The slap echoed in the normally silent office, he could see the pain in her eyes even she clench her teeth not to let any sound out.
Tears welled up in her eyes as the last slap landed on her cheek.
"I'm sorry ma, I had no other choice, I really need the money" Betty said with eyes planted on the ground.
"Betty you can go, you would recieve the raise this month" Xander said and the young lady hurried out of the office.
Hermia turned away to subtle dry the tears from her eyes.
That was how Xander imagine everything to turn out when gave that condition. He didn't except Hermia to have something else up her sleeves.
"Let's begin" he announce cheerfully like he was preparing to watch a football match.
"Don't you dare lay your rotten fingers on me" Hermia refuted as Betty raised her hand to slap her. "I have a better offer for you" Xander ex-wife suggested as she brought out a platinum card from her purse.
"I would give this to you for a week if you don't do as your boss say" Hermia said with a smirk, waving the card at her face.
The lady's greedy eyes followed the movement of the card. She looked at boss who shrugged at her. She took it as a go head and snatched the card from Hermia's hand.
"Not so fast peasant, don't think you can run away once you days are up" Hermia said and signal her to leave.
"I bought your employee slap, don't tell me you are going to bring another to try it" Hermia said to Xander. His inside boiled as it was not the outcome he imagined. He wanted to see that smile on her face be replaced by tears and her laugh by sob.
Xander kept his professional smile on and walked to her like a predator approaching his prey but Hermia was not backing down as she glared at him the closer he got.
"What if I do" he said
"What?" Hermia said surprised.
At that moment, he snatched the brown envelope that contained the contract from her grasp.
"I would keep this so tell any lie to Mike" Xander said and went behind his desk. Hermia huffed and left not after she sent a glare Hunter's way.
"That went well" Hunter started
"I think, is it wrong that I'm not still satisfied?" Xander asked, looking expectantly at his assistant.
"Whoa, don't tell me that the kind and gentle Alexander Cage has a dark side" Hunter teased as he walked to his boss.
"Oh shut up, I'm leaving early so you are dismissed and prepare for the auction happening tomorrow" Xander said and left the office.
"Young Master... " Hunter called but Xander had entered the elevator and hadn't heard his assistant call him. "Randy said she is moving in today" Hunter said to himself and shrugged. "He would notice"
***
Xander met Trente munching a box of pizza in the sitting room in front of the Television.
"You are back early" Trente greeted
"Yeah, I finished early but what are doing home by 1pm" Xander said and Trente stop on his current slice of pizza when he realized he had been caught.
"Trente" the older brother called in a stern tone.
"I decided to skip today, it's not a big deal" Trente said and sulked. Xander groan and sat beside his brother.
"This is your final year and I took you as a jock because of your built"
"I quit last year and I don't really like going to school" Trente said and resumed eating while watching the show playing on the Television.
Xander got annoyed by this. He picked up the remote and switched of the Television.
"Look, I don't know what is going on with you but I can't let you sit at home all day like a depressed man that lost his lover" Xander said but he didn't notice Trente tense up.
"I'm going to ask Max to take you to school tomorrow" Trente open his mouth to protest. "Unless you want me to ask Cameron to let me take care of your allowance"
"Okay, I would go but I don't have friends or any one to hang out with" Trente said with a pout.
"Being a loner is not that bad" Xander said and an electric bell rang.
He hasn't heard something like this before so he looked at Trente for an explanation.
"Someone is outside the gate" Trente said as he moved to the elevator with Xander behind him.
He went to the receptionist desk and stared into a screen.
"Do you know this person?" Trente asked his brother and made way for him to view into the screen.
"Randy?" Xander said before he could stop. Trente smiled at that as he remembered Hunter told him that Randy was his brother girlfriend.
Trente pressed a button to open the gate. Not long after, Randy joined them in the reception hall.
"Hi, you must be Randy, I'm Trente this Jackass brother" Trente said to the lady who grinned at him.
"I'm still here" Xander said sternly
"Ignore him, let's move you in" Trente said and helped her with one of her luggage. She had come with two troll bags that was filled with clothes she had bought with the black card.
Xander followed them into the elevator and noticed that Trente had pressed the number three button so he pressed the number two.
"She is staying on the floor below us" Xander said with his focus on the closed elevator door when Trente looked at him for an explanation.
Soon they were in second floor, Trente and Randy pulled a bag behind them while the new chairman followed them empty handed.
"This place is gorgeous" Randy awed, turning in circle to look at the paintings hung on different positions on the wall.
She wasn't aware that her troll bag was also moving with her. The bag knocked down a vase but Xander caught it before he hit the ground.
"Sorry" she said apologetically but there was still glint in her eyes.
At that moment, Trente had returned from placing her bag in the bedroom.
"Let me help" Trente said as he moved to collect the bag but it was snatched by Xander who took it to the bedroom. Randy and Trente smiled to themselves, it was cut short interrupted by a phone call.
He answered his phone, it was Max asking about their whereabout.
"Xander, Max is waiting for your on our floor" Trente informed Xander when he returned from the bedroom.
He left Trente to Randy get comfortable in her new home while he went to meet Max.
"What brings you here?" Xander asked as soon as he Max.
"This" he replied hold up a brown envelope, which Xander took and opened it.
He realized that it was a divorce document, not any divorce document, it was his divorce document.
He quickly check the signature part and noticed Hermia's signature. The space for his was replace by a fingerprint instead of signature, which only mean one thing since he didn't remember doing this.
They had done this when he was unconscious in jail.