A Contract Marriage with My Professor

CHAPTER 5:

JILLIAN'S POV

"AAAHHHHH! SO ANNOYING!" I screamed loudly as soon as I got back to the boarding house.

I felt like the veins in my neck were about to burst because of how loud I was. I didn't care if anyone heard me, not even the landlord. I was feeling so many emotions at once that I simply had to let them out.

"Jillian, what's wrong?" Roxane asked with concern.

I had left the boarding house earlier to buy some groceries. However, I ended up buying a puppy instead because of a kid I met. The child had begged me to buy Whitey because there was no one left to look after him. Since I felt pity, I bought the dog. I loved animals and couldn't resist how cute the puppy was. Back in the province, I used to take care of cats, dogs, and even chickens.

"I met a man. He is so arrogant! I only asked for an apology, but he was so full of himself!" I snapped, explaining my anger.

I didn't know his name, but his body looked familiar. It felt like we had met before, but I wasn't sure if I was just imagining things.

"What exactly happened? And wait, why do you have a puppy? Don't you know the landlord forbids pets?" Roxane asked as she caught sight of the dog.

That was right, pets were not allowed. I knew the landlord would scold me, but my conscience wouldn't let me leave the puppy on the street. No one else wanted to adopt him, so I took him in. I had a soft heart, even if I certainly didn't show that kindness to that man earlier.

"I felt sorry for this puppy, I couldn't just leave him on the road. Anyway, I'm upset because he almost got hit by a car," I continued.

The puppy had slipped from my hands and ran into the middle of the road. He was almost hit. It was partly my fault for being careless, but I couldn't stand that man's attitude. He actually tried to buy me off! Instead of saying sorry, he insisted it was all my fault.

"Then why do you have money? Where did all this cash come from?" Roxane asked, noticing the money in my hand.

I suddenly remembered the five thousand pesos he had given me. Yes, I still took the money. It would have been a waste to leave it on the street. I realized I could use it to buy food for Whitey and help pay my rent.

"He gave it to me. He said it was his payment, so I would stop talking," I said with a pout.

I felt a bit embarrassed because I had let myself take the money after acting so proud in front of him.

"Well, there you go. You should forgive him then. It's rare to find someone who gives money when they make a mistake. Others would just run away. You should be thankful; that's a lot of money," Roxane said, lecturing me.

She had a point. Even if he was rude, he was willing to pay for his mistake. But that didn't mean we were okay. If we met again, I wouldn't let him look down on me. He couldn't just solve everything with money next time. I didn't say anything because I knew Roxane was right, but my blood still boiled just thinking about him.

Later, I gave Whitey a bath to make sure he was clean. I didn't know how I would hide him. If the landlord saw him, she would definitely yell at me. Her mouth had no filter, especially when she was losing at her card games. She was only calm when she was winning.

"Whitey, stay quiet, okay? Don't be noisy, or that grumpy lady will hit you," I whispered to the dog in a sweet voice.

They say that if you talk to animals seriously, they become obedient. Honestly, puppies are like babies-very sweet. You don't feel alone when you have a dog. He was like a best friend.

"Jillian, I'm heading to work. I'll leave you to it," Roxane said.

There were four of us in the room. I wasn't close to the other, they also worked at a call center like Roxane. I thought about applying for a call center job, too, but I knew it would be hard to adjust since school was starting soon. I didn't know my schedule yet because I hadn't received my class forms.

The day ended after so much had happened. I survived, and I was slowly getting used to the people in the city. I knew they were very different from the people in the province, but I was adjusting little by little.

The next morning, I went back to the restaurant where I had applied. I got the job as a server! It was a perfect part-time job while waiting for enrollment. If my schedule allowed it, I could even work during my vacant hours.

Whenever I went to work, I left Whitey with Roxane. My shift was only six hours, so when I returned to the boarding house, Roxane would head to work. It warmed my heart how kind she was to me. We were starting to feel like real sisters - like family.

"Jillian, move faster. We have a lot of customers," the manager called out.

I felt a bit panicked because I didn't know who to serve first. The restaurant was very popular and always crowded. I wasn't surprised the owner was so successful. I really wanted to meet our boss.

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied politely.

I served the food to the tables. Even though I was walking back and forth, I didn't mind the exhaustion.

"Good day, Ma'am. Enjoy your lunch," I said with a smile.

I was often tasked with talking to customers because the manager said I was friendly. In this line of work, you had to be friendly to avoid problems.

"Jillian, I need to use the restroom. Can you assist the customers coming in for a moment?" a coworker asked.

She was the greeter at the main door, so I nodded immediately. "Sure. No worries," I answered. It wasn't a hard task, and I enjoyed talking to people. I went to her position and greeted the people entering one by one.

"Welcome to Z. Restaurant!" I said cheerfully.

The place was called Z. Restaurant. They said the 'Z' stood for Zach, the owner. I was excited to meet him because I felt grateful he had given me this job. I imagined him to be a very kind person.

However, my smile disappeared when a well-built, handsome man walked in. I recognized his face immediately. I would never forget it.

"You're not welcome here, Mr. Rude," I said firmly.

I lost all my politeness. I couldn't forget how arrogant he was. If he thought I'd forget what he did to Whitey, he was wrong.

"I said, you can't come in. You aren't welcome in this restaurant if you're going to be a jerk," I said, blocking his path.

I raised an eyebrow to look tough. But the man just looked at me, completely unfazed by my glare.

"This is a restaurant, right? Anyone can enter. So, Miss, move aside," he said seriously.

"No," I replied shortly.

Our eyes met, and I challenged him with a stare.

"Where is your manager? I need to speak with her. I don't think I like the employees she's hiring," he said, looking for my boss.

He probably thought I was afraid of the manager.

"Even if you complain to the owner of this restaurant, I don't care. If I were you, I'd leave and eat somewhere else," I answered bravely.

I had been intimidated before, but I wouldn't let it happen again. I promised myself I wouldn't lose.

"Okay. I see. I'll leave then, Miss. See you again," he said, looking like he was about to laugh.

"What do you mean, 'see you again'? Idiot! We aren't meeting again!" I shouted as he walked away.

He was so annoying! "See you again," as if I ever wanted to see him! He was so full of himself and rude. He had every bad trait I hated in a man. He completely ruined my mood!