All Chapters of His Assistant Controls Our Finances: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I was just about to snap back when another urgent payment notification from the hospital flashed across my phone screen.Thus, I swallowed my words and started drafting the paperwork all over again.All of a sudden, Penelope Sanders swept the papers off the desk and sent them scattering across the floor."Mr. Kane had this entire workstation custom-designed just for me," she said. "You don't get to use it. If you want to keep writing, do it on the floor. Otherwise, you can leave."I froze in place, a suffocating weight pressing down on my chest.Out in the hallway, employees slowed their pace, lingering near the open door to peek inside. I clenched the code status document in my hand so tightly that my nails dug deep into my palm.Memories of how wonderfully my mother-in-law, Margery Torres, had always treated me flashed through my mind. If I delayed any longer, she wouldn't make it out of that hospital alive.Biting my lip, I crouched down and dropped straight onto my knees, fr

Chapter 2

My throat tightened, and I almost thanked her.But a split second later, everything changed.She picked up the application again, dug her fingers into the paper, and ripped it to shreds right in front of my eyes. The torn pieces fluttered through the air, scattering all over the office floor.My stomach dropped, and the blood ran cold in my veins."What are you doing?" I gasped.Penelope toyed with the scrap of paper left in her hand, looking at me with contempt."You actually had the nerve to submit something of this caliber for my approval? Did you seriously not notice the typo here? If you can't be bothered to proofread a basic request, then clearly saving your mother isn't that important to you."You're just using a sick old woman as a convenient excuse to scam money out of Mr. Kane. It's pathetic what gold-digging housewives will resort to when they want a handout."Hearing her say that made the rage I had been fighting so hard to suppress boil over yet again.Even so, I

Chapter 3

I rushed over to Tristan and laid everything out."Tristan, thank God you're here. Mom was in a car accident, and she needs 300,000 dollars for emergency surgery. "I've been going back and forth with Penelope for two hours and have rewritten the request three times, but she still refuses to release the money. We don't have much time left. Tell her to transfer it now, then come with me to the hospital so we can save Mom!"Penelope wasted no time rushing to Tristan's side.Her eyes welled with tears, looking as though she were the victim."Mr. Kane, I'm so glad you're back. I've been put in an impossible position," she whimpered. "Mrs. Kane burst in here demanding 300,000 dollars, completely ignoring the protocols you put in place. On top of that, she stopped me from taking disciplinary action against an insubordinate intern."I was only doing what you told me to do, yet she turned around and pinned the blame on me. Maybe you should just stop letting me manage the accounts, so I d

Chapter 4

Just then, my phone vibrated erratically.I glanced down at the screen, which was now filled with a barrage of increasingly urgent collection notices from the hospital."Please submit the 300,000-dollar surgical deposit immediately. Failure to pay within the time limit will result in the cancellation of the surgery.""The patient has ongoing internal bleeding. Any further delay may result in death. Please process the payment now."Each message felt like a physical blow.Images of how wonderfully Margery had always treated me flooded my mind. Whenever I was sick and lost my appetite, she'd find countless new recipes just to cook something I could eat. Every single time Tristan and I got into an argument, she always took my side to help us reconcile.Such a kind, wonderful woman was lying in an emergency room waiting to die, and the person helping put her there was her own son.Something inside me finally snapped.To hell with their regulations, their forms, and their protocols

Chapter 5

Tristan didn't show a single shred of grief after listening to the doctor. He just rubbed his brow, looking thoroughly annoyed."So what if she's dead?" he snapped. "Just contact the funeral home and have them take her straight to the crematorium. If there's anything else, call Astrid and stop bothering me."With that, he casually tossed his phone onto the desk.Hearing him say those words made me feel numb inside, and I wanted nothing more than to escape this place as fast as possible. But I hadn't gone very far down the hall when his voice boomed from behind me."Stop right there! Where do you think you're going? Didn't you hear what the doctor just said?"I stopped in my tracks but didn't turn around.Tristan quickly caught up with me, his brow furrowed as he ordered in his haughty tone, "Where are you running off to? Hurry up and get your mother's funeral arrangements sorted out, then get back home early to keep my mother company. Don't make her worry."I nearly laughed ou

Chapter 6

Tristan stood on the sidewalk outside the crematorium, clutching the urn with a vacant, hollow stare.His assistant, Brandon Linley, sprinted over, gasping for breath as he lowered his voice. "Mr. Kane, Mr. Kane Senior couldn't get a hold of your mother. He ended his negotiations early and booked the fastest flight home."Tristan snapped his head up, terror filling his bloodshot eyes.Reality finally set in.Throughout their 40 years of marriage, Frederick Kane had never once handed Margery a cup of water without testing the temperature himself. If he ever found out that Tristan had allowed Penelope to torment me, causing Margery to miss her window for emergency surgery…A shiver ran down his spine, cold sweat instantly soaking through his shirt.Frederick would never forgive him.Not in a million years.Right then, a desperate thought consumed his mind. He needed to find Penelope and force her to take the fall for everything. If Penelope took the blame, Frederick might jus

Chapter 7

Tristan shivered violently, dragging his knees across the floor to grab Frederick's leg. "Dad, please. I know I messed up. Please just forgive me this once."Frederick looked down at Tristan, his eyes bloodshot."From the day you were born, your mother gave you everything you ever asked for. Whatever you wanted, she bought it for you without blinking an eye. You wear designer clothes, drive luxury cars, and live in a mansion. Did you think all of this just fell from the sky?"He pressed a hand against his own chest."I built my business from the ground up, but it was your mother who slept in cold warehouses and ate stale bread with me when she was only 18. I swore to her that I'd give her a good life and grow old by her side. But you killed her!"The final words were torn from Frederick's throat.Tristan remained on his knees, overwhelmed with regret. "Dad, I didn't know it was Mom! If I'd known it was my own mother on that table, how could I have left her to die?""Shut your mo

Chapter 8

Tristan showed up outside my apartment building three days after the funeral.I'd just gotten back from running errands when I spotted him sitting on the concrete steps by the entrance. His hair was a matted mess, stubble covered his jaw, and he'd lost so much weight that he looked gaunt.The moment he spotted me, he scrambled to his feet, looking like a child who'd been caught doing something terrible."Astrid, please," he begged. "Just listen to me."I didn't even glance at him, walking straight past him toward the stairs."Astrid, I know you don't wish to see me," he called out behind me. "But I honestly don't know where else to go. I can't live like this anymore! "My dad froze every single one of my cards, the board stripped me of my position, and I don't even have a place to live. My mom is gone, my dad disowned me, and now you're leaving me, too. What's the point of even being alive?"I stopped and looked down at him icily.It felt like watching a stranger put on a des

Chapter 9

When I arrived at my childhood home, dragging my suitcase up the driveway, Mom was out in the front yard watering the flowers.She turned around at the sound of my footsteps, her eyes widening in surprise. "Astrid? What are you doing here?"I offered her a small smile, telling her I just missed her and wanted to stay for a while.She froze for a second, then walked over to study my face, her gaze lingering on how much weight I'd lost. Without question, she took my suitcase and pulled me inside."You must be starving. Let me go make you dinner."That night, I sat down and told her everything from start to finish. When I finally stopped talking, she sat in silence for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh."When he was pursuing you, he treated you like you were his entire world," she murmured, her eyes welling with tears as she shook her head. "He acted like he'd do anything for you. I honestly thought that leaving you in his hands meant I could rest easy. I didn't expect h

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