Aidan’s warning

Charles came to his house, fuming in anger. Removing the blazer ruthlessly, he hurled it on the floor. Whenever he saw Owen Reid, his biological father, he lost his temper and remembered the bitter past. He hated him from the core of his heart. His father cheated on his mother. Heartbroken, his mother left him and came to country A with Charles. 

Charles was only nine at that time, but he clearly remembered how his mother worked hard and suffered day and night to survive in the new country. But later on, his mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she died.

Ding… Dong…

His trail of thoughts was disturbed by the sound of the doorbell. Charles was frustrated, and at that moment, he didn’t want to see anyone. So, he didn’t intend to open the door and walked towards his room.

Ding… Dong… Ding… Dong…

But the doorbell again rang.

“What the…” He turned around and went up to the door. When he opened the door, he saw Angelina standing on the doorstep. He sighed in dismay and asked fiercely, “What? Why are you here again?”

“I…” Angelina was dumbfounded, and her mouth remained open. She didn’t say a single word and only peered at him dumbly. Didn’t he sound like a lovey-dovey boyfriend on the phone? What on earth had happened in just a matter of an hour that his mood became sour? Angelina became even more puzzled when these thoughts crossed her mind. 

Charles groaned and swung his hands up in the air while turning around and asking, “What do you want?”

Angelina also had enough of his grumpy temper, and her mouth twisted. She walked past him and placed the thermos on the dining table, exerting a little force. Then she stated firmly, “I have prepared shrimps soup. I thought you will like it.” She turned back to look at him and added, “If you don’t want to eat, just throw it away.” 

Only then did Charles remember Angelina’s phone call when he was in the restaurant. He felt bad for lashing out his frustration at her and wiped his face with his palm. He was angry with someone else but actually vented on her. He was distraught. 

Angelina looked at him with pain in her eyes and walked past him, but he grabbed her wrist. She stopped on the track without looking back at him. Then she heard him say, “Angelina, I am sorry. I shouldn’t shout at you. You know, I…” He held her arm and turned her around, saying, “I have been in bad mood since morning. You know me well. Sometimes I truly can’t control my temper.”

Angelina looked at him attentively for a while. He looked worn out. She sighed and said, “Well, now that you are in a bad mood, let’s talk about it tomorrow. Eat fast and have a rest. Good night.” She smiled at him.

“You are not mad at me, are you?” He had the courage to ask this when he saw her smiling. 

“No… you know me, I can’t stay angry with you much longer. If you kick me out of your house also, I won’t be angry at you for more than an hour.” Then she started giggling like a teenage girl.          

He knocked on her forehead with his finger and said, “You are too much. Well, thank you for the soup.”

“Okay, I am leaving first.” She walked out of there, but after taking a few steps, she paused and turned around, asking, “By the way, why did you call me ‘babe’?”

Charles bit his tongue and closed his eyes, nose crinkled. “Uh… I was… you know, I was bored at that time, and when I received your call, I thought, I could have some fun. You are the only friend I can enjoy my time with. Nevermind, huh…” He slowly turned to face her while saying this. He scratched his head with embarrassment, and his face also turned slightly red. 

Angelina smiled but that smile didn’t reach her eyes. When she heard him call her ‘Babe’, she even thought he was going to confess to her tonight, so she was eagerly waiting for him. But it turned out that he was joking around.

‘Charles, you fool.’ She mumbled under her breath. 

“Good night, Charles.” As she said, she turned around and left hurriedly. She couldn’t stop her tears from falling down the moment she exited his apartment.

………

The next morning, as soon as Charles reached the office, Aidan summoned him. He hurried to the CEO’s office and greeted him, “Good morning, boss.” 

But Aidan only gave him a cold look without any courtesy. Charles felt oppressed under his piercing gaze, and he started sweating even in the chill air-conditioned room. He wondered what mistake he had made that angered his boss. Just then, he heard Aidan asking, “Do you really have a girlfriend?”

“Huh?” Charles was dumbstruck, and his jaw dropped. He peered at him skeptically and asked, “Why are you asking this?”

Aidan leaned back on his seat, placing his arms on the armrests, and said, “Because I am curious. I never saw you with any woman and never heard of you dating anyone.”

Charles was even more perplexed, and he opened his mouth to ask something, but before that, Aidan said sternly, “You can’t waste your time in dating now. Don’t forget that you have to accompany Abi whenever I am busy.” 

“How does it even matter if I am dating someone or not? How can you restrict me like this?” Although Charles didn’t have any girlfriend, he felt like Aidan was unfair to him. Since Aidan was his employer, Charles was bound to obey him, but only during the working hours. He could do anything after the working hours, and Aidan had no right to stop him. He couldn’t let this injustice happen to him, and he objected, “I can do anything once the working hours are over. You can’t stop me.”

Aidan let out a sly chuckle and said, “You are my assistant, and you are bound to follow my orders 24/7. 

“What…”

“If you forget, check the agreement you signed when you joined as my assistant.” Aidan didn’t allow Charles to speak. “You are not allowed to date anyone as I have assigned you to give company to Abi. I don’t want you to be distracted by your girlfriend. Last night, you have already decided to leave Abi alone in the restaurant. If I was not around she might be ended up having dinner alone. I won’t tolerate such negligence towards my fiancee the next time.”

“What? Boss, you misunderstood. I was not leaving…”

“Enough.” Aidan raised his hand to stop him and added, “I offer you a 25% hike to accompany Abi. If you still want to date, you can just resign.” 

Charles blinked several times and stared at him, utterly stupefied. “25% hike in salary!” He murmured in a daze. He started calculating in his mind. In this scenario, he could save enough money to fulfill his mother’s dream at the end of this year, and then he could resign from this job. A smile surfaced on his face involuntarily, and he said, “Alright, I won’t date, and I will take good care of Miss Mills.”

A sly smirk appeared on the corner of Aidan’s lips for a fraction of a second, but that was replaced by a cold look quickly. He waved his hand to signal him to leave and said, “Go, do your work. And one more thing… Abi insisted on going shopping in the evening. I will not be available till late tonight, so it’s your duty to follow her. Serve her well. I don’t want any complaint to hear.”

“I understand.” With that, he turned and left. There was a smile on his face when he came out of the office. 

Abigail was getting ready to go out. Last night Aidan had promised her to take her shopping. She was happy, and a sweet smile was never leaving her face. She put on light makeup and wore a dark green spaghetti strap dress paired with matching heels. She kept her hair loose. After finishing the final touch-up, she picked up her phone to call Aidan, but before that, someone knocked on the door, and she heard a female voice, “Miss, someone has come to pick you up.”

Abigail smiled brightly thinking that Aidan had sent her a car. Grabbing her purse, she walked out of the room gracefully. When she came out of the mansion, she saw Charles leaning on his black sedan, crossing his arms over his chest. Abigail’s expression froze, and her smile faded straight away. She was stunned for a while, but soon anger spread on her face. Her eyes also went sharp. She approached him, carrying a hot air with her, and asked, “What are you doing here?” 

Charles mustered a smile and greeted her politely, “Good evening, Miss Mills. I am here to take you shopping.” 

Abigail felt a pricking sensation throughout her body to see him smiling. Her hands were itching to slap him. Clenching her fists, she glared at him and said, “I don’t want to go with you. I will take my car.” She turned to go but soon turned back and warned, pointing her forefinger at his face, “And listen, don’t follow me.” 

“But…” Charles wanted to say something, but she already strode a little farther away from him. He shook his head in dismay. This woman always challenged his patience. But he had to follow Aidan’s order and couldn’t let her go alone. He thought about following her, despite her warning.