Liberation [completed]

Movie (not) Date- Asher

"Tell them that they either downsize or go bankrupt. It's up to them" I snap at Mark, my financing manager.

"But we can reduce their pay for each-"

"I make money by being ruthless, I don't have time to care about those people. You know this Mark, stop trying to make me do things I know won't work" I cut him off. He always tried to keep the whole company together when we were doing a takeover. But he had to know some people just had to be let go.

I hadn't been off the phone for two seconds before it rings again, "What?" I ask looking up to check if Mia was up yet.

"Hi Mr Billiard, we have a small problem, the tech for the phone's Bluetooth, it's not pairing with the laptops, this will hold back the release dat-"

"I don't care what you have to do, you get that damn device to pair with the laptop. The microchip is the most important item during our release party. If you have to bloody tie a chain to the two devices, do it. I want the damn chip to work! I have no fucking time to listen to your pathetic excuses. Now get off this phone and get you lazy ass to work NOW!" I snarl into the phone before switching off.

My mind immediately forgets the problems at work and I watch Mia descend the stairs in her ragged, torn and worn-out clothes. I had gotten a personal shopper to get Mia more cloths. I had sent her out at nine, it was already eleven, and I wondered what was taking so long. Seeing Mia in these clothes disgusted me. She didn't deserve to be in them. She was too good for them.

"Good morning," I greet her when she reaches the lowest step.

Mia looks up at me with a confused expression, "Don't you have work? I heard you yelling on the phone" She says before I could lie and tell her I didn't.

"I do, but I took the day off," I tell her nonchalantly, "I've made you breakfast. Well, Martha made it. But it's all the same. Did you sleep well?" I ask her as I walk with her to the dining room.

"I did thank you....for the bed and the room and everything," she says for the billionth time since she's been here. She hasn't stopped thanking me since we left the toilet last night.

Just thinking of last night made me want to link myself to Mia somehow so I could stop her from doing anything stupid. I had learnt so much about Mia, and I had seen her at her weakest. It was enlightening and very frightening to know how much I cared for this woman and how easily she got to me. Finding her on the floor of the bathroom, crying and practically ready to stop fighting, made my heart crack in half. I wasn't used to that feeling, usually, I caused the heartbreak. I never felt it. But in the few months, I had known this woman she has caused me so much heartache I don't know how much more I could take.

"It's no problem. Here," I say placing the waffles, eggs, sausages and other breakfast items on her plate.

"Asher. I can't eat so much" she says tiredly.

I look at her, giving her a stern look. Hunter had warned me that she might not want to eat so much so suddenly and I had to be patient with her. After I had gotten Mia to eat in the dining room, and put her to bed, Hunter had a long chat with me. I had half the mind to kick him out of my apartment but the woman sleeping soundly upstairs in my guest bedroom stopped me. I wanted to do right by her. I wanted to make sure that she wouldn't fall into any of those psychological issues Hunter had said she could. She had a mild concussion and spoke about it like it was a common headache. Who does that?

"She's gonna be really weak for the next few days. She hasn't been eating much, her stomach has shrunk. So you can't force food down her throat. That will only make things worse. She'll throw up, get a fever and other complications if you do that. She has to build up her appetite. She probably isn't used to the three meals a day routine so that will take some time to get used to doing it. Again, I cannot stress how patient you must be with her Asher."