Page 15 of Over My Dead Boss
I consider my options for a second and decide not to play my only card so soon again. Threatening to tell on him would surely not get me anywhere, especially once he figures out that I am not sure I could actually go through with that plan. After all, no one should be forced to have to interact with Isabella against their will.
“Fine, I guess I’ll see how I can be of use in some other capacity for now.”
“It would be really useful if you stayed out of my way,” he says, picks up our plates and carries everything into the kitchen.
I rush in behind him and take the plates before he can put them down. “I’ll take care of that. You just go and write your book so I can get out of here as soon as possible, alright?”
“I don’t want you to take care of my duties around the house.”
“But you want me to get out of it, right? So please, write. I got this, kiddo.”
His pinched lips and clenched jaw speak volumes. He lingers for a moment, but instead of arguing with me, walks over to his desk, taking a seat. From the corner of my eye, I observe as he opens the drawers with a key and retrieves a bunch of papers, books, notebooks, and more paraphernalia that he probably doesn’t need. Our eyes meet when he leans down to pick up a crumbled paper that had fallen to the ground. I glance away, knowing he has caught me spying on him and hope that this is the first time. Well, except for that unfortunate incident with my horn in the car.
After cleaning the dishes, I take a look around the house for things that I can do to help and keep busy. The cabin looks good on first glance, and I am a bit surprised it isn’t dirtier around here, considering how he treats his workspace. Nonetheless, when I find a broom in a hidden closet, I sweep through the entire ground floor. I also find a feather duster which I use to clean the bookshelf and his paintings and sculptures before realizing that I should have done this the other way around, so I get the broom once more which is noticed by Mr. Cyrus and commented on with a laugh which says that he is in no way surprised. Neither am I. Work around the house isn’t my forte. I guess I am lucky to be living in a shoebox. Less cleaning.Take that billionaires with your monstrous mansions and constant cleaning.I use the duster to dust some things that are perfectly dustless in an attempt to spy on him working, which he also notices right away. Without saying a word, he locks his things back into the drawer, calls for Dog and leaves the house.
As they disappear in the forest behind his home, I take a break on his couch, google a YouTube tutorial on how to pick locks and swiftly decide to abandon that idea. He is working on the manuscript. I don’t necessarily need to know what he’s writing as long as he is writing. First and foremost, I need the finished product. So, in trying to keep myself busy, I clean the kitchen, the bathroom in my room and even the one by the entrance when I hear keys clinging behind me. Figuring Phoenix and Dog returned, I grab all the cleaning supplies and exit the bathroom only to find a woman around my age, with the most beautiful hair I have ever seen, standing by the front door, clearly surprised to see me.
Oh, no. Is that his girlfriend? His wife? Does he have a secret wife?
“Oh,” she says with a confused look on her face, “are you his…”
Mistress? Side-chick? Fling from last night?
“Does he have a new cleaning lady?” she asks and cocks her head.
Right. I nod slowly and look down at myself, sweat dripping from my temple and onto my shirt. Why would his wife assume I could be his mistress while I’m cleaning his bathroom? That doesn’t make any sense.
“Ah, Liz. Sorry, I forgot you were coming today,” Phoenix shouts from across the room, having just returned through the patio. “Don’t worry, it’s not what it looks like. I am not cheating on you with someone else.”
“Right, yeah,” I agree, mumbling a little. “I am not his mistress or anything. Just working for him.”
The woman laughs and moves the wavy hair out of her face with a graceful motion of her head and I wonder how much time she must have spent to get it this perfect, while a loose strand from my messy bun falls into my eye.
“This is…” Phoenix looks at me, searching for words.
Asshole.
“Olivia,” I say, give a polite nod, and think how the bleach in my hand is going to come in handy when I need to get rid of his blood stains eventually.
“This is Olivia. She was sent by the devil herself and she’s here to assist me for a couple of days.” The tone of his voice has shifted entirely, and it appears that he can actually be friendly if he chooses to. “Isabella sent her. Anyway, I should have let you known. Sorry. How about you take the rest of the month off? Paid in full, of course. Don’t worry, I’d never replace you, you know that.”
Replace her? What? He’s paying his wife? Nope, that also doesn’t make any sense. Well, maybe, but no. She is not his wife…
Liz smiles, and even I melt a little at the sight. “Are you sure?” she asks. “I can still help if you need or want me to. It’d be no trouble at all.”
Right, she is his housekeeper. And she wants to work here? Despite being offered a free vacation? What the-
I look at her, shifting her stance a little, brushing her hair behind her ear, blinking at Mr. Cyrusand see what’s happening here. I should really help her avoid making that mistake.
“Nope. That’s fine. I’ve got it covered.” The words stumble out of my mouth as I struggle to hold on to all the bottles and rags. “Really. You should take the offer. Paid time off from him sounds like a treat if I’ve ever heard one.” I couldn’t possibly justify the suffering she’d have to endure working under him if there’s a way around it.
Phoenix laughs, only to swallow it a second later. “It’s fine, Liz. Spend some time with Ryan. We’ll take care of everything for now. I’ll see you soon.”
Looking slightly disappointed, she nods and turns on her heels. “You’re still coming on Saturday, right?”
Who wears heels to her job as a housekeeper? Maybe this is some other high-end maid service that I definitely do not want to know the details to. Does he have an escort come by once a week? Is that why he thought he could buy me? Wait, no. He didn’t think that. I am stupefied. I definitely inhaled too much of these cleaning products.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Phoenix reassures the woman with the perfect hair, and accompanies her out the door. After it closes behind her, I turn around, try to walk towards the kitchen and almost lose my balance. Two powerful hands catch me and grab me tightly before I can fall to the ground.
