A Change of Heart

Chapter 19

Joanna looks even worse than she did yesterday. Her skin is ghost pale, and her eyes are bloodshot. She can barely keep them open. Her bodyguards aren't even supporting her, they're just carrying her. What does she have against rest?

As usual, all I can think about is Joanna. I'm way more concerned than I expected to be. It's scary knowing there's nobody to stop her from doing this.

She's the boss of her house, and her workplace. She doesn't listen to anyone. She'll kill herself by the end of the week.

The worry and concern I feel overwhelms me. It fills my brain, stopping my thinking process. The next thing I know, I'm pretending to be asleep. Lying on the cold, wooden desk.

My head is banged against the desk. And I'm taken to Joanna's office. What did I just do? I'm seated across from Joanna.

She can barely sit up properly, but she's forcing herself to.

"Howard..."Joanna croaks. All the intimidation has disappeared off of her. Now I just feel pity. Maybe that's what has given me more confidence.

"Ms. Clieves, why are you doing this to yourself?" I ask.

"I can't... be taking so many days off of... off of work..." Joanna explains.

"You have your secretary to cover for you," I say.

"This company... needs its... boss," Joanna replies.

"But you're hurting yourself," I say.

"Howard, this is... completely, completely irrelevant..." she slurs.

"Ms. Clieves, please go home. For the sake of your health," I plead.

"I can't..." Joanna mumbles. She looks like she's losing consciousness.

"Ms. Clieves, this company does not matter more than your well-being. Most of your employees are worried about you. You may ill-treat us, but we don't want you to kill yourself! We still care, I care. That's why I visited you. Please, go rest," I beg. Joanna's head is down by now.

"Ms. Clieves?" I call.

"Dismissed," she breathes out.

"Ms. Clieves," I repeat.

"Dismissed!" she shrieks. Her yell is cracked and barely audible. I walk out of her office and go back to my cubicle.

An hour later, Joanna's bodyguards are carrying her out of the building. I have the biggest sigh of relief that she's probably going home. I just pray she actually rests.

After work, I drive over to Joanna's house to check on her. I do the scan and the gate opens. When I knock on the door, one of the butlers comes out instead.

"Good evening, sir," he greets.

"Good evening, I just wanted to see if Joanna's resting," I explain.

"She's been asleep since she came back. Don't worry, if she doesn't pull any stunt like yesterday, she'll be ok."

"That's good to hear," I smile. I walk back out and head to the mall. I drive over to the gym. Jace isn't there today. That's odd, he comes here every day. It's actually pretty disappointing.

I head over to the treadmill and start my warm-up. While I'm bench pressing later on, I see someone towering above me.

"Sorry I'm late. I had a date tonight," Jace says proudly.

"Oh my gosh! You're cheating on the gym. I thought you cared about her!" I fake gasp. Jace rolls his eyes. I just laugh.

"So, who's the unlucky girl?" I ask.

"Her name's Gabrielle. I met her at the gym last week," he explains.

"Is she a gymaholic? Cause if not, your relationship might not last," I say.

"Oh, shut up. But she is. She moved here a week ago," Jace says.

"I guess this means you'll be too occupied by your girlfriend to burn my self-esteem while exercising," I pout.

"There is nothing that would ever make me stop making fun of you," Jace smiles. We work out together and I head out at 10. I drive home, take a shower, and go to bed.

The next day, Joanna doesn't come. Thank goodness. I would've lost it if she came back again. Now I can stop worrying about her and focus on things I actually like... more than her.

The guards call for Anna. The cubicle is in my row. The person is foaming at the mouth, shaking on the floor as if they're having a stroke. Poison.

I rush over once Anna's there. I give her all the medications she asks for and just hold her when my hands are free. I don't know how to make light of a situation like this.

I can feel Anna's quick heartbeat. Her breathing has become hastier. I move my hand up and down her moving arm, rubbing her gently. I can tell it's working because her breathing is slowing.

The person ends up unconscious, but thankfully not dead. The guards take them to a mysterious place. Seems like it's not their first incident.

The rest of work is uneventful. A few people are sent to Joanna's PA, but that's really it. We all go at 7pm.

At home, I microwave some frozen beef stew and pour myself some orange juice. I finally watch the recorded sermon for Sunday.

The topics on spiritual warfare and how to endure it. It's a lot longer since he goes into depth about it and brings up his own experience. The worship song plays, and I reflect on the sermon. Once it's over, I go to bed.