Yours, Until Needed
Chapter 67: Assistant

Chapter 67: Assistant

As if they hadn’t been gloomy just a while back, my parents were suddenly giddy, like actual children.

"Honey, it has long been ready! We could’ve started ages ago!"

My mom said, a hand on her cheek, trying to control her glee.

Honestly, it was scary. She’s very happy and excited, like we weren’t talking about disintegrating empires.

"But Dad, are you sure about this?" I had to ask because, for better or for worse, my Dad was a Thornhill. Unlike me, he grew up rather cherished in that family.

"I’m even more determined than the two of you." He assured us, a foreboding look on his face. A look that he often had when he recalled how his loved ones suffered because of money.

"All of this stemmed from their unending greed. Now let’s see what happens when there’s nothing to fight over with."

Originally, we just wanted to be able to stand on our own. If the Chairman changes his plans, we will be fine. In fact, it should have been good for the Thornhills, too. Without us in the mix, they would have had more to share.

We’ve even allowed them to associate the two groups together as a way to bolster the public’s trust.

But look where that got us. From the moment the clan chose to exonerate Alexa and Jasper, my parents decided to pursue this path.

"First, you’re going to get yourself an assistant. You can’t clone yourself. If you want to do this properly, you need added limbs working for you."

"You’re talking about Aunt Cynthia’s son?"

"He had always expressed his interest to join us. What more could we ask from someone who has seen the back end of all this?"

I’ve met the guy before. Our parents sometimes brought us to the company Christmas parties, so Mitchel Larson was at least an acquaintance.

It’s just that I haven’t really heard much about him since he studied abroad.

"How much does he know?"

"Cynthia has trained him personally, and he’s been learning the ropes while you were studying. He knows enough."

"He can also help with your new business. After all, he’s not an employee of the Anderson Group." Dad had always wanted to offer more assistance, but I didn’t want to make big waves until we were ready.

In reality, a lot of our plans started moving after my marriage. We had been stuck at consolidation for so long, but suddenly, things started turning out like this, and now I need more than 24 hours in a day just to catch up.

"And Mitchel turned out great. You’ll enjoy working with him." Smiled my well-meaning mother.

___

That was how I got saddled with the world’s sassiest assistant.

"Boss, if we end up with this vendor, we might as well change our target market." Mitchel had a complicated look on his face.

It’s when you’re trying to be professional, but the Lord is testing you.

I met Mitchel yesterday after my parents flooded me with reminders and tasks.

It’s been so long since I’ve last seen him, so I was surprised at how much he’s changed.

From that relatively timid boy who liked character prints came this well-polished guy. He was admittedly fashionable, way more put together than my haphazard self.

Definitely a beautiful guy. The kind that could pass off as a woman if not for his towering height. Very androgynous.

However, I did not expect a change in his personality, which led to our current conversation.

"You don’t agree with their design proposal?" I asked, repeatedly amused at his honesty. Surely something he developed abroad.

"A disagreement would be tolerable, boss. But it seems I am allergic, instead. They didn’t even make the effort to read the requirements!"

Right. It’s not just a design issue but blatant disrespect. This particular firm ignored almost everything we required, save for the room dimensions.

"That’s expected. This firm’s new designer hated Riri, and we found out about the change late."

"It was not my fault that she was a sad excuse for a human being. All I did was answer the question honestly." Rina pointed out, trying to explain to Mitchel how none of this was her fault.

"So, was it right to say that she was nice when her crush asked you if she was pretty?"

This was a decade-long hatred that once again found an outlet. We went to school with this girl who thought she could use Rina to bolster her popularity. But Rina had no desire to follow through, which damaged her chances with her crush.

It seems like she’d die with this hatred, too.

"She’s lucky I even said she was nice." Rina grimaced in protest.

"You couldn’t bring yourself to say that she was pretty but could say she was nice?" I still remember Riri’s serious face when she deliberated on how to answer his question.

"I could only lie so much," She answered, rolling her eyes at me.

I laughed at how she’d rather walk on fire than admit defeat.

This crazy woman!

"But it’s fine, Mitchel. Let’s just find other firms that Rina hasn’t offended yet." I looked over at my new assistant, who was now concerned about the thinning pile of proposals.

"Don’t talk like we haven’t scrapped two whole pages of options because of you." Rina pointed out as she drank her coffee.

"None of that was because of me. I immediately cleared my name. That was solely because of Lucian."

We did have to scrap a few (a lot) of firms because of their known obsession with Lucian. These young and promising designers were out of reach for someone who married the apple of their eyes.

"Boss, I don’t think Sir Lucian married himself," Mitchel added his two cents.

"He might as well have." I scowled at him. Where is this guy’s loyalty?

"Is he still alive? It’s been several days, and I haven’t caught sight of that guy." No one would have wondered about such a thing before because Lucian was rarely even available for his family. But I guess Rina got used to him being around.

"Even the reaper’s no match for that guy," I reassured her.

It has been close to a week now, and this would have gone on for far longer if not for the upcoming summit.

I have already adjusted my new body clock, and this has allowed me to avoid Lucian almost entirely. It’s just "almost" because I had to deal with Oliver to get the proposals. Now that Mitchel’s here, I’ll be exempt from doing this, too.

All I need to do now is introduce them to each other, and life will be easier.

Based on the few hours we’ve worked together, Mitchel really was capable. He came here after having done advanced research and knew he should ask for our business plan instead of asking for a personal lecture.

This is in addition to how he’s been prepared to deal with work related to the various companies we owned. His updates were concise yet relevant, as if the guy had been here far longer than I had.

What kind of hell did he have to experience under Aunt Cynthia?