Chapter 15: Joanna Confronts Tina
1081 Words
When Tina said that Joanna had neither the education nor the experience to do her job, she was reminded of something Sarah had said. This conversation is getting interesting now – Joanna thought. She smiled and asked Tina, "Were you the one who flattened my car tire yesterday?"
Tina stood akimbo and laughed hatefully. "What about it?" she asked. "You ruined my life! All I ruined is a tire!" Joanna didn't think Tina would say this. Although she felt bad about Tina's dismissal, she refused to take the blame for Tina's ruined life.
Joanna was right about Tina. From the start, she had suspected that the person who broke into her car was Tina. Joanna was the vice general manager now, and the former vice general manager would be the last person who would want her here. And alive. "Tell me how I ruined your life!" she commanded.
Brian appreciated the way Joanna was solving her problems. She seemed very competent to him, and he liked that about her. Joanna sensed him watching her, though, and it made her uncomfortable. She wanted to cover his eyes, but she couldn't do that, so she did nothing.
Tina sneered, and she said, "My work is my life, and everything I have, I earned, through hard work. Why would I give it all to you? After all, you know nothing!"
Joanna: "Who told you that I don't know anything? Was it Sarah?"
Tina's eyes darkened. A few days ago, she had received the news that she was being fired and she had gone to talk to Mike. When she arrived at Mike's office, she ran into his sister, Sarah, and Sarah had told her that the new vice general manager was incompetent. When she heard that, she became furious, and she had spent the following days planning her revenge.
By the look on Tina's face, Joanna could tell that she'd guessed correctly. She sneered, and then she took out her phone and called the police. When Tina saw her calling the police, she began to panic. "Why are you calling the police?" she shouted. "You ruined my life! I just wanted to teach you a lesson! I did nothing wrong."
Joanna smiled. After what Tina had done and planned on doing, she was not about to forgive and forget. After all, what would have happened if Brian hadn't shown up at precisely the right moment?
Tina was angrier than ever when she saw Joanna smile. "Joanna," she hissed. "Are you laughing at me? You're a devil. How dare you laugh over my ruined life? Now you are sending me to jail! Does that make you happy?"
Joanna was still smiling, but she didn't say anything. There was nothing to say.
Tina: "Why don't you don't answer me? Do you feel guilty? I knew it! I'm telling you, Joanna, even if you send me to prison, I will still go after you when I get out - and I will kill you!"
When Brian heard this, he grabbed Tina's wrist, causing her to cry out in pain.
Joanna glared at Tina for a moment, and then she said, "You have everything mixed up in your brain. First: I may have replaced you as vice general manager, but I didn't fire you. Mike did. So, if you want to blame someone for ruining your life, blame him. Second: Your dismissal had nothing to do with me. I saw how behind you were when I took over. You were let go because you were incompetent, and if I hadn't been given the job, it would have gone to someone else!"
Joanna bent down and picked up one of the bottles that Tina had thrown at her – the one that didn't break. It was empty, but in Joanna's hands, it remained a threat.
Joanna approached Tina and said, "Third: You wanted to teach me a lesson with this? Maybe I should teach you a similar lesson. Should I buy a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid and pour it over your head. Your hair would be destroyed by it. Your eyes would burn, and your skin would melt off your face. And it would hurt. Then, I could threaten you, as you've just done. Or... I could save myself some time and effort, and bash you in the face with this." She prodded Tina's chest with the bottle. "How would you like that?" Joanna spoke with confidence, but inside, she was terrified. She thought – If I let Tina go, what's to stop her from coming after me again? Nothing!
Unbeknownst to Joanna, Tina was just as terrified as she was, and when the police came, she was secretly relieved. After all, she was more afraid of the bottle than she was of the police.
Brian and Joanna followed the police to the station, and once they'd finished giving their statements, they were free to leave. When they got back to Brian's car, Joanna smiled and said, "Thank you for helping me today." She suddenly remembered the girl he'd spoken to on the previous night. "And I'm sorry if I've gotten you into any trouble with your girlfriend. If I remember correctly, you were supposed to pick her up today. Isn't that right?"
After having said this, Joanna had planned to leave, but Brian took her by the hand and said, "Who told you she is my girlfriend?"
Joanna was a little shocked by Brian's words. She thought for a moment, and then she said, "Isn't that woman your girlfriend?"
Joanna was surprised when Brian took her into his arms. She hadn't expected him to hug her. As close to each other as they were, Brian's familiar smell and the feel of his generous chest made Joanna blush. She began to try to push him away, but he wouldn't let her go.
Joanna: "Brian, what are you doing? Let go of me!"
Brian: "Who told you that I was there to pick up a girl?"
Joanna: "I don't care who you pick up. That's your business. Just let go of me."
Joanna began to pound on Brian's chest, but he still wouldn't let her go. Brian found her struggle amusing. He thought – She's just so darn cute!
Finally, Joanna was able to get away, and she backed away from him. "I g-gotta go," she stammered.
Brian smiled as he watched Joanna walk away, and when she was just about out of sight, he began to follow her.
- Writer
