Stuck with a Punk ✔

No. 9.: Internally screaming

~ 2 months later ~

"Pats, I get it why you're not answering my calls and I'm sorry, but... Just... just call me back." I press the red button on my smartphone and hang up the call. Once the line is dead, I sigh loudly in desperation.

This has been going on for months. I've been calling her for god knows how many times per day. All I wanted to do was to apologise. But seriously, she is overreacting with this cold-turkey bullshit. Fine, I learned my lesson. Never ask Patty anything, don't even engage in a conversation with her and don't sleep with women while you're babysitting your nephew. Can we all just make up and kiss already?

This crap Patty's been putting me through dragged influence to my job and work, not to mention my intimate sex life.

Jed, the other CEO returned. He was more than thrilled to see me in the head engineer office and I was pleasantly surprised when I was his first stop after he made the first step in the company after so long. He congratulated me, told me he's been rooting for me almost ever since I started working for Wells & Hether Inc. However, even he's been noticing my lack of ideas and work overall. I was slacking in my office, constantly calling Patty and my e-mails were only opened in case some boss came barging in and was wondering whether I'm working or not.

Plenty of times I got (and still get) a feeling Lenart and Jed have been rethinking their decision about giving me the promotion. Whenever I saw then exchange unnerving glances when I was around, I told myself I'd try better, that once I got home I'll start working on the new prototypes and plans. None of it happened. The moment I got home, I first needed a drink, then a shower and then bed. I noticed I lost a few pounds because I just didn't feel like cooking or calling the Chinese restaurant for a home delivery. I wasn't feeling hungry.

Problems in the family can be worrying and very stressful, so it tends to be only natural you're not in your best shape for a while, but literally, the best and last sex I have had in the past six months was with Eliza and then with Kenzie. Yeah, that was my last sex, not just last good sex, but the very last. It's not that I don't go out now, I do visit clubs to find girls, but they've been turning me down as if the girl Becca who was the first one to accuse me of being old left such a big mark on me all other girls noticed and followed it. Now, everything depended on my being lucky, not just charming and attractive.

Speaking of getting lucky, if I managed to get a girl home and we started making out, it didn't last long. Not that I'm not able to control myself like I was 15 years old, but girls usually stop me and tell me they'd rather go home. I seriously do not understand what's going on in my life, it can't be just the fact that Patty cut me out of Aidan's and Daniel's life, can it?

So, if you have any empathy for me, you must be thinking 'Poor Nathan, he's been through so much. I doubt it could even get worse for him.' Well, news flash, it can and it did.

Because I was promoted and left an empty position behind me, someone else had to take it. Lenart came up with a splendid idea of putting Austin there. Jed agreed, giving some strong arguments why that would be for the best – Austin's been my shadow for a while, he knew how I work, what I do first, what follows, how to make a good representation and just how to be a good engineer after all. Now, if Austin was promoted, that means things changed in my office as well. He got his own assistant and I got a new one. A young, sassy and very undiplomatic female, called Justine, who doesn't realise I am her boss and I can fire her with a blink of an eye.

Justine Karlsen. The woman that's been killing my patience with every single breath she drew.I've always wanted to have a female assistant, which could occasionally assist me in more than just in business and work if you know what I mean. Getting Justine for as assistant was just the universe's sick joke of granting my wish. She refuses to do anything I tell her to do, she talks back all the time and whenever I ask her nicely if she could do something for me, she tells me she doesn't have the time or just doesn't want to do it.