Joseph peered inside the cafe from the window, looking at the menu chalkboard. Looking at the prices of the food items, he knew he could not afford most of the food items like he used to. He had just been released from prison earlier that morning after serving a 6-month stint for criminal damage and assaulting a police officer, and he had not eaten anything since his release. He dug into his pants pockets and pulled out some dollar notes. "Only enough to get the cheapest sandwiches and coffee," Joseph muttered under his breath. However, he had no choice, as he only had some spare change with him, which would quickly run dry unless he found a job, but he knew that he would face difficulties getting a job due to his criminal record. Besides getting a job, he had something else in mind. Now that he had been released, he was determined to find out the whereabouts of Kimberly, the woman who was largely responsible for his downfall. However, he did not know where she was, nor did he had the slightest idea how he could find her. Joseph seethed in anger at the thought of her. She had made off with all he was worth, which caused a chain of events that resulted in his imprisonment. However, there was nothing much he could do. Joseph let out a deep sigh as he thought about his predicament.
After buying a few sandwiches and a cup of coffee, Joseph walked towards the park and sat down on the bench. As he was about to eat, a ragged man approached him and sat beside him. He looked emaciated. Feeling sorry for the man, Joseph offered him a few sandwiches. The man thanked him and ate ravenously. It was obvious that he had not eaten for days. The man, whose name is Harold, shared the circumstances that led to his current predicament. As a matter of fact, 2 years ago, Harold ran a small but profitable business, and was engaged to a woman named Cleo. She was elegant and looked like a classy lady from a wealthy family. Harold and Cleo had been going out for 6 months before their engagement, with Harold having bought an apartment and engagement ring. One day, Cleo left him a message, saying that she had a family emergency which landed her in huge debt, and they could not get married until her family problems have been settled. Harold unsuspectingly lent her the $1 million he had painstakingly saved up for their future and even sold the apartment he had bought and his business shares to make up the amount. However, she became uncontactable soon after. Harold realised that he had been cheated and made a police report, but by that time, Cleo had disappeared. Having become a bankrupt overnight, with no roof over his head, Harold ended up on the streets. After hearing Harold's story, Joseph felt that it resonated with his situation. He then shared with Harold the circumstances which led to his predicament. A year ago, he, like Harold, ran a small but profitable business. He was also engaged to a woman named Kimberly. Like Cleo in Harold's story, Kimberly was elegant and looked like a classy lady from a wealthy family. Joseph and Kimberly had been going out for 6 months before their engagement, with Joseph having bought an apartment and engagement ring. One day, Kimberly left him a message, saying that she had a family emergency which landed her in huge debt, and they could not get married until her family problems have been settled. Joseph unsuspectingly lent Kimberly the $1 million he had painstakingly saved up for their future and even sold the apartment he had bought and his business shares to make up the amount. However, Kimberly became uncontactable soon after. Joseph realised he had been cheated, but instead of going to the police, he took matters into his own hands and went to Kimberly's said residence to confront her, but the door had been padlocked. Despite several hard knocks, no one opened the door, so he tried to pry open the padlock by pulling it with his bare hands, but it did not give way. His actions, however, alerted the neighbours who called the police. Joseph had an altercation with the police officers who tried to get him to leave and, in the process, accidentally injured one of them. When Joseph came to his senses a while later, he requested for medical attention on behalf of the injured police officer and gave himself up. Fortunately, the injured police officer only suffered superficial injuries and was given 2 days' outpatient leave. Joseph, on the other hand, spent 6 months in prison for criminal damage and assault against a public servant, and he was released that morning. Being fresh out of prison, he expressed his concerns about finding employment and a place to stay. Harold patted him on his shoulder, assuring him that everyone makes mistakes, and he would still be able to get back on his feet. He also expressed his desire to look for Cleo and ensure she was brought to justice. Joseph felt that he had found a like-minded person. He stated that finding Kimberly and ensuring she was brought to justice was the goal which spurred him on while he was serving time. Harold suggested working together to find the culprits responsible for their downfall, which Joseph readily agreed to. It was probably their common misfortune and goal which led them to become fast friends.
Suddenly, a crumpled piece of paper fell in front of them. Joseph unwrapped the paper and saw that it was a recruitment advertisement posted by a prominent millionaire named Patrick Wong. The advertisement stated that the engagement ceremony of the millionaire would happen in a week's time, which he urgently needed 2 more temporary staff, and the renumeration would be $12 per hour. As both Joseph and Harold needed money, they decided to give it a try. Joseph dialled the mobile number on the advertisement. When the recipient picked up the phone, he introduced himself as Patrick Wong, the person who had posted the advertisement. Both Joseph and Harold expressed their interest in the job, to which they were asked to meet up at his office at 2pm. Patrick then messaged Joseph the address of his office.
Joseph and Harold turned up at Patrick's office as scheduled, where they were met by Patrick at the waiting area and brought to one of the meeting rooms. Joseph and Harold explained their situations as an ex-convict and a beggar respectively, which led them to the job. Surprisingly, Patrick did not look down on them. He assured them that it was common for everyone to go through hard times, but eventually everything would be okay. He asked them to report for work the next day, which they readily agreed to. Since Joseph and Harold did not have a place to stay, Patrick offered to put them up at the hotel where they would be reporting for work and paid for their stay.
The next day, Joseph and Harold turned up for work, where they were briefed on their duties. They were brought to the kitchen, where they were introduced to their leader, Rose, a temporary staff who oversaw kitchen operations, and tasked to work with Alice and June, 2 other temporary staff who helped with the food preparation and menu respectively. The 2 men got along well with their group, who did not mind their past.
Later that day, Joseph and Harold were asked to assist Rose in retrieving some food ingredients from the carpark loading bay before their lunch break. After dropping off the ingredients at the kitchen, Joseph and Harold went for their assigned lunch break. Suddenly, for some reason, they decided to stop by and see Patrick's wedding pictures. Harold wanted to refill his water bottle, so he asked Joseph to wait for him at the entrance of the ballroom. Joseph proceeded to the ballroom entrance to look at Patrick's wedding pictures, but who he saw shocked him to the core. He blinked his eyes but that did not have any effect and the vision he was seeing did not go away. The thing was he saw the prospective bride whom he recognised as Kimberly, the very woman who absconded with all he was worth. "Kimberly? How can that be?" he muttered under his breath. Just then, Harold approached him. "What's wrong, Joseph? You looked as if you saw a ghost," he asked with great consternation. But when he looked in Joseph's direction, he too was shocked. "Cleo? How can that be?" Harold muttered under his breath. Now it was Joseph's turn to be shocked. "You know her too?" he asked, but Harold put his finger over his lips. "Quick, let's go to somewhere quiet to talk," Harold said quietly and nudged Joseph by his hand. They went to the rooftop, where fortunately they did not see anyone. Then, Harold told Joseph who he had seen.
"Cleo? Do you mean the marriage scammer whom you told me a few days ago?" Joseph asked. Harold nodded. He then asked Joseph what had happened. Joseph told him that he had seen Kimberly as the bride in Patrick's wedding pictures, insisting that he could recognise her even if she had turned to ashes.
"Unbelievable," Harold exclaimed. "We have been cheated by the same woman. We have been trying to look for her, and now she is right under our noses, going by the name Mia, with Patrick being her next target."
"We should tell Patrick about this," Harold said.
"I agree, he has been nice to us all this while. He deserves to know the truth," Joseph chipped in.
When Joseph and Harold returned from their break, they were called to the meeting room, where all temporary staff were gathered. They were given a written notice, which stated that all temporary staff who were helping with the engagement ceremony would stop work with immediate effect, and their services would be suspended until further notice. However, they were each given their salary for the day. Most temporary staff seemed shocked by their sudden suspension from work, and discussion about the issue could be heard. As Joseph and Harold left the premises after collecting their salary, Rose, Alice and June ran up to them, making them promise to stay in touch, which they agreed to. Joseph and Harold went back to their hotel room where they retired for the day.
The next morning, Joseph woke up and saw a message from Patrick addressed to all temporary staff, asking them to come to the ballroom immediately. He woke Harold up and they rushed to the ballroom, where they saw the temporary staff already seated. Patrick asked them to be seated. A few minutes later, Mia appeared in the ballroom. Seeing Joseph and Harold among the guests, her face turned pale. "Why...What are you doing here?" she stammered. "Of course you wouldn't want them to be here," Patrick snorted with laughter. "You cheated them, and now you're trying to cheat me using the same modus operandi, aren't you?" He then apologized to all temporary staff for suspending them from work quite suddenly and called Joseph and Harold to come on stage. Once they had done so, Patrick explained the turn of events.
It turned out that Patrick had gone to the ballroom entrance to look at his wedding photos when he saw Joseph and Harold leave hurriedly. Sensing something was amiss, he followed Joseph and Harold to the rooftop, and overheard every word of their conversation. He confronted them about it, and they told him about Mia being a marriage scammer, and how she had previously cheated them, which led to their downfall. Even though he had just known Joseph and Harold for a short time, Patrick had a feeling that they were telling the truth. He then thought about how he and Mia had met and realised that it was the same as how Joseph and Harold met their partner. It then dawned on him that Mia was not who she claimed she was. Patrick decided to expose her, and he suspended all temporary staff to keep them safe. He then deliberately told Mia that he had dismissed staff for spreading rumours about her. Mia had taken the bait and started asking for a huge amount of money using the same modus operandi she had used against Joseph and Harold previously. Patrick's suspicions were confirmed, and he tricked Mia into turning up at the ballroom, claiming that he would pass her the cash. Joseph and Harold then revealed how Mia had cheated them. Realising that her cover was blown, Mia tried to escape, but Patrick had already called the police. She was immediately apprehended.
After the incident was over, all temporary staff went back to their normal lives. Patrick offered Joseph and Harold jobs with his company. Even though it was initially hard, they managed to get their lives back on track. Joseph and Harold also started relationships with Alice and June respectively, while Patrick quickly moved on from the failed relationship with Mia and started a new relationship with Rose, all of which progressed into marriage the following year.
