Asher was making baby noises in his crib as he tried desperately to chew on his rubber toy, his sock-clad tiny legs shot up in the air. Henry momentarily stopped what he was doing to peer lovingly at his son. He had a pleased smile on his face. He packed up his documents, and his finger came in contact with one stray piece of paper, he sighed, and his pleased mood disappeared like the wind. His fingers brushed against it, he picked it up and peered closely at it. It was one of the receipts for a luxury hotel bill that he thought he had previously cancelled but his wife had gone on with the same man based on the description he could gather and the clips he could watch. The thing was he hadn’t been working. Well in the true sense of the word he had been working hard but not on his job-related stuff. He had been digging up dirt on Angela and there was a lot of dirt. In all honesty, he had not been in the right frame of mind for any intellectual work. He had spent his time searching up s
Henry twirled around in his office chair, today was one of the days he had to be in his office in person. His laptop sat forgotten on his desk as his mind was occupied with something else. His phone rang interrupting his musings, that was weird he thought to himself. He directed all his calls to his secretary and so she had to notify him of who was on the other end before the call was sent to him, except for emergencies... He grabbed the phone immediately. “Hello, what happened to Asher?” There was a brief pause on the other end before a lady asked “Asher?" The colour drained from his face at the sound of the voice on the other end. “Is that the name of my grandson?” “What do you want?” “You won’t even let me meet him, I could only get a few pictu...” “What do you want mother?” he cut her off. She sighed audibly. “What else would a mother want, more than a relationship with her son and grandson. I just want to be involved in your life” “Isn’t it too late for that?” he asked d
Ashley looked like the ghost of her former self, she had not left the house for days or done anything. She had on a big grey basketball polo with black and white checkered baggy pants that hung low on her waist. Her hair was messy and unruly, she had dark circles around her eyes, her lips were dried. There were tears streaks on her face. She found her mother on the other end as soon as she opened the door of her room. "What are you doing here?” she asked surprisingly. Vera took a long look at her. “Look at you Ashley, you look like hell!” “Woah! Mother, thank you for the compliment" She proceeded to walk away but Vera stood in front of her obstructing her. “You know that is not what I mean at all, I am sure you know that" she explained. “It is just, the only time I saw you like this was when you lost your father. I understood how much you were hurting then. Seeing you now I know she must have meant so much to you. I wish I had met her before she passed on...” “What is the point o
Ashley gingerly unpacked the box Leonard had gifted her. She had refused to take it in the first place but he had insisted that she took it. She brought out an eggplant shade of purple velvet dress. She admired it, inside was a pair of white heels and a white clutch. She got into the shower and let the hot water cascade down her body. She had been in a sore mood since Mrs Denver’s demise. Leonard and been an absolute sweetheart, using all the ways in the book to cheer her up but nothing seemed to work at all. Today, they had gone for dinner just outside town and he looked her dead in the eye when he realised she was playing with her food. “Ash?” She didn’t answer immediately because she was lost in her thoughts, and so he had to call her attention. “What can I do to make you happy again” She chuckled. “I am serious,” he said with a straight face. "I am running out of ideas and I am thinking why don’t I just ask you? Maybe you will know" She thought briefly about it and then she
Henry reached for his side stool for a glass of water, only to find the jar empty. He hissed in anger, he hated the state he was in. He hated the fact that he was dependent on everyone for little things. He had refused the services of a nurse to help him and had insisted on handling his business by himself because he was strong-headed. He reached for the crutches by his bedpost and tried to lift himself before Angela stopped him. “Henry, do not do that please...” He peered at her. “I need to get something" She shook her head. “You don’t have to do anything. That’s why I am here, that’s why the maids are here, what do you need?” “You know I am not an invalid right?” She nodded with a wide smile on her face. “I know that Henry, what do you want?” “A glass of water" She nodded. Henry was consumed by his thoughts when she left the room. Angela had been a completely different person, it was like whatever animosity they had for each other disappeared suddenly. She had cared for him a
“I brought two cups of latte for us” Ashley announced as she entered Leonard’s office. He looked up at her. “What is the problem this time?” he got to his feet. She stared confusedly at him. “What?” “Coffee is your go-to drink when you are in a bad mood”, he took the cup from her hand and put it away. She furrowed her brows. “That’s untrue, I take coffee every time" “Only in the evenings when something is bothering you, spill" She shook her head. “If something were to ever happen to me you should be the first to be brought in for questioning" He smiled at her. “I am your friend" he shrugged. “So that makes sense” She sat on the chair facing him. “How was your job Interview?” “I got the job, I start work tomorrow” she answered. “Wow! You don’t look too pleased about it though...” “Yay," she waved her hand in the air dramatically. “I got a new job. I am exciiiittted...” she drawled out. He chuckled. “Okay tell me what the problem is?” “I found a job, the pay is so good. It
“Miss Ashley?” a maid's head popped through the doors. “Yes" “The hosts have asked you to join them for dinner this evening" She frowned. "Really?” “Yes, dinner would be ready in twenty minutes" When she entered the dining room, she found Henry Allen sitting at the head of the table alone. Two maids and a servant dressed in black and white stood behind him, their heads bowed, she halted. “Come on in, come sit with me" he invited her. However it didn’t sound like an invitation to her, there was an underlying threat in his voice. “I am full...” “You have not had anything to eat at all” he interjected. “If you insist” “I insist" he smiled. His smile was unnerving She walked towards him, suddenly the distance between the door and the dining room felt like a mile away. She opted for a chair where she wouldn’t be face to face with him but he pointed out a chair where she was directly in front of him, she looked everywhere else but at him. She couldn’t figure out what was going on
Things greatly improved between them in the following weeks. They were not exactly best friends but they were accommodating of each other. Henry had healed considerably although he was yet to return to work. Ashley on the other hand had become abreast with the workings of the house and was bonding with Asher. She and Henry never engaged in their constant squabbles anymore and their hatred for each other had decreased considerably. She was late to work today. She had woken up a little later than her scheduled time. She and her mother had engaged in one of their arguments again. She had thought after the death of Mrs Denver, that things were better between her and her mother but she was mistaken. Getting the new paying job didn’t help in any way, there was always one debt that needed to be paid off. To her mother, she was never doing enough. She sighed audibly. As she opened the doors she dreaded meeting with Henry, she had shown up late to work more times than she had arrived early.