I ALMOST had a perfect day. 

Almost!

But the devil told happiness to hold his beer as he flipped my day upside down like the pancake it is. And guess how he decided to play me? By using a total jerk to ruin both my clothes _and_ mood.

It all happened a few minutes ago as I was coming out of the HR office where my interview (to be an editor for this billion-dollar fashion company) had just finished. I was all rainbows and sunshine, plastering a fake smile at my interviewer (till my cheeks felt like overstretched elastic) whilst closing the door and turning around when suddenly, a jerk who was sprinting in the corridor decided that he wanted to swerve in my direction. 

He bumped into me and my face hit his chest, leaving bits of makeup on his navy suit and a not-so-made-up left side on my part. Then came the sensation of something wet and cold flowing from my breasts to my legs that made me pull away from the guy before me and look down. 

I'm not a fan of coffee, but spending time with my grandparents made me a great expert at knowing espresso. I wanted to deny it, but the paper cup that was resting cozily on the floor with nothing but the remnants of the cold espresso (which was now kissing my body and clothes) didn't do well to settle my boiling rage.

"Not my clothes!" 

"My coffee!" The guy and I loudly screamed simultaneously, making everyone passing by the door face in our direction. Not that I cared about them anyway since I was now a cold-sticky mess thanks to someone. 

I wrinkled my nose in disgust then did my impression of the scariest glare ever, before looking at my assaulter, only to see him bending over to pick up his cup. Then he raised his head and just like that, I wanted to forget everything that happened.

He had long dark lashes that showered his mint green eyes like lace when he blinked, with lips so pink if they were roses in a flower shop, every woman would buy them without checking her bank balance. His jaw bone was sharp, reptilian even, with a freshly cut beard to compliment its masculinity, and white tanned skin so smooth, it made him look. . .(I grimaced at the thought) drop-dead gorgeous. 

He slowly rose from the ground and I kept my eyes fixated on his face, slowly raising my head along with him till it was tipped upward a bit. His face was that good-looking, no kidding, and for those few seconds, I forgot to vent my anger until it was too late. 

The jerk did the last thing I would expect any human to do when they pour coffee on anyone. He patted my shoulder and made his first step towards his desired destination before hurriedly saying, "Sorry," and sprinting past me, toward the now-closing elevator right on the far end of the corridor. 

"Hold the door!" I heard him call out once again, as he dashed by yet another group of ladies. Within the next few moments he was gone, and I was left standing on the door, coffee drenched, with my left side makeup smudged from the encounter and a few strangers who were gawking at me like I was a supernatural beast.

It took a lot of self-control to stop me from cursing loudly at him, but I managed to do so either way. Looking back now, I thank goodness I did because right as I was biting my lip and glaring at the now closed elevator, the door behind me swung open, and out came a chubby lady who seemed to be in her early twenties AKA the HR manager who had been interviewing me. Kayla was it? 

As soon as her eyes met the disaster before her, she gasped and clasped her mouth all together. "Oh no, what happened to you Iris?" She asked, her eyes seemingly widening with each passing second. 

" Some jer-," I bit my tongue, "some guy poured coffee on me and ran away," I summed up the apocalyptic accident, but that didn't stop her from gasping a second time. She raised a badge right by the breast pocket of her suit and for the first time since the interview, I noticed the name tag with a golden leaf crest and her name written in white.

"Was he wearing this?" Kayla looked worried, enough to make me try to remember the details of the incident. I hadn't noticed the badge on that jerk's suit when we bumped into each other so. . .

"No, he wasn't," I announced. That seemed to make Kayla ease up a little. "But he did go through that elevator," I added pointing at the lift. Considering there was a sign written "staff only" by the side, I had to assume he worked at this company, and I was right because Kayla's face dropped immediately.

"Please follow me," she said apologetically, gesturing for me to enter her office, and we made our way to what I would soon realize was her restroom. Talk about company privileges.

Now here I am, stuck in a manager's restroom as Kayla tries to clean my blouse with a wet napkin. I face up to the white ceiling, wondering why my life is always a mess. Nothing seems to work for me, and even when it does, someone always appears to ruin all my hard work, like they have some disastrous port key specifically meant for me. 

"Ugh!" I shriek loudly, oblivious to poor Kayla who flinches at my sudden outburst.

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"Sorry, did I pinch you?" 

I shake my head."No. You just helped me a lot, but I think it'll be better if I finish the rest of the cleaning at home. This won't be coming off without a bit of washing powder and a machine," I say pointing at my clothes.

Kayla tilts her head to the side as if she is doubting my words, but as her eyes scan me from top to bottom, she finally gets the truth behind my words, sincere or not. 

She bites her lip and says, "Well I will apologize on behalf of the guy who poured cof-" 

"Please don't. I'm okay," I cut her off and lie for no reason because I am far from okay. But it's all worth it when I see her rigid body relax as a gentle smile appears on that cute chubby face. 

"Then I'll leave you to it. Thank you for understanding," she says, making her way for the door before adding," I owe you one." 

"Then you better hire me," I joke.

"I'll consider doing that." 

And just like that, the door closes and I'm left alone with my bitterness. I peek at my clothes, hoping they'll magically look clean, but of course, that's just my wishful thinking. It's only the imagery I make in my head of me grabbing the jerk's neck and snapping it into two that calms me. 

He better pray we don't cross paths again. 

"Fuck my life," I say to no one but myself, taking makeup wipes from my purse and removing the other half of the makeup off my face all whilst cursing silently. After adjusting my clothes and covering the stained parts on my clothing (not that it helps), I come out of the restroom and head for the elevator. Luckily there's no one inside and I press the first floor button that leads to the mall below.

As expected, once I step out of the elevator into the mall, people gawk at me, and it doesn't help that everywhere I go there are pieces of the trending fashion by Adder. It makes me look ten times crazier. After all, this mall holds fashion pieces from the most prestigious clothing and jewelry company in Africa—Adder, a brand that receives critical acclaim not only in Africa but around the world.

Rumor has it that this company is worth a billion dollars and it rivals even the big gurus in the fashion industry worldwide. Which makes me the madwoman among the respectable rich people filling this mall. Talk about bad luck. 

Thank God I talked with the security this morning when I asked for directions to the HR offices, otherwise I'm pretty sure they'd have chased me out of the mall as soon as I stepped inside. I manage to exit the front door in peace, but the people coming inside through the walkway still gawk at me, and I don't blame them, because even the outside of this edifice manages to humble me. 

I mean the walkway is adorned with pink rose bushes on the edges, and a well-manicured dark green lawn covers the rest of the land, with a dash of flower pots containing various types of flowers here and there. I think I spot an arbor on the far end of the branched-out walkway, and the clear soapstone tiling the walkway ground adds to the magical aura of this place. It's a natural regal entrance that needs no red carpet to look expensive which does a good job of making me stand out from the crowd in all the wrong ways.

I clutch my purse tightly and decide to make a fool of myself one more time by sprinting towards the car park, past the onlookers to take refuge in my white Mercedes. Then, like any normal person whose day has just been ruined, I scream my lungs out to calm myself. It does help me feel a bit vindicated, enough for me to turn my vehicle on and drive home in utter silence at least.

In less than an hour, I park in the garage at my house, well, our house since it's technically my grandparent's house. I've lived with the two of them ever since I was five, and since then, I've never thought of finding a new place and living on my own. Not that my grandparents fancy the idea of me moving out either. I only ever joked about moving out once, and the reaction I got from the old couple was enough to silence me to date. 

I reach for the keys in my purse, but that is before I notice how the door is slightly open, so naturally, I think that my grandparents are back from work, to which I grimace. I can already picture Grandma making a fuzz about my stained clothes. The thought alone makes my belly grunt. 

However, when I open the door, Grandma's prying attitude seems like a much better alternative instead because right in front of me, sitting on the couch are the Adams siblings—our neighbors and my best friends. I met them a day after I started living with my grandparents when their parents had left them at ours to attend their business trip. 

Apparently, my grandparents took care of the brother and sister whenever their parents were gone, and since I came into the picture then, the vice-versa began to occur whenever my grandparents had business to attend to, which led to a quick bond between the siblings and me that lasts to this day. 

At first glance, the two seem like twins since they share the same light brown eyes, black hair, and fair tanned-white skin (although Mary's skin is much smoother than her brothers), but after looking much more closely, one can tell that Jerald is older than us, although it's only by four years. 

The two don't seem to notice when I enter since their eyes are glued on the TV, and when I follow their focus, my purse drops to the ground. They're watching the new episode of the Demon Slayer anime that dropped last night, the same episode they promised to watch with me once I return from my interview. Of all the ways to betray me, they just had to choose the most offensive one.

All three of us love anime, and that love has grown so much that we even read manga together and have some action figures of our favorite characters, so to see this kind of conspiracy is even more offensive than them telling my secrets to the world. As if to mock me, the credits start to roll and the siblings grunt together in denial. 

"Damn!" Mary cries, "Now we have to wait a whole week for a new episode."

"Tell me about it," Jerald asserts his sister's words, " I feel like flying to Japan and paying the director to drop the next episode tomorrow."

" At least you guys watched it already, what about little old me?" My comment makes both of them flinch before they turn all their focus on me in a swift simultaneous 180 turn.  

"Hi Iri- whoa, what happened to you?" Jerald asks. 

" Betrayal. How dare you-"

" I think he's talking about that," Mary points at my clothes. 

All of a sudden, my anger dissipates and I look at my now-clotted clothes. The coffee has dried by now. "I bumped into a guy who was holding coffee so the whole lot got dumped on me," I quip, " but don't change the topic."

I'm too late with adding my last commentary because Mary jumps over the couch and starts making her way towards me. "Who was it?"

I shrug, "I don't know."

"Then does he work at the company? Did he have a name tag on his suit? Do you remember his face?" 

"Geez you idiot, one question at a time," Jerald says coming to my aid. " Let her answer slowly so that we know all the details," he adds, hovering over Mary and me whilst glaring before hissing, " This is when you answer her questions, Iris."

I blink at him, then avoid meeting his eyes altogether as I find myself reminiscing about that jerk's face again. Damn him for being so good-looking, I would have settled the score with him immediately had it not been for that face. Now here I am being roasted like I was in the wrong. 

"Iris!" Mary snaps me back to reality and I flinch. 

"W-well, I don't remember his face clearly," I lie.

" Damn!"

" Lucky son of a bitch," Jerald cements his sister's remark."Well, there's no use stressing over spilled coffee. Remember that we have dinner with the guy who might be your boss in the future Iris so be ready by five," Jerald adds as he turns toward the kitchen. 

" Don't think I'll forget about you guys watching Demon Slayer without me!"

" Well, consider me creating connections for you an apology honey, " he retorts. I cross my arms and do a neck roll with an attitude to which he sticks his tongue out. Although I must say, I am grateful to him even though I'm being childish. 

With connections like his and my grandparents, I was able to land an exclusive interview at a prestigious company. Now all I need is one more push and I'll be good to go. 

" Then I'll go watch Demon Slayer too before I groom myself, " I shout at Jerald, " and you, " I add pointing at Mary, " you have to pay for the backstabbing. "

" Yes. I will, " Mary answers robotically. 

With that, I stomp my way upstairs to my room because even though I had a bad day at the company with the coffee jerk, life goes on—always.

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