Amy sighed, her knees kissing the ground in front of a vending machine. Her sulking face told, she missed her breakfast as her grumbling stomach confirmed it. She barely came to her work today after a handful of argument she had with her mother in the early morning before she came here.
The place she crouched was quiet as she. She had come way too early. Her normal routine was coming there ten minutes earlier than her work started. Good news was, her this new job was far from her home and she had to stay there long until six in the evening. Her gleaming reflection on the glass of the vending machine looked over at the can of juices which whirled inside the machine, making her notice the sound and follow throughout the machine.
The ivory blouse wrinkled around her collar, which she straightened as the can of cold coffee with following a bag of plain salty potato chips slid out of the machine.
Her eyes fixed
A long shadow covered her crouching figure before the vending machine. Amy lost in thought, still clutching the drink and the pack of snack she bought from the machine. The shadow galloped her entire slouching body when she realized the dark thing and turned to see a guy who bent over to look after her.“All fine, Amy?” The guy in a peach shirt smiled at her. His square face gleamed through the daylight coming behind him as his high-bridged nose of his stuck out to be noticed.“Yep!” Amy yelled suddenly, making him jolt at her reaction. She fell behind, bumping her butt against the hard surface as her face turned peach red, similar to that guy’s shirt. The guy reached out for her hand, stretching his palm to her with a wide smile on his face. Amy felt her stomach lurching, but not because of anxiety but for the flutter of her heart, which seemed to throw all her blood into her stomach.
The rushes of footsteps filled the corridor of the ground floor as it was about time for the office workers to arrive. People rushed through the elevator, a long queue in front of it while another lift was free from them. The empty space made it look like the elevator didn’t even exist while Mrs. Lavenda took Ryan to that empty elevator and closed the door. Now he knew why this one was not crowded. No normal employee would dare ride on the elevator, specially designated for executives.“Will I know why you called me here?” Ryan asked briskly, leaning onto the opposite wall, one hand on a railing near his waist while the other one in his pocket. The lady took no concern for his question and tapped the buttons on the right to close the door and tapped the Britton for the seventeenth floor. Ryan noticed it. He also noticed a small screen showing five human figures, four in red and another in black. It was the capa
An enchanting music echoed through the air, the violin strings playing around with their friendly notes as the golden sparkles emerged through those high-quality decorations. A shimmering chandelier emerging from the middle of the ceiling, lighting the whole place with the candles inside of it. The restaurant was packed with high-class people clamping around the middle of the entire floor. Ryan barely got a seat as they arrived suddenly and received a corner table with a few disadvantages of not getting to see the place’s special performance, where two dancers took the role of their main entertainer. His assistant Jim and a lady sat around a round table filled with some starters and juices.Ryan, in the middle of them, gawked at their silly tantrums quarreling about before. A waiter in a white striped shirt brought the food he ordered. The lavish lunch looked delicious even though the lady still argued that it smelled awful, yet her mouth seemed to water
“How long will we stay here? An hour or more?” Jim asked in a monotone, clearly annoyed by this visit to Ryan’s family bungalow. This place never welcomed him and he will never expect them to do so today as well. He surveyed the garden in front of the enormous mansion, standing elegantly. Only if the person living there would be decent, he thought.“More,” said Ryan with a sigh, whose eyes hovered around the house. Glancing over at the long staircase leading to the balcony's upper floor. He, too, never wanted to come there, not at least in his will. Though at first Lavenda had bothered him about coming, he firmly refused, but when Mr. Dayholt, apparently his grandfather, asked him to come, he could barely decline. All these years he never talked to him, yet his invitation seemed urgent, and he decided to come.“What more!” Jim yelled. A gardener tending the flowers looked up a
‘The study room should be upstairs,’ Ryan mumbled. The wide staircase landed right in front of his feet as he stepped on the stairs, hoping no one will disturb him anymore that he was meeting his grandfather, who was still in the dining hall. His digestive system must be poor or he was too lazy to eat up fast that Mr. Dayholt was still in his lunch while Ryan finished. Rather than eating fast, he almost skipped everything to desserts and after a bowl of egg tart, he went off.“Where do you think you are going?” a voice yelled behind him. Though not loud enough for people in the dining to hear him. The frail person wobbled to stand, his blood-red eyes shooting fierce glances at him. His over loose night dress, still on his frail figure, suggested his absence from the dining table. He was probably still asleep when he appeared.“Mind your business, John,” Ryan snapped. With the thin p
Everywhere was dark in the illuminating moonlight. The crescendo moon smiling widely, yet the smile faded at the horn of a car speeding to him. Smoke lingered around, blurring the vision. Ryan’s eyes were swollen and so red it seemed someone punched him hard. Rubbing them dry, he did not consider the oncoming danger he might have. He was crossing the road with no knowledge of his surrounding. The wide road spread across the long deserted road, with a few cars seldom crossing the street.His careless road crossing made him pay for something big, something he did not expect. His blinking eyes, wet with all this grief eating him up inside, tears trickled every time he smudged them dry. He peeked through his blurring vision, a strong light dashing to him. Not understanding why this might be, his figure halted at the point. The moment he knew what came running to him, it was late.A black Lamborghini car ran forward, honking madly. It crashed right onto him and bra
The kitchen was equally empty as his entire house seemed to be. Only the necessary appliances and a big refrigerator in the corner. The gas stove laid as new as the microwave oven and other appliances, clearly showing no one comes to the kitchen much, let alone using the utensils. Plates and spoons scattered in the basin, waiting to be washed, but he strode straight to a high cabinet to find some snacks and, taking a kettle, he walked back to them. Tea pot on a tray and three cups arranged with three tea bags in each. He strolled out of there. On the way, he noticed a picture of a woman in a worn-out photo frame smiling at him delightedly stood crooked; he paused for a second but then walked off there as his both occupied hands found no way to fix it back.Ashton took a cookie from the tray as Ryan poured hot water into the cups, dipping the tea bags into each, which delivered a pleasant aroma from their cups. In a minute, the cups turned clean yellowish green as h
Heavy downfall scribbled on the windshield, pouring down like small streams, making their way through the glass as Ryan fixed his eyes on something rather insignificant on the window beside him.A year old child cuddled inside her mother’s lap happily. The moment her mother’s sweet lullaby resounded through the pouring noise, he felt warm, as if he was hearing his mother. People ran around to find shelter as no one expected this sudden rain, not even the weather forecast. Their scrambled footsteps splashed water everywhere on the soaked pavement.His heart raced with the tinkling of rain pouring, remembering the day he first received a full mark on his drawing in kindergarten. People normally forget those early memories, but he remembered. He remembered every tiny detail of his mother there could be. He fixed them in his heart permanently.If anyone asks him about his last wish before death, it would be to remember his mother&rsqu
“We apologize for what happened. Stan Welsh, reportedly, was sighted in the other area and we fastened security there, but never thought it could be a trap.” Said a bulky police officer in his tidy uniform. Owen and Jim stood on either side of him, listening to him carefully. Jim furrowed his eyebrows to hear him being a murderer. “Stan was on run for several months from the mental facility. At first they hushed up the case, but later they admitted their negligence and were punished for that. He had been hiding with one of his friend whom he later killed by stabbing with a sharp piece of glass. And he dumped his body in the river after it decomposed. Neighbors complained about smell, but he scared them off.” The officer sighed to see Jim’s widened eyes, while Owen looked miserable. Jim saw Amy behind the officer, running towards them when the officer asked for his leave. He nodded, and Amy joined them. “How is he?” “Doctor said. He’s fine. Just lost too much blood and when we found
His doorbell rang as he combed his silvery hairs down to his temples. Looking excited, the person he expected all day had come and on time. The sky illuminated the dusky glow with the setting sun. His heart thumped. It was like a dream. He slapped his cheeks to get out of it, but was glad to see it was real.Ryan walked confidently to the door. This time was different. They had no feud, no disagreement, and they were just going to reconcile officially with whatever dispute they had before. The memory lane of the day he confessed came down to him. The face, he remembered, the stone face insulting his feelings. But it was a long ago.He should not dwell on that painful past and accept this present like a god sent gift. His steps staggered near the door. He took a deep breath and opened the door, his face delighted to think he was meeting him.But the moment he opened the door, his eyes found a strange man peeking at him, a man in his forties, a face
Chapter 61: Linda’s last favorThe hall filled with gloomy conspiracies of how Natalie must have killed her husband and attempted to kill his son too, just for his wealth, and stepped back from her any chance they got. Natalie glared around those people gossiping and found her daughter in a stunning white dress in the crowd, glaring at her. She never saw this kind of look on her face. It was disgust, a pure disgust that Natalie had never received from anyone.The stage was hectic, and a pair of wide hands grabbed Ryan’s neck firmly. He staggered behind. His windpipe tightened, and he felt no air inside him. These hands belonged to Lavenda, who was out of her mind, he guessed. Her blood-red eyes darting him and cursing at her top voice, he heard not much. People from beside them pulled her off when, a minute later, he found his neck released. The sudden gust of air slammed into his lungs. He felt his life coming back slowly.Jim was behind him, holdin
Chapter 60: The eventRyan looked up at the enormous chandelier hung from the white ceiling, sparkling the whole place with its mesmerizing shine. It covered the entire ceiling of the great hall of the banquet palace they hired for this event. He himself dressed up like a prince in his all white three-piece suit, a glimmering wrist watch, his grandfather gave him two days ago.His grandfather called him a day before yesterday evening suddenly to his mansion. Although not quite satisfied with this family, Ryan reconciled with him and decided to throw this event on his grandfather’s eighty-fifth birthday. He was more than delighted to hear his arrangements and Lavenda too, threw a family get together for her father but on Ryan’s request they turned it into a big event.He looked at his square golden watch. Mr. Dayholt specially ordered it from France to gift him. It was around eight o’clock and the hall was filling with their expected guests. He
Jim lunged at his feet, startling her, and he mistakenly stepped on her feet and was about to scream in shock, but Amy slapped her palm on his lips, forced to mute him. Her strength made him stagger, and his back stamped on the wall behind.Amanda, on top of him, glared at him to stay quiet. Her feet must have hurt a lot. He saw her watery eyes. The torch rolled down the ground; it lit the entire floor.The lady outside quieted down and her heels slapped against the floor further away. Amanda sighed with relief, still cupping his mouth in her palm. Jim tried to speak to tell her about the uncomfortable position they were in. His chest pressed against hers, his ears burning. He felt his torso tensing up, and wanted to push her off, but he can’t thrust her off with a person lingering outside.“Shhhhh…” she flapped her finger on her lips, “I think it’s Stephanie. She must have stayed late,” she wh
A faint caramel aroma spread through the table where Amanda sat alone. People around her gossiped on their table in their own world, trying out the delicious desserts they ordered. The walls on her side had peculiar looking arts hanging through the entire wall.Maybe art lovers will see the beauty in it, but Amy only saw some unusual blocks and colors mixed together. The owner must be a well off art lover to afford these art pieces, she reckoned when a gentle young boy, around in his teen, walked in with a tray full of desserts and served the ones she ordered.He looked as delicious as those desserts, but she had to refrain her hungry heart from doing some terrible act of flirting with a teenager. The boy left for another table and she addressed the desserts. The mouthwatering fragrance choked her. Now she understood why this place was so popular on the internet. It was far from where she worked now but a safer place in case someone eavesdrop at the
Chapter 57: New CEOA newspaper hung low over the table, stating business news over the country, and the biggest headline was about them. Natalie crushed the newspaper with her bare palm. She wished the news would crush like that, too. She breathed heavily over the paper, glaring at the headline which said, “Owen, still missing. His family does not know. Are they really his family or are they after his wealth, after all?”She finally threw the paper aside with a nasty loud grumble, stamping her fist on the polished wooden table. Pens rattled on there but the other busybody did not even flinch. Over the table, another person sat quiet. His fingers playing with his mobile, a stack of papers left untouched right beside his head.“That son of a…” Mrs. Davenport cursed in air, her eyes hovering around to find any chance to yell at something or someone. There was only her son, David, busy in his mobile, with no attention to what’s
Chapter 56: Livin’ bar“WHAT!” Bellowed Jim. His influential voice resonated through the walls and forced its entrance into Ryan’s ear, which he pressed shut, expecting this reaction. Jim gasped at the news he just received and took the seat beside him on the armchair. Eyes widened to the size of a ping-pong ball, Jim gawked at him for more information. Yet Ryan reluctantly waited for his excitement to subdue.The room filled in silence for an entire minute when Jim broke it. “What that cracked nut came here for!”“What nut?” Ryan asked. The words he said sounded foreign to him. He rested himself on the armchair beside Jim.“Cracked nut not walnut,” Jim corrected him, thinking how could he hear cracked nut, a walnut. But the topic was what Owen was doing here. Of all places, how could he know his residence and what about the confidentiality procedure they applied? It was nonsense to think of him
Chapter 55: In the family album“Onto our next hot topic. The Davenports found a traitor in themselves. The cars they were supposed to use in their new big project of racing course next city, they used for extra profit. And according to sources, the CEO of Dayholt, who still kept us in the dark, not revealing his identity, had no knowledge of this scam he received. Mr. Owen Davenport made no statement regarding this issue, yet this morning, sources said he went missing. His secretary, Ms. Stephanie, went to say her last goodbye to him at his apartment and she found no one while he should at least be hiding in his room.” Said a blonde Latina woman flaunting her wide chest and smiling vaguely, as if trying to seduce her audiences. She somehow reminded him of Linda, same gesture, same voice tone she used while she talked about how much she like him.Thinking of her, he realized how long it was that she stopped contacting him. She was like a bugging insect, pes