When I said, I'll see Cale in the office I didn't specify, three days had passed, and I never saw him in work nor at the apartment. To think I was deciding on going to his office, but that'll just make me look stupid and knocking at his apartment will pass a message to him that I'm desperate. Besides the thought of doing that hurts my self dignity, that's if I still have any, I'll wait.

It's either we bump into each other coincidentally or he comes begging to me.
Begging, I like the sound of that.

On Tuesday, Carolyn informs the group that her sister, Rosa gave birth to a baby girl on Monday, saying her niece is one stubborn girl, considering she put her mother through labor pains for two days straight. Apparently, my wish for Rosalie getting a daughter on her birthday didn't come true, Carolyn says the doctors said the baby wasn't willing to debut earth just yet. I really can't blame the baby girl, though, everything sucks here. Then on Wednesday, I get a message from dad, an epiphany if you ask me.

Dad informs me that the family name, 'Rolando' used to be the name of a wealthy business magnate in Brechfield, Don Santiago Rolando, but when his wealth got questioned and some substantial evidences started emerging of him being involved in illegal businesses, he fled Brechfield and technically disappeared from the radar. 
Dad's text didn't end without a lot of 'take care of yourself, Marie'.

If the girl in the bathroom is connected to the Rolando family, that means the person she kept on talking about who is dead must be the Don. No wonder his funeral was held in secret, away from the prying eyes of the press and media, it's just unfortunate they let a media firm boss into the building go unnoticed.
I wool gathered these ideas on Wednesday, now today being Thursday, just on my way home after work specifically in a traffic jam, a question hits me. Of all places to conduct a secret funeral proceeding, why does it have to be a hotel?, less, HR's hotel? 
Does the owner of the hotel have anything to do with The Rolando's?
It can't be. Or can it?

My thoughts are running wild that I don't notice the traffic light is already at green, signaling to move until a driver behind honked at my car. Finally parking my car at the lot of the apartment, I realize there's nothing to eat at home or to cook but still decided to walk in.
Tomorrow is Friday anyway, I'll visit Guy's Bar. On the way up, I decided to stall a little, maybe I'll get to see Cale, but after waiting for closely twenty minutes—possibly I am truly desperate—there is no sign of him.
When all hope is lost, I hear footsteps coming from the elevator, thankfully I quickly position myself to put up a charade where I am also walking to my apartment, just arriving from work.

When I pretentiously get to my door, I look behind me to see Cale and shockingly a blonde girl beside him, arm in arm. My chest didn't like the sight, but I don't know whether it's from hurt or merely disappointment.
Probably the latter.

I look from the staring girl to Cale, when our eyes meets, he smiles, but it drops as soon as the girl by his side nudges him slightly.
"Hello Cale!" I greet
"Eleanor" he acknowledges
The girl nudges him again then coughs a little, bopping her head to my direction but with the way Cale is innocently ignorant, she attempted it herself.

"Hello Eleanor, I'm Louisa", that voice, her voice sounds, so familiar, I swear I've heard it before. I rake across my memory, vehemently trying to recall where I heard it from, in seconds, realization hit me like a truck, it was Saturday night, the hallway, she must have been the one screaming the other night. I grimace at what passes in my mind from that night.
"I'm sorry, did I offend you?" she questions, confusion smeared all over her face.
"No" I reply,
"Okay, if you say so" she smiles too widely.
"I'm Cale's girlfriend, and you are—his new neighbor, yes?"
I nod quite surprised, not by the question but how Cale moves to a city in what?, a day? And he makes a girl scream in the hallway, few days down she's his girlfriend?
That's fucked up, no, he's fucked.
I dismiss what I'm about to discuss with him and bid the beautiful couple goodnight, slamming the door behind me.
Lunatic indeed, or I'm the lunatic instead.

"Get a grip El", I brace myself while taking off my shoe and tossing them across my bedroom closet. One thing I've been certain of for the past crazy days, is that I haven't gotten over Malone, someone from Five years ago and even though I've tried shoving him into my past where he no doubt belongs, my heart won't just accept this
fact. I tap my feet on the group, more of stomping it, just to distract myself from the memories I'm about going back to. Let it be known that on Thursday night, I slept off both in a heartbroken mess and a hungry mess too.

It's Friday morning, an exceptional morning. "Hello David" I greet before walking past my busy assistant talking to Amanda. "Good morning" he replies also entering with me into my office, I smile at the pile of work that's already beckoning to me.
"Hello lovelies" I greet them too.
I take a sip of my coffee then drop it carefully on my desk, counting the files
set for me, someone knocks. Without looking at the door, I order, "Come in".
"Good morning Eleanor" the person says, I needn't look behind to recognize who it is.
"What do you want, Cale?" I demand, my back still to the door.
"The file Eleanor, I require it to go to publishing, now!!" the tone to his voice made me turn around firmly, I look him dead in the eye ignoring how disheveled he looks this wonderful morning to ask
"Who are you to order me around?"
He scoffs then yells straight to my face
"I'm your boss Miss Graham, I'm your boss and I can order you however and wherever I want. Get that file to publishing today, it must be in this week's issue, if not, I'll personally fire you!"
On hearing the last sentence and everything Cale said, oxygen got sucked from my lungs, I couldn't just believe he said that to me. There wasn't a slight look of remorse on his face, he walked out of my office and slammed the door so hard that I notice people jump and immediately look the other way, so others had been watching all along.

I grip the arm of my seat for support. The door slightly opens, revealing a worried David, who's peeking in.
"Are you okay Eleanor?" his voice solemn,
I didn't know how to reply to that question.

'Are you okay, El?' I internally ask myself.
Let's see, after five years I've been doing well in trying to forget Malone, not until Cale came along. Few days ago, the first moment I met Cale, I immediately got timid for no reason but convinced myself that it must be because of his intense gaze, then my heart rendered my reasons futile because of the staring competition I had with the fragrance guy and I didn't cower. Then at his apartment, my senses tingled seeing him in a birth robe but the proper side of me wasn't ready for that, it's been five years since I saw someone else's brawn chest, my brown skin wouldn't give away how flushed I felt inside. From his sarcastic side, to me countering his decision to attempt an awful lie, I shut the idea out of my head until last night, I saw him arm in arm with someone else and that hurt I felt, the pang thing my chest did from yesterday it had a name,

Jealousy.

Whether I liked it or not, I knew I was slowly getting something for Cale Bells and just yesterday night before I slept off, I was open to accepting the idea of moving on, but now, with his true nature surfacing, I'll rather suffer than to have another Malone in my life.

For the record,
No, I'm definitely not okay.

"I'm good, David. Nothing to worry about" I manage a bad smile.
David easily sees through me, he isn't convinced with what I'm pulling off, so he followed exactly what I need, solitude. The whole day, I stare at the articles and news I'm supposed to be cross-checking for this week's issue. When I was tired of being in work, I call on Amanda and handed all the files on my desk including the one of HR's hotel to head straight to publishing, just as Cale ordered.

Minutes to 5pm, I left work to Guy's bar.

Instead of heading straight to a stood by the island, I settle in a booth by the corner, just to drown myself without getting judgmental eyes from anybody.
"Ben" I call on my favorite bartender, when he sees me, he rolls his eyes, unfortunately his form of greeting.

"Welcome, Eleanor, what would you like to have this special Friday evening?"

"The usual with three bottles extra" I reply, he nods in realization and walks off to get my order.
It's either this or I go kill Cale, Malone or my fucked up mother. 

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Thank you for reading this far.
~Darasimiwrites.