C8 Jack's Plan

"Hey mama," Amanda called out to her mother.

Mrs Roberts turned around to see her daughter looking sad.

"Is everything okay?" She asked with panic. "Did anyone hurt you?"

Amanda shook her head. She did not want to tell her mother about her travails at the restaurant.

"I am fine, mother," she replied in a whisper.

"I am glad those nosy friends of mine had left earlier because it would have been bad if they met you in this state. You did not even try to put a brush on your hair. Look at how disheveled your hair looks."

Amanda took a quick glance at her reflection in the mirror and let out a sigh of exhaustion.

"I am sorry mum. I had a pretty rough day."

"It is alright honey. We need to fix you up because I have found just the perfect job for you. They are calling for submissions and interviews and the deadline is in two days. All thanks to your children, I came across the advert just in time."

The excitement in her mother's voice was making her enticed and she wanted to know more about the job offer.

"What company is this Mum?" She asked with apt curiosity.

"Xi Incorporation. Their hotel is in need of supervisors and cleaners. But you ain't going there as a cleaner this time. I remember you did a course a few years ago that bordered on hotel supervision. I think it is time you started putting that certificate to use.

Amanda let out another sigh.

"I do not trust the authenticity of that certificate, mother. I never verified the institution. I just took it because I was jobless and was bored, plus it was free."

Her mother looked at her sternly.

"It does not matter, Amanda! Stop placing limitations on yourself. The most important thing is that the knowledge is stuck in your memory and you can implement it."

Amanda nodded. She had always been one who believed in herself and her abilities, but life was beginning to seem gloomy.

Especially with the encounter she had today. She thought about the mean pervert and how she ended up leaving the cheque for him.

"Can I see the advert?" She asked, pushed by the desire to prove that she could be more. "The only revenge I can get for myself is to be better; better for myself and my kids," she said with a confident smile.

"That's my girl," Mrs Roberts cheered. "For the first time in a long time you have sounded just how I brought you up."

Amanda giggled, gradually creeping out of the depression she had been feeling earlier.

"Come over here. Sit down and let the hairdresser touch your hair. You have to look good tomorrow."

"Who is paying for all this, Mum?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Don't bother your pretty head about that," Mrs Roberts replied with a warm smile. "I am your mother and I know just how to get some little change to look after my daughter."

Amanda's heart melted at how caring her mother was for her. Sometimes, she was tough, but most of the time, she showed her optimum care.

She sat before the mirror, watching the hairdresser work her magic on her untidy hair, anxious about how she would eventually turn out.

"It has been some time really," she whispered to herself.

<<<<<<<. >>>>>>

Rowan Xi wound up his car windows and prepared himself to get out of his Lamborghini. He was not an outgoing kind of person, but the boredom in the Villa was choking him, so he had to contact Jack to come and take him out.

Jack said he could not drive down to the villa.

Rowan had to move himself out to meet up with Jack.

He sat back in the car for sometime to gain some composure. Then he opened the door and went out.

Before he stepped an inch close to the lounge where he was going to meet up with Jack, paparazzi were all over him, taking unsolicited photos of him. A gust of embarrassment and anger washed through him as he hastened his footsteps to get away from them.

One of them tried to get in his way of taking a close-range photo.

"Get the hell outta my sight," he yelled at the lady.

"It's just a harmless photo," the lady said sarcastically. "Don't be rude, Mr Rowan."

Her sarcasm and angst got his nerves triggered, but he was careful not to get aggressive. It would be bad for their company's reputation.

He maintained his composure and walked hastily into the lounge, disappearing into the vip section.

Immediately he was seated, Rowan took a deep breath as though he had just escaped some mob.

"Would you like to have anything?" One of the waitresses, a petite but stylish young lady asked.

"Not yet. I'll be fine for now. I will let you know when I need something."

"Alright sir," she responded with a pretty smile and then left her card on the table. "Please use the number on the card whenever you are ready. Serving a large number of customers adds to my points. I would appreciate it if you helped me gain more points."

Her smile was beautiful and her face was small and lit.

He found her attractive, but she was not as attractive as Mabel, the woman he had spent that night with.

"I will keep that in mind," he replied without attachment and focused on his cell phone.

The courteous lady smiled warmly at him and thanked him before moving on.

"Hey buddy…," Jack called out to Rowan, patting his back.

Rowan looked up at him with a grin.

"You kept me longer than we agreed. You know I do not like to be out for too long."

"Relax man," Jack urged him with a smirk. "By the way, I see that you were pretty much ambushed by the paparazzi. Pictures of you at a lounge have flooded the internet."

Jack had a mischievous glare and a smile that showed he had plotted this.

"Did you do this?" Rowan asked, looking at him sternly.

"Well, I just wanted to update your photo gallery, bro. Been a while. You take life too seriously, man."

Rowan felt angered. His cousin Jack was the most annoying individual he had ever encountered.

"I have nothing to say to you, Jack. As much as possible, I am going to try my best to stay calm. I do not want to create a scene. But do not think for one minute that I am letting this one go; that is never happening!"