Dear Wicked Boss

5. A Very Considerate Boss

The next day, I was startled by the sound of my phone ringing. At first, I grabbed it and press any button on the touchscreen, thinking it was the alarm. But seconds later, it rang again, and when I opened my eyes, I realized it was still dark. It wasn’t even dawn yet. I looked at the screen and sighed in annoyance—it was none other than Garret, calling me at four in the morning.

I was tempted to ignore the call, turn off the phone, and forget about the world for two more hours. But if I didn’t answer in time, he would throw a fit, and then I’d have to deal with him in an even worse mood. Because yes, he could get worse when he was in a bad mood. Yesterday was his kinder side—when someone pissed him off, he turned into the devil himself.

"Hello?" I answered, still half asleep.

His voice, on the other hand, sounded completely awake and alert. Did that man even sleep?

"Miss Rivera, I need you to come to work earlier today," he ordered, without even bothering to say good morning. "I’m leaving for France to meet with Mr. Edwars. I’ll try to convince him again about the project."

God was answering my prayers after all.

"Thank heavens," I said, too quickly to think about what came out of my mouth.

"What did you say?" he asked in a cold tone.

Crap, I said that out loud.

"I hope you have a good trip," I replied, with a fake smile, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. "I’ll take care of everything here."

With that, he hung up. I would have been in a bad mood if it weren’t for the fact that the news of his trip made me so happy. God, I was going to have a break from that man for at least a few days. I would work at my own pace, without anyone demanding coffee, water, or some nonsense task to be done in an hour that probably only took five minutes. They would be good days, not just for me but for everyone in the office.

I got up in a good mood, happy to arrive early for the first time. I took a quick shower and dressed again in my boring clothes, as my idiotic boss liked to call them. His words from yesterday came to mind again, and I felt a small pang in my heart. I constantly had to remind myself that I had a boyfriend, that I loved him, and that he was the one I should desire. But I couldn’t lie to myself—Dustin wasn’t that sexy, not even if he tried. Besides, lately, he seemed to enjoy his job more than he enjoyed me. Even my boss, who was a workaholic, managed to find some time for s*x.

Sighing, I headed to the kitchen to make breakfast, for once, before my sister-in-law woke up. Then, I froze when I saw Dereck tiptoeing out of his room. I stepped back so he wouldn’t see me, watching him move quietly through the house until he reached the door, opened it, and left, as if nothing had happened. What was Dereck doing here at this hour? He had stayed for dinner last night, but I’d seen him leave afterward.

The door opened again, and this time, my sister-in-law came out, adjusting her clothes. As soon as she saw me standing there, her eyes widened. That was it—she had been sleeping with Dereck. There was no other reason for him to be leaving her room in the early hours, and for her to look so… freshly f****d. The shock left me speechless as I stared at her.

"Angela," she whispered, looking at me with a terrified expression. "Did you see him?"

I nodded.

"Yes, he just left."

"I…" she started but then stopped. "I’m sorry."

I frowned. I wasn’t in a position to judge her, and I wasn’t going to.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I know he’s Sam’s best friend, I know it looks bad, and I swear we didn’t plan this. I don’t know what happened to me."

I shook my head. Poor woman—after my brother’s death, she still loved him deeply. Dereck was the only man she’d spent time with since his death, the one who took care of her daughter, the one who was there when anyone needed something. Even for advice, when you had a bad day, he’d come and tell you one of his bad jokes, making you smile at least once. Dereck was a wonderful man, and I couldn’t have been happier that she was with him, because just like my brother, he was a man who loved her.

"My brother died, Delia," I said, and my words seemed to hurt her. "But you didn’t. You’re alive, and it’s normal for you to want to be with someone again."

"I don’t want to be with Dereck," she said suddenly, silencing me. "Don’t you understand? He was Sam’s best friend—it’s like a betrayal to him, and I can’t allow it. I made a mistake, and believe me, I’ll have to pay for it."

"Delia…"

She interrupted me.

"Please, don’t tell your mother," she begged, and all I could do was nod. It was her secret, not mine.

After that, she went to take a shower, leaving me speechless. I went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast before my niece woke up, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the two of them. Dereck was like family, but he wasn’t, and my sister-in-law was very beautiful—pale skin, dark brown hair, and gorgeous brown eyes. Any man who spent time around her, especially someone like Dereck, would end up falling in love with her.

When I finished, I headed straight to work, though I didn’t rush since my boss wasn’t there. I could take my time. There weren’t many people when I arrived—it was still early, and most people didn’t start arriving until eight. So I sat at my computer to answer emails when I found one already in my inbox.

Of course, it was from Mr. Garret.

From: Evans Garret

Subject: YOUR LATENESS

Miss Rivera, in the six months we’ve worked together, I’ve come to know you, and I know for a fact that you’re arriving late again.

I believe I asked you to arrive at 6 a.m.—correct me if I’m wrong—and you’ve arrived at 6:20 a.m.

If you need me to get you an alarm clock, just ask.

Evans Garret

CEO, The Group Garret Inc.

God, what an exasperating man. I didn’t know how he did it, but he always managed to find out when I did something wrong. Maybe he monitored the cameras from his phone? That seemed the most reasonable explanation. Either that or he was a jerk who knew me too well, as he claimed. I prepared to write my response, forgetting about being my usual polite self. He could go to hell.

From: Angelina Rivera

Subject: Re: YOUR LATENESS

Dear Mr. Garret,

This morning, on my way here, some jerk groped me on the subway, under my skirt. I had to slap him, which caused the train to stop, and we were stuck for over ten minutes while the staff removed him from the platform.

You know, the things we ordinary people have to endure—those of us without a private jet, five yachts, and ten cars parked in the garage.

Good morning.

Angelina Rivera

Personal Assistant to Evans Garret

Smiling to myself, I called the café and ordered one of the coffees my boss always prepared for himself. People started arriving as I tried to get my work done, listening to music softly. His response came almost immediately. Wasn’t he supposed to be on a plane? What was he doing emailing me?

Ah, of course—his favorite pastime was making my life miserable.

**From:** Evans Garret

Subject: PROBLEM SOLVED.

Miss Rivera, that issue is already resolved, and I will make sure you never have to go through that again, God forbid.

I can almost say I enjoy your sarcasm, but be careful with your words, or you might end up in trouble. I need you to send me the blueprints for the Murich House. Mr. Philips has them; send them corrected.

Also, tell Serena to prevent any leaks of Edwards' project information. I'm going to convince him to backtrack.

I’ll send you the copy of the legal contract. Read it and learn it, just in case we need it. And don’t forget to keep me informed of absolutely everything that happens within the premises. You know I find out about everything, and I’d rather hear it from you.

Evans Garret

CEO The Group Garret In.

Without thinking, I replied.

From: Angelina Rivera

Subject: Re: PROBLEM SOLVED

Don’t worry, my mouth knows how to do its job.

Angela Rivera

Assistant to Evans Garret.

From: Evans Garret

Subject: YOUR MOUTH

I’d like to find that out.

Evans Garret

CEO The Group Garret In.

Oh my God, heat spread through my body as I stared at the screen, reading his words over and over. Mr. Garret was openly flirting with me, through work email, where any technician could read it. Was he crazy? No, I was the crazy one, the one who had started it all. I was so desperate for s*x that I was starting to lose my mind.

I grabbed my phone and sent a message to Dustin to meet tomorrow night. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

I decided not to reply to my boss, that was for the best. Instead, I focused on fulfilling all his demands to the letter, just as he had asked. At lunchtime, I decided to go eat at the new fast-food restaurant across the street with Candace. We got along well, though I couldn’t say we were friends—our work prevented that. Mr. Garret didn’t like people mingling within the premises, and besides, we always had so much work that it was nearly impossible to talk about anything other than work.

When I got back to my desk, I already had at least five emails from my boss. He had just landed in France, but he couldn’t leave me alone for even a moment. Not a day went by without him contacting me, sometimes about things that didn’t even require my help. If he weren’t such a massive jerk to me, I’d say he was just doing it to keep in touch with me.

From: Evans Garret

Subject: A NEW WATCH FOR MISS LATENESS

Miss Rivera, I must admit you are quite fast when it comes to going out for lunch, though not so much when it comes to returning on time. Would you also like me to send you a watch?

Evans Garret

CEO The Group Garret In.

I pressed my lips together, seriously, he was testing my patience. He wanted to control every last minute, as if he didn’t already take up enough of my day-to-day. It was a good thing he was miles away because right now, I just wanted to strangle him. Could he be more miserable? I cracked my fingers, preparing my response.

From: Angelina Rivera

Subject: Re: A NEW WATCH FOR MISS LATENESS

Dear Mr. Garret,

Can’t live without keeping an eye on me? If you want to send me a watch, make sure it’s a Rolex.

Thank you very much.

Angela Rivera

Personal Assistant to Evans Garret.

His reply came within minutes as I finished reading Edwards' legal contract.

From: Evans Garret

Subject: SENSUAL LEGS

No, you see, I find it quite exciting when you take off your heels and put your legs up on the desk. While the view is sensual, I can’t deny it, are you aware there’s a camera pointing directly at your desk?

Evans Garret

CEO The Group Garret In.

After reading that, I immediately lowered my legs from the desk. Son of a b***h. He was watching me through the cameras, even from afar, he was watching through the damn cameras. They were everywhere—in the cafeteria, in the cubicles, in the main hall, except for private offices and bathrooms. Otherwise, we were being watched all day. Now I knew how he always knew I was late. God, I seriously wanted to strangle him, right after leaning over the desk and having him take me right there. Did that make me lustful? Maybe.

From: Angela Rivera

Subject: Re: SENSUAL LEGS

Mr. Garret, I’ll get to work immediately.

Angelina Rivera

Personal Assistant to Evans Garret.

After that, there were no more annoying emails.

***

The next day, as I was leaving the house for work, I found a Bentley parked outside. I frowned, no one in the house had a car, let alone one so expensive. We had sold everything after my brother and father died to pay for hospital and funeral expenses; without that, we would have lost the house. A man dressed in a suit got out of the car and gave me a friendly smile, but I didn’t recognize him.

“Good morning, Miss Rivera,” he greeted politely.

“Good morning, do I know you?”

“No, but from now on, you can call me Carl. I’ll be your new driver on workdays,” he said, leaving me speechless.

My boss’s email came back to mind, where he said that matter was already resolved. A driver? I thought he meant some credit to pay for a car! No one in the company had a driver, not even him or Serena, everyone handled their transportation separately.

"Mr. Garret told me you’d probably have that angry look, but I’m under orders to bring you to the office whether you like it or not," Carl said, placing his hands over his stomach.

I considered it, but honestly, I was a little tired of taking the metro every day. Besides, I was always late, and now I wouldn’t have any excuse. There was nothing like getting into a luxurious car and feeling the breeze on your face as you were driven to work. It would make my days easier, though it was a bit unsettling knowing that the person responsible for my comfort was my obnoxious boss. After all, I wanted to keep hating him, at least that way, I could stop myself from jumping on him whenever I saw him in those perfectly tailored suits.

I didn’t resist any further. I let Carl open the car door for me and got in, feeling like one of those New York stars. The ride was quick, much faster than I expected. I spent most of the time responding to emails and making sure everything was in order, which wasn’t hard since someone else was driving. Carl was friendly, though not overly talkative, so he didn’t distract me either. The best part? We were able to stop and grab my favorite coffee from my usual spot, and we arrived in record time!

As I was getting out, I saw Serena stepping out of her own car, an Audi. She was perfectly groomed and dressed, she’d be flawless if not for her rudeness. Her eyes widened like saucers when she saw me getting out of the car, with a man holding the door for me. I greeted her with a "good morning," but she didn’t respond. She stomped her way into the company as if the devil himself were chasing her, not even acknowledging the security guard.

I thanked Carl and told him what time I’d be leaving, but he informed me that he would be waiting for me inside the building, in the cafeteria. When I got up to my cubicle, right across from my boss’s office, I knew Serena was gearing up for a fight. There was a pile of documents on my desk, all in disarray—blueprints.

Blueprints were *never* disorganized. They were always stored neatly because if they got damaged and hadn’t been digitized yet, we were in big trouble. I cleared my throat, feeling Serena’s hateful gaze on me.

"Scan them and send them to Mr. Garret, properly organized," she ordered, using that tone I was beginning to loathe.

"That’s not my job," I said, because even though I was his assistant, that was something a junior intern should handle.

She leaned over the desk to look me in the eyes.

"It may seem like you’re winning, but mark my words, things aren’t so easy, prude."

I frowned.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"You think just because Evans got you a driver, you can do whatever you want, but that’s not how it works," she snapped.

I opened my mouth to respond, but she was already turning away, heading back to her own office. I didn’t understand why she was so upset—it wasn’t my idea to get a driver, and besides, what did it matter to her? It had nothing to do with her or my work. I wasn’t trying to get more benefits than I already had. In fact, my email yesterday had been sarcastic; it never even crossed my mind that Mr. Garret would hire me a private driver.

The reason behind Serena’s anger came to light during lunch. While I was eating with Candace, she told me that Serena had requested a driver for… forever. But Evans never hired one for her, saying it was an unnecessary expen

se since she already had a car she could use to get around. That’s why she was so furious, and yet, knowing that made me feel less guilty about her behavior.

God, everyone at the company was crazy, that’s for sure.