Chapter 5 - Part 2

Jax was pulled from his train of thought when a soft, small hand caressed his face. It was Amy. She was looking at him with questioning eyes.

Jax let out a deep sigh and forced a smile at his daughter.

"What is it, baby?"

"Daddy, please don’t fire Ate Vicky. It’s not her fault, it was my fault."

If there was anyone who could influence Jackson’s decisions, it was his daughter Amy—aside from Cindy, of course, one of his most trusted friends since college. He just loved his daughter dearly. She resembled his late wife so much that it made it hard for Jax to live with her. That’s why she was temporarily staying with Jax’s parents. Besides, he was a total mess right now, and he didn’t want Amy to witness how broken he was.

"Sir, I’m really sorry. I promise to do better in my job," Amy’s nanny, Vicky, spoke from the side, her voice pleading, face filled with anxiety as if she was about to cry.

"Amy, baby, we can’t let an irresponsible person be your guardian. Look at what just happened! She didn’t do her job properly. You could have gotten hurt."

Elise was determined that someone had to be fired today. She had been embarrassed in front of Jackson—someone had to take responsibility for that, and she didn’t care who.

"That’s enough, Elise," Jax said firmly, not even sparing her a glance. "I’m going to talk to you," he declared, referring to Amy’s nanny.

"Man, just let it slide. Baby Amy is safe, and nothing happened to her."

"Stay out of my business, Chris," Jackson said, his tone hard, irritation lacing his voice. His annoyance only grew when he saw his cousin’s infuriating smirk.

Chris couldn’t help but laugh in his mind. In his imagination, he was already dancing salsa with a wine glass in hand, celebrating his cousin’s reaction. He loved annoying the hell out of Jackson, and the best part was—Jackson couldn’t do anything about it. Chris worked in his company, so unfortunately, Jackson had to deal with him.

Chris tightened his arm around Bree, making sure their bodies were as close as possible. He felt her tense up, a clear sign of discomfort. But who wouldn’t feel awkward when Jackson was looking at them like he was about to devour them alive? Chris wanted to burst out laughing but held himself back—he would surely be in deep trouble if he did.

Bree felt the heat spread across her face and down her neck. Who wouldn’t blush when a handsome man was so close, draping an arm around you? She couldn’t bring herself to remove Chris’s arm for fear of offending him, so she just let it be.

Jackson turned to Amy’s nanny, who stood nervously to the side. "In my office," he demanded.

Still carrying Amy, he turned and strode back toward his office. But before he could get far, he glanced back at Chris and Bree. His face was unreadable, his brows furrowed.

"If you’re here to flirt, get out of my building."

That was all he said before turning and marching away.

---

Jackson entered his office, seething with rage. If his daughter weren’t with him, he would have already thrown things around. He couldn’t control his anger, and worse, he didn’t even understand the reason behind it. He had no idea where this fury was coming from.

What he felt was a mix of emotions, an overwhelming rollercoaster—something he was used to since his wife’s passing. But feeling this way because of that woman was something new. He didn’t know what it was about her, but no matter what she did, she irritated the hell out of him. He hated her, yet he couldn’t seem to get rid of her.

When he decided earlier to fire her because of what happened in his kitchen yesterday, Jackson knew deep down that it wasn’t what he truly wanted. Something inside him wanted to protest against that decision. So when Cindy suggested giving her another chance, his mind immediately agreed—and that annoyed him even more.

"Damn!" he cursed under his breath.

Jackson sat Amy down on the cushioned couch in his office. Her nanny, Vicky, entered after him, followed by Elise, who was still glaring at the woman.

He wondered why Elise was still here. After she had given him head and swallowed, he expected her to leave—she had already served her purpose.

Jackson had called her to his office earlier to relieve some tension. She was at the top of his list of booty calls. He had been stressed and irritated since yesterday, and he needed a release. Elise was always an available mouth, after all.

Amy’s nanny stood before him like a lamb awaiting slaughter. She was waiting for her verdict.

When he had learned his daughter had gone missing earlier, he had been ready to fire her on the spot. But he had been too distracted by what had happened outside to do so.

"You didn’t do your job. My daughter almost got hurt because of your negligence. Tell me, what should I do to you?"

The anger he had felt earlier when he realized Amy was missing had disappeared—all because of that woman.

Fuck that woman!

Vicky trembled in fear. She didn’t know what to say to her strict employer. She was terrified—scared she might lose her job.

"Sir, I sincerely apologize for my mistake. I promise it won’t happen again. Please don’t fire me, sir. I really need this job," she pleaded.

But Jackson wasn’t listening to her. His mind kept replaying the scene from earlier—Bree standing beside Chris, his arm wrapped around her. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

"She should be punished for flirting inside my company!"

"What?!" Vicky exclaimed in shock.

Even Elise looked at Jackson in confusion. Her brows furrowed as she studied him. He seemed lost in his own thoughts.

Amy, too, was puzzled by her father’s behavior. She studied his face closely.

Jackson was completely absorbed in his own thoughts, restless and unsettled.

"How dare that woman flirt in front of me? She’s not even grateful that I gave her a chance!"

By now, Jackson’s voice had grown louder. Everyone in the office could hear his outburst. He looked like an idiot, ranting to himself, when he should have been scolding Amy’s nanny for her negligence.

"Jackson, are you even listening?" Elise tapped his shoulder, snapping him out of his reverie.

Jackson cursed under his breath when he realized he had been saying his thoughts out loud. He wanted to punch himself for acting like an idiot. That woman was clearly not good for him.

Clearing his throat to cover his embarrassment, he said, "You were saying?"

Elise rolled her eyes in irritation. She had never seen Jackson like this before, and it annoyed her that something—or someone—was affecting him. She wanted his attention all to herself, and she was sure that whatever was bothering him had nothing to do with Amy.

"Daddy, can you not fire Yaya Vicky? I’ll be sad if you do. She’s kind. And it was my fault that I got lost." Amy tugged at Jackson’s arm.

Jackson let out a deep sigh before forcing a smile at his daughter. He tapped her head and kissed her forehead.

How could he say no to his little angel?

"Why don’t you go home now and rest? I’ll visit you at Granny’s after work. Deal?"

"But promise me first you won’t fire her? And also, the beautiful woman who helped me." Amy pouted, making Jackson chuckle.

Beautiful woman? Ha!

Adjusting the tiara on Amy’s head, he said, "Of course, I won’t. That’s a promise. But you have to behave, okay?"

"Yay! Thank you, Daddy! You’re the best!" Amy hugged him, and he hugged her back.

Jackson turned to Vicky, his expression serious and intimidating.

"Take her home. Do your job properly. This is the last time I’ll consider keeping you."

Vicky quickly obeyed, grabbing Amy and leaving before her employer could change his mind.

But Jackson was far from done. He had to do something about that damn woman.

And he already had a plan.