Chapter 202 A Hefty Bonus
The clerk looked from Joshua back to Luann. He decided it was better not to get on Luann's wrong side. He brought over some clothes and handed them to Joshua.
"Joshua, you'd better hurry up and get changed..."
"You're quite the opportunist, aren't you?" Joshua hissed through clenched teeth, glaring venomously at Luann. "You want to see me make a fool of myself? Well, let me tell you, it's not happening."
Luann interrupted him leisurely, "If you don’t, I’ll dock your pay."
Joshua fell silent.
Ten minutes later, he came out of the dressing room and awkwardly stood in front of Luann.
"Go to the entrance, get the megaphone, and start calling out to customers."
Joshua managed to squeeze out a sentence. "What should I say?"
The clerk immediately handed him a small slip of paper. "Just read what's on there."
Joshua's lips twitched. "Why don’t you just record it and play it on a loop over the megaphone?"
Luann gently shook her head. "That mechanical sound is no match for the real thing. Besides, you're quite the looker. I don’t want to waste that pretty face."
And so, Joshua found himself under the blazing sun, shouting and standing at the entrance, the picture of hard labor personified.
Meanwhile, Luann had taken his previous spot, sipping coffee and enjoying cake.
She even recorded a video and shared it with the group chat.
Oh, Joshua’s such a hard worker! Note to Finance: Add a whopping ten dollars to his bonus!
The group fell silent for three seconds, then erupted into a furious discussion.
When they saw the way Luann handled Joshua, everyone in the group had their own opinion on it.
Recently, they had all really come to appreciate Luann's skills. She was no paper tiger. She was much more formidable than Joshua. And she was Myron Curtis' wife and the chairman's favorite to boot.
Who in their right mind would dare cross her if they wanted to stay at the company? Quite a few people had grudges against Joshua, and now they were mercilessly mocking him.
"I never thought I'd see the day Joshua gets what's coming to him."
"What goes around comes around."
Luann Weaver watched the comments fly across the screen and, since she felt generous, sent out some substantial digital cash gifts.
"There's dinner money for ya!"
"Whoops, wrong person!"
Joshua was oblivious that his disgrace was now a spectacle for the entire staff.
Sweat dripped down his forehead in heavy beads. He felt so hot he was on the verge of fainting.
When he kneeled at the old house, at least it was in the shade, away from the scorching sun. Now, he was genuinely suffering.
Before Luann left, she patted Joshua on the shoulder. "With a mouth like yours, you're perfect for these promotional gigs. If you ever run your mouth again, you'll be right back here."
Joshua rolled his eyes weakly, aware that Luann was getting her revenge. Finally, when the day was over, Joshua stumbled into the store. The employee immediately went to help him, exclaiming joyfully, "Joshua, you're incredible! You hit the sales target the manager set!"
Joshua did not want to say another word.
"The manager bought you an energy drink and some snacks before she left. You..."
"Beat it." Joshua's voice was hoarse.
He had spoken so much that afternoon that his throat was raw. Baked by the sun, his skin was sore and burned red in patches. It took him nearly an hour to rest before he could muster the energy to hail a cab back to the office to settle his wages for the day.
"Assistant Han, the manager said you did a good job today, so she gave you a generous bonus."
The word 'generous' did give Joshua some relief after a grueling afternoon. At least Luann wasn't all cold-hearted.
But to his dismay, the accountant handed him a ten-dollar bill.
"What is this?"
"It’s your bonus. Please take it."
"What? This is a 'generous' bonus?!" Joshua's voice rose sharply with anger and displeasure.
"Yes, Assistant Han, please take it."
Joshua looked at the crumpled ten-dollar bill and felt utterly humiliated.
"I don't want it! Do I look like I need this money?!"
The accountant, who was starting to look distressed, said, "If you don't want it, just throw it away. I have to complete the task the manager gave me."
Joshua took a deep breath and clenched the ten-dollar bill in his fist. When he left the office, he gave it to a beggar on the street.
After that, he felt much better.
Joshua checked the time on his phone and decided to grab a quick bite nearby. After all, the old house didn't provide meals for him anymore, and there would be nothing to eat if he went back.
Joshua followed his GPS to a budget-friendly diner. He was so focused on the directions that he didn't see the person bumping into him.
"Sorry, sorry."
"Watch where you're going!” Joshua snapped.
"Yeah, yeah."
Soon after, he slumped into a chair at the diner, fatigued, and ordered a few items without much thought.
The server came over with a smile. "That'll be one fifty, sir."
Joshua reached for his wallet, but...
Huh?
‘Where's my wallet?’
A flash of surprise crossed his reddened face as he stood up abruptly. He had put the money in his wallet before leaving the office! How could it disappear so quickly?
That stranger who had bumped into him earlier suddenly came to mind.
"That little... thieving rat!"
Joshua nearly lost his balance, his head spinning with anger.
"Sir?" The server's voice came tentatively.
Clenching his teeth, Joshua said abruptly, "I'm not eating."
He hurriedly left with his head down.
By the time he returned to the office, everyone had left, and the doors were locked.
Swallowing his pride and asking Grace or Emma for money was out of the question.
Left with no other choice, he returned to the beggar.
"Spare some change, please... I haven't eaten in three days..."
Joshua extended his hand. "Give me my money back."
"What money?" The beggar looked bewildered.
"I just gave you ten bucks." Joshua was a little embarrassed but grateful no one was around. "Return it to me, and I'll give you twenty tomorrow."
The beggar was stunned. "You're asking for just ten dollars back?"
"I'm out of cash."
"That broke, huh?"
Joshua could feel his temples throbbing painfully.
"And you have the nerve to call me poor? You're the one who’s begging!"
The beggar's grimy face displayed a defiant look, and he pulled out several neatly folded bills from his coat.
"See, aren't I wealthier than you?"
Joshua, infuriated, reached for the cash.
Feeling threatened, the beggar shouted, "Help! This guy's trying to rob me!"
"Just give me my ten bucks back!"
"No way! I won’t give it back!"
Ten minutes later, Joshua had his crumpled ten-dollar bill back and had given the beggar a couple of extra kicks.
"I'll get you moved on tomorrow!"
He found a street vendor and bought a stir-fried noodle dish. It was the first time he realized something so simple could taste so amazing.
