did he do now?
He acted like he was actually walking away, back to his ride, but the moment he saw a woman walking in through the doors with a travel mug in her hand, he leaped into action.
He rushed towards the door and while the security guard rushed at him, he used the woman as a shield and dashed in through the doors.
He entered inside the cool lobby, and made a mad dash for the elevator, without looking back he could tell that he was still being chased.
He didn't know where he was going or even what he was doing but he was determined not to be turned away.
He rushed into the elevator and started to press the button over and over so that the door would close before anyone else got on.
The woman with the travel mug got on and pressed the button, stopping the elevator doors from closing as if he wanted the security man to get to Lucas.
“You pushed me, you sorry son of a b***h and you spilled coffee on me. I won't let you get away with this.”
As she was still talking, Lucas pushed her out of the elevator and stabbed at the button, and this time before she could get her bearing, the doors slid closed.
- Writer
