“You get frightened so easily, why is that?” Richard asked as he walked closer to her and picked an apple, which he munched on.“I’m sorry, sir”, Emily muttered as she tried to move her wrist, which seemed to have gotten frozen.“Once again, I won’t bite you, and you should do away with your incessant and unnecessary apologies”, he said while she nodded her head and picked up the chopping board.“You were singing, can you continue?” Richard asked calmly, causing Emily to throw a sharp gaze at him.“What?” She asked and broke into nervous laughter.“I can’t sing”, she said nervously, and chuckled when she saw the look of disbelief on Richard’s face.“And you are cooking”, Richard murmured as he inhaled deeply and exhaled with a wide smile on his face.Emily squinted her eyes and chuckled again, wondering why he was acting in such a weird manner.“You sing and you cook. Tell me, what else do you have in you?” He asked as he stared at her in a way that made her uncomfortable.“Nothing”,
“Please, sit with me”, Richard repeated when he saw that Emily wasn’t attempting to do what he had said.“No, I rather stand as it’s against my role”, Emily stuttered and trembled.“Let’s eat together, or I may not eat at all”, he said and without uttering any more words, she drew out a seat and sat down.Emily stared at him calmly as she picked up her plate to dish out some meal for herself.At intervals, she gazed at the entrance of the door in a bid to check out for signs of Barbara.“She won’t be back today or anytime soon”, Richard said with a scoff and almost immediately, Emily caught a glimpse of pain in his eyes.She gulped down hard and nodded her head in understanding, after which she placed a spoonful of the mashed potatoes into her mouth.She chewed on it calmly, hoping that she doesn’t choke on it because of Richard’s stares.Richard took in a deep breath and placed some meat loaf into his mouth. He chewed on it as he closed his eyes and moaned slightly.Emily chuckled in
Richard woke up to the loud buzzing noise coming from his phone. He grumpily stood to his feet and picked up his phone, cleaning his eyes in the process and walking towards the balcony.“What is the problem and why are you waking me up so early?” He asked angrily as the fresh morning breeze flushed through his face, causing him to open his eyes.He caught a glimpse of Emily who was watering the flowers with massive smiles on her face. He swirled around and stared at the clock to see that it was 7: am.“She keeps to the rule”, he mumbled when he recalled that Barbara had told her to ensure that she is done with her chores by 11:am every day.“What is the problem, Mike?” Richard asked calmly.“There is a banquet which comes up by the weekend”, Mike said from the other end of the call, while Richard scoffed and clenched his fist in fury.Mike was one of his employees who somehow became his friend as a result of how smart he was. “Mike, is that why you woke me up?” He barked angrily.“I’m
Emily set the table of scrambled eggs and sausage with some toast.She waited in the dining hall, hoping that he would come down before his meal gets cold.After a while, she heard his footsteps approaching the dining hall and unknowingly, she let out a massive sigh of relief. Richard had been lost in thoughts after his conversation with Mike. The more he thought about the good things he stood to gain from the banquet, the more confused he became.While lost in thoughts, he inhaled something coming from the kitchen and needed no one to tell him that Emily was preparing something again.A giant smile made its way to his face as he hurriedly made his way to the dining hall.“I perceived something great, and I’m glad I came to the exact place it’s coming from”, Richard said as he flashed at Emily.“Good morning, sir”, Emily greeted and bowed her head in respect.“Cut out the sir, I’m fine with Richard”, he said as he picked up the toast and munched on it in delight.He tried so hard to
Their conversation got interrupted by the noise they heard outside. Barbara had returned and from all indications, Richard was quite surprised.He had thought that she would be back in a week time, since that seemed to be her current lifestyle.“Barbara, you are back!” Richard said sarcastically as he glared at Barbara, who was clearly furious.“Basically because a dumb friend of yours interrupted my morning with a call that suggests that I should come back to have a conversation with you. Definitely about something I know is not relevant to me”, Barbara said defiantly as she glared at Emily who was arranging the table and taking out the dishes.“Welcome ma’am”, Emily greeted, but went further with clearing the plates when she didn’t get a response from Barbara.“I see that the maid is taking good care of you. I mean, I’m beginning to regret why I recommended that to you”, Barbara said as she rolled her eyes at him and threw her bag on the couch.“Emily!” Barbara called, and she ran
“Ma’am, breakfast is served”, Emily was saying when she heard the chattering noise of something that caused her to stop right in her tracks.“Don’t you dare me, Richard!” Barbara said as she threw a vase to the floor, almost aiming Richard’s leg.The pieces of the glass flew across the room, with some finding way to Richard’s knee.“What the hell!” Richard grimaced in pain as he shot her a dead glare.“What was the reason for that, Barbara? What the hell is wrong with you?” He asked angrily as he clenched his fists while trying to withhold himself from hitting her.“That is to tell you how I need respect while we are in a conversation! Come forward and hit me if you wish!” Barbara said as she hissed aloud and sank into the couch.She was testing him and Richard knew it. It was a trap, and one which he wasn’t ready to fall for.“I’m done preparing breakfast, ma’am”, Emily said again, with her head lowered to the floor and her body trembling in fright.She was shocked to her bones, and
“Your sister is something difficult. Did you get her angry anytime?” Emily asked as she got done with cleaning up his injury.A sad smile spread across Richard’s lips and inasmuch as he liked the fact that Emily cared, he wasn’t ready to open up yet.“I get that, you would rather not talk to me and that’s fine. I mean, there are different things in our lives which we can’t share so easily”, Emily said, and walked back to drop the first aid kit at the store.She returned to find Richard lost in thoughts again. His eyes were focused to a particular direction and his fists were clenched in fury.“I would be at my quarters”, Emily said as she bowed in respect and made to leave.“Wait!” Richard called out, causing her to stop right in her tracks.“You promised to sing for me, right?” He asked Emily, who gulped down hard while pretending to remember.“Well, I think so”, she said as anxiety started creeping in.“Can you do it now?” Richard asked Emily who suddenly started coughing.He chuckl
Richard gulped down hard as he stared at Emily who had her eyes closed while singing melodiously. She had gone to the music realm, and with smiles on her face, she increased the tone of the song, swirling her body slightly to the rhythm.Richard smiled as his eyes suddenly felt misty and his soul heavy. He couldn’t decipher how he felt at the moment. It was a mixed feeling; a feeling of joy and excitement, as well as a feeling of utmost sorrow and worry.However, after a minute, he felt more of excitement and calmness and in a split of a second, he had forgotten the fight he had with Barbara.“This is great”, he muttered as he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, with his attention focused on Emily’s voice.Emily stopped singing and quietly opened her eyes, with a wide smile on her lips. She found Richard’s eyes closed, as though he were asleep.“Are you sleeping? I guess my voice sounds like a lullaby”, she said with a downcast look.Richard opened his misty eyes to find Emil