Page 29 of Bossed By the Orc

His smile was mischievous as he leaned back in his leather chair. “Well, she said I could call her Pen. It seems like we’ve grown close.”

I grunted, counting backward so I didn’t decapitate him with my claws. As blunted as they were, I’d have to hack in too deep and it would probably get on the tie Penelope had knotted that morning.

“She has enough on her plate. I want her to take over cooking duties. She shouldn’t be bothered with cleaning, too,” I told him.

“You’re firing the chef?” Fionel asked with wide eyes. “But we finally found one you like.”

“I said Penelope would be cooking,” I growled. “Hire him for my brother instead. He shouldn’t eat as much junk as he does.” I turned to look for Penelope, noticing she was already gone. “And get Estrella to hire someone to clean the penthouse.” I thought about it for a moment before adding, “An older, mated female.”

“Oh,” Fionel said in a low voice, his tone surprised. I glared over at him again and he shrugged. “It’s just that you didn’t want strangers in your home last time. That’s why I started cleaning—”

“It’ll make it easier for Penelope if they’re there,” I snapped, pointing a finger at him. “And I don’t want you around her more than you need to be. Spend as little time with her as you can.”

“Yes, sir,” he drawled, his stupidly handsome face grinning up at me.

I rolled my eyes and made my way toward the stairwell, where I figured Penelope was since I hadn’t heard the elevator doors open. I opened the door and heard her rushed words. Brow furrowed, I paused to listen.

“No, you don’t understand. We’re going to be able to make the payments. I know that we’re behind, but if you give me some time—”

Her words were cut off, and I could only see her beautiful profile, but the tension in her delicate shoulders and the frown on her face were obvious. Ire gathered inside me, directed at whoever was on the other end of that call.

“It’s our home,” Penelope’s voice caught on a sob and my fist clenched.

What the fuck’s going on?

My female cleared her throat and she whispered, “Please, if you can just give us some more time—”

The asshole on the phone cut her off again and I cursed myself for not having better hearing. If I did, I’d be able to tell what was going on. What payments was she talking about? Penelope should never have to worry about money with me around.

I lifted my phone from my pocket, texting my brother quickly.

Dristan: Find out if Penelope has any debt and pay it off.

I didn’t have to wait long for the response.

Rud: On it.

The tension slowly left my body. I wouldn’t have her worrying over anything as simple as money. Not when she had bigger problems to focus on—like making an orc-sized space in her life.

“I understand that they want to buy it, but as the original owners, don’t we get the priority?” she asked, twisting her hair with her fingers. “And I understand that you’re busy, but is there a time I can call back to discuss this?”

My jaw clenched as I watched her fret. She sputtered into the phone before pulling away to stare down at it in disbelief. The fucker had hung up. I typed out another message.

Dristan: I also need you to track down someone she called. I’ll give you the details when we talk next.

He didn’t need to know why. I’d deal with that one personally. I watched my female raise her hands to her eyes.

“Don’t cry. You can’t cry,” she whispered the words to herself and I slowly stepped out of the stairwell. I closed the door quietly behind me, walking back to my office. I’d give my female the time she needed to gather her thoughts, but I would only let her get away with keeping things to herself for so long.

I needed to start staking my claim on her. The faster I did, the more she’d understand that I was a resource that she had available to her to solve any issue she had. I tended to be annoyed when anyone bothered me with their problems, but she was my exception.

Walking past a smug Fionel, I glared in his direction while he grinned back at me. One day I’d fire him. When he stopped being so damn efficient.

Sitting at my desk, I pretended I’d been there the entire time when Penelope made her way back into the office. She hurried to her chair next to me. Well, it was technically my chair. The one that I was currently sitting in was digging annoyingly into my sides. Peering over at her, I saw her struggling to focus on the papers I’d given her to review.

It was almost five in the evening. Close to the time when everyone else in the building would be making their exit for the day. It was Friday. It wasn’t typical for me to care about the weekend, but the strain on Penelope’s face made me realize that I hadn’t had time off in… years.

“I think we’re about done for the day,” I huffed out, turning to face her. “Let’s get ready to leave.”

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