BETROTHED TO THE CEO MISMATCH

"Are you meaning to tell me that Gustavo isn't there? He isn't paid to lay around and take up space. Neither are you too. So, get to work, and fucking do what you're paid to do!"

I slam my phone recklessly on my bed, not caring if the force broke it or not. I can't believe it. I'm just getting out of bed and the first thing that I get to hear is how incompetent people are for being paid their salaries on time to enable them to work well with large bonuses and are slacking at their jobs.

At this point, it would have been much easier to hire a bunch of homeless hobos off the streets, train them in the art, and pay them half the price being wasted on these idiots. At least my yelling this morning will be worthwhile.

Fuck! The day hasn't even started and I'm this irritated. I genuinely hope the rest of my day won't be filled with shit like this, thou it probably will, that's just the way my life rolls.

"Li! What's wrong baby?" The curious voice of my mom calls from the other side, and I wince slightly. I shouldn't have lost my cool like that.

So not professional.

"Nothing to worry your pretty head over, Ma. It's just some mishap at the bar. Nothing I can't deal with." I say back to her. I know she's just a few seconds from opening my room door, and I don't need her worrying over my mood or it would dampen her day.

"I'll be down in a few," I tell her, standing from my bed. "Why don't you go down and make me something sweet like you always do to help me have a great day."

Just as I thought, she was a few minutes from opening my door but she pauses, "Li baby, don't let whatever it is get to you. It'll ruin your day, kiddo."

I nod, even though she can't see me. Isn't my ma, the sweetest sweetheart? You probably won't agree with me because you don't know her much, but hearing her like this, I'm certain my day is going to go well. You might be asking yourself why a grown man is living with his mom. Well, that's a story for another time.

"I promise, Ma. Now I need to get ready for work."

"Come downstairs when you're ready!" I hear footsteps, and it's not until I'm sure she's gone before I rush to my bathroom to get ready for the day.

And I've got only thirty minutes to spare.

Okay, so I know I said it was going to be a good day but what the fuck is happening?! Everything is going crazy!

It was going well after I had my shower, got dressed, and had breakfast. But the moment I stepped out; it was like some switch had been turned on to let all bad things start up automatically.

It started with a dead bird falling on me from nowhere. No blood or anything of that sort, just the poop it managed to smear on me as it was landing. I had to go back to change and take a shower which took valuable time away from me. Ten minutes, if I had to be exact.

Getting into my sweet baby Margarita (my precious 1968 black Mustang), and already five minutes behind time, the shortest route to the bar was blocked due to an accident and I had to be subjected to having to manage my anger and irritation in the traffic which made me late by another thirty minutes.

And what more rotten luck could I get on reaching the bar, I was greeted with the headlines carrying the picture of my dad and his latest eye candy caught in another scandal.

I couldn't believe it.

The nerve of the old man, claiming to be retired just to avoid having to deal with all the formalities yet subjecting my half-brothers to answer to him at his every need and call. Oh, that includes me getting rid of all evidence concerning the latest scandal he's involved in.

He was ruthless enough to have all my savings and trust funds on hold. I know it's highly unbelievable right now, but he was able to successfully get me under his thumb because I got into a lot of shady things while growing up.

Let me let you in on a little not-so-open secret, I'm the black sheep of the Dinero family. Family rules and whatnot, yeah, I don't follow ancestral procedures. I preferred to do things my own way, the way I wanted. My father saw that to his advantage and decided to use it.

But he also knew I wouldn't be here taking his bullshit, and neither would he have been alive.