Chapter 5 Fire Him

Aria

I was wheeled into the penthouse by Richard and he looked around, obviously not impressed by how luxurious it looked. I ignored him, wheeling myself to the couch and the guards brought our luggage in.

The housekeeper turned to me, smiling softly. “Is everything to your taste, Mrs. Smith?”

I nodded. “Yes, but it’s a bit cold.”

“Alright, ma’am. I will turn on the heater,” she replied, walking away and I nodded. I glanced at Richard who was still looking around the penthouse and a small frown sat on his lips. If I was still the woman who was blinded by love I would have thought he was frowning because of my excessive spending but now I knew the truth.

He didn’t say anything and he went in. I scrolled through my phone, whiling away time and shortly, the guards were done with our luggage and they left.

“Seems you’re all settled in,” William said, walking in. I dropped my phone, nodding. That’s when Richard came in and I just knew he was about to cause a scene.

“When was this penthouse bought and why wasn’t I informed?”

I turned to him, ignoring his tone. “If I remember correctly, I bought this a while ago as a gift to myself for a deal I bagged with…….” I trailed off, trying to remember the name of the company.

“Taqaddum Group,” William completed for me.

I nodded. “Yes, Taqaddum. I got this for a job well done.”

“You know about this?” He asked, glaring at William. He wasn’t asking a question, instead he was accusing.

“He’s my PA, Richard. He knows everything.”

He scoffed. “I’ve told you many times, Aria. Don’t make decisions without me. How could you have bought such a luxurious penthouse without my knowing? I’ve warned you about your excessive spending. This is too much.”

I tried to hold in my anger, remembering how many cars he owned and bought with my money. The luxurious assets, the many vacations he went on. I never questioned him. Anything he wanted, I provided it for him. He goes on many vacations without me and now I think about it — what if Lily was with him on those vacations? I tried to remember the timing of both of them but I clearly couldn’t remember.

“It’s not too much, Richard. Can’t I get this to congratulate myself on signing a million-dollar deal?” It was taking everything in me to remain calm but Richard was clearly fuming.

“It’s all his fault. I’ve told him so many times to inform me of everything you’re doing. I am your husband. I deserve to know these things,” he snapped.

I sighed, feeling tired. I turned to Richard fully and then I wheeled myself to him. I took his hand softly, like the doting wife I was or pretended to be, and then I rubbed it gently.

“I only wanted a penthouse, Richard. If you don’t approve of it I can sell it,” I told him, pretending to be apologetic.

“Yes,” he agreed at once. “We should sell it or better still transfer the ownership to me. I can manage your properties better.”

I let out a bitter smile, hoping he couldn’t notice the rage that was burning in me. How dare he say that to my face? “I will do that once I am settled. Right now, I just want to focus on my recovery,” I mumbled, pulling away.

“We should take you……”

“Don’t tell me what to do with my wife,” Richard cut William off.

“My apologies, sir.”

“I’ve always known you were a good for nothing PA. I don’t know why my wife keeps you around. You are very terrible at your job and never seem to get anything right!”

“William, leave,” I said, now feeling angry.

“Okay, ma’am.”

Richard frowned at me. “Why is he leaving? I wasn’t done talking to him.”

I ignored him, wheeling myself to the room. Thankfully, it’s a single-level penthouse and locating the master bedroom wasn’t hard. I got to the room and helped myself to the bed.

“I wasn’t done talking, Aria,” here comes the man I called my husband.

“I don’t like how you disrespect me in front of William. I am your husband. You should have allowed me to speak to him,” he snapped.

“There’s nothing to speak about, Richard. He’s my PA. He answers to me.”

“Fire him. I don’t like him.”

I stared at him to confirm if he was serious and he pretty much was. He stared back at me, not budging. “What do you mean, fire him?” I asked. “He has been with me since I became the CEO when I was 18. I am where I am today all thanks to his support. How can I fire him?”

“I don’t care, Aria. I am your husband and whatever I say goes. You won’t let a lowly PA come between us, right?”

I ignored him, looking away. He always talks down on our employees and sees them as objects but I ignored it. How could I have put up with this? He was just a lowly teacher struggling to survive when I met him. What gave him the right to call people names?

Richard sat on the bed, holding my hand softly. He brought my face up, his brown eyes boring into mine.

“I don’t like it when we fight, Aria,” he began. “And I know you hate to see me unhappy. I’ve told you many times about William. I don’t trust him. He needs to be fired.”

Even though he made me feel like a fool, I was glad I stood my ground in certain situations. Like this one. I removed my hand from Richard’s.

“No,” came my firm voice, leaving no room for explanation. His expression slowly changed and for a second I was scared. Richard said nothing to me and I watched him walk away angrily. His footsteps gradually faded away and I was left alone in the penthouse with a broken heart.

He always walked away like this whenever we fought and I wouldn’t see him for days. He would punish me with his silence and I would be a shattered mess, calling and begging for his attention. And now, I am more heartbroken. I knew he was going to ignore me again and I would barely see him. He claimed to love me but chose to fight with me instead while on a sick bed.

I wiped my tears, knowing it was no use crying for him but how could I remain strong? I loved this man the second I laid my eyes on him. I did everything to make him happy. He was the only man I saw or knew. A lot of suitors always approached me, crazily wealthy men that ladies would die for, but all I saw was Richard. Never have I ever thought of betraying him or being with another. And all I asked for was loyalty and love but he gave me nothing.

I sighed, wiping my tears as I heard the soft footsteps approaching me. William appeared and looked at me sadly. We both knew how the conversation would have ended and he was smart enough to wait around for Richard to leave. William sat on the bed, gritting his teeth in anger.

“I can’t believe his audacity,” he muttered. “You’ve done everything a good wife could. What else does he want?”

I wiped my tears and he looked at me sadly. “I want you to dig up information about him. Everything there is to know. I also want to know who he was with on those vacations he took. I know he wouldn’t have been alone.”

“I am already on it. Unfortunately, getting his records is a bit hard but my men are working tirelessly on it,” he replied and I nodded, sinking into my bed.

He sighed, covering me up with the blanket and then he gave me a long look. “Are you okay?”

William was one of the men who knew my father years back and he became my PA. William is in his forties and he’s married with two beautiful daughters. We have a close relationship because he has been there since I became the CEO. Him and a few other partners who worked with my father are the reason behind my success. Our relationship has gone past boss and employee. That was more reason why I should have trusted him when he warned me about Richard.

“I’m not. I feel like I’m going crazy. Everywhere is spinning and I’m tired,” I whispered. He sighed, hugging me to himself and I burst out into loud tears. I tried to act strong but I knew I was breaking apart internally.