MY EX-BOYFRIEND IS NOW MY STEPSON

Chapter 5

ANDREW'S POV:

“Good morning, sir the members of the board of directors are all present and eagerly awaiting your arrival for the meeting," my secretary said as soon as I answered the phone.

"Understood, I will make my way there promptly," I assured her.

I immediately get up feeling a bit groggy, I have to be strong and hurry because I have an important business contract meeting scheduled with our clients. I knew I had to freshen up and get to work promptly to prepare for the meeting. Without wasting any time, I headed to the bathroom, splashed some water on my face, brushed my teeth, and got ready for the day. After freshening up, I headed to the kitchen and quickly had my breakfast and carefully chose my attire for the meeting. I needed to be fully prepared and presentable before heading to work..

As I was leaving my house and approaching the gate, I noticed my neighbours, a couple, engaged in a heated argument. Concerned, I pulled over to see if everything was alright. As soon as I stepped out of my car, a woman rushed over to me and sought refuge behind me.

"Please help me, I think he's gone crazy. He poisoned the cat food," she pleaded, clinging to me for support and protection.

“Don’t you dare feed the cats again? Feed the cats again. I'll kill it and put the body here.” The man shouted at the woman as he tried to come and drag her out where she was hiding behind my back.

"That's a threat and a violation of animal protection law," I firmly stated, looking the man in the eye. "Who are you, a cop?" The man challenged me. "No, I'm not," I responded, trying to maintain my composure despite the escalating tension.

"The man's face contorted with anger as he looked at the emaciated cat in front of him. "Then why do you care whether the cat dies from hunger or not?" he spat out. "Look what the cats have done, I can't stand the smell." With that, he violently kicked the tattered cotton that the cat had been resting on."

“Seriously, they won't if they're full," I explained emphatically. Before I could continue, the woman interrupted, saying "Exactly.”

"If it spreads disease, are you going to be responsible?" the man asked angrily, his voice rising in volume as he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Years back my father told me that, there was a widespread campaign to eradicate sparrows because they were eating grains. The people used noise to scare away the sparrows and also caught and killed millions of them. However, the following year, the population of lotus swarms (insects that damaged the grain crops) increased significantly because the sparrows, their natural predators, were no longer around to keep their numbers in check. As a result, the damage caused by the lotus swarms was far worse than the damage caused by the sparrows. To address this issue, they had to import sparrows to help control the lotus swarm population. As I was narrating the story, the man interrupted me by asking. “What are you Confucius or Mencius?”

"It's actually rats that can carry harmful germs to humans, not cats. Cats are known for being very clean animals. However, it's important to ensure they are properly cared for and well-fed to maintain their cleanliness.” I explained.

The man furrowed his brows and clenched his fists in frustration, his voice rising as he exclaimed, "This is so annoying!" With a heavy sigh, he turned on his heel and walked away, the tension evident in his every step."

“You must like cats,” the woman said with a warm smile as she emerged from her hiding spot behind me. “I don't like cats-sorry? I replied. "Street cats can carry many parasites, so I prefer to keep my distance. It's best to wash your hands after petting them.” I told her.

"What a complete jerk.” She muttered as she stormed off, her face twisted in frustration.

As I headed towards where I parked my car. As I opened the car door, it hit me - I had completely forgotten about the important meeting with our clients. I had already spent valuable time trying to resolve a dispute between those couples, and now I had to make up for lost time. With a sense of urgency, I got into the driver's seat and hurriedly set off towards the office, determined to make it in time for the crucial meeting.