Code Red (Book#2 of The Runaway Club)

4. Dramageddon

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Aaron Krystals

"Mio caro, when are you going to settle down?" Mama sighed through the phone. "I do not want to pressure you into love for it is the matter of the heart but it concerns me when you are not even trying."

"Mama, it's eight in the morning. Don't you think it's too early to start scolding me for my love life?"

"Bring me a nice girl to meet and I will reconsider. And not one of the floozies you have around." I can almost picture her wrinkling her nose in distaste. I laughed. "And definitely not the one you brought last time."

"I had sent you enough flowers to apologize that Ione kept complaining that she couldn't come home without her allergies acting up." I slid out of my car and tossed my keys to the lanky valet kid as I strode inside. "I think we all can forget about that one horrible decision I made."

"Oh caro, one? If you are anything like your father, you live to see the next day purely based on my prayers. God knows you are as careless as Victor."

"I will let dad know you asked about him." I snickered as I walked into my private elevator, ignoring all the greetings of the employees. "He will be ecstatic."

"You will do no such thing! The last thing I want is Daniel and him throwing insults over the phone. It will ruin my day!"

"Fine, fine, you are let off scot-free this time." I chuckled. "I will call you later, ma. I am at the office."

"Alright caro. Be safe."

"You too, mama." I disconnected and quickly pocketed my phone. "Agnes, my doll. Good morning!"

I strut up to my Secretary's desk with a wide smile. She closed the files on her desk and smiled warmly. She was a short African-American woman, who despite her age and obvious physical inferiority to me, runs my entire goddamn life.

Honestly, I owe her everything. I don't even know how many shirts I had but Agnes did.

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Krystals. Will you be waiting for Mary to bring you your coffee?"

I pulled a face.

"Can you make me some?" I pleaded. "She is really pretty to look at when things get dull but I am not too sure she can do anything other than that."

"If you are going to make me work like your personal assistant and secretary at the same time, you better start paying me her salary too boy!" She joked as she walked around her desk over to the coffee machine.

"I already pay you triple the average salary and you want more? You are a real gold-digger, Agnes McCarthy."

I followed her to the machine and I wiggled my eyebrows. She laughed as the machine dispensed the coffee after various whirrs and whines. She handed me my coffee shortly after she mixed the right amount of sugar, cream and vanilla. I took a sip and sighed in bliss.

"Your mom called you didn't she?"

I moaned.

"Don't start her spiel now. I am going to work." I turned around and strode away from her desk as fast as my legs carried me. "Thanks for the coffee by the way." I called over my shoulders to Agnes who was shaking her head at me amusedly.

I walked into my office and reluctantly started reviewing the quarterly finances that I had been putting off for a while. An hour must have passed and I was quite immersed in my work when Mary burst through my office doors in a tumble of platform heels and freshly curled hair. Getting abruptly pulled away from my focus didn't sit well with me and I sent her a cold glare. She stiffened on the open doorway with wide eyes.

"I-I am so, so sorry sir, the traffic was so bad—"

"Well then, I have news that would solve that problem for you."

She straightened her skirt and smiled wide. But that smile melted away into her carefully painted face when she noticed that I wasn't reciprocating. There was a beat of silence before my lips curled up in a sickening smirk.

"You needn't brave the traffic tomorrow or any day really..." I lazily turned to my laptop. "You are fired."

"But-But sir--!"

"Agnes will handle your settlements and other papers."

"Sir, please! You can't do this! I will get kicked out of my apartment and-and− But we-we—"

"We had sex?" I completed for her icily with my eyebrows raised. She blanched. "And f*cking you a few times over is supposed to excuse your sloppy working patterns?"

"But-But—"

Her tears were washing away all her makeup and frankly, messing up my newly vacuumed carpet. I breathed in slowly to reign in my bubbling irritation.

"Ms. Sorrell, please stop disturbing Mr. Krystals."

Agnes soon materialized and dragged her away before closing the door after her. But unfortunately I could still hear Mary's banshee-like wails.

"HE CAN'T DO THIS! HOW CAN HE DO THIS TO ME?! HE CALLED THE SECURITY ON ME?! F*CK YOU, AARON! LET ME GO! I WILL CALL THE POLICE!"

I sighed loudly and pushed away from the spreadsheets. There was no way I can concentrate after that dramageddon. I was steadily getting irate. I rubbed my temples as I weighed the pros and cons of popping one of the pills to calm me down. The door slowly clicked open.

"Mr. Krystals, you just received an invite." Agnes' sedate tone informed me.

"Not in the mood, Agnes." I hissed at her.

"It's Mrs. Lexwood, sir. It is the twins' birthday next Saturday."

"Dammit! Now I gotta go shopping too?!"

"And for your information, sir, I will be the one hiring your next PA and I will make sure that he is good at his job."

"F*ck."

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NEXT UPDATE: (...Apparently tarot cards are all the rage, maybe that's more your speed?)