Chapter 4 4

"Are you coming to my wife's party?" Ben asks Daryl on their way back to work. Daryl thinks for a while before clearing his throat. He's not exactly sure what to reply.

"That your wife loves parties, why is that?" he asks Ben who just grins proudly.

"She just loves to have her friends come around. Besides, it's for her promotion, and you, my friend, love to party as well, have you forgotten?" Ben says.

Ben is right. Daryl loves to party when he can.

"Yeah, I know." Daryl affirms and thinks for a second "Well, I might be very late. I'm meeting with my family, then, Isabella tonight. You know that my Italian woman right?" Daryl tells Ben with a broad smile on his face.

"Italian?" Ben asks with surprise, "I can't remember any in particular. You've told me about so many of them, so which one?"

"Yeah, never mind. I forgot you don't know how to have fun. She'll be all over me tonight" Daryl narrates his story with a devilish grin on his face.

"Don't forget I'm married" Ben reminds Daryl.

"That's what I mean. Marriage is no fun." Daryl says with a sigh.

Soon enough, the driver drives into the company's parking lot and makes a stop. Daryl and Ben walk out and into the elevator where they soon separate to their different office floors.

"See you later man," Ben says to Daryl before walking out of the elevator.

Despite Daryl's reputation with women and how he loves everything he gets from them, he knows how important it is to work and he has worked very hard to achieve a lot for himself. His company is one thing he can never jeopardize for anything on earth. He has worked from scratch to the top with Ben, his childhood friend. He has never been one that likes the idea of working for his family.

That's why he's never threatened by his mother's words on taking his name off the family's inheritance if he doesn't get married. Marriage is something he doesn't plan to go through with, not after witnessing his parents marriage, their divorce and his father's experience after it. Marriage takes all the happiness away. As if thinking about it and hearing his mother talk about it isn't stressful enough.

Marriage is the last thing on earth that Daryl wants or will ever want.

His phone starts to ring as he's getting settled in his desk. He looks at the screen and sigh. Then, he takes the phone to answer the call.

"Hello, mom," he says once the phone is close to his ear and the call have started reading.

"Are you coming home for dinner?" his mother asks.

Shit! Daryl mutters to himself. He has almost forgotten about dinner with his family. Daryl remains quiet for a second.

"Did you forget?" she asks him with a strong voice.

"No, mom. I did.....not" Daryl replies wondering why his mom is insisting that he cone back home for dinner. It is not as if Daryl gives any f*ck about family dinner anyway.

"Anyway, make sure to come home for dinner, your sister is inviting her fiancé to the house, and her brother needs to be there," Juliet, Daryl's mom says to him.

He gets this urge to ask his mother why he has to be present just because his sister is bringing home a fiance but Daryl doesn't ask.

"She probably doesn't even want me at her wedding, why do I have to come to dinner to see who she's bringing home?" Daryl asks.

Daryl loves his sister but then both haven't had the best getting along; she is always either getting on his nerves or getting upset at every slightest chance she gets, she has even become worse lately. Daryl knows it's not Sarah's idea to have him present in that dinner.

"Just bring yourself home son, okay?" His mom pleads.

"Okay, I've heard you. I will come. Bye," Daryl says before hanging up the call and putting the phone back on his desk.

His family is exhausting most of the time.

Daryl takes his phone and texts Isabella, not sure if he'll be meeting her later (and this is the second time in a role he's declining on Isabella). He's hoping she doesn't get upset after she reads the text.

His text reads 'LET'S SEE SOME OTHER TIME. I WILL BE VERY BUSY TODAY, OKAY?' then he punches the send button on Whatsapp.

His phone beeps right after. Its a message from his sister. He glances at it for a while before opening the message.

*DARYL PLEASE I NEED YOU TO BE PRESENT FOR DINNER*

"This is all you mom" he says and sighs making a face at the message. Sarah would not have texted if their mother didn't tell her to.

Daryl starts to go through the array of files. He wants to finish from work as quickly as possible so that he can leave. But he doesn't see the file he's looking for. He opens his drawer and checks it, but the file is still not inside there.

He's grabbing his phone and he's calling his personal assistant. He takes a deep breath when his assistant doesn't pick the call. He dials the number again and again but no one is picking the call. Daryl is getting really upset but he tries the number one more time but still no answer.

Right now, Daryl wants nothing to do with the clumsy guy he had hired as his P.A. Ever since the guy, Jude started working for him, it's always from one default to another. Daryl now wonders why he still has the guy as his employee since he hates tardiness and incompetence.

He takes the office phone and phones the receptionist to come right into his office.

After that, his private phone rings on his desk. He takes the phone and immediately declines the call after seeing the name of the caller displayed on his phone screen. It's Isabella and Daryl is not in the mood to deal with her whining. That's how ladies do whenever he declines their booty call.

Someone knocks at his door.

"Come in" he says and the doors flings open.

"Good day sir" the slim tall woman who is his receptionist says.

She looks very beautiful with her blonde hair tied in a ponytail and her purple dress giving away her fine model figure-Daryl's type-but there is another rule that Daryl doesn't mess with, and that is keeping pleasure far away from business. All his employees that have tried in the past to seduce him, Daryl always sacks them.

"Where's Jude?" He asks her.

"He phoned the office this morning saying his mother is sick" she says with a shaky voice.

"Why don't I know that? Do you all have a death wish or something?" He's close to losing it as he stares at the lady.

"I'm very sorry sir" she lowers her head with hands to her sides.

He stands and comes out of his desk "there's a file I'm looking for. Find it" he tells her the file name and goes to sit down on his office couch. The lady goes to the desk and after a few seconds, she's handing Daryl the file he has been looking for. He's suddenly impressed.

"What's your name?" He asks

"Sloane sir" she replies very lightly.

"How long have you been working here?"

"Three years sir" Sloane answers.

"That means you should know the company well by now, yeah?" he inquires and starts to open the file.

"Very well sir" she replies, sounding confident.

Daryl nods his head. "Well, you've earned yourself a promotion" he tells her.

"Sir?" She is looking very surprised.

Daryl ignores the lady's switch of expression "You'll become my P.A henceforth. Do you still have a second to take over your other position completely?"

"What?" She's in awe but suddenly remembers the right answer to Daryl's question "I mean, yes sir" she swallows dryly.

"Good. Get in touch with Jude and tell him he's been fired. He should come in next week and get his sack letter and that he should run all my schedules and appointments this week to you" Daryl explains standing up from the couch. He starts to walk to his Desk.

"Oh my God! Sir, thank you very much." Sloane unconsciously runs to hug Daryl but realizes herself instantly.

"I'm very sorry sir" she apologizes and takes two steps away from him.

"Do you want to be fired too?" He glares at her.

"Not at all sir. I'm sorry" her voice is calm and apologetic.

"Then, get out" he instructs.

She adjusts her dress but she still can't hide her excitement as she walks to the door. But Daryl calls her and stops her movement.

"Come"

She turns around to face him "sir?"

"Send some rose flowers to this address" he says handing her a piece of paper "with a nice apology note"

"No problem sir." Then she turns around and walks out of the room still in her excited mood.

"Oh my God. Yes! I did it" she mutters out loud while closing the door behind her.

When she has gone out of his office, Daryl continues with what he was doing. Once again his phone rings. He takes the phone and answers the call.

"Pamela?" He calls. The person on the other end stays quiet for a while.

"Pamela?" He calls again "is something the matter?" He asks. He sounds very worried but the person is not responding.