The Man of the House

Chapter 146

“I’m still not sure why you wanted to come to work with me. It’s after hours so no one else will be there. Ms. Dean has been allowing me to work extra hours since you’ve been... well, you know.” Mom looked away awkwardly, a flash of guilt on her face.

“I’m sorry I put you in that situation, mom,” I responded awkwardly as she parked the car in front of her workplace. ” I was just thinking I could help you a bit.”

“No, it’s not your fault at all. It was an accident, and as I said, my work has been accommodating.” Mom tried to smile, but I could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

Mom had spent the time I was gallivanting around in that other world worried sick about me. She stayed by my bedside all day and then work all night. It wasn’t good for her. I also didn’t believe her boss, Ms. Dean, had kept things as easy on her as mom implied. I knew mom far better now than I used to, and I could read between the lines. She was barely holding it together.

That’s why I needed to help her out. In the previous world, mom had lost her job and she had to go find a new one. It wasn’t so bad though. London had just finished her residency and was starting to make real money and was willing to help, plus I got a job and started helping as well. She had ended up getting a job that paid more than her last one, proving that she had been getting played for years.

I didn’t want things to go the same way though. Too many factors were different. London wasn’t a doctor, and mom wasn’t as confident in her abilities. Thankfully, I had a long time to dwell on some of the things Ms. Dean had told me, and I had a few theories working in my mind. I was willing to go all out to put them to the test too.

The pair of us entered her workplace, and it wasn’t much different than the place I remembered. The building was just as empty, and when I went to her desk, it looked just the same. That’s when a thought occurred to me.

“Do you have any family pictures?” I asked.

“What, honey?”

“I thought you might...” I added.

“Ah, I do...” She opened the same drawer I had recalled Mom opening in that other world, pulled out the picture frame, and then handed it to me. “Ms. Dean doesn’t like us to have photographs from home on our desks. Do you want it?”

I took the picture from her. It was the same one. I found myself smiling slightly as I thought about it. Weirdly, it felt like a bridge between that world and this one. In that world, I was cold and aloof, disliking my sisters who embarrassed me. In this world, I had been an awkward dweeb that avoided them because of my insecurities. We ended up taking the same picture, it was my sisters from this world as much as that world.

“You’ve finally arrived. You’ve taken your sweet time.” A voice came from behind.

Mom jumped. “Ms. Dean! You’re still here?”Yôur favorite stories at wuxiahere.com

“Unlike you, some of us have to work.” She walked up to Mom with her hands on her hips and a disapproving smile she turned to me. “Is this the son that caused you to miss so much work?”

“This is my son! He just was released today.” Mom responded proudly.

“Hello, Ms. Dean.” I smiled at her.

She opened her mouth, freezing for a second as she took a second glance my way, and then continued. “Why did you bring him here?”

“He’s been through a lot. He didn’t want to be trapped at home, and I thought maybe he could help with some of the filing, the stuff anyone could do.”

“You mean the stuff you were supposed to do.” Ms. Dean glared. “If anyone can do it, why do you even have a job?”

“Ah...” Mom opened her mouth, but couldn’t come up with anything to say.

“I’m sorry, Miss Dean.” I lowered my head, smiling at her. “I want to just keep busy and help. I don’t want anything for it. You can use me however you want.”

Miss Dean stared at me for a second, her cheeks twitching slightly before she looked away. “Well, I suppose I can allow you to help a little. However, anything he does wrong is on you!”

“Y-yes ma’am!” Mom nearly saluted.

Miss Dean looked me up and down one last time, and then headed back to her office. Mom let out a little sigh and then shot me a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know if I should be impressed or worried.”

“What do you mean, mom?”

“I’ve not seen step back so easily on anything. When did you become so smooth with the ladies?”

I let out a little laugh. “What are you talking about? I have six sisters. Talking to women is easy.”

“Really...” She shot me a smirk.

“Hah... where do you need filing done?”

“The filing room is in the back. It’s usually locked. Ah, here’s my key. You just need to take the stuff from recent and sort it alphabetically.” She handed me a card and then turned and started typing on the computer.

I looked at the key and then went in the direction she had indicated. To the side of Ms. Dean’s office was a hallway. At the end of the hallway was a door, and with the swipe of a card I was in a room filled with filing cabinets. On the desk was a pile of folders nearly as tall again as the desk.

“That must be what I need to alphabetize.” I let out a little sigh, shaking my head, and then got to work.

Naturally, I did feel some responsibility for my mom getting behind at her job, and anything I could do to alleviate her struggle was worth the effort. However, I didn’t plan to just work and do her job for her. I was working on another plan too. This place was where they kept hard copies of all of their record keeping. I quickly realized it wasn’t just based on clients, but also on the business itself. As I worked, I occasionally checked for other documents. With time, I caught onto something, and as I looked around, I became more sure of it.

I pulled away, zipping my pants back up.

“Where did you hear that name?” She asked.

“It’s yours... isn’t it?” I asked innocently. “You claim you’re Miss Dean in the workplace, but you’re married. Your... um... employee file, has your other name.”

Her eyes turned sharp, and she quickly got back up, fixing her outfit. “What is the meaning of this? That is private information.”

“Like this picture of my cock in your mouth?” I asked innocently. “I wonder what your husband would think if he saw it.”

Her eyes flashed. “Is this what you’re on about? You want to blackmail me?”

I smiled and shrugged. “I’m just discussing things.”

“Did your mom put you up to this?” Her expression turned serious, and any level of cuteness was gone. “I’ll be firing her tonight. Oh, and feel free to send that image. My husband doesn’t care.”

“Right... right... right...” I nodded. “Because he cheats on you all the time. That’s why you’re bitter and lonely enough to suck off some random kid in a filing room.”

“Are you done? I can call security. Your little ruse has failed. I don’t have to explain myself to you.” She glared at me. “Get out of my office.”

“Of course... it is your office.” I continued, showing no signs of moving. “After all, your husband is the owner, and he gave you this job taking nepotism to the fullest.”

“What? You expect me to feel bad for working for my husband? Our relationship has always been a give and take.”

“Bad?” I smirked. “Maybe... after all, he seemed to want more than you could provide.”

She picked up a nearby phone. “I’m calling security.”

“You were probably so happy once, trying to make things work with him. Then, he made an awful request, didn’t he? He wanted... someone else.”

She froze with the phone to her ear. “Sorry, miscall...”

She slowly put it back down.

“It wasn’t just Mom. How many women? How many Christmas parties? You get them drunk, and then he plows them when they can’t give consent? I imagine most of them eventually quit, confused and scared. However, Mom was different, wasn’t she?”

“You’re crazy...” Ms. Dean took a step back.

“Mom was so drunk that she didn’t even appear to remember the rape. She did notice three months later when she was pregnant though.”

“I told him to wear a condom! That fucking idiot!” She snarled.

“You were so angry and bitter that you had to see one of your husband’s... trysts... flaunted right in front of your face. So, you told her husband, ruined their marriage, and then you even fucked him for good measure.”

Her eyes were red, and her expression now looked grim. “I wanted your dad, but he was only willing to keep it a fling. Your dad always wore condoms. Otherwise, you would have been mine. You should be thanking me. If I hadn’t taken his seed and put it in another girl, you’d never have been born!”

“You told him the baby was yours... but he didn’t do what you expected.”

“That damn woman... who asked her to accept a baby that wasn’t hers and raise it? She ruined my plans... First, she fucked my husband and gave him a baby, then she even stayed by her man’s side, no matter how much I ruined him...”

My eyes widened. “You were never able to give your husband a baby! That’s why... Wow...”

I never imagined that this all connected in such a way. I had originally thought Miss Dean was married. Upon looking stuff up though, I found she was married to the company’s owner. I also looked for the alleged copy guy. It seemed like a good idea that I have a few suspects on Mackenzie’s dad, should it ever come up in our future. I wasn’t able to find anyone who fit at the time, and after seeing a picture of her husband, who looked a lot like Mackenzie, I realized the truth.

“Shut up! Here’s what’s going to happen...”

“No.” I stepped forward, causing her to flinch as my atmosphere turned dark. “Here’s what is going to happen. Mom is getting a raise, your job. You’re going to move on to something else. Another location, or even retire.”

“And what if I don’t?”

“Then I tell your husband about the kid you kept from him. I’ll tell him about Mackenzie, his daughter. When combined with the affair, do you think he’ll stay with you? However, even if that all works out somehow, here’s the thing. The statute of limitations on rape where we live is 20 years. He’s going to go to jail, and you’re going to join him.”

“Those charges will never stick!” She cried out.

“Except Mackenzie is biologically his daughter!” I laughed. “Oh, and you recorded it... didn’t you?”

“How did you-“

“I’ve already done the DNA test, and I have the recording.” I lied, smirking. “So, let’s discuss that promotion.”