Chapter 14 Left For Work
The next day, I was engrossed in work as nothing else mattered before it. I had never placed anything else before my work.
Else, what else could help me divert my mind?
During the lunch break, I had some free time so I thought about telling Alyssa about my departure myself.
I came to their mansion and saw Auntie going through a trail of dresses in the hall, probably for some event as she was among the top fashion designers.
“None of them suits my grace-”
“Ahem,” Clearing my throat, I got her attention.
“Oh, Hey, Vince,”
Flashing her tender smile, placing her hand over my head to give me her blessing but then she checked the time.
Taken aback to find me at this time, “At this hour? Is everything alright?”
“Hello, Auntie. I am here to have lunch. Where is Alyssa?” I said monotonously as she smirked, getting a wrong idea.
“She is in her room,”
I swear, whenever I had called at home to ask about her, that was all I had to hear. She was in her room.
I frowned, “Does she stay there all day?”
“Yes. She rarely comes out. Always afraid and doesn’t talk to anyone anymore.” She nodded, turning back to the dresses, checking them before remarking softly.
“Poor soul… the Alyssa I knew had just disappeared,”
“Don’t worry, it won’t be for long,”
Her gaze shone, “Will you help her, Vince?”
I curled my lips upward, not in a smile but for assurance.
“Yes. That is why I have married her,” Humming, I turned to leave for her room but stopped in my tracks.
“By the way, did she have lunch?”
“Not yet.”
“Can you bring our lunch to her room?”
“Sure,” She chuckled.
“Thanks,”
After greeting Auntie, I stood outside her room and took a deep breath before knocking on the door and pushing it open.
Finding the hazel-eyed woman who was staring out of the window, lost in her abysmal darkness, eating her bit by bit.
The eyes that were once filled with dreams and hopes were absolutely hollow.
Ken had emptied her.
Yet forcing out a cheerful resonance, I faked a cough to break her out of her daze and come to reality.
“Hey,”
Blinking, she gained her composure and turned to me with an invisible smile.
Tugging her hair behind her ear, she looked away as a helper came and served the food.
“Oh, Vince, I didn’t know you were coming,”
Smirking, I leaned against the doorframe, almost teasing her.
“I don't think I need a reason,”
“Oh right. This is your Uncle’s place,” I meant it in another sense.
“Hmm.”
But not clarifying either, I shrugged my shoulders, taking off my coat and neatly placing it on the bed as I sat down comfortably.
She was hesitant at first but soon followed my gesture too.
We began to lunch in silence which I cut through by sparking a conversation in expectation of reducing her dismal.
“So, what are you doing?”
“Nothing… there is nothing to do,”
“I see…” I hummed, taking a bite, “Also, I have to leave for a business meeting, Alyssa,”
She stopped eating, glancing at me with an innocent glance.
“Do you have to?”
Forcing the bite down, I stared back and nodded, “Yes,”
“For how long?”
“A few days,”
“So.. um.. If you return before Sunday, will you come back here?” She trailed off nervously.
I arched an eyebrow, unable to comprehend her demeanor, “Why is that?”
“I… feel alone here. Wrong thoughts gobble me all the time. I feel horrible,”
“Why? Uncle and Auntie are there for you. Talk to them-”
“You married me, you saved me, not them.”
Her stern statement made me mute, an eerie sensation brimmed in me which I ignored. She wasn’t wrong either.
Soon regaining my posture, I cleared my throat, “Okay, I will try,”
“Thank you,”
After lunch, I rested my coat over my forearm and left for work.
Not thinking deeply about anything, I continued working and left for my business trip. It was supposedly a few for opening a new mall.
Our business was vast. I handled our hotels and malls. While the factories were under Draven.
But, it wasn’t to my liking.
So I had to decline the offer.
I was about to conduct a meeting to admonish my staff for working with me for years yet not comprehend what could be best for the business.
But, before that, I had ten minutes, and a small talk wouldn’t hurt so I ended up calling Alyssa.
To my surprise, she picked the call immediately.
“Hello?”
“Hey, I hope I am not disturbing you,”
“No, no, you are not,” She replied, taking a pause, “I was going to leave a text but wasn’t sure since you are a busy man,”
“Hmm, I got ten minutes,” I replied, checking the time.
“Also, I will return tomorrow,” I took a pause, unsure if I should say it or not, hoping it won’t unsettle her yet continued, “Before Sunday, as you said,”
She questioned, stunned, “Are you returning early because I said so?”
“No, my work is finished. The meeting didn’t go well. There is no point in staying anymore,” I corrected my statement.
“Oh,” She hummed before commenting nonchalantly, “Well, they call you a cold business,”
“And maybe I am,”
I couldn't help but to chuckle and saw it was almost time for the meeting, astonishing me when there were only two minutes left.
We just shared two talks and this much time passed already?
“Anyways, I will talk to you later. Bye,”
“Bye,”
Cutting the call, I rushed towards the meeting room and probably for the first time, I was thirty seconds late.
But, covering it up ‘professionally’, I overused my authority as the Boss and blamed it on the team as well.
‘Your incompetence has begun to affect me too!’ Hah.
Nonetheless, after the meeting, I was tired and plopped on the bed to fall into a peaceful slumber but seemingly peace had become non-existent for me as Dad called.
At first, I didn’t pick the call, already knowing what he would say but after a few tries, I got tired and picked it up unwillingly.
“Yes, Dad?”
“I told you to book a table for a romantic date and you did nothing, Vince?” He asked sternly.
“Hmm, I didn’t have time. Workload.” I lied.
“How are you going to love when you will never try, son?”
“I am busy,”
“I knew you would do this. That is why I have made an appointment in your stead. You and Astrid are going to have a candle light dinner tonight,”
“Why did you do that? I said I am busy-”
My mouth gaped, I was exhausted, I wasn’t in the mood for any dinner or meeting.
“Stop making excuses about work, you would have made time if you wanted to. Now, I want you to reconcile, make up for the lost time. Good luck, son,” He demanded, not listening to me and cut the call.
Gritting my teeth, I threw my phone away, not bothering to check the details he sent me and rubbed my temples.
“Shit,”
But, considering it to be wrong to have dinner with another woman, I decided to not go at all and fell asleep.