The monitor beeped slowly and Henry panicked wondering what it meant. Clara looked deathly pale and he hoped that she wasn't about to die. The smell of antiseptic assaulted his nostrils and he wrinkled his nose. He was five years old when he first stepped into the hospital. It was to stitch his broken nose and the smell never changed. Grin looked at the worried look on his boss' face as he stared at Clara. There was a hint of something else but he refused to think in that direction, Clara was a good staff, likewise Henry, so it was only normal if he showed concern for her. Henry kept tapping his foot and his gaze switched from the monitor to Clara. " Just wake up." He thought. As if Grin could read his thoughts, he spoke. " Sir, I believe she will wake up soon." He said while staring at the monitor too. it wasn't beeping regularly as it should. "I hope so. Have you contacted her brother?" Henry asked and raised his head to stare at him. " Yes, but he is out of town. That was why
"Welcome to my home." Pops smiled when Clara walked into the house the next day. He exchanged a glance with Henry. What happened to not allow her come here?" Thank you, sir." Clara replied weakly. A maid appeared suddenly and assisted her in climbing the stairs. " Henry, may I have a word with you?" Pops said when he saw that he was staring at Clara's retreating figure. 'Can you be more obvious, son?' He said. "How is her mother feeling?"" She's still in coma. We went to check on her earlier but I decided that it wouldn't be wise to leave her with the sick mother. Plus, her brother is in agreement with my decision. He volunteered to stay till Clara is fully recovered. Sorry for not telling you beforehand." He said. Making decisions for her too? Pops was highly entertained by the new development. It was time for another subtle push, "Its fine. I just want to be sure that her mother is fine. We can't stop her from seeing her Mom." He said and Henry nodded. " Okay, why don't you res
Clara looked up when she heard a knock on the door. " Can I come in?" Henry asked. " Yes, sir." She replied and rose immediately, "Good afternoon, sir." She greeted him and rubbed her palm at the back of her pants in nervousness. She still looked pale, Henry thought. "How are you doing today?" He asked her as his eyes did a quick scan of the room. The bed was neatly laid as if she had not even slept in it and he wondered what she was busy doing all the time. "I'm fine, feeling better, thanks for bringing me here." She said with a small smile. Henry was a generous man and she was thankful for that." You didn't go to work today." She said when she took on his casual attire. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt. He looked fresh in it. " I hope it wasn't on my account." She asked and he shook his head. Henry stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked on his feet, he didn't know how to begin the conversation of taking her out. " Are you okay?" He asked in concern when h
" It's good to see you too, Quentin." They said while their eyes traveled around the office staring at what could have been theirs if they had managed their inheritance wisely. Quentin went down memory lane, they were the only ones who called him by the name his mother gave him which scratched the wound that was about to completely heal. He gave a subtle nod to Grin who sat at the end of the office pretending to be typing while recording the conversation before smiling at his half siblings. " It's been a long while I must say." He said enjoying the look of regret on their faces. Too bad, it was already too late. " I wonder why." Ross, his eldest sibling replied. Quentin chuckled, " Oh, you know, everyone has been busy with life, and stuff, you know how it is." He waved his hand dramatically. He was having a field day with this. Ross' eyes narrowed at him, " What do you mean by that? Are you mocking us?" He asked in a challenging time while looking at his siblings for support. They
“Look at the time, it's almost eight. We are almost late for dinner.” Henry said when he looked at his watch. Then turned to Clara, they had walked to the end of the estate not talking but simply just relishing each other's company. “Let's go back then.” Clara said, and they made a U-turn. “ I could call a driver to come pick us up.” Henry suggested when he noticed the fatigue in her eyes. He didn't want her stressing herself. Clara shook her head vehemently, “Uh, no, there's no need for that, sir. I can manage. I'm fine.” “ Call me Henry.” Henry replied as they walked back to the house. He looked at his watch again, Clara was walking slowly which meant that they were going to be late for dinner, and he kept his grandfather waiting for long. Unexpectedly, he carried her in his arms, causing Clara's hands to flail. What the hell is going on?“ Put me down, sir!” She exclaimed in surprise, but Henry kept walking to the house fast. She resisted the urge to lean into his arms and inha
" Come in." Henry said when he heard a knock on the door when he was coming out of the bathroom. He wondered who that could be. Could grandfather want to speak with him this early? His door was always open because he had a little anxiety issue. The fear of enclosed spaces especially at night still plagued him." Clara, why are you awake by this time?" He inquired. She was in a robe which was tied firmly by her side, her hair was piled up on her head in a ponytail and Henry wanted to free them from their confines. Where the hell did that thought come from? He wondered. "Good morning, sir. I've been up for a while now." Clara said. She had woken up immediately the cock crowed, took a bath and headed straight to what she thought was his room. Well, with the help of a maid who was cleaning the house. Her eyes wandered down his chest and fixated on a thin trail of water rolling down his chest until they disappeared into his nether regions. It had been long since she was in the presence of
"What did you say happened here?" Henry asked the manager of the branch where the fire accident had taken place. He took the first flight that morning and landed in Venice in the next seven hours. " We don't know how it began, sir. We just saw the smoke coming from the top of the building and we tried to escape as soon as we could. "What happened to the sprinklers? What happened to the fire service in the city?" Henry demanded. They had allowed the building to be razed to the ground. He pinched the bridge of his nose, " I hope there are no casualties?" He asked not wanting to sound insensitive. " None, sir, but there were two injured people who have been rushed to the hospital immediately." That's fair, " What is their health status?" Henry inquired as he went on to check the extent of the damage. The building was covered in soot, the once magnificent building burnt to unrecognizable pieces. Henry coughed and Grin handed him a nose mask." This is a lot," Henry muttered as he cont
The receptionist was surprised when both men bolted out of the hotel like a cat on a hot tin roof and she shrugged.They made it out of the door just in time to see that the driver was put in a car and being driven off fast. Henry placed his hand on his waist as he wondered what was actually going on. Immediately, he brought out his phone from his pocket and dialed his Pop's number. Grin stopped him, " Sir, we should inform the cops of this vicinity first." He said. If they complained first, his boss could be accused of being involved in a kidnapping spree. " Oh," Henry said and searched for their emergency code. After finding it, he went on to dial their number. " Good afternoon, I want to report a case of kidnap." A brief pause, " Yes, I'm at The Hotelier. Yes. I am on my way." He said and they ordered an Uber. " Take us to the police station." Henry said and took that time to inform his grandfather about the latest development. "The hell is wrong with these people? You are not