It should have been like this episode 7

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🤩 Kemmy B. Gabriel Present Another rom-nce Novel: 🤩

💔 It Should Have Been Like This 💔

👩‍💻 Book Seven: ridiculous reaction 👩‍💻

(Long chapter ahead, I guess.)

🧡 Rominic’s viewpoint 🧡

Don’t react.

Don’t scare her away yet.

Keep your hands to yourself.

Keep your eyes down.

Phineas’ words echoed in my head over and over again. I wanted to smack his head for telling me what to do, but I knew that he was only trying to help. I still needed to pretend like I didn’t know her evil intentions, but that didn’t mean I would do what he says. I would be ashamed of me if I don’t use everything I’ve got to get her to at least talk to me. I knew how to, but I wasn’t sure she would fall for it.

I purposely avoided her, but it was time to face her. “Nicky, buddy,” I rolled my eyes with a gro-n. He chuckled before throwing himself on the chair. “I brought your wife…”

“She is not my wife,”

“I am not his wife,” we said at the same time. My l-ips spoke before I reasoned it. I bit down on my lower lip, shouldn’t have said that. She scoffed and looked away. I used to always get her mad because she was cutest when mad. She would always pout her l-ips while s-cking the bottom one, eyes twinkling with emotions that made it look like a sea of stars, even if she was genuinely angry.

“You wanted to see her,” Phineas reminded me, snapping his fingers stylishly, so she won’t notice I was staring. I rolled my eyes in annoyance and leaned back on the chair.

“See that?” I said, inclining my head to pile of paperwork, “that’s your job,”

“What!” She scre-med, eyes flying wide with horror. She always hated paperwork.

“Paperwork is the end of humanity and should be illegal or an anti-paperwork squad should be made. When I become president in my next life, I’ll end the life of every paper!” She would always yell after battling with any. Never did I comment on how stupid it was and how foolish she was, the one time I commented, I ended up with a black eye.

God, she can be very violent at times.

“You have to be joking, you can’t make me do all of that! I’ll die before I finish the first paper!” She scre-med.

“Miss Amherst, you are scre-ming in my office, stop scre-ming,”

“And why should I stop? You are obviously trying to suffer me,” she cried.

“Because I’m your boss and you have to do everything I say?” I offered, not fighting the urge to smirk. She glared murderously at me, causing me to chuckle, “aren’t I?”

“Yes, Mr. Verlice,” she said through gritted teeth, “I’ll get right on it. But don’t blame me if I do rubbish,”

“Ten percent will be deducted out of your salary,” I blunted.

“Excuse me,” she said crossly, “I didn’t ask for this job, you gave it to me,”

“But,” I placed my chin over my entwined fingers and lopsided my smirk, “you need the money to buy everything you want, Miss Amherst. You don’t have a husband, you don’t have a boyfriend, you don’t have any means to provide for yourself, except if you ask your children’s father for money…”

“Over my obese body,” she growled, “I rather walk the streets unclad than ask him for money. I can easily get any job here,”

“Oh yeah?” I leaned back on the chair and swayed it a little, “go ahead then, you are fired.”

“You can’t fire me on my first day, what would I tell the children?!”

“Ur… Mommy is bad at working and so daddy fired her for being a failure?” I offered again, fighting the urge to burst into laughter from the cute face she was making. Her face was already red and I imagined steam whistling out of her ears. She gritted her teeth together as she complained and cursed at me.

Her ultimate weakness was the kids. She didn’t want them to be disappointed in her, wanted to remain a role model to her girls and a good example for her sons. She knew they all carried her with such high regards, and didn’t want to let them down. If I was to fire her just on her first day, they were likely to doubt her ability to handle a real job, or whatever she was scared of. I wasn’t sure and surely didn’t care because it was working for my good.

“How about I tell them that daddy was an assh-le so mommy had to quit,”

“Then mommy would have to explain what she did that made daddy an ass, because the last time I checked, doing everything I say is part of your job. If you didn’t know me, would you behave like this? I’m sure Zachary and Serafina would love to hear why I’m an assh-le.” I shrugged.

“This is blackmail,” she cried.

“Miss Amherst, in the office, I don’t know you and you don’t know me…”

“At home we don’t even know we!”

“Same thing, so behave like a good assistant and get the job done,” I shooed her with my hand. Her eyes glistened up. She turned her pleading eyes to Phineas.

“Please? I’ll bake you cookies?”

“Sorry, Bubble Berry, not the boss,” he chortled. She turned her pleading eyes to me. I slowly mouthed a “no”, making her childishly stomp her feet as she whined.

“This is not fair! Nobody told me this was part of my job prescription!”

“What were you planning to do? Stare at my face all day? Baby, I know I’m hot but work is work,” I said smugly.

“The only thing pretty about you is your red hair,”

“I don’t have red h…”

“Exactly,” her intention was to snatch the papers and stomp out, but I knew what would happen next. She still hadn’t change. I don’t know what it is with her and files, but they really have a serious enmity going on between them. The moment she held the files in her arms, she scre-med and fell backward, the files slamming down on her face.

I covered my mouth with my fist so I wouldn’t laugh while Phineas bit his lip hærd. “Are you okay?” I coughed.

“Help me,” she muffled. I pushed the chair backwards and stood up, still trying to control myself. She still laid flat on the floor, like she was plastered on it, the files over her face and body. I fetched her hand from the mess, sunclad my fingers around her wrist and yanked her out. I don’t know what happened. One minute I was dragging her up, the next she was pushing me down and my face was smacking the files on the floor.

“That’ll teach you to mess with me,” the delight in her voice made the pain feel like nothing. She sounded like she just won the biggest battle of her entire life. I let her have it for the sake of her sanity. I wanted to push myself up, but she pressed my head down with her foot, “quick, Phineas, take a picture of me, quick!”

Such a kid.

I brought my hand to my head and pulled her leg off. I rolled away from her and sat down, frowning at laughing Phineas. “Why are you here again?”

“Because the drama is here, not my office,” I looked at her when she snorted. She was rubbing the back of her head with a scowl.

“Ten percent out of your salary, pick this files up, get to work and before the end of tomorrow, I need a hundred page doc-ment on why I shouldn’t fire you or you are fired,” she turned her scowl to me. I smirked at her, letting her know that if she argued, I’ll increase my punishment.

“Yes, Mr. Verlice,” she grumbled, “get your ass off the files,” I couldn’t help the smile on my face. Her hands were trembling and she was doing the eye twitching thing. This was usually the part where she jumped on me and try to strangle me or pull my hair until my eyes turn red. I always made her feel like she was stronger because it made her happy to feel like she was physically stronger than I was. And I always used to wonder why I did that.

From the beginning, I never wanted to see her sad.

~~~Flashback~~~

“I don’t want to brush my teeth, leave me,” I huffed in annoyance, glaring at her as she stood in front of my home office desk, hands on her h¡ps and a annoyed pout on her face. “I’m busy,”

“You have been busy all day and the day before that and the day before that and that and that and that and ten more thats. I’ve had it with you, it’s time I take the you by the horn,”

“Don’t you mean bull?”

“No, I mean you,” she deadpanned, “now, follow me. I’ll brush your teeth, change your pyjamas and tuck you in bed and you will go to sleep like my sweet little boy,” she commanded, pointing her index finger at me. I rolled my eyes back to my laptop.

“Go to bed, woman, don’t bother me, I have to work and figure this out or… Aaaah!” I scre-med as my laptop slammed shut on my fingers. “What the f-ck, woman!”

“Bathroom, now,” I removed my hands and whined from the sting. I wh¡pped my hands to stop any numbness, blowing air on them at the same time. She stomped around to me and when she did, she grabbed my arm and tried to pull me. I angrily stared at her hand, refusing to let her pull me. “What the hell,” she murmured, struggling to pull me up from my seat. She huffed with annoyance and tried both hands. I soon forgot my anger and watched her with amusement.

After minutes, she scre-med with frustration. “What have you been eating! Why can’t I move you! I’m the strong one in this relationsh¡p!”

“Like I said, not brushing my teeth,” I folded my arms defiantly. Her eyes pooled up with tears as she looked at her hands.

“Am I losing my strength?”

Babe, you were never strong.

“But, I moved him the other time,”

I let you.

“No, I can’t give up, I have to believe enough,”

Seriously, stop thinking out loud.

“You are going to brush your teeth, baby, whether you like it or not,” she grabbed my hand and pulled me up, I let her. If I didn’t, she would cry and her tears was the one thing my heart couldn’t stand. Seeing her eyes leak hurt more than any physical injury I’d ever gotten. It was the first thing on my “must not do” list.

“I did it! I did it! Knew I wasn’t pulling well! I knew it!” The happiness on her face, the joy in her voice, the excited triumph glimmer in her eyes, there were the only true things that mattered.

~~~End of flashback~~~

But yet, I took it all away. I made her cry for years, made her go through so much pain because of my mistake. Could everything really go back to the way it was or at least, a little of it? Would she ever forgive me? What if she does but never take me back? I dread the thought of that.

“You enjoy it now, but he who laughs last eats the fattest bone,” I heard her murmur before she wobbled out of my office. I pressed my l-ips together and smiled. She was still the same even though she changed, maybe there was still hope.

“Does she realize that she just spoke nonsense?” Phineas voiced out. We exchanged look before letting the laughter consume us for that brief moment.

💜 Lavender’s viewpoint 💜

I always tell people that work is evil, but no one ever listens. Okay, maybe they are not evil, but they have something against me. Maybe in my past life, we fought a war and I betrayed them or something.

Seriously, Lavender? You are a thirty-two years old woman afraid of paper, seriously!

I gro-ned and wiped my face. I have no idea what’s my deal with paperwork, but they just get to me somehow. But I maintain my “they are evil” stance. For example, the paperwork was everything. They were trying to eat me!

Be reasonable.

I could not, never. I was surrounded by piles of work. The pile wasn’t much, really, but in my eyes, piles after piles of files and doc-ments towered over me. They surrounded my small desk and trapped me in,side, laughing evilly with eyes as scary as a Halloween pumpkin. They had sharp teeth, really sharp teeth and their eyes were filled with so much evil.

“You have nowhere to go now, Lavender,” they taunted, “just hold still for a second so we can eat you. You taste better when still.” One licked his l-ips…

Papers don’t have l-ips!

This aren’t ordinary papers!

“What in the world…” The wh0le place turned bright, an angel to save me. “Laverne, what the f-ck is this!”

Wait, angels don’t swear.

I blinked and I was back in my office, it was in a very serious mess. Rominic stood at my desk, glaring at me. I didn’t think twice, they were going to eat me. I stood up and ran to him. I threw myself on him, thank goodness he caught me fast. I couldn’t stop myself from hanging on to him because my life depended on it; on him. My body was sweaty, a sign of the battle I almost lost.

“Will you calm down,” he snapped, “I can’t believe you are still scared of this, even worse,” I glared at him through my w-t eyes.

“Paperwork are scary, you know that but you still sent me… Aah,” I scre-med when one of the papers flew past me, to cut my head off. I jumped up, wrapping my legs around his wa-ist and pressing our bodies together completely. I was shaking with fear, like honest fear. I don’t know what kind of phobia I’d call it but I had it against piles of books or paper. I wasn’t scared if the books were one to seven, but anything more than ten always freaked me out. Especially when I have to read it. Reasons why I always had beautiful C’s and D’s in school.

I never read.

The only way I passed was through the help of my photographic memory. If I didn’t have one, F would have been my middle name. I had too much nightmare of books and papers eating me. I’m afraid of a lot of things, books the most terrifying.

Or you are just stupid.

“You are the one scaring yourself, Laverne, you turn off the lights every time you are like this, stop doing it and scaring yourself,”

“I’m sorry if I value my life!” I scre-med into his face in tears. He inhaled and muttered something to himself. “Don’t let them eat me, I’ll do anything you want, I promise on all of Perry’s pretty feathers,”

“Don’t say things you’ll regret, I’ll take it seriously,” he tried to drop me. I scre-med and held on to him tightly. I could hear their voices coming closer. With him around, they couldn’t come closer but if he let me go, they’ll devour me.

“Please, don’t let them have me!”

“You are being ridiculous, Laverne, for goodness sake… Urgh! You are going to claw the skin off my neck if you don’t calm… Get off me!”

“No!” Let’s pause and talk about how fear can make you humiliate yourself. With your heart beating so fast, eyes w-t with tears and sweat drowning you, I don’t think it’s easy to think through it. My head was hurting from how much I was crying, but the fear looming around my forehead was worse.

“Okay, okay, just calm down,”

“Promise you won’t drop me?”

“I swear I won’t drop you,”

“I’ll do anything you want from now on if you chase them away,” I vowed.

“You won’t…”

“You can pluck all of Perry’s feathers and my eyebrows if I don’t do what you say,” I sobbed, “please?” What was I thinking when I agreed to work for him? PA meant paperwork.

God, I need a therapist.

Or prayers… Miss subconscious added.

“I’ll hold you on your words,” I nodded desperately. He placed his hands on my forearms, pulled it gently to loosen my grip before putting his hands down and palming my ass. “F-ck, it has gotten bigger and soft!”

“I said help me, not touch me!”

“Calm down,” he slide his hands down to my thighs. I was about to shout when he suddenly spun me around to his back, in such a fast way I only knew I was at his back when I blinked. Forgot he was dancer and knew how to swing someone like a lifeless doll. He locked my arms around his neck and turned around.

“Where are we going?”

“My office, that’s where you’ll work from now on. Giving you a office of your own was a bad idea,”

“What about the job?” He closed the door behind us and quietly walked to his office door. I sighed from the fresh air. Now I was out of there, I could breathe well and my senses were slowly coming back.

Like the f-ck! I’m on his back!

I frantically tried to jump off him, but he had his hands gripping my thighs quite tight. “Put me down, you imbecile!” I scre-med, hitting his shoulders.

“That’s not what you were saying few seconds ago,” he said mockingly.

“You took advantage of me!” I shouted, shaking to get him to let go, but he wasn’t letting go. Well, not until he scoffed and down I went, crashing on the floor like a…a…a… Sack of potatoes. “Ow!”

“Take a seat if you wish to,” he said coldly and walked out of the room. I stared after him, rubbing my ass as I whimpered. He was acting quite cold. It wasn’t like he used to be. Rominic was the sweetest… Okay, facade, I get it.

I sighed and stood up, gro-ning as the pain shot from my butt cheeks to my knees and elbows. I kicked off my shoes, pulled my sweater over my head and toss it on the leather mid-century modern sofa, the only one in the office that could fit four semi-fat people. I sat down on it and wiggled my throbbing ass for comfort.

“Bastard,” I didn’t even know whether to be angry or cry from the pain and humiliation, so I just chose both. Cry in rage. It would be so easy to kill him, we were alone after all. But I couldn’t. Working together was a bad idea, but again, I couldn’t quit. I needed to lay a good example for Zachary. If I quit, he’d know and distant himself from his father. As tempting as the situation was, I prefer not to.

I never got the love of my parents, I suffered for most of my life to earn their love and favor but still didn’t succeed. Yet, they had the opportunity to have a father who yearns for their attention and want to shower them with love. I couldn’t do that to them. Their life wasn’t suppose to be like mine, they deserve to be loved and not have any daddy issues. For them, for Zachary and Serafina, I would do anything, even if it means dining with the devil.

“Keep grinding your teeth like that and clenching your fists and you might lose your brown teeth and snap your veins,” I raised my angry tear-filled eyes and hissed at him. “Easy there, viper, save the venom for another prey,” he said with a small laugh, one I knew was fake. The smile didn’t reach his eyes, he looked like he was pained by my reaction or my tears. Either one, as long as his heart was hurting him.

I looked at his hands and my blood went cold, my rage jumped out of the window and committed suicide. “What are they doing here?” I cried.

“I’m not paying you for nothing, Miss Amherst,” he said and slammed the files on his desk, “get to work,”

“But…but… How are the files even this much! What have you been doing!”

“You don’t question your boss, Miss Amherst,” I hated the way he called me that. Deep down, I just wanted him to call me Laverne or Lavender, even if hearing it from his l-ips sounded sour and rotten… Ur, unpleasant? Whatever, I don’t even want to hear it anyways.

Are you sure you hate this guy?

Of course, I do.

Blind rage.

What is that suppose to mean?!

“Seriously, stop thinking out loud,”

“I wasn’t, you are just trying to get me to tell you what I was thinking about, nice try,” I said smugly, he couldn’t fool me. I stood up with arms folded under my br-asts and walked over to him, keeping my smug expression on.

“Aren’t you ashame of yourself? You were just scre-ming and clawing at me not to leave you few minutes ago and now you are acting like you have some dignity left,” he said irritably.

“I won’t let you ruin my day,” I said determinedly. I sat down on his chair and crossed my legs. Did I mention my eyes were close? Well, it was. I opened my eyes and caught him red-handed. He was staring at my chest, eyes burning with the desire I knew too well. I took a quick look at my chest and admit I won’t blame him. I forgot I was only wearing a cropped camisole and my br-asts were literally spilling out.

I quickly dropped my hands from there and clapped it. “Eyes up here!”

“F-ck,” he gro-ned, running his fingers into his hair and messing up my master… Oh. “This is s€×ual harassment,”

“Nobody told you to look,” I scoffed, angrily dragging one file.

“Your b-obs were literally winking at me, what was I suppose to do? Ignore it?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, have you seen your chest in the mirror? Not the dry dairy I knew,” I raised my eyes from the file to look at him with wide shocked eyes. He had a “uh oh” expression on his face.

“You thought my chest was dry?”

“Not exactly…”

“You told me my b-obs were perfect! How could you lie to me!” Everything with him has been a lie, every single f-cking thing! “What other lie about my body did you tell? How you love how my ass tighten or how I’m the best s€× of your life!”

“That last part is true actually, you still remain the warmest and tightest f-ck of my entire life,” he had the audacity to shrug, brushing the topic and my hurt anger off with such gentle ease. I didn’t know if I should scre-m, strangle him or be embarrassed. All those years… What other lie!

“I hate you so much, Verlice, so much,” I growled shakily. To think I use to love this man. And to think my face was flushed from embarrassment and anger.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, feigning sincerity. As if he could fool me.

“Shove it up your ass… Don’t you dare say it,” I threatened, remembering he would always make a witty or dirty remark after I say something like that. He bit down on his smile, his beautiful… Urgh! Cut it out! “Just leave, please!”

“Can you handle being alone?” He smirked.

“When have I ever needed you?”

“I don’t know, ask the files in front of you,” he said, laughing as he turned to really leave me. My heart skipped with fear. I jumped to my feet in alert.

“Where are you going? I was kidding!” I gulped drily, eyeing the wicked heap of papers. He about-face to me with a grin. How someone can maintain a gentle yet teasing grin was just unexplainable to me.

“Since you asked nicely, okay.”

Oh, my dignity.

He helped me work and I have to say it was not the easiest. I was so conflicted, shaken, scared and angry. His face was close to mine as he showed me what to do, he was literally breathing on me and causing feelings I hadn’t experienced for years to stir awake. His rich coconut milk cologne intoxicated me, almost made me feel like I was swimming in the high and the high flowed all the way down to my s€×. My entire body and system was shaken by the new development, the old dead feelings coming to life. Conflicted as I tried to battle with the rising emotions, to keep them buried where they ought to be.

The wh0le thing made me scared, scared to face the bitter truth slapping me in the face and the confliction and fear made me furious, but yet the rage was only from within. I wanted to scre-m and yell alright, I wanted to hammer his head over and over again, but the urge to throw myself on him was stronger and if he was some kind of animal, he would have perceive the war going on down there.

This is ridiculous!

“And done,” he announced, standing straight. I could finally breathe, my chest had been heaving unknown to him. He didn’t seem like he was affected by it at all. He cracked his neck and knuckles yawningly, cracking the numbness out of his feet at the same time. “Wow, look at the time, almost nine, the kids would be worried.”

I’m sure they won’t mind if I jump daddy in his office, right?

Huh? Where the hell did that come from!

“Why are you angry now? I didn’t say anything bad!” He shouted, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “You get mad at every little thing!”

“Because I’m breathing the same air you are breathing, what do you expect!” I shouted back. “I’m going home on my own, don’t follow or try to persuade me!”

“And who told you I would try? Go on, get out of my office already and in case the children ask why we didn’t come on together, tell them that daddy was busy beating his meat when you left!” He shouted, already heading to his bathroom.

What the f-ck does that mean!

“Beating his… What does that mean?!”

“God! You really need a better IQ!” He shouted before slamming the door. I scoffed irritably.

I don’t need a better one, this one is just fine.

“Animal,” I cursed under my breath. I angrily picked all my things, stomped out after slamming the door very loud, went to my office, got my bags and slam my door too. I was angrily stomping out of the building when it clicked. “Beating his… Ugh! Rominic! You better not masturbate with my face or I’ll kill you!” I scre-med, rushing back in,side. The workers were almost gone, just the cleaners left so sort of safe.

Honest truth, I was rushing back because I didn’t have a ride home and I didn’t bring my wallet. Plus, it’s late and it had been years since I was in Chicago. Can’t risk my life and waste my money when I have him. But let’s not tell him that.

I slammed his door again after walking in and went straight to the bathroom with my pepper spray. I barge into the bathroom which I probably shouldn’t. If I indeed had logic, I would have thought it through before barging in and seeing what would haunt me for the rest of the week.

“Holy moly!”

“Laverne, what the… Whoa!” I cringed as the sound of his body slapping the slippery floor echoed in the large space.

And I killed him, oops.

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To be continued.