Page 19 of Ruthless Lullaby

I quickly make my way outside and find a bench to sit on. I pull out my phone and check my emails. And there it is. To my complete lack of surprise, the dreaded message appears.

Subject: Termination of Work Contract

Dear Ms. Williams,

We regret to inform you that your employment contract with Global Media has been terminated with immediate effect. The reason for this decision is being kept confidential at this time.

We understand that this news may come as a surprise, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Please know that this decision was made after careful consideration of various factors.

We are grateful for the contributions you have made during your time with our company, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Mike Collins

Head of Human Resources Dept.

Global Media Ltd.

That's it.

Fired.

Unemployed.

All because of a bunch of stupid photos sent to the wrong address.

If my life was not over, it is now.

I'm positive it's Maron Korolev, who had me fired. “Mike,”he said to the head of Human Resources,“get the bitch outta my company. We don't do nudes here.”

I stumble to my car and collapse into the driver's seat, gasping for air. My chest heaves with violent sobs as I bury my face in my trembling hands, allowing my tears to stream down my cheeks and soak into my skin.

I’m utterly, spectacularly screwed.

Chapter Nine

Maron

“Maron, I really need your help this time.” Maurice says, nearly whispering.

"So, that’s it, huh? After all these years, you come in here, just to ask for money again."

He nods. “Without that money, I’m totally fucked.”

It takes a great deal of willpower to not get pissed off at him. I heave a sigh and force my mind to focus on the facts while fixing my eyes on Maurice. “That’s too fucking bad, bro. You should have thought of that before losing your remaining money in Marble Monkey.” I’m keeping my tone even, but I’m really starting to feel zero empathy for my idiotic half-brother. Who the fuck does that? And who the fuck puts his girlfriend through shit like that?

While I might seem like I’m keeping my cool, I’m boiling underneath the surface. I really had enough of Maurice’s bullshit. For the last few years, it seemed like he was getting his life together. I almost thought he could pull it off. Yet, here he is, crawling back to my office just to try and use me as his personal bank, pissing me off all over again. I know one thing for sure. If I give him cash, it means I’m never seeing that money again.

But then again, he is my brother. Well, half-brother. Maurice and I are from the same father, but from different mothers. And despite the fact that he’s from a different mother,my own mother loved him, and treated him like her own. She even used to call him ‘son’ when she was still healthy. As much as I want to punch the idiot in the face and throw him out of my office, I can’t deny that he’s a part of my family. And that means I can’t just let him down.

Blyad!

I take a swig of vodka and lean back, keeping my eyes locked on Maurice. It's obvious that he’s desperate. He's not even trying to hide it. I could just kick him out and let him be homeless, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to do it.

Then a lightbulb goes off.

What if I could get Maurice to take over the organ business? It's a risky move, yes, but it could be the answer to a lot of my problems. Nearly all of them. And also, to his problems.

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