Annoyed, Ethan said nothing, just laid a heavy hand on Brandon’s nape, and directed him towards the door unceremoniously, his touch like a burning iron.

Suppressing the urge to snap that he was perfectly capable of walking by himself, Brandon took a deep breath, in and out. This wasn’t him. He wasn’t this easily annoyed guy. He had his cool.

He was better than that. He should take the high ground and not let Ethan get to him. He could handle some attitude. He could handle being bossed around. He could even handle being treated like his opinion on his own clothes didn’t matter. 

He could suck it up and deal with it. After all, employees got this frequently. The difference was that he was a dick's employee. One who would make him cry wolf for humiliating him.

As rough as this gets, he needed the money to take care of his needs, and it was a great employment opportunity that would change his life forever once he gets through it.

Besides, it was not as if he had a lifelong stay here. He would only last six months and that was it. Aside from all that, it still pissed him off.

Ethan steered him to the elevator, then through the underground parking lot, his tight grip still on Brandon’s nape. Brandon felt like a child being dragged back home by an angry mum.

After forever, they reached a gorgeous, black four-seater Lamborghini. The driver opened the door as soon as he saw the boss, who shoved Brandon into the car and finally released him.

Scowling, Brandon rubbed the back of his hurting neck. It still felt like his skin was burning from the cruel touch, crawling with unease. He didn’t know why this man made it his duty to irritate him. To irritate him seemed so extreme. Maybe it wasn't the right word to use. But at the moment, he couldn't think of a better one to use.

Ethan dropped a black credit card in his lap. “Take him to a place that would transform him from a cleaner to my assistant,” he told the driver, not even glancing at Brandon. “Make it snappy.”

Brandon opened his mouth to stand his ground, making sure that he wouldn't be treated like some maid, but Ethan shut the door unexpectedly and walked away, already yelling at someone on his phone.

“Dick,” Brandon mumbled, leaning back against the seat and looking around the luxurious interior as the car took off. “He has great taste. Impressive. If I were to judge his personality by his taste, I would definitely see him as a great person. What a disappointment that his taste isn't his personality," Brandon mumbled out loudly.

“Have any store in mind that you would like to go to?” the driver asked instead, ignoring what Brandon had said earlier.

Brandon looked at the black credit card in his lap and smiled grimly. Fine. Ethan wanted him to buy decent clothes? He would buy some decent clothes.

"The best high-end boutique is fine."

Taking the shopping spree of his life, like never, Brandon walked into Wings Group's office in his brand-new Italian suit, shirt, and shoes, holding the rest of Ethan's fifty thousand dollars worth of shopping bags in both hands.

Becky whistled when she saw him. “Damn. You clean up nice.”

 Brandon gave her a weak smile, his heart pounding as he dropped the shopping bags by his desk. His impulsive decision to piss Ethan off by spending an outrageous amount of his money had seemed like a great idea an hour ago, but now it just seemed crazy. But Ethan couldn’t possibly fire him for complying with his orders, right? He persuaded him to do so. Sure, but it was compliance.

The asshole should have been more specific when he’d ordered him to buy decent clothes. So, it was his own damn fault. That should hopefully teach him a lesson not to be such a show-off of wealth and credit cards.

Setting his jaw, Brandon strode to Ethan’s office and entered it after a knock. “I’m back,” he announced, as a wife would to her husband, or a boyfriend to his girlfriend.

Ethan lifted his gaze from the document in his hands and studied him from head to toe, his face impassive. “You wasted an hour of your workday on something you should have handled before coming to work, so you will stay an extra hour.” And then he returned his gaze to his paperwork.

Brandon blinked, utterly bewildered. Had Ethan not received a notification from his bank yet?

He bit the inside of his cheek, knowing that he should keep his mouth shut, but his conscience whipped him for committing such a malicious act.

“I promise to pay back as soon as I get my first and second pay checks,” Brandon said. “I spent fifty thousand dollars on my shopping.”

Ethan looked up. “Yes,” he said slowly as if he were talking to a small, stupid child. “No need for that. It was an order from me, so, no need to overreact.”

Holy shit. Like, holy shit. Brandon knew Ethan was floor-sweeping rich, but not being offended by the fact that he spent two of his salaries acquiring his outfits, showed that he was a tycoon or mogul. This was a reminder that this man was from an entirely different world. Fifty grand didn’t even register as a substantial amount of money for him. So much for his attempt to teach the asshole a lesson.

“Eh,” Brandon said. “Okay.”

“By the way, take this,” Ethan said, without looking at him. He pulled a phone out of his pocket and put it on the desk.

“What is it?” Brandon said, eyeing it with a frown.

“This is an encrypted phone. The one I use for business associates and unimportant acquaintances. From now on, you will be responsible for taking all my calls and deciding which calls deserve my attention and which you should be getting rid of. Don’t bother me without a very good reason.”

Brandon stared at him unbelievably. “How am I supposed to know which are which?”

Ethan finally shifted his eyes to him, his gaze emotionless and hard. “Figure it out or get fired. Option two is always the best.”

Right. Hold it together. Prove the asshole wrong. Keep the job for six months, get an apology from one of the world's richest businessmen, get a recommendation letter, and an excellent opportunity to gloat. He could do this. He could.

Just one step at a time, and before you know it, six months will have passed. He got through a lot just by enduring; this was a tip of the much negativity he has had to deal with. Brandon Daniel, will not give up.

*******

“What is this?” Britney said, her gaze snapping to the shopping bags as soon as Brandon returned home.

Britney could pass for Brandon’s twin. The only thing that would give her away was her long her and feminine build while Brandon had a masculine build. That aside, they had the same features.

"Nice to see you too, sister. And, they're clothes,” Brandon grumbled, dropping the bags on his sister’s lap before falling onto the couch and groaning. He was so tired, he felt like he could sleep for a week. And this was just his first day.

His eyes closed, he ignored Britney’s gasp of surprise as she opened the bags.

“Wait, how can you even afford this?” his sister said.

“It’s basically a work uniform. My ass of a boss says his assistant can’t look anything less.”

“Ass of a boss?” Britney said with a laugh. “Mine hasn’t even bought me a pizza. Did he seriously buy these clothes for you? As a gift?”

Brandon snorted. “I doubt he sees it that way. For Ethan, everything is business, and he must look for a way to earn back what he spent. He will make me work harder than normal. Although, he is a billionaire who didn't flinch at me spending fifty thousand dollars of his money. I did it intentionally just to piss him off, but that backfired. Can you believe that? How did this man make his money? I wish I could get to that level. He inspires me."

“Must be nice to be that rich,” Britney said with a chuckle. “Still. It’s somewhat nice of him.”

Brandon laughed himself sick. “Nice?” he said when he calmed down a little. “Trust me, he’s far from nice. I am convinced that maybe he made a huge deal today that made him spend this way. Although being in the same environment with him is frustrating. I held back from beating him to a pulp today. Not that I can, the man is ten times stronger than me. But, at least you get the mental picture I am trying to paint. Ugh, just thinking about him makes me so mad!”

Britney looked at him carefully, a wrinkle appearing between her brows. “Are you sure your silly bet is worth it? Half a year is a long time if you hate your job and your boss.”

Brandon looked away, ignoring the sudden pang of doubt. It was too late to backtrack now. Besides, it wasn’t a silly bet. Personal benefits aside, it was for a good cause. If Ethan kept his word and actually came out to apologize, that would be completely worth the pain.

“It’s worth it,” he said firmly before smiling. “I can do it, don’t worry.” He sounded more confident than he felt. Maybe, he could after all.