Recovery *_*

I woke up feeling groggy and tired, but I knew I had to go to work. My grandma had already left for her job which was attending to our little garden outside, so I got dressed and headed to the Alpha's residence.

When I arrived, Alex, the head chef, immediately called me over. "Kai, I need you to serve the Alpha and his guests today," he said, handing me a food tray. "They're waiting in the dining room."

I nodded, trying to ignore the pounding headache I had. As I made my way to the dining room, I felt my vision start to blur. Suddenly, everything went black, and I felt myself falling forward. The last thing I heard was the sound of crashing dishes.

As I slowly opened my eyes, I realized I was lying on a large, plush bed in a room that was not mine. Panic started to set in as I tried to remember how I ended up here. Then I saw Ramon sitting on a chair next to the bed, looking down at me with a displeased expression.

"You fainted in front of my guests, Kai," he said sternly. "Do you have a medical condition that I need to be aware of?"

I shook my head, still groggy from the fainting spell. "No, I'm fine. I think I just got a bit overwhelmed and tired."

Ramon's expression hardened slightly. "I understand that working in a high-pressure environment can be intense, but I don't overwork my staff or are you saying that you are tired because I overwork you?, let me know if you can't handle it here and I will transfer you back to the outside quarters because I need my staff to be able to handle everything here."

"I'm sorry, Alpha," I said, feeling ashamed. "It won't happen again."

Ramon stood up and walked over to a table, pouring a glass of water. "Here, drink this," he said, handing me the glass. "And rest for a bit. I'll have someone bring you some food."

I sipped the water gratefully, feeling a bit embarrassed that I had fainted in front of the Alpha and his guests. As I lay back on the pillows, I heard a knock on the door, and Alex, the head chef, entered the room.

"Alpha, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need Kai back in the kitchen," he said.

Ramon looked at me, then back at Alex. "He's not fit to work right now. Let him rest for a bit longer."

Alex looked disappointed, but she nodded and left the room. I felt a pang of guilt knowing that my absence would be felt in the kitchen, as others might feel I.m getting special treatment but here I am being insulted here by this uptight man and guys I take back what I said about him being handsome but I know that I come first even it meant that those nosy staff will be all up in my business.

As Ramon sat back down in the chair, I couldn't help but feel a bit confused. He had gone from looking angry to concerned and caring. I decided to ask him about it.

"Alpha, I thought you were going to fire me," I said, feeling a bit nervous.

Ramon sighed. "Kai, I may be a tough Alpha, but I don't fire people for fainting. I want you to take care of yourself and come back to work when you're ready. We can't afford to lose good staff like you."

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. "Thank you, Alpha. I'll make sure to take care of myself."

Ramon stood up. "Good. Now get some rest, Kai. I'll check on you later."

As he left the room, I couldn't help but feel annoyed yet grateful for his understanding and somewhat kindness. Despite his tough exterior, it seemed that Ramon truly cared about his staff excluding me. I knew that I was unlucky to be working for someone like him. Just when I thought I would be left alone to my thoughts the dumb pumpkin head came back and please guys keep up it's Ramon

As Ramon sat back down in the chair, he looked at me with a serious expression.

"Kai, I think it would be best if you went home and took a few days to recover. Come back to work next week when you're feeling better," he said.

Now that was shocking, I thought he was gonna assign more work or say something stupid from that mouth of his, I felt a mix of disappointment and gratitude. I didn't want to leave work and let my team down, ha let my team down oh please I need the money, but at the same time, I knew I needed to take care of myself.

"Alpha, I don't want to let everyone down. I can still work," I protested.

Ramon shook his head. "No, Kai. A person's health is more important than work. I won't have you pushing yourself too hard and ending up in the hospital."

I sighed. "Okay, Alpha. I'll go home and rest."

Ramon stood up and walked over to me. "Besides I don't want my people or subordinates saying any form of nonsense about me, mostly cause I don't have enough jail space for idiots. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure someone will aid you."

What an arrogant bump, I didn't ask to be brought here, and if only I wasn't such a frail man, I would have kicked his butt, wait I would be beheaded, he is so lucky he is an alpha but with that attitude he must have a lot of enemies, anyway I nodded, faking being grateful for his dumb concern. "Thank you, Alpha."

As I left Ramon's room, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad, who am I kidding, I'm pissed beyond relief even though he was older than me, stronger, richer, or of higher status, whatever you think of him he has more than me but he has no right to treat me like that. I had never been sent home from work before, even though this was my first stable job since the shop and it made me feel like I was letting myself down, oh that reminds me I should visit Mrs Ashley and see if there is any news of ethan. However, I will admit that Ramon was right. I needed to take care of myself before I could take care of others.

The next day I decided to go see Mrs Ashley. I bade goodbye to Grandma and made my way to the shop. Her shop was looking better than when I left to work for the Alpha.

As I walked in, I saw Mrs. Ashley at the counter, her eyes lighting up as she saw me.

"Kai! How lovely to see you. How are you doing?" she asked, giving me a warm smile.

"I'm doing alright, Mrs. Ashley. I just needed to take a break from work and clear my head," I said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Mrs. Ashley nodded understandingly. "Of course, dear. why are you shy and standing there looking embarrassed, Is there anything I can help you with?"

I thought for a moment. "Actually, I wanted to apologize for leaving like that and not checking up on you after that incident"

Mrs. Ashley's smile faded a bit, and she looked at me with concern. "Everything is alright dear, so don't you worry, and from the looks of it you are getting paid better than I ever did pay you, so don't worry but one thing does bother me, I never heard from Ethan again, no one knows his whereabouts so he might just show up just like you did"

I hesitated for a moment before speaking to her. "It's just that things at work were really hectic and I'm sorry for not checking up on you."

Mrs. Ashley nodded sympathetically. "I understand, dear. It can be tough working for someone like that.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ashley. I really appreciate your advice," I said, feeling a bit more confident.

I felt a wave of gratitude wash over me. Mrs. Ashley's kind words always had a way of making me feel better."And about Ethan, he really hasn't shown up here?"

"No he hasn't and that old man that he stays with that he claimed was his guardian said that he hasn't shown up again since around the time you left to work for the alpha's residence"

"Oh my, then his guardian must be really worried"

She replied. "Yeah, it's really sad."

"Uhm Mrs. Ashley, could you please write down the directions of Ethan's guardian for me I would like to try my luck to find him"

"Sure why not, now where is a pen and paper, I really can't find anything, I must getting older quicker than I thought," she said smiling

I chuckled. "It's alright, Mrs. Ashley. I think we all have those moments."

As she searched for a pen and paper, I couldn't help but feel grateful for her kindness. She had always been like a second mother to me, and I knew that I could always count on her for support and guidance.

After a few moments, she found a pen and paper and wrote down the directions to Ethan's guardian's house. She handed it to me with a smile.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Ashley. I really appreciate it," I said, taking the paper from her.

"Of course, dear. Take care and stay safe," she said, giving me a hug.

As I left the shop, I felt a renewed sense of determination. I would find Ethan's guardian and see if he knew anything about Ethan's whereabouts. And who knows, maybe I would even be able to help him out in some way.