3

Theodore 

I lean with my teeth against my glass, my lips sucking at the droplets lingering around as Alex stands in front of me. 

“You are pulling my leg,” he says, crossing his arms. 

I point my finger at him, moving my thumb as if I was firing a gun. 

“No, it was the absolute worst,” I say with a sigh as I disconnect myself from the glass. 

He repositions on his feet, signaling one of his customers to wait for a second. “They knew who you were. They had your CV. I can’t believe the CEO didn’t look at it before he called you in. What a wanker!” 

“Total wanker!” I confirm, taking a big gulp from my beer, emptying it. “I need another one, Axshl.” 

He laughs, taking the glass from me. “You are so drunk, but after you told me, I can’t possibly tell you to slow down.” 

“Right! The hell you can!” I say, clicking my fingers. “I’m the greatest loser of them all!” 

Stumbling from my bar stool as he brings me my beer, I regain my balance with a little dance. 

A few drunkards left in the bar clap their hands, celebrating my performance and I chuckle while drunk walking to the toilets. 

After having peed while whistling an entire concert, I stumble back out of the toilet. As I miss a step and hit the wall in the hallway, I let myself sink to the floor with a groan. 

“You know what?!” I shout out, speaking to the entire world. “Fuck you and your gorgeous face, ya bastard.” 

Fishing my phone out of my jacket, I manage to open my mail app, finding the rejection mail I got for the job a minute after I walked out of the building. 

Fucking bastard. 

And the most enraging thing was that it had been sent out by the asshole directly, not even by stick-up-his-ass Brad. 

By N. Helades personally. 

What a fucking honor. 

Squinting my eyes, I press reply and start typing. 

Let’s see how you find this, you idiot! 

I laugh after having pressed send and fight myself back onto my feet. 

After having fallen on my mouth another few times, Alex finally decides to call it a day and hails me a cab. 

I don’t even remember what else I have done by the time I fall into my bed still fully clothed. 

*** 

As I wake up, I feel like I died a horrendous death and was pulled back out of hell after the devil had gotten tired of using me as chewing gum. 

I groan as I sit up, passing my hand over my face in the hopes of making my head stop spinning. 

I drag myself to the bathroom and take a short shower before brushing my teeth. 

Luckily, I don’t seem to have thrown up because I wouldn’t have had the head to clean that shit up now. 

I go back to bed, set on spending the day in bed as I see my phone light up. 

“No, no, no!” I groan, panic expanding in my chest. 

It seems like I had done a bit of work yesterday, and as a result of that, my phone is exploding with texts from my mother, my neighbor’s son, who I surely insulted, and Alex, who seems to be asking how I’m doing. But the biggest shocker is an email screaming at me from the CEO asshole. 

Oh, Fuck. 

—- 

Dear Notwit Helades 

Because that’s surely what the N stands for if not Nurd! 

Just because you look breathtakingly gorgeous, you have no right! No right, I tell you! To treat people as shitty as you do! 

You Numpty! 

I didn’t want the job anyway! 

Go fuck yourself! 

My cock is off-limits from now on! 

No Nincompoops are allowed in my space so… Fuck off! 

Worst regards, 

TB 

p.s. Namby-pamby 

—- 

Dear Mr. Baxter 

I certainly have no interest in being in your circle of obnoxious name-telling. But I will have to insist on a formal apology from your side in the next few hours as I will forward this email to anyone who would be interested enough in offering you a job.

I have no interest in suing a penniless man like you are, but I’ll be damned if you ever get to work in my City like this.

N. Helades 

—- 

“Fucking hell,” I groan, fighting myself back out of bed. “This dude surely doesn’t play around.” 

Forcing myself into clean clothes, I get on my bike and make my way uptown to the Hel office building. 

Arrived there, I take my helmet under my arm and drive my hand through my hair to not have it stick to my head like a nerd. 

I didn’t wear fancy clothes for this occasion as it really doesn’t matter if the jeans, in which I will be kneeling in, are ripped. 

“I have got an appointment with Mr. Helades,” I say to the receptionist, making her lift a brow as she eyes me up. 

“Name?” she asks in a disparaging tone as she already is typing into the computer. 

“Theodore Baxter,” I say, making her scrunch up her face. 

Bloody hell is wrong with this place. 

Holding her hand to her earpiece, she turns away from me slightly. “Baxter for Mr. Helades.” 

She ‘uh-huh’s a few times, before hanging up. 

I’m already prepared to get told off as she slides a card over the shiny counter and flashes me a smile. “The elevator on the right, sir.” 

“Thank you,” I mirror her fake smile as I take the card and am just about to walk away as I stop and turn around. “Oh, but which floor?” 

She looks at me with an unamused expression, making me feel like I just asked the stupidest question ever. “The card is already registered for you. It will call the elevator for you and take you to the assigned floor automatically as soon as you hold it to the shiny displays next to the elevators on the right.” 

“Oh, alright,” I answer uncomfortably and turn around to take the elevator up to meet yet another humiliation. 

As the doors reopen with a ding, I already feel my legs wobble beneath me. 

A cute receptionist skyrockets out of her seat maybe as awkwardly as I did in my interview. 

As she scurries out from behind her desk to hurry towards me, she looks like she is about to trip several times. 

Oh, she won’t last for long either. 

“Mr. Baxter, welcome. This way please,” she says politely, before getting me to follow her. 

I enter a dimly lit room, his growl already getting on my nerves as it strums the sites of my heart. “No need to be polite with him, Gilda.” 

“Thank you, Gilda,” I say lowly, making her giggle at me.