The Ex Wife

Chapter 5

It's been a week.

Working at Verlice Corp has been a little easier now that my boss was more lenient. I did my duties as an assistant all while staying out of his hair. His instructions were short, allowing me to work quickly and still have a couple of breaks in between.

I'm now certain that my first few days were a test for my mental and physical capabilities. He probably wanted to know whether I was going to quit because the workload was too heavy, but I didn't throw in the towel just yet.

Each day, I relished in my 10 minute break, eating slowly and savoring each bite of my lunch. Mr. Verlice never came into my office, so I didn't worry about him suddenly barging in. I would continue the drama series on Netflix and sit comfortably in my seat. I activated a timer on my computer set for 9 minutes, so I could have the last minute to put my lunch away and go to Mr. Verlice's office for instructions on my next assignment.

They usually consisted of me telling him his schedule at the beginning of the day, sorting files for him, looking over important documents, some I'm not allowed to look at, and giving him coffee when he requested it. The amount he drank was not healthy at all, and he was addicted to it. So much so that he would sip on the cup only to find that it's empty. I tried offering him water or apple juice, since who doesn't love apple juice, to which he only gave me a look saying 'the-hell-is-wrong-with-you-to-even-suggest-that'?

I gave up on convincing him to drink something less addictive and refrained from saying anything as he drank 5 cups every hour. Managing a company must be hard, but coffee is not the way to go. Of course it's just my opinion.

"Ms. Ross," Mr. Verlice suddenly said with a gruff voice, full of the stench of coffee, as I handed him the last papers of the. "Tomorrow, there will be a meeting with other company owners and professors from famous universities around the state. You don't have to do much except for keeping a good reputation and greeting a couple men or two, but it would be greatly appreciated if you could help me form deals. Of course, this is totally optional and I don't intend to force you to come. I also apologize for the stress I've put you under all week. It's hard sorting papers without an assistant and at some point I believed you were a magical being that didn't need sleep. You can leave early tomorrow if you don't wish to come."

I was baffled with his words, which showed on my face. My jaw dropped and my eyebrows rose higher than they ever had before.

An apology? From the Mr. Verlice? I never expected to get such a lengthy speech from my own boss.

The same boss that worked me to death for a week.

I suddenly pitied him. I was his assistant, and my job was to help him make his work easier, but it seems like he was stressing way more than me. Of course I wanted an early break and ran out of the company as fast as I could, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him that.

I don't know what possessed me to say what I said.

"No, no, it's okay," I shook my head, and I saw his perk up at my words. "I understand the stress you've been going through these past few days, so I wouldn't mind helping you a little more."

I really hope that didn't earn me a free ticket to unemployment.

He seemed stunned, lowering his head to look at his desk as he pondered my words. After a few minutes of silence, he looked up at me with a gaze removed of the hard one he's always put on. "I.. Thank you, Ms. Ross," he said, quietly, just above a whisper. He cleared his throat and looked at me with the same serious gaze he'd always have. "Tonight I will be picking you up, if you don't mind. I need to find something for you to wear."