Bitter 11

Chapter 11 Treat Him Only as a Boss
Leonard had walked some distance away with his phone before growling into it again. “I can do whatever I want, and you have no right to control me.” “Yeah. And I don’t want to.” I didn’t want to spend too much effort on this problem with him. Ever since he took a woman back home the first time, I should have understood. I didn’t know why I was being so dramatic over it at the time. I lived in sorrow almost every day. I wanted to tell him the truth more than once in the past. However, I was afraid that I would hurt him, that I would make him upset, and that he would be in unbearable pain. But I understood it now. He wouldn’t be upset with people like me, so there was no need to explain anything. However, I didn’t know what exactly I said which angered him again. He roared, “Eva, what are you trying to say? Do you think you have a right to control me? I’ll make it clear to you right now. I paid for everything in the house, and you have no right to point your fingers at me. “I’m warning you right now. Stop threatening Lily. She’s unlike you, so don’t get into any scuffles with her. Get back to the company right now, or I won’t pay you a single cent!” I thought he would hang up after that, but he didn’t. He stubbornly waited for an answer from me. After waiting for about ten seconds, only then did I slowly say, “Fine. But I want overtime.” “Darn it. I’ll pay!” When he hung up, I heard Lily calling out “Leo” in a sweet tone. That was the nickname that I used for him, but it had become someone else’s too. I knew that he and Lily weren’t just fooling around. She could appear by his side in the company without showing any restraint. He had even allowed Lily to post on social media about themselves and provoked me. But my feelings stopped hurting when I saw the 10 thousand dollars over time transferred into my bank account. It seemed to hurt less if I just treated him as my boss. However, when he saw my instant acceptance of the fund transfer, he sent another long recorded voice message. I immediately switched my phone off and ignored him. There was no need to think about it. I already knew what he was going to say. It was all the same all these years, and I was already getting bored of it. To him, I was just a woman that was in it for the money. So, I didn’t see a problem with taking the money. On the day I was getting discharged from the hospital, Emma had to go on a business trip. She couldn’t send me home, but she insisted that someone from her family could bring me home instead. I lied to her saying that my colleague sent me home. I then took a picture with the Uber driver and sent it to her. Only then did it reassure her. Once I reached home, I could already hear Buddy’s whining. My neighbor, Ms. Agatha, quickly opened the door. “You’re back. It’s good that you’re back. How are you doing?” Agatha wiped her tears and held my hand gently. “You’ve lost weight.” “It’s fashionable to be skinny now, so I might as well lose some weight. Isn’t that nice?” I patted Agatha’s hand. Even a stranger’s hand could be so warm, and it warmed my heart as well. Buddy spun around me again and again. Agatha kept on telling it that I was weak right now and it couldn’t pounce on me, so it walked in a circle around me instead. I crouched down, and it wagged its tail so happily. I held its head in my embrace and finally let out a genuine smile. “Ah! What a big dog, Leo! I’m scared.” Lily let out a sharp scream, scaring both Buddy and I. I looked at the two of them holding their matching pieces of luggage and wearing matching outfits. They looked so much like a real couple. Leonard looked at me with a frown. “Why did you lose so much weight?’ “Why do you care?” I patted Buddy’s head, telling it to stop barking. Lily seemed to be afraid and shuddered while she hid behind Leonard. “Leo, didn’t you say you’ll deal with the dog at home? Why is it still here? I’m allergic to dog fur, so can’t you send it away? Even a dog shelter will do…” “I dare you to say it again, you bitch!” I shielded Buddy behind my back and looked at Lily murderously. Not only did the whore steal the scumbag, but she also wanted to kill my dog? Buddy could sense Lily’s hostility and my anger. So, it kept on barking at them. Leonard held Lily in his arms as he stared at me with enmity. “What do you want, Eva? I never knew you could curse at another person like that. Watch your temper!” “Curse at another person? When have I cursed at another person? The one I’m cursing at isn’t even human. “Why don’t you look at yourself first before laying your eyes on my dog? Darn it, you bitch! I dare you to say it one more time!” As my chest heaved, it must have pulled at my injury. Even my breaths were shaky. Leonard wanted to take a step forward, but Lily dragged him back. “Leo, she and her dog are so scary. I thought the city didn’t allow anyone to keep any large dogs. Let’s call the police. I think such aggressive dogs are usually put to sleep, right?” While Lily said she was scared, I could see the provocation in her eyes. I finally understood everything. Her allergy to dog fur and her terror of dogs were all excuses. She knew I cared about Buddy, so everything she did was to try to make me upset. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t become upset. I would go mad instead. I gave the leash to Agatha and used all my strength to drag Lily to my side. The sounds of two slaps echoed in the air. I used all the strength I had, and Lily’s face instantly became swollen. Lily had just wanted to strike at me when Leonard took a step forward and pushed me away. “Eva, you… Ah!” Then, there was a loud bark. Buddy struggled and freed itself. Then, it bit Leonard’s arm which was pushing me away.