Discipline

That evening, James arrived at the front porch of his luxurious apartment with 3 giggling girls in his arms, none of which was Amy.

He had met these 3 hotties at his wild party at Zero Club the night before. They had said they were huge fans of his and he was now about to do some serious 'fan service'.

He hadn't called Amy since her sulky farewell at the hotel this morning. She would call him when she gets the money from her father. Besides, she looked upset when last he saw her. He didn't have time for her drama.

James staggered into the posh apartment assisted by the 3 scantily clothed fangirls, only to meet his parents right in his living room!

They had been waiting for him.

The sight of his parents instantly knocked him out of his tipsy haze.

His eyes immediately popped open with bewilderment.

The scantily clothed hotties froze at the sight of the elderly pointing disapproving gazes like poisonous daggers in their direction. They didn't have to be told to get out.

The girls immediately ran out the front door faster than a coalition of cheerahs.

...

Mr Willow pointed James with a grim expression.

"Where have you been, James? Your mother and I have been calling you since last night! You reek of smoke and recklessness...", he said, contorting his face with disgust.

"I- I was working a- at the studio, father.", James replied, obviously nervous.

"Mmm... working at the studio... Must be a song for pirates considering how tipsy you are.", Mr Willow commented getting annoyed with James' lies.

He continued.

"Well, while you were 'working', we lost our collaboration with the Hughes. The company stocks have plummeted to nothing overnight.", he said, sounding offended.

"What?!...", James exclaimed, but the word sounded more like a gasp.

"This has something to do with you, Doesn't it?", Mr Willow added.

"Ah! C'mon, Willow, you can't be so sure as to blame...", Mrs Willow interrupted, being defensive of her son as usual.

"Shut up, woman! I know irresponsibility when I see it!", Mr Willow snapped at her.

He turned his fury back to James.

"James, what have you done to offend the Hughes?! The only people in the company that can possibly have any contact with the Hughes is us. What have you done now?", he questioned.

...

James was stunned silent. He still needed a moment to process all this information.

However, silence was a bad choice of a response as his father's patience was quickly running out.

"Speak boy! I warned you about prancing about and running your mouth with your brainless pride. I know you must have done something.", he accused James.

James finally found his voice.

"I- I've done nothing to offend the Hughes... Any Hughes at all. The only thing I know is yesterday I - I was talking to Lisa and some no name, self-proclaimed distant relative of the Hughes butt in...", James explained, stuttering more from intimidation than from drunkenness. He wasn't that drunk anyway.

"What no name distant relative?", Mr Willow questioned further. His sharp ears had picked the key words from James' reply.

"Uhh... Just some guy in school who claims to be a distant relative of the Hughes for clout. He could not mean that much to the Hughes. Maybe we just got a string of bad luck?", James replied.

But that reply quickly earned his a hot slap on the face.

Thawwwwwww!!!

Mr Willow's discipline echoed throughout the entire house. His palm left a painful imprint on James' handsome face.

"Stupid boy! I knew it must be you! Blockheaded Fool!No Hughes is a no name, you idiot!", Mr Willow reprimanded.

"There's no such thing as bad luck in business. Everything is well thought out, plotted, planned. Only a brainless mutt like you would mess up this bad! You better fix this mess!!", he bellowed, fuming dangerously.

...

Just then, the side door creaked open and in came Mr Willow's assistant, saving James from another annoyed assault.

The poor assistant looked scared. No one wanted to be in a room with an annoyed Mr Willow, especially when he was annoyed about losing money.

'Ah! I came at a bad time!', he realised as he observed the damp atmosphere in the room.

"Yes. What is it Richie?", Mr Willow asked with a roar, transferred some of his aggression and frustration to his assistant at the door.

"Uhh... Pardon me sir, I- I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's urgent. The financial department just called to inform that Garner, another major partner just called to cancel their partnership because our stocks keep falling. We've tried everything, but investors keep withdrawing their investments. They have no hope in us rising again without the favour of the Hughes Group.", Richie the assistant said shakily.

"Arrrghh! F**k!! Stupid!!!", Mr Willow let out his frustration on the antique wooden side table by him, smashing it to bits!

Richie froze, stunned by the sudden crash.

"I'm sorry!" he cried nervously.

Mr Willow collapsed on the chair behind him, hopelessly pinching his forehead for solution.

...

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