My Healing

Liam

I'm feeling like a caged lion, pacing back and forth in my office without being able to stop. Once again, the need to let out my anger in some way arose, and I opted for the most accessible one at the moment. I grabbed a bottle of my father's favorite brandy and threw it against the wall.

"Damn, damn, damn!" I also threw a glass against the wall. "A thousand times damn!"

The shock passed and in its place, there was only anger. A lot of anger toward my father, my mother, and especially my idiot uncle. I'm sure it was he who convinced my father to establish those conditions for me to finally take over my fortune. And I still can't believe my father did this to me! What Frederico is doing to me is blackmail and the most ordinary kind.

I continued walking around the room, now being careful not to step on the shards of glass, until I felt a little more in control and called my secretary.

"Arrange for someone from housekeeping to come to my office," I ordered without even greeting the woman on the other end of the line. "Quickly!"

I wasn't in the mood for slow people. Although my secretary usually attended to all my requests with great efficiency, she didn't value speed, and that drove me crazy.

I sat in my chair behind the imposing director's desk and unlocked the computer. I needed to prepare for a meeting with the crisis management team. My father couldn't have chosen a worse time to drop that bomb on my lap.

Someone knocked on the door at that moment, and I imagined it was from housekeeping.

"Come in already!" I shouted impatiently.

I wasn't wrong, and I soon noticed the entrance of a girl wearing a horrible white overall and a cap on her head. Although I never paid attention to the people who perform basic tasks in my company, I noticed that for a few months now, the same girl has been cleaning my office.

She just waved before starting her work, and I didn't bother to respond to her greeting. I was too busy with problems much more important than an employee in the cleaning department.

I continued analyzing some important reports and searching for additional information on the internet, as well as requesting a legal department report by email, all simultaneously.

"Have you ever considered seeking help?" A sweet and gentle voice spoke very softly.

I thought I had heard things and looked at the only person in the room besides me. It's not possible that this girl dared to suggest that I need help.

"What did you say?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

I stared at the girl, once again my eyes screaming for help in the face of her horrible outfit. She looked at me, seeming uncomfortable, I would even say regretful for having said whatever it was she said, now standing and collecting the shards of glass on the dustpan. I hope she doesn't dare to repeat it.

"Have you ever considered seeking help?"

My ears didn't deceive me and the soft, delicate voice was indeed from that plain girl. However, upon closer analysis of her face, I noticed that her features were not unpleasant. Not that it changed anything. She had just thrown away her job at Loser Inc.

I leaned my body in a way to better support myself on the high backrest of the executive chair and with all the calmness I possess, I lifted my hand to my chin.

"You're fired."

The girl looked at me, surprise displayed on her face. Her eyes expressed a mixture of sadness and determination, but she didn't back down.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I just wanted to help, offer a friendly word. We all go through tough times, and sometimes it's necessary to recognize when we need help."

I felt a momentary discomfort in the face of the sincerity in her words. That sweetness and empathy she showed were strange to me, accustomed to dealing with tougher and more assertive people. For a moment, the thought of reassessing my decision crossed my mind. But arrogance quickly resurfaced.

"I don't need friendly words from a janitor. Take care of your duties and don't meddle in matters that don't concern you."

She lowered her head, resigned, but before leaving, she said:

"I hope someday you find the peace you're seeking."

The door closed behind her, and the room fell into a heavy silence. I struggled to refocus on the reports, but the girl's words echoed in my mind. What did she mean by that?

As the day went on, I found myself thinking about the cleaning staff member. When I arrived home at night, I found my father and uncle gathered in the mansion's living room, and all my tension and anger came rushing back.

"I hope you've considered my suggestion, Liam," Frederico Ricci said right away.

"Is that how you classify what you're forcing me to do?" I asked without hesitation. "A 'suggestion'?"

"I'm just trying to put some sense into your head, my son," Despite the words, his tone held no kindness. "I'm not going to put my company in the hands of an irresponsible playboy."

"Frederico!" Mom said horrified, entering the room at that moment. "You can't speak to our son like that."

"I'm used to it, Mom," I said sarcastically. "After all, that's the treatment I've received my whole life, isn't it?"

I love my mother and she's the only reason I still visit that house. It doesn't matter that the big idiot is also my father. I don't trust him.

"And you, as always, are acting with your usual cynicism," Frederico pointed out, bringing his cigar to his mouth and taking another puff. "I hope a wife can soften that rebellious temperament of yours."

"Strange as it may seem, I agree with Liam," my uncle Julian also chimed in. "You can't make a condition like that for him to take over the company."

"Oh, please, Julian! Don't make me laugh," I let out a sarcastic laugh. "You're hoping my father does exactly that. After all, if I don't get married within a month, the presidency of the company will go to Caíque, your beloved son."

"Please, dears," Mom intervened in the situation once again. "Let's not get into another pointless argument. We won't get anywhere with all these accusations."

Julian had the decency to stay silent, but I'm not sure if it was because of what I said or Mom's words. Julian is my father's brother, but he also knows that even though he's a complete idiot, Dad would never forgive someone who goes against his wife. That's a contradiction, considering he is a jerk to her.

As the tension continued to hang in the air, I looked around the luxurious living room, feeling suffocated by the pressure and expectations my family placed on me. I didn't want to be controlled or manipulated by my father. In their eyes, I was just a spoiled and irresponsible playboy, incapable of taking responsibility for the family business.

"Liam, I understand that you have your own opinions, but it's time to grow up," my father retorted, his voice full of authority. "If you want to be taken seriously, you need to show commitment and responsibility. Marriage is an important step in that direction."

I clenched my fists, feeling my patience running out. The idea of an arranged marriage just to ensure my supposed maturity was insulting.

"I won't accept this, Dad," I declared, firmness in my voice. "I won't submit to a marriage just to please you. I have my own goals and my own life to live."

My mother looked at me with sadness, seeming torn between her love for me and her loyalty to my father. She tried to intervene again, but I cut her off before she could speak.

"I'd better go," I said resolutely.

I left the living room. I need a moment's peace to organize my thoughts and make a decision. As I walked through the halls of the mansion, my emotions were mixed. Anger, frustration, but also a flame of determination. I'm not going to lose the company that is rightfully mine and hand it over to my cousin Caíque, after years of dedicating myself entirely to Laser Inc.