FULL NOVELXO Chapter My CEO 329
329 I'm not Gus! (Jayden)
I wake up, groggy, disoriented, and immediately know something's off. I've slept well. Too well I know i was 3am when I finally got home but Winona should have called me
I rub my eyes and glance at the clock.
8 a.m.
What the hell? That can't be right.
Where the fuck is my phone? Not on the nightstand where I left it, that's for sure. Panic tightens in my chest. Winona would've tried to call. I scramble out of bed and pull on my sweatpants Immediately there are two young men who accost me with clothing and try to usher me into the bathroom. I bat them off like mosquitoes. I'm not awake enough for this shit right now. "Where's my phone? Do either of you know?" I ask.
They both shake their heads.
"Fucking great." I storm out of the bedroom looking around for is in my sitting area. Nope, nothing
I stride along the massive hallway to the main sitting area. I glance around.
"Breakfast Mr. Brennan?" A younger woman asks.
"No. Have you seen my phone anywhere?"
She shakes her head.
"Right. Can you look for it? Please." I'm trying to hold my temper.
"Sleeping in, are we?" Hugo's tone drips with disapproval. "We're already behind schedule."
Fucking right! Just what I need. "Do come in, Hugo," I say sarcastically. "Make yourself useful and look for my phone seeing as you're here this early."
"Early?" He raises an eyebrow. "Jayden, it's 8 a.m. Gus would've been up long ago, already in the office."
"Yeah, well, I'm not Gus and I didn't get back here until 3am after finishing up yesterday's work." I say as I explore this huge room and all the places a phone could be hiding. "Where the hell is my phone?" I yell into the air. "Someone had better find it fast."
Hugo gives me that cool, superior look he always has. "Regardless of when you got home. You should've been up by now. We've got things to do."
"Hugo," I say through gritted teeth, "did you take my phone? I need to call home."
Hugo's eyes narrow slightly. "I don't know anything about your phone, Jayden. We have more important things to focus on."
I know I had my phone when I went to bed. So where is it?
+25 BONUS
329 I'm not Gus!
Frustration boils over, and I storm out into the hallway. One of the staff is nearby, tidying up thin air. I wave her over, trying to keep my voice calm. "Have you seen my phone?" I say slowly because they can't all speak English. I make the gestures that show what I'm looking for.
She blinks, looking startled. "Phone? Oh... um, I think... In the den... office."
"Who moved it?" I demand, my voice is sharper than I intend. "Did you?"
""No, sir," she says quickly, shaking her head. "Not me."
I
I stare at her, my anger flaring hot. She backs away a little.
"So, someone just decided to move my phone without asking?"
She stammers, backing away even more. "I... I'm not sure, sir. I didn't move it."
I grit my teeth, storming back into the den, and sure enough, my phone's there on a side table, completely dead. I grab it, plugging it in with shaking hands, my heart pounding with frustration.
Winona must have called. What if something happened with Henry? What if she needed me? "Un-fucking- believable! This is like being at home. Someone spilled the milk but no one knows who. Mr Nobody followed me here." I rage. Hugo steps into the room, watching me with that same, unreadable expression. "You're overreacting. Gus had staff that anticipated his needs. Maybe they did what they thought was best."
"Again, I'm not Gus," I snap, turning on my phone and waiting for it to boot up. "I don't need people making decisions about my life without my permission."
Finally my phone is alive and I see so many missed calls and messages from Winona. Fuck! This is a disaster.
"I don't need to be dressed or undressed. I don't need this place cleaned every hour when no one ever uses it. The staffing levels here are ridiculous."
Hugo shrugs, but there's a hint of something darker in his eyes. "That's the way things work here. You're the head of Nexus Global now. People will do what they think is necessary to keep things running smoothly."
Anger surges through me, hotter than before. "This is unacceptable. Moving my phone? No! I should fire whoever did it."
"You can't just start firing people," Hugo says, his tone calm but firm. "These people depend on their jobs. Gus-built this company on loyalty. Many of us here owe him our livelihoods and, often, our lives."
I stop pacing, turning to face him, fury still coursing through me, "I don't care. No one has the right to invade my privacy like that. My family is more important than this damn company. Always
Hugo's gaze hardens. "That's exactly why I doubt you'll ever be successful here. He knew when to put the company above everything else."
I glare at him, my fists clenched. "Yeah," I scoff. "He knew when to abandon his only kid to run a business instead. I'm not interested in being like that asshole."
2/9
929 I'm not Gust
+25 BONUS
I can see calling Gus an asshole hit a nerve. "I'll do things my way. And that means my family comes first."
There's a long, tense silence between us.
Finally, Hugo speaks, his voice lower but still carrying that hint of superiority. "You've got a lot to learn about your position here, Jayden. And a lot of people here depend on you getting it right."
My phone buzzes in my hand, another message from Winona. I glance at it, the guilt gnawing at me, but I can't deal with it right now.
Not with Hugo standing here, judging me, pressuring me to be someone I'm not.
I quickly text back. Sorry. will call after this argument with Hugo!
"I'll learn," I say through gritted teeth, "but I'm not sacrificing my family for this."
Hugo gives a small nod. "We'll see."
"You can leave. I'll be in the office when I'm good and ready."
I need to call Winona. I need to explain.
330 Time To Take Action
330 Time To Take Action