《Living with my Boss》


 Chapter 1

    "Please give me time."


    Nixon felt his anger rising as he looked at the old man begging before him. He wasn''t the kind of man to be merciful and the act of begging just gave him plain disrespect.


    "Time?" he growled, disgusted. The old man in front of him flinched back in horror. "I''m not a very patient man, Mr. Cross. I will not tolerate this failure on your part."


    "Look, I promise I will fix this. If you can just give me a few days¡ª"


    "Don''t promise something you can''t keep," he bit back. This man had the audacity to ask for more time when it had been years since he hadn''t paid him back. Despite his anger, Nixon remained calm and serious. Deep down, he knew he was about to lose his anger. He wanted to rip this man into pieces. Rip his head off and get this over and done with.


    The huge amount of money he owed him was somewhere lost and forgotten. His time was over and he wasn''t even halfway into paying his full debt. Nixon honestly didn''t care anymore, He was making that lot of money almost every month.


    But he had rules that must be followed. Everyone knew he could be a generous man who lends money no matter how much was needed. The rule was simple: return the money in time. In this case, giving more time would be inexcusable.


    He was always true to his words.


    "Please," the old man begged, almost bursting to tears.


    Weak.


    This was the kind of behavior he would never tolerate. He wasted his time to come here and watch this old man begging on his knees. He didn''t want to see anymore of this nonsense.


    He wasn''t a man of mercy, everyone knew that. Men like him disgusted him. They knew what they were getting themselves into and they deserved what they got. People called him an evil beast behind his back and he agreed. He didn''t get this far because he was kind or honorable. No, his men chose him because he was ruthless and unbeatable. In the real world, the strongest always wins.


    "How would you like to die, Mr. Cross?" Nixon asked, standing up and looking down at him.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The old man looked up at him and shivered in fear. "I would like to die peacefully, Boss, in my sleeping bed when I''m older."


    "You are older," he replied, stating the obvious.


    "I don''t have much, but I will pay you more than I owe."


    Nixon almost laughed. The old man was insane. Nixon didn''t have time for senseless words and empty promises. Old men died quickly. In this case, he was pretty sure the old man would die before he could even pay his debt, and the debt would pass on to his children.


    Just then, a soft voice spoke, "Would you like some tea, sir?


    Instinctively, he turned his head and followed the voice. There he saw a girl standing at the staircase. Her sky blue eyes caught hers and she froze on her steps. Her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders in curls. She was wearing a blue dress, which drew out her frame, and her little feet were stuck in doll shoes.


    She had that curious look upon her face as she wandered her eyes all over his features, observing him. He could feel she found him attractive. She was so beautiful and innocent that It made him want to take her away with him, away from here. Stealing her would be the easy part. But would that make her love him? Would that make her accept who he was?


    A beast.


    It seemed the girl was deep in thought until she finally decided to walk down the steps of the staircase. She had a tray on her hands. Nixon almost laughed. Was she planning to serve him tea right when he was just about to end the old man? He might have found it funny but he couldn''t take his eyes off her, and he could see just how much this was making her uncomfortable.


    When she reached the bottom, she moved to place the tray on the small glass table in front of him. "Tea, sir?" she asked politely with a sweet voice.


    Innocent girl, he thought, judging by the way she greeted him. Anyone who knew him would know it''s a grievous offense to not respect the boss. It could even result to death. But this woman, she was innocent from the ways of his world.


    "Isabelle," the old man called, his voice quivering, as if warning her from the dangers he could bring.


    She stood up straight and turned to look at him. "Yes, papa?"


    "I''d like some tea, Isabelle," Nixon spoke up, bringing her attention back to him. He leaned back comfortably in his seat, watching her.


    She seemed surprised, and her cheeks turned prettily red. She proceeded to pour him tea. Then she gracefully offered him the cup. Standing up straight, she gave him a sweet smile, and it almost softened his cold heart.


    Almost.


    Her innocence and simplicity intrigued him. The girl seemed to be aware of the situation, that her father owed him a huge amount of money and why he had come here. He hoped she knew as well, he always gets what he wants, no matter what the price is.


    Soon as he finished his tea, he looked at the old man with a glare. "Keep your end of the bargain, Mr. Cross. Your time''s up and I want something else in return."


    "I don''t have much, Boss. I have nothing¡ª"


    Nixon slammed his fist on the small glass table in front of him. The glass shattered and broke into pieces. His sight had darkened and he watched as the old man flinched back in horror.


    "I want her."

 Chapter 2

    Isabelle watched the man standing in their living room. An eerie silence filled the air as he looked around, a demeaning look on his face. He was about six feet tall, and really big. Although he couldn''t see her, she didn''t think she had ever seen someone so scary. Although his face didn''t resemble the look of a beast as anyone would say so. She could say he even looked quite handsome for a man in his profession.


    When he punched the glass table and it broke, she was shocked that a man could do that in anger. "I want her," he stated, looking at her.


    Isabelle was speechless for a moment. What could he possibly want from her? She knew for sure that he knew they didn''t have enough money. And even if he wanted her, a handsome man like him could get any girl he wanted. Prettier and sexier girls for that matter.


    "I''ll provide her food and a roof over her head as long as..," he looked at her then, his eyes burning with something she didn''t recognize. "You''ll be my maid."


    She didn''t agree at all. Even her father was not in favor. But she remembered what the man had spoken earlier. How would you like to die, Mr. Cross? Her father had told her what kind of man he was. But he didn''t tell her everything. Like why did they call him Boss? Why did he always have bodyguards and a black tinted car?


    Her father tried his best to not get her in trouble as well but it was too late. She had to interfere. Isabelle wouldn''t risk her father''s life. She would do anything to save him.


    "Take me instead, Boss," her father pleaded. "This is my fault. I should be the one to carry the burden."


    The handsome stranger stood up, looking down at him with fierce eyes. "I have no use for an old man like you."


    Isabelle quickly rushed to her father. "Papa, it''s alright. We made a bargain and it''s only right that we keep it. Even if it''s not in our favor."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Her father sighed. "You''re right."


    "It''s time to go, Miss Cross," the man interrupted. "My offer only stands now and I have other matters to attend to."


    Isabelle couldn''t help but glare at him, her hands turning to fists. "Yes, sir. I''ll just say goodbye." Then she turned to hug her father. Isabelle hugged him tight. Who knew that at this moment she''d be leaving her father? She didn''t even have the chance to treasure her last moments with him.


    "Don''t forget to call me, Isabelle," her father reminded.


    "I won''t forget, Papa."


    With one last farewell, Isabelle faced the man. She tried her best to remain brave. There was nothing she wouldn''t do just to keep her father from danger. Even if that meant putting hers in trouble. Isabelle left her home with sadness in her eyes.


    "Are we leaving, Boss?" a bodyguard asked as soon as they got out of the front door together.


    The man they called Boss nodded his head and they opened the back door. Isabelle was shocked to see him sitting beside her on the backseat. With a nervous feeling, she looked up at his side face. Even in that angle, he looked handsome. Who knew a man like him could be this cold and mean? Perhaps she should stop judging people based on their appearance.


    "Wait a minute, how can I make sure you won''t do any harm to me?" she questioned, putting on a fierce face.


    "You have my word, Miss Cross. No harm can ever come to you as long as I live."


    Isabelle assumed he was a man of his word. It was obvious from the way he talked and in the way he dressed himself. "What about the payment? How much will you pay me?"


    "Let me think.. How much I''ll pay you depends on your performance as my personal maid. Since you owe me more than half a million dollars, you''ll have to work hard. If you''ll strictly follow my rules and please me, I''ll pay you a generous amount."


    Please him? Isabelle thought. What exactly did he want her to do? She wasn''t used to this kind of treatment but she was a kind girl and she wanted to do what was right. Still, that wouldn''t excuse the way he was treating her. Just because they owed him money didn''t mean he could treat her like this.


    "So if I''ll pay you 50 per day of work," he continued, "you''ll be working for me your whole life."


    Shocked, she looked at him speechless. "Wait, what?!"


    "But like I said.. That depends on your performance." He looked at her then, his brown eyes drowning her in. "You should rest first. The ride will be long. We''ll talk more when we get there."


    Rest? She couldn''t even relax with him beside her! She thought it was kind of ironic. "Where exactly are we going?" she asked finally.


    There was a moment of silence before he said, "Where you belong."