CHAPTER 248: CHAPTER 248 PUBLIC HUMILIATION

Joseph’s POV

"For the mother of the tantrum-throwing child"

I was amused by her boldness. I opened the envelope and pulled out a card that read "Prayer for Children" on the front. On the back, in the same handwriting as the envelope, she had written:

"Madam, Happy Birthday. However, I feel your son needs more prayers to the Moon Goddess to prevent evil from corrupting his body and soul. We must pray that children become people who advocate and practice virtue. Please accept this small prayer and pray for your son daily."

I burst out laughing right there in the store. The nerve! She actually left a card for my mother. I’d never met anyone like this. Mom would love this story. I’d give her the card. She’d probably pray for me every day. This was hilarious. I was laughing so hard I teared up while the saleswoman stared at me like I was crazy.

Too bad I’d never see that beautiful, feisty woman again.

The next day, I arrived at the office in high spirits, thinking it would be easy since my assistant was starting and could finally lighten my workload. Plus, there was gossip about Draven and his assistant. Everything seemed perfect.

When the elevator doors opened to the top floor where my office was located, I found Eleanor sitting there, arms crossed, legs crossed, tapping her foot and breathing heavily. The moment I stepped out, she marched straight toward me.

"Joseph, this is what you call arrival time? Your desk is a disaster, work is piled up to the ceiling. This place has zero management! If you’re planning to go bankrupt, tell me now so I don’t waste my time," Eleanor said in one breath without pausing. I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

"I really like her!" Julia shouted from behind her desk, clearly enjoying my suffering.

Eleanor had already established her authority, riding me like a horse and whipping me with it!

"How late was I?" I asked, starting to worry I was four hours behind.

"Joseph, the point is, you’re the boss, the captain of this ship. You should be first to arrive and last to leave." Eleanor snapped her fingers in front of me. "Joseph, things are going to change around here, and you better understand that. From now on, you’re in charge, but until we get this system straightened out, you’ll behave. Either that or I walk. Got it?"

"Yes, ma’am!" I couldn’t help but laugh, but regretted it before I could close my mouth. She glared at me like she wanted to twist my head off.

"Joseph, you think this is funny? Will you still think it’s funny when you run the company into the ground? Alright, let’s get to work. You’ve been slacking too long."

"You know I’m the boss, right?" Just like during the interview, I asked my new assistant again. She was incredibly bold.

"Of course! And I also know you need me far more than I need you. So stop the act and let’s get to work," Eleanor said with an imperious attitude. "Oh, and just to be clear. From now on, I’m your conscience, so I make the rules. I already warned you. Understood?"

I just nodded.

Eleanor walked away, and I followed her to my office. We spent the entire morning buried in paperwork. She was capable, worked quickly, handled things systematically, and had inherited her father’s business acumen. Around eleven o’clock, my desk phone rang, and Eleanor answered on speaker.

"What’s up, Julia?" They were already best friends. These two would turn me into Draven, cranky and sexless.

"Elle, Joseph has a visitor. It’s his mother," Julia replied with a laugh.

"Send her in, Julia. Let’s see what this idiot has done now," Eleanor said, giving me a mischievous look.

Suddenly, my mother burst into the office, holding a black gift bag that I knew contained the present I’d sent.

"Baby, good morning! You really surprised Mom today," she said with a smile, obviously thrilled with the gift.

Eleanor stood up, walked over to my mother, calmly introduced herself, then led her to a chair in front of my desk.

Eleanor took the bag from my mother and read the card. "Mom, hope this makes you happy."

Eleanor pulled out a black box and opened it. Inside were vibrating nipple clamps, a Kegel exercise set, a rose-shaped clitoral suction vibrator, a medium butt plug with a fluffy tail, and an assortment of gels for stimulation and enhanced pleasure.

"Joseph! What is all this?! You really want to make your mom happy!" Eleanor started laughing. I wanted to strangle her.

"Heidi, with these toys, you’re going to have a blast."

"Oh honey, can you help me figure out how to use these? I looked them up online but still have some questions. I want to use them tonight," my mother said to Eleanor while I stood there in shock, staring at her open-mouthed.

My mother was a dignified lady. She hadn’t been with another man since my father left her thirteen years ago. She was fifty-six, still beautiful with blonde hair, blue eyes, a slim figure, and very active, but she surely wouldn’t be thinking about these things anymore. She was my mother! She was a saint! Or was she really not?

"It would be my pleasure, Heidi!" Eleanor said, giving me a mischievous smile. "It really would be my pleasure!"

"Mom, I’m sorry, I mixed up the bags," I explained to both of them. "I was arguing with some woman at the store, and it was probably her stuff. The clerk must have given me everything."

"Listen, I apologize." I stood up and walked toward Mom. "We just need to exchange them back."

When I reached for the sex toy box, Mom slapped my hand away.

"Keep your dirty hands off! This is my gift and I’m not returning it!" Mom said sternly. "I’m keeping these toys for myself." Mom looked at the sex toy box with sparkling eyes.

I stared at my mother in shock and looked to Eleanor for help. Eleanor found the situation hilarious and was already explaining to my mother what each gel was for.

I’d become a puppet to Julia and Eleanor. When I turned around, I saw Mom holding the vibrator. It was turned on, the clitoral suction part pressed against her palm. She had a brilliant smile on her face, looking at Eleanor, raising her eyebrows with flushed cheeks. Dear God, what had I done?

Because of the gift mix-up, we had lunch with Mom and Julia, and they drove me crazy with it.

"Mom, I have one more thing for you." I pulled out the card that beautiful stranger had left at the mall store from my jacket pocket and handed it to Mom.

"What’s this?" Mother asked.

I told the story, and the three women in front of me laughed like children, mocking me. Mom read the card, then passed it to Eleanor and Julia. She laughed until tears came, wiped the corners of her eyes, and said, "Joseph Garcia, I’m a good mother and I raised you well! Your behavior in that store was unacceptable. I suggest you go back and apologize to that saleswoman, and if you ever meet that young lady again, apologize to her too."

"Mom, I’m not going back to apologize," I replied.

"Oh yes you are! Joseph, you’re better than this. You need to go back and apologize because I didn’t raise you to be an arrogant asshole!" Mother’s tone was serious, and I knew there was no room for negotiation.

"Yes, Mom, I’m sorry," I replied, taking her hand. "Now, Mom, can you please return the box I mistakenly sent you?"

"Absolutely not!" my mother immediately replied. "This is the best gift you’ve ever given me. I won’t return it, and I’m going to put it to good use."

"Mom..." I said in shock.

"Joseph, what’s wrong with you? Just because she’s your mother, you think she doesn’t enjoy sex? Or do you think she doesn’t have sex because she’s older? You know, that’s ageism!" Eleanor confronted me directly.

"Eleanor, she’s my mother!" I simply replied.

"So what? Do you think you sprouted from a vegetable garden?" Eleanor mocked.

"Joseph, you’re so naive," Julia said. "My husband and I enjoy toys too. When he’s not in the mood, I play by myself."

"Julia, TMI," I said, burying my face in my hands while all three women burst out laughing.

Back at the office, Eleanor directly called me a sexist and said I should be ashamed for not realizing my mother was a beautiful, vibrant woman who could absolutely have sex toys and even a boyfriend. My innocence was shattered instantly!

It was all that woman’s fault for making me look like a fool. Next time I see her, I will definitely teach her what "do not leave things behind" means!