Chapter 124: ERICK

There was my boss, who hadn't been home in two days. He looked like a broken man as he staggered into the house. The scent of women's perfume mixed with stale whiskey hung all over him. He didn't look the slightest bit better after getting laid and drinking himself into a drunken stupor at the club. Joshua was wasting his precious time hanging around the club with his bitches, while he let his problem with Fiona hang unresolved.

"Coffee?"

"No. I just want to sleep all day today. Don't bother me."

"Where have you been? Your phone's off. You have work waiting in Chicago. We should head back if you have nothing else to do here."

"Fuck you. I'm not going to talk business right now."

"Yeah, I bet you are. Your mind seems to still be stuck in your bitches's pussy."

"Bitches, your ass. There are no bitches."

He grumbled at the bottom of the stairs like a decrepit old man.

“So, where have you been these past two days?”

“Bar. I tried so hard to fuck them, but I couldn’t. I kicked them out after paying them two hundred dollars for a really lousy blowjob.”

“Ouch. I feel sorry for you, boss. You should have gone to the right place if you wanted a satisfying orgasm."

“What do you mean?” he growled. His voice was as rough as sandpaper.

I can't remember ever seeing Joshua worse off than he was at this point. He'd always been so self-controlled. He'd never had a broken heart before he met Fiona. After meeting Fiona, he became a very soft-hearted man, like Hello Kitty. Joshua was very sensitive. He was easily angered and couldn't focus on his work. Some of his illegal businesses had been abandoned since his imprisonment. I tried to save some of his most profitable businesses, but Joshua seemed to have lost interest in money. He was at a point where money couldn't bring him happiness. He had plenty of money to spend with the most expensive women in Chicago, but he couldn't feel the happiness he desired. He could go on vacations to the most luxurious places in the world, but his heart and mind were fixated on Fiona.

Poor him.

“You should go to Fiona’s place and work things out with her.”

"She's kicked me out of her life a hundred times. I'm not going to go to her place and beg for her forgiveness. No fucking way."

"But I'm sure you miss Mellisa. This house is so quiet without her chatter."

Joshua didn't say anything. He walked up the stairs with unsteady steps. He looked like a man who had just lost a battle.

I'm sure Joshua's longing for Mellisa was far greater than mine. After all, he was her father. They shared blood. Joshua spent a full week with the little girl and did many things he'd never done before. Mellisa brought new life to Joshua's dark life. If only Fiona knew how much influence Mellisa had on him. I wish Fiona would give Joshua another chance.

I opened my laptop and began working on the tasks Joshua was supposed to do. Being his assistant meant being ready to work twenty four-seven and taking over when he wasn't available.

He was such an asshole boss.

But no matter how much of a jerk Joshua was, I still stuck by him. He was still better than the assholes out there. I'd worked with several people before Joshua. They were crueler in giving me work, and paid me less than Joshua.

I found many emails from Joshua's clients. They needed a meeting with Joshua immediately. I had to inform them individually that Joshua was unavailable and that they should schedule meetings with his managers.

Joshua could sometimes be as fussy as a baby when he didn't feel like working. He wouldn't drag himself to work under these conditions. Luckily, he had skilled managers to handle all his work. It wasn't without reason. His managers were carefully selected. Joshua chose them carefully. If they were found to be corrupt while working for his company, Joshua wouldn't hesitate to brutally murder them and their entire families.

This happened about ten years ago. Joshua discovered his operations manager was stealing company money and collaborating with his rival. It didn't take long for Joshua to kill Larry and his entire family. Joshua made Larry watch his wife and children die in front of him. Larry was tortured for a week until Joshua finally shot the poor man dead after he pleaded for his own death.

Yeah, Joshua was that brutal to anyone who messed with him.

Damn it.

I had one document that really needed Joshua's verification. I hated having to deal with him when he was so in bad mood.

I took my laptop upstairs. I hoped he wouldn't hit me for disturbing his nap. He was like an angry lion when his sleep was disturbed.

I saw Mellisa's bedroom door open. I peeked through the doorway and found Joshua daydreaming on the edge of Mellisa's bed, clutching her teddy bear. It was her favorite doll besides the bunny.

I pushed the door open. Joshua looked up at me when he heard the loud creak.

"There's one document that needs your verification."

"Bring it here."

I watched him scroll through the documents.

"You miss your favorite girl, huh? Why don't you go to her house and try to mend your relationship with Fiona?"

"Huh, does she want to meet me?”

Joshua handed me the laptop once he had finished verifying all the documents.

“You won’t know if you don’t try. You need to shower and shave. You look like shit, man. Mellisa wouldn’t recognize you if you showed up like this.”

“Don’t make fun of me. I’m not in the mood to hear it.”

“I’m serious. Stand in front of a mirror, and you’ll see how terrible you look.”

I burst out laughing at his scowl.

“Only Mellisa and Fiona have managed to turn a perfectionist like you into a piece of shit. Now you feel the cruelty of love, huh?”

“Stop acting like a love poet in front of me. Get the fuck out. I pay you to work for me, not to judge me.”

“And be your advisor. You’ll be lost without my advice. Go take a shower, I’ll make lunch for you.”

“Tch, now you’re acting like you’re my mother, huh?”

“I’ll be anything you need. I can even pretend to be a slut for you.”

Joshua threw a pillow at my face as I winked flirtatiously at him. He kicked me out of Mellisa’s room. Literally, he kicked me so hard I nearly fell to the floor. I laughed out loud in front of the door.

“I’m serious, Josh.”

“Kiss my ass, you bastard!”