A day in the life of Anthony Moore

Just as he smiles to himself, more like a grin really, he puts down the phone and acknowledges the suited man in front of him. “Yes?”

“Your lunch is ready sir.” The butler announces, bowing deep down and then back up, keeping his eyes down the whole time.

“Alright. I’ll be right down.”

“It is late afternoon already; will you be going to work today?”

Anthony Moore glares with disdain at the butler. “Jerome, how many years have you worked for this family?”

“A little over twenty seven years sir.”

“That means you have seen my work patterns ever since I started out at the company, right?”

“Yes sir.” Bowing with each response, his eyes staying down.

“Then why the stupid question? Obviously, if I am still home by now when normally, I’ll be off to work at eight am, does that not mean I am not going to work?”

“Pardon my tardiness. I will ask everything that has been prepared to be put away immediately.”

Anthony raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean pre… You know what? I don’t even want to know. Put it all away before I come down the stairs.”

“Would you like to…” Jerome starts.

Anthony shoots him a death glare and he shuts right up.

“That is all for now.” Jerome mutter shakily, before practically running out of the room.

Anthony facepalms. “I have packed this home full of dumb people.”

Doing a couple things on his computer, he puts it away after twenty minutes, stretching before standing up and going downstairs for his lunch.

From the interior, it is pretty obvious that Anthony Moore stays in a modern home with a rooftop pool and a remodeled parking lot out front. Even though the place has a pretty luxurious garage, its packed full with cars, even more so that a few of them are parked in front of the house given that there is no space in the garage.

Anthony is crazy for cars, and he is one of the most respected collectors of them, his latest acquisition being the cyber truck that receives so much hate but he actually loves it, claiming that it is only those who can’t afford a thing that tend to downplay it, and like that, he even rides it to work, blaring pop music inside.

Now, he settles on the chair while he is served a plate of seafood pasta, some roe and caviar being the topping. He smiles as he eats, letting nothing distract him as he does so.

As soon as he is done, he leaves the table for his personal lounge which has its own mini bar so he would not have to be ordering one from his supposedly tardy staff. He pours himself a glass of whiskey and adds two medium thick ice blocks before settling in the soft chair.

Sighing in relief, he turns to his side and picks up the remote lying there. He clicks on the ‘on’ button and a large projector hanging from the ceiling automatically rolls down, and a video starts to play.

A video that would have been cute and nostalgic if not for the circumstances surrounding it.

The same video he had ordered for, in preparation for his wedding in the past.

On the screen, Bethany is laughing uncontrollably as he raises a bite of his food to her mouth, even till now, he never really found out what was funny but he laughed along anyway, hearing his own laughter off screen as she finally accepted the bite and took her time chewing. He had liked that about her, she had good table manners, never spoke while chewing and kept the conversation to a minimum while they were at the table.

The video cuts to an amusement park ride they had gone to about two years into their relationship at the time. She had been so freaking frightened of the rollercoaster, fearing that a point while its ‘up there’ as she called it, it would somehow throw her off. He had tried a gazillion times to explain that that was exactly what the seat guards were for. He had managed to convince her to go on the ride and he had taken a video while they were doing it.

Her eyes were tightly closed and Anthony hears his laughter on screen.

“Dang, I laugh really good.” He comments, chuckling as he drinks the last gulp of the whiskey. He presses a button on the remote and the video goes past five times as past, refusing to stop to watch the others, then he comes to a stop.

This time, he had not been behind the camera but one of his other friends had, and it had been hidden so Bethany would not have suspected anything fishy at the time because it was a special day with a special occasion.

The video started when Bethany made her entrance into the fully booked restaurant. She had been dressed in a midnight black dress, one hand on her shoulder and the other handing down her forearms. It had a low back with a v cut at the front. She had been shining that night, then, and even now, Anthony can’t take his eyes off the beauty that she is.

She had placed two fingers over her sexy red lipstick, wonder in her eyes as she looked around, studied the ambience of the whole place.

“This is beautiful, bothering on ethereal…” She had said then, and even now, Anthony said it, word for word, showing just how many times he has sat down to watch and rewatch the video till the point where he knows all of the lines and which words come next and what happens next…

Well, that is what he does with most of his time whenever he is alone at home or he is bored.

Remind himself of the woman that had left him for unjust reasons… and each time he watches the video, he always ends it with the same feeling.

In the video, Anthony too had been dressed in an Italian customized suit that had arrived specifically on that day, he had wanted to look his best for her, for them. He helped her to a seat and sat opposite her.

They first got served some bubbling flutes of champagne that they had laughed and spoken over, all the feelings hanging right over their heads. Then came the appetizer.

He had ordered her favorite, and when it was dropped in front of her, she had smiled, her eyes shining brightly at it. “Wow, you really though this all through.” She had said, complimenting him on his thoughtfulness.

“I would do anything, thoughtful or thoughtless just for you, Bethany.” He had said, and rubbed his fingers on hers across the table.

She had blushed and took her first bite of the food. “Hmmm.” Her eyes open wide, a hint of surprise in her eyes as she swallows. “This is the be seared scallop I have tasted. What is this heavenly sauce around it?”

“I ordered the best seared scallop with butternut squash puree just for you. I knew you would love it.”

“Ah… she had been so good at masking her emotions.” He chuckles now, the empty glass of whiskey completely forgotten.

The one bite she took of the scallop was it as the waiter cleared the plates for the main meal.

A plate of beautifully designed food was next.

Anthony had been beaming while Bethany had looked unsure.

“I know it is meat but I can’t seem to know the dish’s name.” She had honestly admitted.

“It’s Foie Gras.”

“What?”

“Foie gras. The exquisite French food. It’s one of the best out there.”

“You really went out.”

… time seemed to have flown so fast because soon, the waiter carries away the almost uneaten slice of red velvet cake that she’d been given dessert.

“I am filled, how about we go for a wine drinking walk on the terrace?”

She had nodded, her cheeks flushed. Anthony, ever the gentle man, had taken her hand.

When they round the corner to the terrace, Bethany gasps. “This is beautiful. Are these glowing stars real?” She had asked distracted.

“I told you; I’ll do anything for you.”

But honestly what man could move stars except have someone choose a beautiful view for them?

At his ‘sweet’ words, Bethany had turned around but now, Anthony was down one knee, watching her with extremely hopeful eyes.

Again, she had gasped, the best shock of the night, the highlight.

“Bethany Worth… You said it yourself that everything tonight has been beautiful, I had a fun time putting it together, but the most beautiful thing here is you. You are shimmering in the starlight. You look breathtaking tonight my love.”

He pauses as she beams down at him, her eyes truly shimmering in the light.

“Ever since I got to know the gem you really are, it has been a lovely life ever since. I want to make this time with you forever. I want you to have me forever. Please, be my wife?”

“YES!” She had squealed, jumping up excitedly as she put out her finger for the ring.

Laughing like a made man, Anthony inserts the diamond, ruby and emerald encrusted ring into her finer. Then he stood up and swept her off her feet in a hug, he puts her down and looks deeply into her eyes, as though into her soul. “I love you.”

—“I HATE YOU!” She had yelled exactly a month later, just two days to their wedding.

Presently, Anthony flings the whiskey glass across the room, shattering it and breaking the projector in the process.

“Fucking worthless woman.” He rasps angrily…

The same way he always felt after

watching these videos, but he never stops watching them anyway.