A stupid smile adorned Nia's face as she took the leftover dinner and put it in the microwave to heat up. She hummed and stared dreamily at machine as it slowly counted down.

"Is something wrong with her?" She heard her mother whisper behind her.

"Of course not mama, I'm just really happy this morning," Nia said.

"Liar," Ana said loudly. "She's smiling because she almost kissed her boss last night."

"Her boss?" Aida asked appalled.

Nia turned to frown at Ana who scowled in return.

"Don't look at me like that. I saw you almost kiss him, I was right there watching you guys."

"Oh, not creepy at all."

"Why do you think I played my music so loudly?" She asked looking smug.

Nia stared at her then shook her head and looked away. "You know you behave like a spoiled brat sometimes."

Ana shrugged. "Call me whatever, I don't care. I'm going to a party today."

"Ana," Nia began calmly. From the expression on Ana's face, she knew she was looking to pick a fight for no reason whatsoever. Not being in the mood to argue on a good day, Nia decided to tread carefully. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"I wasn't asking you for permission, I was telling you."

"Be careful Ana," Aida warned.

Nia sighed. "Ana... "

"Don't Ana me! You get to go everywhere and hang out with your boss in that fancy yacht of his. You leave this house everyday but I don't! Where's the fairness in that?!"

Nia stared in shock. She had no idea where the sudden bitterness was coming from.

"You know that's not what I meant Ana," she said softly. "You're only thinking about the partying, you're not thinking of the implications or consequences."

"What implications?" Ana asked with a harsh glare on her face.

"What if the neighbors report you guys for playing your music too loudly. What if the cops come to arrest the lot of you. And if they ask for your means if identification, what are you gonna say then?"

"I don't care about that! You're only thinking of that because you don't want me to go!"

"Ana... "

"No! You're looking for reasons to... "

"Would you shut up? I'm trying to make you see reason and you're here talking about how I don't care!" Nia snapped, her own anger flaring. She wasn't quick to anger, but when she did get angry, it lasted the whole day. Ana had succeeded in riling her.

"Do you know you could be deported on the spot? Is that what you want? Do you want the authorities to find out you're here, you want them to find out that mama is here too? Do you want to be taken away? Answer me! Do you want to go back to Mexico and continue living like a hobo? Fine by me! Go! See if I care."

She turned around and took her food out of the microwave slamming the small door with a loud bang.

"Screw you, I'll go back!" Ana screamed.

Nia ignored her and took a spoon.

"I will go."

"That's enough Ana," Aida commanded.

"No it's not! I will go back, do you hear me Nia? I'll go. I didn't ask you to bring me here in the first place. If you knew you were just gonna bring me here to dump me in this godforsaken apartment, you should have left me! Why did you even bother? At least I don't have to open my legs like a tramp for... "

Smack!

Ana's face whipped to the side from the force of Nia's slap. She held her face and looked up, her eyes watering and her lips trembling.

"Nia!" Aida scolded.

Nia dropped her hand still breathing heavily. She hadn't meant to slap her sister, but her ungratefulness was unbecoming. She felt terribly bad when Ana's tears built and spilled over.

"This tramp is trying to get the money so you can go to all the parties you want," Nia seethed quietly.

More tears spilled down Ana's cheek as she quietly stared at Nia still holding her face.

Aida looked between them wondering who to scold and who to comfort. Ana was obviously in the wrong for saying such things about her elder sister. Her younger daughter had a sharp tongue and a smart mouth that needed checking, but Nia shouldn't have slapped her, no matter what.

Sometimes when siblings fight, it's better not to get involved, so she stayed silent.

Nia huffed and pushed the food away, she had lost her appetite. She stomped back to her room and grabbed her bag. Walking back to the kitchen, she met Ana still silently crying. A part of her wanted to apologise, say she was sorry, but the other part wanted to give her another smack for being so rude.

Resisting the urge to do either, she took a bottle of water.

"Wait, Nia, won't you have breakfast?" Aida asked softly. She knew what her daughter was like when she was in a foul mood.

"I'm not hungry," Nia said shoving her arms into her coat.

"Mom," Nia heard Ana say.

"Just keep quiet, you deserved that slap. And I have half the mind to give you another."

She huffed and left the apartment.
Rosita happened to be coming out of hers at the same time.

"Nia, Buenos diás. I have this cousin that needs job and... "

"Not now Rosita, please," Nia said quietly.

"Oh. But I want to tell you that she cook, very well. And... "

"I'm not the fucking manager! Just leave me alone dammit!"

She stomped down the hallway leaving the older woman to stare after her wondering what she had done wrong.

***

By the time she got to work, she wasn't feeling any better.

"Good morning Beth," she murmured stepping out of the elevator.

"Morning Nia. No coffee?" She asked teasingly.

Nia sighed. She had totally forgotten about her morning ritual thanks to Ana.

"No, I forgot. I'll make it up to you tomorrow," she said flatly. "I'll be in my office." And she left.

All through the morning hours, Nia worked silently without any disturbance. She'd declined Beth's offer to go out for lunch.

It was now early afternoon and she was feeling a little better. Although she still did want to cry. Ana's words had hurt her deeply, they had made her feel like the worst. The look Ana had given her; of pure shock and anger, perhaps a little hatred too, had pained her.

Dropping her pen, she sighed and massaged her temples. She felt frustrated. Had she made a mistake by wanting to be with her family in the states? Perhaps she should have waited and gotten the papers first before making the rash decision of bringing in two people knowing fully well that she was going to be the sole income earner seeing as neither of them could get a job.

Sometimes she ran out of cash and had to tap into the money she reserved for the papers, but of course Ana didn't know that. Ana only thought that she was selfishly spending her salary on herself.

Ana had no idea that she shopped at thrift stores. She managed to get really good clothes which was why no one knew, not that there was anything wrong with thrift stores.

Wiping a tear, she picked up her pen and was going to return to her computer when a knock sounded.

"Come in," she said sitting up.

The door opened and a guy walked in. It was the new public relations officer, the one chosen to replace Mabel. She couldn't remember what his name was.

"Hello," he said sheepishly.

"Hi," Nia said flatly. "Can I help you?" She was in no mood for idle chitchat.

"Yeah. The boss needs to sign these files."

Nia stared at him blankly. "And you want me to do what?" She asked slowly.

"I'd give him myself but... " He cleared his throat. "I don't know if he's in a bad mood."

Robert had been known to fire employees on the slightest whim. He was right to be scared.

Sighing, she dropped her pen and took the files from him.

She knocked twice and without waiting for a reply, she pushed the door open and paused. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw; Lisa straddling Robert, her shirt halfway off her shoulders, her hands roaming his bare chest and their lips locked in what seemed to be a very passionate kiss.

Nia stared feeling like she had taken a punch to the gut.

They still hadn't noticed her standing there.

So much for 'whatever you want us to be', she thought with a grimace.

Composing herself and locking whatever emotions she might have been feeling towards him, she approached them.

Raising the file above her head, she dropped it so that it landed on the desk with a loud bang. They jumped apart.

Lisa turned to glare at her. "Don't you know how to knock bitch?"

Nia stared at Lisa while gritting her teeth in anger.

Today is not the day to test me puta.

Lisa was looking to get herself killed. She was just waiting, hoping, that Lisa would say the N word so she could have a reason to pounce on her. Maybe she would break some of her teeth and take some of her blonde hair back home as souvenirs, to remember the epic fight.

Something in Nia's stare must have scared Lisa because she quickly looked away.

Inhaling deeply, she looked at her employer. "I need your signature here," she said pointing. "And here."

Robert pushed Lisa off his lap and without uttering a word, he sat forward and signed the papers.

She didn't meet his searching gaze as she took the file and said in a monotone voice, "Thank you for your time."

She left the office and walked back to hers. Wordlessly she handed the files to the guy.

"Thank you so much. I really don't want to lose my job," he said sounding genuinely grateful. "Hey, are you alright? You look shaken."

"Today is a really bad day, but I'm fine, thanks for asking. I just need to use the restroom," she said and left the office quickly.

Running across the hallway, she rushed into the restroom and shut the door behind her. Hurrying into one of the stalls, she bent over the toilet and heaved her empty stomach out. When nothing else would come out, she flushed and closed the door behind her. She hoped no one had heard her violent retching.

She cried as she rinsed her mouth and washed her hands. Sniffing, she blotted her tears with a tissue. She stared weakly at her reflection and sighed.

"Why the bloody hell am I crying? It's not like we're a thing. We are nothing!" She muttered as she threw the used tissue in the trash can.

She was just thankful she hadn't given in to the temptation to kiss him, she hadn't made any emotional investment in him, he wasn't worth it, and yet she found herself crying again.

"Stop it Nia," she said wiping her tears. "He is not worth a single tear."

He was probably just going to use her anyway. She would have just been a conquest for him.

Inhaling deeply, she looked at herself one last time and left the room. She avoided Beth's gaze as she passed by, the older lady had seen her run past. Her office was empty when she returned. She sat with a sigh and picked up her pen.

Her door suddenly opened and she looked up, heart pounding wildly. She sighed when she saw the blonde head sticking in.

"Hey Nia," Lisa said in a voice that Nia had grown to hate. "Just wanted to let you know I'm leaving."

Nia scoffed. Like she cared.

"Well, good day. Oh and, sorry about what you saw earlier, we couldn't help ourselves."

After the door had closed, Nia glared at it for a full minute. Then she pulled her laptop closer and began composing an email.

Unfortunately for Nia, when she was upset, she made rash decisions and did stupid things, like what she was about to do.

Nia re-read the letter requesting for a transfer to another department in the company before punching the send button.

If she were another employee, she would have sent the letter to the manager, but she was working directly under Robert, and he had specifically demanded that everything she did be directed to him.

Less than a minute later she received a letter from him.

Denied was written in bold letters.

Undeterred, she composed another email requesting to be sent to another branch. She sent it without cross checking for errors.

It would be better to work in another place, where she didn't have to see his infuriating self everyday.

His reply came faster than the first.

DENIED.

Not knowing what pushed her, Nia typed a resignation letter and hit the send button.

It was after the email had been delivered that she remembered his threat, but she didn't care anymore. She held her jaw in her palm as she waited for his reply. It was taking him long, she realized. Finally she received his response.

REQUEST DENIED.

Nia glared at the reply. Well she didn't give a flying fuck what he wanted.

Taking her handbag, she was shoving her valuables into it when she received another email.

'What's this about Nia? Let's talk about this okay? Stay in your office, I'm coming over.'

Her eyes widened and she panicked. Picking her bag, she grabbed her computer and ran out of the office.

Beth looked up. "Where are you going? It isn't closing time yet."

"I quit!" She yelled and ran into the elevator. She pushed the button and leaned against the door waiting for the doors to close when she suddenly saw him come out of her office. He must have gotten in through the adjoining door.

Nia punched the button repeatedly as he approached all the while keeping eye contact with him.

"Come on! C'mon stupid elevator!"

The doors finally began closing and she stepped back. The last thing she saw before they shut was his angry stare as he brought his phone to his ear.

She sighed relieved and closed her eyes. Suddenly she tensed. She desperately hoped he wasn't calling security.

By the time she got to the ground floor, she was tensed. Wearily she got out and walked towards the exit. She'd gotten past the guards when one of them called out to her.

"Hey, Miss Smith, can we talk to you for a second? Please."

"Oh hell no!" She said taking off.

Her long legs weren't for display after all. She sprinted across the parking lot to her car.

"Hey! Stop! We just want to talk to you, please!"

Nia didn't look back and ran even faster but they were right behind her. She was glad she had chosen not to wear heels. She hurriedly got into her car and slammed the door close.

The guard knocked on her window asking her to roll down but she ignored them as she turned on the ignition.

Robert came out just as her car rolled out of the compound.

"Dammit!" He cursed and glared at the security guards that couldn't stop a girl. "You let her get away," he said quietly.

The head guard stepped forward. "I apologise sir. She'd gone far when you called. She had a headstart."

"She had a headstart," Robert repeated quietly. "She's a girl you idiots, and you let her get away! You're fired! All of you!"

He whirled around and stomped back into the building snapping at anyone who made the mistake of approaching him.

The guards stared after him.

"Should we really go?" One asked.

"I don't know."

It wasn't the first time Robert had fired them and then called them back. It had happened on numerous occasions.

________________

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