With you

"Oooh that reminds me, I am yet to get Grandfather a gift" said Lia as she suddenly remembered that she had no idea what she was going to get for him.

"80 years living is not a joke" said Lia as she laughed.

"You are right" said Natasha as she laughed, the funny thing was that Grandfather didn't even look like he was eighty at all, he looked like he was in his early seventies, he was such a strong man, he still look at capable as he did when he was young.

"The fact that he has put up with all of our nonsense while growing up, and he is never tired of us at all" said Lia as she laughed.

"You know I never had any Grandparents, so he is like my Grandfather, he always treated me so well, and I love him so much" said Natasha as she smiled, if there was someone that was always on her side it would be Grandfather, she did not know what she did to deserve his support and kindness like that, he always treated her like his own daughter.

"And we all know that you are Grandfather's favourite and we are all jealous of that" said Lia as she laughed.

"Well I am not, and there is no need to be jealous" said Natasha as she laughed.

"You know he loves us all" said Natasha as she smiled.

"You are right about that, which is why I want to thank him, for being there all these years, so his present needs to be the absolute best and I have no idea what to get him" said Lia as she groaned.

"I am sure you will figure it out" said Natasha as she smiled.

"Because in the end, it's the thought that counts" said Natasha as she smiled, Grandfather was a simply man, she was sure that he would be happy with whatever it is that Lia would get for him, he was not hard to please at all, you just had to be sincere.

"You are right about that" said Lia as she smiled, if there was someone that knew Grandfather well, it would be Natasha, they were as close as daughter and father.

"Anyway, I am going to the mall now, I need to find the perfect gift, do you want to come along?" asked Lia as she smiled.

"Ahh…" said Natasha as she was thinking, she also had to get Grandfather a present, and she did not want to be alone, or drive alone, and she definitely did not want Dom to end up offering to drive her there, so… she might as well go along with Lia.

"Yes, I also need to get him a present, so let's go to the mall" said Natasha as she smiled, she knew she would regret this, Lia would cease this opportunity to go shopping yet again.

"Yayyy, finally you go shopping with me" said Lia as she grinned.

"Correction I am not going shopping with you, I am going shopping for a gift for Grandfather with you, there is a huge difference" said Natasha as she laughed, she wondered when Lia would change?? But well she was twenty-six, and yet she had not changed at all.

"Shopping is still shopping Natasha" said Lia as she smiled, of course they were going to find a gift for Grandfather, but that did not mean that she could not buy some things for herself in the process.

"Oh Lia" said Natasha as she laughed and she shook her head, Lia had so many clothes, dresses and shoes in her wardrobe, which she had not even wore yet, and still she kept on adding to the pile.

"Don't Oh Lia me, anyway, let's go now" said Lia as she smiled.

"Alright, let me just call Alfred and tell him I am going out, so he can tell Joy where I went when she wakes up" said Natasha as she picked up her phone from the desk.

Alfred was doing some work in the garden, so she only hoped that he was went with his phone this time, he had a habit of forgetting where he had kept his phone.

"Hi Alfred" said Natasha as she smiled in relief when Alfred picked up her call.

"I am going out with Lia" said Natasha as she smiled.

"Not to worry Madam, I will tell Joy when she waked up from her nap" said Alfred as he smiled.

"Thank you Alfred" said Natasha as she smiled.

"You are welcome Madam" said Alfred as he smiled and Natasha ended their call.

"Soo…??" asked Lia as she smiled.

"We can go now" said Natasha as she smiled and she stood up as she put her phone in her pocket.

"Yesss" said Lia as she smiled.

"Wait, don't tell me you are going out like that?" asked Lia as she looked at Natasha.

"Well yes?? I am only going to get my purse" said Natasha.

"Why do you ask??" asked Natasha as she looked at the expression on Lia's face.

"You are going to the mall, in plain jeans and a red top?" asked Lia.

"Mhmm, yes, I don't see a problem there" said Natasha.

"Gosh Natasha… you will never change" said Lia as she shook her head.

"Well not everyone can be as prim and proper as you Miss Cecilia Thomas" said Natasha as she laughed and she shook her head.

"I like to feel comfortable, and jeans are my thing" said Natasha as she laughed.

"Now come on let's go, stop treating me like a fashion mayhem case" said Natasha as she laughed.

"Sometimes I wonder how we even became friends" said Lia as she laughed and she stood up.

"Well because we were meant to be friends" said Natasha as she laughed and they both walked out her office.

…

Later that afternoon.

Natasha sighed, she should have known that going shopping with Lia would never be an easy ordeal, she was just so tired, of walking from store to store, but at least she had bought a present for Grandfather, which pushed that out of the way.

Lia had received a call from one of her clients, so she had to go, and she said that she would see Natasha later.

Alfred and Joy were busy playing in the garden, which gave Natasha some time to rest, but then she remembered that she still had an unresolved matter to solve, so she sat on her bed in her room and she brought out her phone as she dialed a number.

"Good afternoon" said Natasha as her call was picked up.

"Ahh Good afternoon Madam" said Mandy as she smiled.

"Where are you now?" asked Natasha.

"Ahh well, I am… I went out" said Mandy.

"Alright I see" said Natasha.

"So can you please tell me why I have received many complaints from clients placing orders that their emails were not answered?" asked Natasha as she was annoyed, that was bad business, they would lose clients that way.

"Are you not the one in charge of answering the clients emails?" asked Natasha.

"I am Madam" replied Mandy.

"So then tell me why you haven't been doing your job?" asked Natasha as she sighed.

"Ah… well the thing is Madam… I… I had the flu, so I took some days off, and I was not able to answer the emails" said Mandy as she stuttered.

"Is that so??" asked Natasha.

"Yes Madam" said Mandy.

"Well that is odd, because Chloe did not inform me that you took some days of leave, in fact, I called her this morning, and she did not mention it at all" said Natasha as she scoffed, who did Mandy think she was lying to??

"Ah…" said Mandy as she did not know what to say.

"Tell me why you are lying?" asked Natasha and Mandy kept quiet.

"Are you tired of your Job?" asked Natasha.

"Because if you are, I can easily find a replacement" said Natasha.

"Ah… no Madam, please don't fire me, I need this job" said Mandy as she pleaded.

"Then do your job" said Natasha as she snapped at Mandy, what was the use of having her and paying her if she did not do what she was supposed to do?

"If I receive any complaints again, I will go easy on you" said Natasha as she ended the call before Mandy could reply, she really did not have time for this at all.

"I…" said Mandy as she heard the dead line of the phone call that had been ended.

"What's wrong?" asked Willy as he looked at Mandy.

"I was just about to get fired" said Mandy as she turned to look at Willy and she shook her head.

"The quit, you don't need to work there anyway" said Willy as he smiled.

"You know why I still work there" said Mandy as she looked at Willy and she frowned as he chuckled as if this was amusing for him, well it was not for her, she just got scolded.

"Just do your job" said Willy and Mandy stayed quiet as she sighed.