Mr. Hector, I Quit!

EPISODE 8

James Hector left the model to recover whatever's left of her reputation, after the shabby and disrespectful treatment she received from him.

"He's so sweet! He didn't care about my dress and simply wanted to help me walk with ease." Cytherea indulgently laughed while she explained why her date ripped off her dress. No one asked for an explanation and just took pictures of her but she felt the need to put it out there.

"Oh, he's so shy! Mr. Hector is such a generous, sweet and caring man!" She giggled while she waved goodbye to her fans.

Cytherea hurriedly secured her place next to the prominent man that gave her a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend a charity ball and meet all the royal family in Babel City.

James Hector spent most of his time talking to familiar faces while Cytherea Eyre played a sweet and charming role to keep entertaining other guests.

"Lets go relax somewhere private." Oliver suggested, after an hour of socializing.

"That sounds better." James sighed happily, glad that someone other than him, finally wanted some peace and quiet.

"I'll go get some drinks for you and Mr. Hudson." Abby quickly left.

Her boss doesn't like to socialize a lot, she had known that for a long time, even before she became his secretary.

Mr. Hector would usually use his lawyer as his proxy, or hire someone to deliver his speech for him when he's invited as a special guest speaker in an event or ceremony, just to avoid being crowded by unfamiliar people.

James and Oliver occupied an unused study room. The east side entrance was well guarded by palace knights and only limited people were given privileges to enter that side of the palace.

James Hector and Oliver Hudson were close to the royal family so they were always given a special place to chill and relax in their home.

"You've been gone for a long time, Oliver. Where have you been for the past four years?" James asked, taking a rest in the cushioned seat of the maharaja chair.

"I battled cancer two years ago. Thankfully, I'm fine now. Just came back to find myself a good secretary. I need someone to take care of me and my business, James. Truth be told, I'm suffering from serious health anxiety after all that I've been through." Oliver decided to be honest with his friend. They've been great friends since college and they share a special bond of brotherhood. He never asked for his help before but he thinks that James is the only one that can help him with something... about someone.

"Oh, no." Cytherea made a sorry face, exaggerating her sympathy.

It was a big disappointing news to James, an unpleasant one that he didn't like hearing at such a late notice so he said, "You should have told me about this, Oliver. Am I your friend or not?"

Oliver chuckled at his friend's unhappy reaction so he comforted him with a smiling face and said, "You're like my little brother and as an older brother, I don't want to burden you."

"It doesn't matter now, James. I'm better now." Oliver added.

"Yeah, you're right." James sighed.

"But I was actually thinking of asking you a favor." Oliver said, before their conversation could end.

"Sure. Just say so." James confidently say.

Abby halted at the door after hearing a serious conversation inside the room. She didn't want to ruin the moment that her boss is having with his friend. She decided to be considerate to them and waited for the conversation to lighten up so she wouldn't be guilty of ruining anything.

"I'm looking for a secretary and a wife. I'm not really quite picky, James. Models and actresses aren't my ideal types anymore. I'd take anybody but I'd sure appreciate it,... if it was Abby Brooke." Oliver was shockingly straightforward with his favor. He eyed this friend with all seriousness to show that he was not kidding about it.

The fact that Abby Brooke was able to last five years as James Hector's secretary, made her more appealing to Oliver.

She's the decent type that anyone would be proud of introducing to your parents as a girlfriend...or a wife.

"Why Abby?" James asked.

"Why not her?" Oliver chuckled.

"Leave us, Rea. I need to talk some sense to my friend here." James waved his hand to dismiss his date.

The hint of anger that Abby's ears picked up from the other side of the door, made her heart crack and for some reason, she hated his manner of speaking.

'Talk some sense to my friend? What the hell is he trying to say? That I'm not worthy of his friend's interest?'

Abby quickly left the door and hid somewhere that Cytherea won't see her while heading out.

After Cytherea was gone, Abby went back behind the door again and continued to eavesdrop from the dark corner behind the door.

She was glad that the palace knights were only placed at the east side entrance of the hallways, otherwise she would be mistaken as a spy and she could get shot for that!

"Abby is not only my secretary... she's also my secret lover."

Silence fell inside the room but Abby's eyebrows raised at the word that James used to describe her. 'Lover? I am your wife!'

'I can't believe I trusted you, James Hector!' Abby angrily held her thoughts for a while to place the tray on the table at the side of the hallway and retreated back to the door immediately to listen more.

"Our contract expires tomorrow." She heard James say.

'I'm so glad you remembered it!' Abby bitterly scoffed, keeping her replies to her thoughts.

"Is ten million enough for you to hand her over to me?" She heard Oliver asked.

She gasped aloud so she immediately covered her mouth and wanted to retreat but she was too shock to even move.

'Is he selling me to his best friend!?' her mind was screaming in horror.

She fell in love and hoped for James Hector to finally realized that she was the one meant for him. She dedicated her five years trying to make him happy, trying to make him love her.

But now all her dreams and hopes were shattered by reality. She wasn't ever going to be enough for him..never!

"I'll hand her over once I finalize her new contract." James final words sent shivers down her spine.

That was enough to wake her up from her hopeful dreams and delusional fantasies. That one day, she will be more than just a contract lover..

'Those words you said to me last night were nothing but an expression of greediness and lust!' Abby wiped her tears before taking the tray back in her hands and knocked thrice on the door to announce her presense.

She entered with a sweet smile on her face. Then served both gentlemen their drink before asking, "Is there anything else you need, sir?" Her eyes were colder than ice, as she speak.

That's the only thing she can't hide or fake, because her round brown eyes were just naturally expressive.

Her coldness and stiff posture gave Oliver a hint that she was a bit in a bad mood, then his eyes caught the bruise on the bridge of her foot.

"Is your foot alright? That looks serious." Oliver bent down, lifting her leg up without her consent.

Abby was wearing a high slit dress, so when her leg was lifted up, her long beautiful leg was exposed to Oliver. "It's fine, Mr. Hudson. Miss Eyre accidentally stepped on my foot. She didn't mean it, I'm sure."

Abby reasoned while trying her best to withdraw her foot from the man's grasp. Oliver's eyes caught a glimpse of what Abby was trying to hide under her dress so he pretended like he had seen nothing and just acted like everything was normal but it was too late, James knew his friend saw it..

James glared at Abby, with an irritated tone he said, "Get out."

James remembered that Abby wasn't wearing any underwear,which was his fault, because they had a 'quicky' behind the stage before he had his speech.

He stole her underwear to make her dance with him without it.

"Get-out?" 'Did he just order me like a dog?' Abby Brooke spelled out his words with a scoff, feeling insulted by the rude order she received from her boss. She was used to it and usually ignores his rudeness, but the cruel truth just recently opened her mind to finally accept that James Hector is a cold-blooded, heart stabber!

She used to keep all her thoughts to herself when she was angry but a part of her just snapped. Her patience...? Just ran out.

"Yes, get out!" James repeated the order with a firm tone of rude insult.

'He just loves making it worse!'

Abby remarked, chuckling bitterly at her stupidity for enduring this man's rudeness for five years.

"Can you make it more clear, Mr. Hector. I didn't quite catch all that." Abby sarcastically challenged him to repeat it one more time.

"Don't act dumb, Abby. I said, GET OUT!" James lost his patience, raising his voice on her for the first time.

"Oh! I will do more than just that, Mr. Hector." she scoffed. With a side flip of her hair she added,

"I quit!"