Everything Is Blue

Chapter 5

 Sunset Heights.

An elegant welcome sign stood on the outskirts of St. Canard. It greeted each visitor who traveled to the upper class gated community. Bud moved there shortly after his water bottling company took off. It gave him a peaceful hideaway from the hustle of life. There he could forget his problems and stress of the day.

Or at least, he tried to forget. He wanted to forget. But things have a funny way of lingering in your mind. They liked to sit around and pester you throughout the day.

Bud had left EcoTech not long after the little billboard quarrel with Dr. Wulfe. His mind wanted to busy himself with work to avoid thinking about his feelings, but he knew overworking would only result in even more stress. And more stress would lead to finding a way to cope with it, which meant he'd start his smoking habit again.

A habit he was trying to break for his own wellbeing. His doctor warned him of the consequences if he kept it up. So Bud obeyed, and kicked the habit... for now.

Bud dug the house keys out of his suit coat pocket as he stepped down the walkway that led to the front door of his house. He swiftly unlocked the door and stepped inside as he flipped the lights on. The inside was rather large and surprisingly clean, like the house of someone who spent most of his time away from it. (Which Bud did due to his time being taken up by work and the housekeeper he hired kept the place in check.) The day's dying light rays stream in through the windows, pushing their ways past the half-closed blinds.

At first glance, the place looked dreadfully dull. Bud never bothered decorating all that much except for a few fake plants. Why should he decorate in the first place? He didn't care that much about decor anyhow. He only bought what was needed and left the rest untouched. There was no point in fussing over useless objects.

His jacket shrugged off his shoulders. He muttered to himself as he hung it on a nearby coat rack.

It had been a long day for the CEO. Going into the office of that uptight scientist each day stressed him out. It was as though he had walked into a freezer, the atmosphere icy and uninviting, as was the frigid blue glare coming from Kimbra. She despised him and he knew this. Nothing he did has won her over yet.

Never had he expected to meet someone as stubborn as him.

"I don't see why she has such an issue with me." Bud mused out loud, mostly to break the silence.

Besides, it wasn't his fault that Miss Know-It-All clearly had some issues. Kimbra had accused him of using the project for his gain. She'd been dead on, but he protested. No one needed to know the truth behind his motives for sponsoring EcoTech's project.

'Do you even care about this project?'

'You're only here out of pure selfishness.'

'I rather have someone else sponsoring this project.'

Her words played in an endless loop in his head. She was persistent in forcing him out of the project.

Bud exhaled and ran a hand through his tousled hair. He sat down on the window seat in the living room, resting back and propping his tired feet up.

His eyes caught a mere glimpse of his reflection in the glass. Up close, Bud noted how tired he looked. He had dark circles under his eyes. His usually well-groomed hair was now a mess due to constantly running his hands through it. Ever since the company's recent downfall, his health started taking a toll. Endless nights he'd stay up, burying himself with work in hopes of landing back on his feet.

Nothing was working. The commercials didn't even faze the sales plummeting. He spent most of his days answering calls, scaring any employees he caught slacking off, and filming commercials. Working overtime on weekends became a tradition for him.