Chapter 2
1330 Words
Upon arriving at the hospital, I found my mother's caregiver absent.
It made sense. 'How can you expect someone else to take good care of your family?' I said to myself. It was past two in the morning. The caregiver had probably gone to sleep.
Seeing my frail mother lying there, I crouched down and gently stroked her graying hair.
"Mom, I'm sorry for being late today," I whispered, carefully checking her body. Being bedridden for so long could lead to poor blood circulation and bedsores.
As I expected, her lower back was red; my heart ached seeing it.
"I shouldn't have been delayed. I'll make sure to come earlier from now on so I can help you turn over properly," I muttered.
I used a damp towel to wipe her body and massaged her gently to improve circulation. By the time I looked up, dawn was already breaking.
Since there was no time to rest, I decided to head to the company early.
After finishing caring for my mother, I drove to work. Before my colleagues arrived, I had already reviewed the important documents.
I notified each department about the meeting and leaned back in my chair, massaging my aching temples.
Karen was just like a princess. Bill asked her to take over as CEO, but she never showed up.
Officially, I was her assistant, but everyone knew I was the one doing the CEO's work.
Some people envied my rapid rise, while others disdained me for moving up through connections with a woman. But I always treated every employee with respect, regardless of their position.
I understood that I was just fulfilling a contract and working for a paycheck. Ultimately, I was just an outsider working for the Moore family.
Then the phone on my desk rang; it was the marketing director notifying me that it was time for the meeting.
I gathered my thoughts and headed to the conference room. Everyone was waiting for me to start. I put my phone on silent, yet the constantly lighting screen drew the marketing director's attention. "Mr. Lambert, if you have something urgent, please take care of it first."
"I'm sorry. I need to take a call." Apologizing to everyone, I left the room with my phone, hearing whispers as I walked out.
"Everyone knows it's the 'princess' calling."
"Can't believe he can hook up with her. We can only envy him."
Closing the door, I sighed and answered the call.
Karen's shrill voice blasted through, making my ears buzz. "Andy! How dare you defy me? I told you to stay put! Where are you?"
"Ms. Moore, there's an important meeting in the marketing department this morning. I'm in the meeting now," I replied.
There was a brief silence, followed by more shouting. "I don't care. Even if you're in a meeting, get your stupid as* over here! I am the heiress of the Moore family. How could I possibly take a taxi?"
Her voice was so loud that my ears rang, and with my lack of sleep, my temples throbbed painfully.
But I still replied calmly, "Please wait. I'll be right there."
"You have ten minutes. If you're not here, you're out of the Moore family!" she demanded.
"Understood." I hung up, a cold smile on my lips.
'Looks like the guy who had a wild night with you won't even bother to take you home. Or do you just find pleasure in tormenting me, Karen?' I wondered.
I informed the marketing director that we would continue the meeting in the afternoon.
No one complained, and I didn't bother to explain. After all, my five-year contract was nearing its end.
It was time to conserve energy and plan for my future. I still needed to pave my own way.
***
After parking the car, I walked into the hotel lobby and immediately noticed Karen marching toward me. Without a word of warning, she slapped me hard twice right before everyone.
The sharp sound of her slaps echoed through the lobby.
My face stung instantly, swelling up on the spot.
She ignored it and shouted, "How dare you defy me, you piece of shi*!"
"I told you, I have an important meeting," I stayed calm.
My tone only made her angrier. "Now slap yourself and beg me to go home, or kiss your meeting goodbye today!"
With the eyes of the guests on us, I slapped myself and bowed to Karen standing before me. "Ms. Moore, please go home."
"Louder! Beg me!" she demanded.
"Yes, Ms. Moore, I beg you to go home," I replied obediently.
Finally satisfied, Karen pinched my chin and said deliberately, "This is what happens when you don't obey my orders! Now fu*k off and get the car."
I drove to the hotel entrance, where she climbed into the passenger seat like a queen. "Drive properly, or I'll throw up all over you."
I started the car and headed toward the Moore Villa.
The Moore Villa was far from the hectic pace of the city, set among lush greenery with mountains and rivers nearby. The European-style gate was flanked by four guards, and the fountain at the entrance was a towering seven feet.
As my car approached, the guards immediately saluted. "Welcome home, Ms. Moore."
After I parked the car, the butler hurried out to greet us, mentioning that Mr. Bill Moore was in the garden feeding the fish.
Karen glared at me and warned, "You'll pay for this!" before running ahead to complain to Bill.
I walked slowly into the garden, just in time to see Bill in a high-end tailored suit, one hand holding a pipe, while Karen clung to his other arm.
As she poured out her grievances, he fixed his gaze on me as I approached.
Of course, Karen wouldn't bring up her affairs with other men or her one-night stands. She would only exaggerate how I embarrassed her at her birthday party and left her behind.
"Grandpa, he doesn't care about me at all. He abandoned me in the middle of the night," Karen huffed.
"Oh, sweetheart, don't be upset. I will buy you some fancy jewelry," Bill said affectionately.
"Grandpa, what's the point of keeping him around? I want him gone!" Karen demanded.
Bill's warm smile vanished. "That's not gonna happen!"
Talking about getting rid of me changed Bill's expression, and even though Karen was his granddaughter, she had to fall silent.
Seeing her pout in anger, Bill patted her head gently. "Karen, just be good. With Andy by your side, I can feel at peace. There's no one more suitable than him!"
"Suitable? He's just a freeloader!" Karen said angrily.
"Come on, my dear, does our family care about that little bit of money?" Bill asked.
Karen picked up the fish food beside her and threw it at my face. "Grandpa, look at his stupid poker face. Even our fish knows how to beg for mercy better than he does."
Bill's expression turned stern when he saw Karen's endless antics. "It's because of your constant troublemaking. If you hadn't gotten into that mess five years ago, would I have assigned Andy to watch over you?"
Karen faltered, shrinking back in fear, not daring to continue her tantrum. Bill stood up and walked away with his hands clasped behind him.
With no outlet for her frustration, Karen turned to me. "Squat down, I'm going to teach you a lesson. How dare you make me look up at you?"
I squatted down, looking up at her as she sneered down at me. "So what if my grandpa supports you? You still have to follow my orders, you pathetic fool!"
I said nothing, just wanting her to leave as soon as possible.
"Why aren't you responding? Don't you know that makes me hate you even more?" Karen asked.
I kept my expression indifferent as she glared at me.
Suddenly, she slapped me again, venting her anger.
"You're a disgusting piece of sh*t!"
- Writer
