Chapter 164: I’m Not Taking The Job

Oril

The leather passenger seat of Augi’s vintage sedan creaked as we hit a pothole, the hum of the engine doing very little to ease the nervous, jittery energy humming through my veins. I leaned back against the headrest, staring down at my phone screen as the map GPS recalculated our route for the third time in ten minutes.

Augi gripped the steering wheel with both hands, taking a sharp left turn before casting a sidelong, suspicious glance at me.

"Tell me again why you’re coming to work with me?" Augi asked, his brow furrowing as he checked his side mirror. "Or rather, why I’m driving you to the rink?"

"You know it’s for my job, dude," I grumbled, tapping my fingers against the dashboard. "You know I need to get to my job."

"Why is your job at Falcon’s Rink?" Augi shot back, shaking his head. "I didn’t even know the rink was hiring?"

I rubbed my thumb over the glossy glass of my phone, scrolling frantically through a messy chain of automated confirmation emails, contract attachments, and vague HR instructions. My head was practically spinning. I still didn’t even know what the exact title or scope of this job was. Everything had happened so fast after that initial phone call a week ago.

"I don’t know," I admitted, squinting at the fine print on my screen. "My job just told me to come to Falcon’s place today. It has something to do with my job that I’m still trying to figure out what it is... but I think it’s an assistant manager. I’m just not sure."

Augi let out a sharp, incredulous laugh, incredulous as he glanced over at me at a red light. "How on earth did you get a job that you don’t even know what it is?"

Because I’m so damn lucky, that’s why.Because after getting flat-out rejected by six corporate firms for bogus reasons, I need to win.

It didn’t take long before Augi pulled the sedan into the sprawling asphalt parking lot of Falcon’s Ice Rink. The only reason he was even here in the first place was because, for some strange reason, he wanted to improve his craft before the new sports season officially kicked off. With New Year’s only about a month away, he was suddenly on this wild self-improvement kick.

As Augi coasted past the front rows of parked vehicles, looking for a spot near the main entrance, my eyes caught a sleek, dark aston martin parked right near the front doors.

Augi slammed on the brakes, staring at the vehicle. We both blinked, recognized the license plate, and looked at each other at the exact same second.

"Why is Oracle here?" we both blurted out in unison.

Augi shifted the car into park, turning off the ignition as he stared at the dark SUV. "That’s definitely his car. Hey, maybe he’s there to support you on your brand-new day at work!"

I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Come on, I know my brother. He does not support anyone."

Oracle supporting me on a job? I thought, snorting silently as I unbuckled my seatbelt. The guy barely talks to us at home anymore. He’s not here for my moral support; he’s probably just idling around like a giant dark cloud.

We grabbed our bags, pushed through the heavy glass doors of Falcon’s Ice Rink, and stepped into the chilled, cavernous interior. The sharp smell of cold ice, ozone, and floor wax hit my nose instantly.

From down on the central rink, the rhythmic, razor-sharp scraping of steel blades cutting through pure ice echoed off the high rafters.

Augi and I walked over to the low barrier framing the rink, resting our arms on the ledge. I looked out onto the ice, and my heart did an unexpected, violent stutter in my chest.

Skating across the pristine white surface was Lorali.

I froze, my jaw going slightly slack. I hated her with every fiber of my being, but watching her move on the ice was... unexpected. It was glorious. She moved with effortless, terrifying precision, slicing across the rink in fluid, sweeping arcs. She executed a sharp, blinding triple turn, her body extending into a pose so clean and flawless that it didn’t even look real. Every edge, every jump, every landing was mathematically perfect.

A few feet away from her stood a short woman in a heavy winter coat, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she glided smoothly on skates, tracking Lorali’s every move like a hawk.

"Tighten up that core on the exit!" the woman called out, making small circular motions with her gloved hand as Lorali glided past her. "Your entry on the double axel was sloppy! Do it again!"

I leaned closer to Augi, lowering my voice. "Is she good? I’m not sure... she looks good."

Augi scoffed, staring out at the ice with wide eyes. "She is not just good, Oril. She is extremely good. I mean, I could never move on the ice like that if I wanted to."

I smirked slightly, casting a glance over at Augi’s massive frame. "Isn’t that just because of your size?"

Augi snapped his head toward me, glaring. "Oh, just shut up. You don’t know anything about skating." Before I could reply, Augi leaned over the barrier, waving a broad hand toward the woman in the winter coat. "Sash! What’s up?"

The lady sash, turned her head at the sound of her name, her sharp eyes scanning the barrier until they landed on us. "Oh, Augustus," she said, her voice carrying easily across the hollow rink. She glided casually over to the ledge, stopping right in front of us. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I’m just here to freshen up my skates," Augi said smoothly, tapping the blade bag hanging over his shoulder.

Sash’s gaze shifted past Augi, landing directly on me with an inquiring look. "And you are?"

"Oh, I’m Oril," I said, stepping up to the ice barrier and lifting my hand in a polite greeting. "Oril Spade." Sash’s eyes lit up with instant recognition. "Oh! The assistant manager!"

I blinked, a sudden wave of confusion washing over me. "Yes... how do you know that?"

"Well, you’re my assistant manager," Sash said naturally, adjusting her scarf. Then she corrected herself, shifting her stance to point a gloved finger over her shoulder toward Lorali, who had stopped her routine and was now gliding slowly toward the barrier. "Well, not my assistant manager. You’re her assistant manager."

My entire brain slammed into a brick wall.

What?!

The air left my lungs in one cold, agonizing gasp.

No way, my mind shrieked, every nerve ending in my body screaming in horror. No damn way! I am NOT her assistant manager! I can’t be her assistant manager! I am NOT working for her, never! I would rather die! In fact, poverty must find me right now, strip me of every cent I have, because I will NOT be working for Lorali Alma! NEVER!

Before I could even open my mouth to voice the absolute panic exploding inside my chest, Augi burst into a loud, obnoxious laugh beside me.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting," Augi wheezed, shaking his head in delight at my horrified expression. He turned back to Sash, entirely unbothered by my impending emotional breakdown. "Hey Scarlett, I need the ice. I’m heading to the back to change."

Scarlett frowned slightly, looking at her watch. "Now? You need the ice now?"

"Yeah, I am trying to change my life here, Scarlett," Augi said dramatically, tapping his chest. "Help me out! I’m trying to finally start winning something this season!" ℯ𝔴ℯ

The woman also known as Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. "Fine. We’ll be done in ten minutes."

"Good," Augi beamed, giving my shoulder a mockingly sympathetic pat before turning around. "Good luck, Oril!" he called out, chuckling as he headed down the concrete hallway toward the locker rooms.

Scarlett turned her full attention back to me, taking a clipboard out from under her arm. "So, I have a schedule out back for you, and a few key schedule details that we can start talking about right now—"

"I don’t think I can take this job," I blurted out, stepping back from the barrier like it was coated in acid. "I... I didn’t know that I was going to be an assistant manager for her."

Scarlett stopped, her brow furrowing in genuine confusion. "I don’t understand. What do you mean?"

Just then, Lorali skated up to the barrier, resting her forearms on the padded top. Her cheeks were flushed red from the cold, a few stray purple hairs clinging to her forehead. She looked between Scarlett and me, her brown eyes sparkling with a sudden, mischievous glint.

"What’s happening?" Lorali asked, her voice light.

"Oh," Scarlett said, gesturing to me with her pen. "This is your new assistant manager. Well... he was going to be your assistant manager, but for some reason, he says he doesn’t want to be your assistant manager."

Lorali tilted her head, a wicked, amused smirk slowly spreading across her face. "Really? You’re my assistant manager?"

I crossed my arms tight over my chest, pulling my shoulders back and glaring down at her with an attitude. "If you missed it, I said I was not going to be your assistant manager."

Lorali didn’t even flinch. In fact, her smirk only grew wider, her eyes gleaming with utter bratty confidence. "Oh, come on. No, you’re going to be my assistant manager. I want you to be my assistant manager."~

I sneered at her. "We just don’t get everything we want in this world now, do we?"

Lorali leaned over the barrier slightly, throwing her chin up. "Well, I do. I don’t know about you, but I always get what I want."

Without waiting for a response, she spun around gracefully on her blades, pushing off the barrier and gliding effortlessly back into the center of the rink.

This girl! I fumed internally, my hands clenching into tight fists in my coat pockets. Yeah, of course she gets what she wants! She always gets what she wants! Torin always gives her whatever she asks for! Of course she’s smug! I am NOT doing this!

I turned back to Scarlett, keeping my voice as firm as steel. "I’m not taking the job."

Scarlett looked entirely bewildered, glancing back and forth between me and the rink. "Well... yes, but she’s saying you’re taking the job—"

"And I’m saying I’m NOT taking the job!" I snapped.

From the middle of the ice, Lorali’s voice echoed loudly across the empty arena: "HE’S GOING TO TAKE THE JOB!"

"I’M NOT!" I screamed back at the top of my lungs.

I spun on my heel, turning my back on the ice, on Scarlett, and on Lorali’s stupid, smug face. I marched straight toward the exit doors, my heavy boots thudding angrily against the floorboards.

Now I have to start applying for other jobs all over again, I cursed silently, pushing through the heavy double doors into the bright sunlight. Because ain’t NO way I am working for her!