The Butler

19

Chapter 19

Three days after I had the fever, I am now back in the office. For real this time. The first thing I did was check my emails and sift through the important stuff. I don't know why but it soothes me to open every email that was sent to me, including the company-wide emails and reminders. To be honest, I  missed my work desk or working in general because it is the only thing that makes sense in my life.

The quarterly review is scheduled on Friday and we only have two days to prepare for the presentation. I know that the board expects a lot from Richard since the last quarter was under his reign. Some people would be excited to grill him with questions especially those who have their hidden hatred for him due to his shortcut to the top of the corporate ladder. Other executives would love to see him fail and I don't want to give them that satisfaction that is why I am adamant in going to work today to smoothen out every possible questions that they would throw at us.

Everyone in our floor already left the building except for Richard and I who are currently in his office going over the reports that was submitted to us.

"Do you have the cycle count for last quarter?" Richard inquired.

I rummaged through the stack of papers on my table until I found what he needed. Just as I handed the file to him, my phone chimed and we both instinctively glanced at my phone. I tapped on the screen to read the message and quickly replied to the text before I put it down. However, it was soon followed by a loud ding, just as I let go of it.

"Sorry for that." I muttered to Richard, acknowledging the abrupt disruption. As my eyes skimmed the message, an involuntary chuckle escaped my lips.

Richard looked at me with furrowed brows and inquired, "What's funny?" 

I hesitated whether to share the joke with him but he probably wouldn't understand it. "Oh. It's nothing. Just a silly text from Damien."

The mere mention of Damien's name seemed to capture his attention because he set aside the paper he was reading and focused his attention to me.

"Damien?" he asked.

"Yes. We've been exchanging messages lately."

"Lately?" his one-word interrogatives were becoming rather characteristic.

"Yeah. He even brought me a box of biscuits last week when he found out about my injury."

"He what?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Sorry, what was the question?"

"When was this thing that you're talking about?"

"The biscuits? Last Thursday."

"While I was at the office?"

"Yes." 

"And you never even bothered to inform me?"

He's right. I never bothered to share them.

"I'm sorry. The biscuits were incredibly delicious so I ate them all." I confessed. "If you want, I'll purchase a whole box just for you tomorrow. I just assumed you didn't like them since you never helped yourself from the previous batch the he gave to us."

Richard arched an eyebrow and stared at me judgingly from my rambling explanation.

"You allowed a complete stranger into our property without notifying me?"

"I told you, he's not a stranger." I corrected him. "Besides, what the difference between him and the delivery riders?"

"We never had food delivered at home and all deliveries are handled by security at the gate."