Secretly The Nrillionaire Boss

Eric wiped the sweat from his brow as the sun beat down on the Rodriguez estate. He was crouched in front of the perfectly manicured flowerbeds, carefully trimming the delicate roses that Mrs. Rodriguez cherished more than anything, more than any of her servants, certainly more than him.

The sharp scent of freshly cut stems filled the air, and the rhythmic sound of the shears clipping away at the blooms brought Eric a rare moment of peace.

That moment, however, was short-lived.

“Eric!” Mrs. Rodriguez’s sharp voice pierced through the stillness.

She stormed toward him, heels clicking against the stone path. Her designer dress fluttered in the slight breeze, but there was nothing light about her mood.

She sighed.

“What do you think you’re doing to my roses?!” she spat, glaring down at him.

Startled, Eric stood quickly, dropping the shears at his feet. “I….I was trimming them, Mrs. Rodriguez. Just like you asked.”

Eric was looking confused.

Mrs. Rodriguez crossed her arms, her lips pressed into a thin line of disapproval. “Trimming? More like butchering! These roses are worth more than your entire salary, and you’re treating them like weeds!”

Her eyes narrowed, and her voice dropped to a venomous hiss.

“You’re as reckless with these flowers as you are with everything in your miserable life.” She sneered.

She continued “Why do we hire you in the first place,”

Eric swallowed hard, keeping his head down, his fists clenching by his sides.

The familiar sting of her words dug deep, but he forced himself to remain calm. He couldn’t afford to lose this job, not with everything that was riding on tonight.

Eric felt guilty.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Rodriguez,” Eric said quietly, lifting his gaze to meet hers.

Eric continued “It won’t happen again, I promised,”

“Sorry?!” She scoffed, her laugh harsh and cutting.

She continued “You’re always sorry, Eric. But sorry doesn’t change the fact that you’re a useless gardener. How precious these roses are to me, and look at how careless you are with them. Honestly, I don’t know why we keep you around.”

“Look, next time, I promise that you will lose your job! So….pathetic!” Mrs. Rodriguez spat.

Eric bit back the retort on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he forced himself to nod and bent down to pick up the shears. His chest tightened, the weight of her disdain pressing down on him.

All he wanted was to finish his work and get out of there tonight was important. It was Lisa’s birthday, and he was eager to see her, to give her the little gift he had managed to save up for.

“I’ll fix it,” he muttered, turning back to the roses.

“Oh, you’ll fix it, alright,” Mrs. Rodriguez snapped.

“But first, I assume you’re here for your pay?”

Eric nodded, standing back up. “Yes, ma’am. I was hoping to collect my wages for the week. It’s my girlfriend’s birthday today, and I….”

Mrs. Rodriguez gave him quizzical look, in disbelief.

Mrs. Rodriguez interrupted him with a mocking laugh. “A girlfriend? You?” She shook her head, her perfectly coiffed hair shimmering in the sunlight.

Mrs. Rodriguez laughed out loud, Eric found it offensive but he didn’t show it.

“What kind of girl would want someone like you, Eric? Poor, struggling... You barely make enough to feed yourself, let alone impress a woman.” She jeered.

Eric frowned a bit, but couldn’t say a word, afraid of losing his job.

Eric’s heart sank, but he tried to stay composed. “I’m doing the best I can, Mrs. Rodriguez.” Eric replied.

She waved her hand dismissively. “Your best isn’t good enough, okay? But go on, take your money. I’m sure it’ll buy some cheap trinket that no one cares about.” She made mockery of him.

Eric clenched his jaw, suppressing the anger that bubbled up inside him.

He took the small envelope of cash from her, muttering a quiet “thank you” before turning to leave.

“Mrs. Rodriguez?” Eric called.

Mrs. Rodriguez who was about to walk away turned looking at him in a quizzical way.

“What is it? I gave you your pay,” she said.

“No, that is not it but I was just thinking if you can increase my pay, and…….and I feel that I have none you for a long time, like for long,” Eric muttered.

“Yes, obviously, you work for me,” she replied.

“I know that but I mean from my childhood,” Eric said.

He looked at her with hopes of affirmation.

Mrs. Rodriguez scoffed. “One more nonsense, and I will get a new gardener,” she replied.

She walked away.

Eric exhaled in disappointment and walked away.

As he walked down the long driveway, his mind raced with anticipation for the evening ahead. Lisa, his girlfriend hadn’t mentioned a party, but she might maybe she wanted to keep it a surprise, but he was too broke to throw a party and Lisa might throw for herself.

He could already picture her smile when he gave her the necklace he’d bought a simple, delicate chain, but it had taken every bit of his savings.

Eric brought out the necklace, he bought, and he looked at it, and he smiled, daydreaming about how his girlfriend will be, he could not wait to see her.

He picked up his pace, breaking into a light jog as he approached Lisa’s street. The sun was setting, casting a warm orange glow over the neighborhood. His heart lifted at the thought of seeing her, she always had a way of making everything better. No matter how hard his day had been, Lisa was the light at the end of it.

Eric was full of joy, he was going to meet his peace.

But as he rounded the corner to her house, something felt off.

Music was blaring from inside, loud enough that he could hear it from the street. The front yard was filled with cars, and through the windows, he could see people milling about, glasses in hand, laughing and celebrating.

Eric heart ached.

“What is going on?” Eric questioned himself.

A frown creased his brow. She never mentioned anything about a party, or invited him.

Confused, Eric slowed his pace and made his way to the door. As he reached for the handle, his heart started to race, not from excitement, but from an uneasy feeling in his gut. The door was slightly ajar, and he could hear voices, one of them unmistakably Lisa’s.

Eric saw the everyone partying and celebrating, it was nothing he imagined.

No one noticed him, the house was rearranged, he quickly moved to the parlor room, it was used as a vip section.

“Oliver, stop it!” Lisa’s playful voice floated out from the other side, followed by a soft laugh.

Lisa voice caught his attention, he looked towards the direction.

People were everywhere, some of them strangers, others he vaguely recognized from the town. His eyes scanned the room, searching for Lisa, and then he saw her, sitting on the lap of a guy which eric resumed to be guy she called Oliver earlier.

Eric stood frozen, in his cheap coat.

His breath caught in his throat. There she was, laughing, her arms wrapped around Oliver’s neck, completely at ease in his presence. The gift he had held so tightly in his hand now felt like a heavy weight of betrayal.

Lisa hadn’t noticed him yet, too caught up in the party and her new company. Eric’s chest tightened as reality hit him like a punch to the gut.

“Lisa?!” His voice came out weak, barely audible over the music.

Lisa’s head snapped toward him, her eyes widening in shock as she saw Eric standing there, the gift still clutched in his trembling hand. For a brief moment, guilt flickered in her eyes, but it quickly faded as she straightened herself, slipping off Oliver lap.

Lisa exhaled.

Oliver looked confused.

“Eric, I….” she started, her voice faltering.

“What’s going on?!” Eric’s voice trembled with hurt and disbelief.

Eric continued “Why didn’t you tell me about this party? And...who the hell is Oliver?!”

Oliver looked at Eric while still seated with a smirk on his face.

Lisa bit her lip, avoiding his gaze. “It just happened. I... I didn’t think you’d understand.”

Eric scoffed,

“Wow! Understand?!” Eric’s voice cracked as anger and pain welled up inside him.

Eric continued “I’ve been working day and night to save up for you, for your birthday. And you’re here with him?! Who ever this looser is”

Eric pointed at Oliver in frustration.

“He is just a friend, okay?” Lisa muttered.

“Oh really? I want your silly friend and all of this…” Eric illustrated with his hands, in an aggressive manner.

“Out!” Eric concluded.

Oliver leaned back, an arrogant smirk playing on his lips. “Looks like you’re late to the party, is this your boyfriend?” Oliver asked lisa sarcastically.

“Lisa,” Eric’s voice broke as he looked at her, still hoping for some kind of explanation, anything to make sense of this.

Lisa sighed, crossing her arms defensively. “I’m tired of struggling, Eric. Oliver came around to give me the life, the birthday I deserve. Something I know that you’ll never be able to, at the moment, like throwing me a party,”

Lisa gave him soft pat on his shoulder.

The words cut through him like a knife. His hand slowly released the gift, letting it drop to the floor with a soft thud. He stared at her, feeling his heart shatter, every hope he had for their future crumbling before him.

“I thought you loved me,” eric whispered.

“Yes, I do,” she replied.

Lisa looked away, not saying another word.

Without another glance, Eric picked up the gift and and he turned and walked out, the sound of laughter and celebration fading behind him as he stepped into the night, the weight of betrayal and heartbreak pressing heavily on his shoulders.