The Baby

eleven

grayson astor

"You have quite literally one job and you somehow failed at it?" I rubbed my temples, leaning back into the chair at my desk.

"Fuck you. I was doing you a favour. But you're so much of a dick you can't even keep an assistant for a week," my older brother, Matthew, yelled at me through the phone. He wasn't wrong, but my inability to keep an assistant also isn't my fault.

My last one cried after I called her an imbecile because she arranged two meetings at the same time. I had no choice but to fire her, same as the eight others I've had in the past two months. None of them can do anything right and I'm starting to think my brother is the problem seeing as he's the one who keeps getting me these pathetic assistants.

"Just find me someone who has good experience. I have things to do and I can't keep making my own schedule," I complained. I had one great assistant a few months ago, but she chose to run off to Spain to follow some man she found online. I begged her to stay, fearing my life might fall apart without her. I even offered her a one hundred percent raise which I've never done before and was useless because she still left me.

"It's not easy. People who are in the industry know you're not the easiest to work with," Matthew muttered under his breath. "But, you know, Bria used to be an assistant before she got into modelling. Have you thought about her?" 

I scratched the back of my neck in thought. Bria isn't necessarily a tolerable person, but she certainly would last more than a week. I also know she would do this for me. But when I thought about Bria, my head also thought about Kalani. Her and I are 'figuring things out' as she likes to say, but I can't help but feel as if Bria being my assistant might bother her.

I shouldn't care. Not only would Bria working for me be completely professional, but I don't owe Kalani anything. I don't do relationships and she knows that. She shouldn't expect anything from me. Yet, here I am having all this hesitance.

"Can you please keep looking? And in the mean time, also find suitable wives. I sent you the criteria a while ago."

I don't know why I ever put my hunt on hold. I like to think it's because of Kalani. Perhaps her mentioning going slow made me realize I have no idea what I'm getting myself into with her. I didn't sign up for a relationship. I signed up to take responsibility for my actions which consists of coparenting and no more. Maybe I thought she could be a potential wife, but Kalani could never be just a contractual agreement. She would make it more and I can't do more. I don't have more to give.

"I should be paid for this shit," my brother complained.

Matthew is somewhat of a disappointment to my father. He's always lacked interest in Astor Incorporation and wanted to travel for fun. He graduated university with an English degree then travelled the world and found his girlfriend in the South Korea. My father was angry but Matthew didn't care. 'I'm in love' is what he said.

My personal phone buzzed in my pocket and I took it out to see Kalani was calling. "I'll see you tonight. I'm getting another call."

"Another call? Are you serious? We're supposed to discuss-"

I pressed the end call button, not interested in discussing anything else with him. So I answered Kalani's call and brought the phone to my ear. Looking at the time, she should've been at work.