My Babysitter

Chapter 4: You Are Fired

JOYCE’S POV

I needed to go home to deliver groceries to my sister and give her money for her school fees. She had a project at school, and I didn’t want her to worry about it. I left early because I didn’t want to face my boss due to his bad attitude.

That night, when he grabbed me, I noticed a gun tucked into what looked like a belt around his waist. His jacket was slightly open, revealing two hidden guns. From that first glance, I realized their lifestyle wasn’t normal. They might be involved in illegal activities, perhaps even a drug syndicate. I wasn’t sure, but I had a gut feeling they weren’t good people. Still, I couldn’t stop admiring my boss. Why did I feel this way about him despite everything? Was I losing my mind?

“Sister, I have something to pay at school because we’re doing a project. I need to contribute 50 dollars, but I’ve run out of money. The remaining money I have is for my allowance tomorrow,” my sister said.

That’s why I was there to give her allowance and the money she needed for her project. I handed her 100 dollars and told her to keep the change for her allowance.

“Sis, my classmates and I have plans. Is it okay? We’re doing the project at Mitch’s house because we don’t have a computer here,” she said.

“It seems like you’re spending a lot of time with your friends, huh? You might just be hanging out,” I teased.

She immediately denied it and asked me to trust her. After giving her the money, I cooked something for her to eat before she went to school.

I love my sister dearly and am doing my best to provide for her. She’s the only family I have left. We’re orphans now, and though we have relatives who are well-off, our father’s siblings, we’ve never met them. They live abroad, and I don’t know why our parents distanced themselves.

Our parents were mugged and stabbed by heartless drug addicts. The police caught and killed the assailants in an alley in Rose Avenue, but our parents didn’t survive the attack. They were declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Someone paid for their burial and arranged for them to be laid to rest in an expensive private cemetery with a mausoleum. The hospital said it was the Imperials who covered all the expenses, but they never introduced themselves to us. They didn’t even attend the funeral.

Growing up, I overheard my father mentioning that my mother’s family, the Aguirres, were enemies of his family, the Imperials. I never understood what he meant. Out of curiosity, I’ve tried searching for the Imperials and Aguirres online, but I didn’t find much. I suspect the Imperials who paid for my parents’ funeral might be related to us, but I can’t be sure.

I sighed and glanced at the clock. It was already noon! My boss would surely lose his temper again. He got furious last night because I didn’t feed his children. I thought he wanted to do it himself, so I stood by the highchair. He yelled at me as though he’d been feeding me since childhood.

I hurriedly packed the leftover food into a lunchbox and put it in the fridge for my sister to eat later. I left immediately, taking a bus to get back to the mansion faster than a train would have allowed.

At the village entrance, the guard let me in, and I ran all the way to the Dux mansion.

“Oh my goodness, Joyce! Where have you been? Why are you only getting back now? Sir has been furious because only the two nannies are here. You said you were just dropping off your sibling’s allowance, but look! It’s already two in the afternoon!” scolded Miss Esther.

I bowed my head in shame. She added, “Go inside! Sir has been angry for a while now.”

Feeling guilty, I entered the mansion and found my boss in the reception room with his friends, drinking. They all turned to look at me, and I felt Sir Hugo’s fiery gaze burn through me.

“How dare you slack off during work hours! Is that what you do when I’m not home?” my boss shouted angrily. My knees trembled with fear.

“S-Sir, I’m sorry. This doesn’t usually happen. I was delivering money to my brother for his school fees. It won’t happen again,” I stammered, unable to meet his gaze.

“It won’t happen again because you’re fired!” he declared.

His words shocked me. I couldn’t lose my job now; my sister’s tuition fee was due, and if I couldn’t pay, she’d be expelled from school.

“Sir, please don’t fire me! I won’t do it again. Please, have mercy,” I begged, moving closer and grabbing his arm, but he shook me off.

“Don’t touch me!” he snapped, causing me to step back in fear.

“Bro, she asked for forgiveness. Give her another chance. You know she has a sister in school. Maybe something happened at home, which is why she got delayed,” one of his friends interjected.

“What do I care if something happened at her house? She has a job here and should focus on it,” my boss retorted angrily.

Another man chimed in, “Fine, let her work for me instead. She’s quite beautiful. I need help at my condo anyway.”

My eyes widened in surprise, and I quickly thanked him.

“Shut up! She won’t work for you, i***t!” my boss snapped. He turned to me. “Go bathe the kids.”

I froze, unsure of what to do.

“Move it!” he shouted again, and I panicked, running upstairs.

His friends erupted in laughter. I wasn’t sure if they were laughing at me or something else, but I didn’t care. As long as I still had a job, I wouldn’t let this happen again. I needed the money for my sister’s education.