Chapter 123: Funny, but No Laughing Matter

Human beings were funny creatures. Even when they knew that something was not likely to work out, even if the chance that it would be something positive was close to nothing, they still held out hope. And then, when the failure that they knew was coming actually happened, they were still disappointed, as though they did not know that it was the most likely outcome. At least that was what Emily had discovered when it came to her own experiences.

Once again, Derek had not shown up at the diner. And yet, she was still holding out hope, still waiting for him to show up, despite knowing that most likely he would not be coming yet again. She had just about two hours left on her shift. And during that time, he was not likely to make an appearance, but she was still waiting. It was hard not to. It was a slow night. So far, there were only two customers in the diner, and she did not think there would be any more coming in during her shift.

The customers were two police women. Unlike the usual members of the police who came as customers. They were not calling her around and making crude jokes, or looking at her all paranoid like she was about to attack them. In fact, they barely noticed her. The two of them engrossed in whatever it was, that they were talking about. They sat across from each other. Their foreheads almost touching. As they whispered furiously. Their food was barely touched. And Emily was just itching to know what it was that had their attention so completely. It seemed to be either very important, or it was some fairly hot gossip, about work.

Emily had to remind herself to stay out of it, that it was none of her business. No matter how juicy the conversation looked. It did not mean she had any right to know what it was that they were talking about. And so she moved as far away from them as possible, busying herself with wiping down the tables, and rearranging the salt and pepper shakers that were in the middle of each table. But even from a distance, snippets of what the women were talking about, still made it to Emily. And the longer they talked, the louder their whispers got until she heard them even when she was not trying to eavesdrop.

"You have to report him, he cannot keep getting away with this," Emily heard as she wringed the cloth that she was holding in her hands. She carried on working and then a few seconds later, something else reached her

"Are you kidding me? If I dare to open my mouth. My career is over. You know that’s the way the police station works," Emily stilled, her whole body going tense. Clearly the conversation was about one of the police officers doing something illegal. And the younger of the women that were currently in the diner knew what it was. But she did not want to report it.

Ha! It seemed that the police station was the same as any other place in the working world.

Snitching was something that was officially encouraged as a way of fighting corruption and mismanagement. But the moment you opened your mouth to report something that was wrong, that was the same as committing career suicide, you could say goodbye to any possible promotions in the future. Or worse, they could promote you and send you to a remote location where the only staff member was you and you alone. Or there was even another option, where they overworked you to the point that they didn’t have to fire you, you simply quit on your own and just gave up. That was the way things were. And it seemed even in police stations, the status quo held. It was things like that, that had made Emily not get close with any of her old co-workers at Haven Group.

Enemies formed naturally, no matter what you did. Even if you did not have a disagreement with someone, they could just decide to hate you on principle, and do everything in their power to make sure that you did not get promoted. And in the work environment, Emily had noticed one thing. Friendships were more like alliances, manipulative things that co-workers used to get ahead or to keep somebody who they viewed as a threat down. They would gang up on somebody who was doing better than them at the job, then beat them down until there was nothing left. And then they would take a promotion that that person could have very easily gotten otherwise. If they weren’t being bullied on a daily basis. That was the way of the working world, traps and pitfalls at every corner, especially in places where people had positions that they aspired to reach.

Ambition could be a very dangerous thing.

Emily had seen it first-hand. Luckily for her, Emily did not have that at the diner since she was the only waitress who worked the night shift. Plus it also helped that the cook mostly stayed in the kitchen. But she was pretty sure that the day staff had it different. They were a group of people working in a small place with few opportunities for progression. So it was obvious that there would be some tension. Therefore, even though working the night shift as a waitress, was not what she was qualified for, she had to admit that it did wonders to reduce her stress levels. She was not constantly on guard and waiting for an attack. But even with all of that, Emily had to admit that she missed her old job. Missed the thrill of it.

She missed the envy that she would sometimes see in the eyes of the other PAs, and even in other members of staff, though she had no idea what they were jealous of. Were they jealous because they wanted to be in her shoes doing the job that she was doing, or were they jealous because they wanted to be next to Derek Haven, working with him on a daily basis. Or was it because they wanted to use her position to gain some information on him. People were complex, so she had never been able to tell. But the envy in their eyes had been easy enough to read.

Back then she had never paid much attention to exactly why it was that they wanted her position. But she had known they wanted it. And she had fought tooth and nail to keep it. Claws ready, always waiting for the next attack, and making sure to take down those who dared try to come within reach. She had always kept an ear out for Derek’s sake, making sure to collect various bits of information for him. It had almost felt a bit like being a secret spy. She had enjoyed that aspect of the job.

The duo of police officers who were now making their way out of the diner had reminded Emily a bit of that life, with their conversation.

In fact, she wondered what she would have done, had she been in the younger cop’s shoes. Would she have gone to report to her superiors? Or would she have held on to the information? Making sure to use it at a moment when it would do the most damage? Smiling to herself Emily wiped harder at a stain on the table. She knew very well that she would have gone for option two any day. That was just who she was, when she had been Derek’s PA. But not anymore.

Derek Haven was not coming back, and she had quit. They were nothing more than strangers now. He had not even seen it fit to say goodbye when he had left for good. He was gone and he was not coming back. But like the fool she was. Emily knew that when her shift finally ended for good. She would be heartbroken, as though she had expected him to actually show up. Was it all humans who were funny creatures, or was it just her?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read