Thorin returned two weeks later to find the office in an uproar. Some bits of information have been reaching him in China, but what he found out was shocking at best. The whole office was talking about Fili's assistant resigning from the job, and there was millions of versions why he left the job.
"What did you do?" Thorin asked Fili coming into the office. Fili's desk was covered with papers and Fili was clearly trying to do some complicated paperwork. Mrs. Frigholmm was back in the office.
"About what?" Fili asked still thinking about the report he was working on.
"Your assistant." Thorin pointed out.
"Mrs. Frigholmm is going to train a new assistant starting next Monday." Fili replied coldly.
"Stop pretending to be an idiot. What happened to the previous assistant?" Thorin asked slightly raising his voice.
"He resigned." Fili didn't care to elaborate.
"Why?" Thorin asked curtly.
"I didn't care enough to ask and he didn't feel the need to explain. He wanted an absurdly long leave and heard he wouldn't get it." Fili spat out at Thorin clearly irritated.
"Do you know what the whole company is talking about?" Thorin's voice was very firm.
"Why would I care about some gossip?"Fili noticed coldly.
"I was hoping one day you would understand it, but it seems this one thing is out of your grasp. A company like ours is like family, it has always been like that. You'd better start listening to what I'm saying. I've already warned you about the way you treated that boy." Thorin's voice was ice cold. "He was not only the most polite, helpful person in this branch, he was also the most respected and liked. He got the job here because of a recommendation from my friend from college Balin, and he was probably the most talented person in business here not counting you or me. People were already commenting the way you treated him before, now they are talking about how he had to resign because you did not give him a leave to stay in hospital with his father who is in critical condition after a nearly fatal car accident." Fili's eyes went wide hearing that. "The whole office is talking about how he got custody over two of his younger brothers and lost his job in a critical moment of his life."
"I had no idea..." Fili tried to say something.
"You didn't even bother to ask." Thorin cut the explanation short. "I've never let a person I respect and work with down in the face of such a tragedy. I feel ashamed for what you did. You can just shove your excuses up your ass and get out of my sight." Thorin left the office before he exploded.
Thorin called Balin and tried to talk about the boy, but he only heard they will not talk about him ever again. He said his brother's condition is still bad, and all the stress already had a huge influence on the boy. Thorin said that if anything was needed in terms of health insurance or financial matters to call him, but he could hear firmness in Balin's voice as he replied they would manage just fine. Thorin first time in many years felt he let somebody down and he hated the feeling. He honestly liked the boy, he was cute and extremely smart, he was quietly hoping he would become a key player in the company but it seemed unlikely now.
Fili was in shock for a long time. He never wondered if his assistant had any family. He never thought if his assistant needed this job, and why he would need it. He finally realized he hadn't been thinking straight for a long time. He was rejecting a person he felt deeply for. He was denying the fact he loved the boy. He was hurting him from the first day. He never treated him seriously, he never treated him as a lover deserved to be treated. What he did later, having Gizelle come in almost every day, kissing her in front of him, getting him to buy her gifts and arrange their dates. He longed to see him smile, but instead he was making him sad. He was causing fear and anxiety. Every time they had an intercourse the boy would also show at least a bit of fear. It was all Fili's fault he realized, and now he wouldn't even have a chance to make it up. He could have asked more questions, he could have done many things differently.
He rejected him so brutally, he orchestrated Gizelle and all the pain. He hurt him on purpose. He suddenly realized he never even called him by his name. He would refer to his as his assistant or he would avoid referring to him at all as if he was invisible. The personal file was still on his computer and he opened it again. He briefly glanced at the address, but later dismissed trying to contact him again. Fili screwed up too much to fix what he did.