The Forgotten Ones

Hello...Friend

Song: Make of It by Half Alive

The business was doing great. I was happy that it was getting the right attention it deserves with all of these projects I have been working on. Everything was starting to slow down though which led me to start looking over all the older things now still make sure that those were still going good. That also meant getting in contact with my other partner companies to see how they were doing. 

It was still another day in the office. I still had loads of paperwork on my desk and several things to do on my checklist. I was making phone calls and setting up meetings just so I didn't have to work on this for too long. I still have a work trip I have to attend in London and that will be for a week. I also still had to do some outlining work to do for another project I was setting up involving orphans. 

I was raking my hair from all of the work that was just piling up. Although things have been slowing down, I have still been busy with all the planning and meetings. I am thankful that I did all the media and journaling things ahead of time because they never get off my back whenever things like this happen. 

It was only four and I still haven't had dinner. But, hunger was the last thing on my mind. All I wanted to do was to get all of this work done just so I could sleep in peace. Lately, I have been growing more grey hair from the stress, I have been thinking of dying it even though I have never been much of a hair person. 

A knock came through my door and then my assistant peeked their head through the door. "Sir, your next appointment is here." I nodded, "Okay, send them in." I say. They close the door and then I start cleaning up my desk and myself a bit just so it didn't look like a bull ran through here. After about five minutes, a knock came through again and my desk looked decent. 

Again, my assistant appears, opening the door wide enough to let in the next client I had a meeting with. In my clouded haze, I forgot who was my schedule today until a familiar face walked in. 

Ethan still looked the same, even after the party where Willa had her accident at. We hadn't spoken to each other besides the odd emails here and there. But nothing related to Willa or our personal lives. It has always been business between us. I have been trying to avoid meeting or seeing Ethan for a long time. I never did get the story straight of what happened between Willa and him. All I know is that she was comfortable enough to talk to him and tell him her darkest secret. A secret she kept away from me. 

Ethan sat down in the chair on the other side of my desk, his face straight and emotionless. I tried to not give any reaction to his sudden appearance. I didn't want him to think that he has any affection on me even though all I really wanted to do was to go up to him and beat the living shit out of him. And it only made it worse when he looked straight at me, also with a straight face. Why was he so calm? 

Ethan knows about the relationship I had with Willa and he knows about my darkest secret of my cheating with her. It has been on the back burner of that fear of him going off to the media and telling them all about it. But he hasn't.  I know he wouldn't. Not to Willa. That is the only reason why he hasn't done anything. It's for Willa. 

"Nice to see you, Ethan," I say calmly. He gives me a curt nod and then sighs. 

"Nice seeing you as well, Alexander." His voice was hard, yet still calm. I pulled my seat closer to my desk and then looked down at the folder full of the business and his side of the work. Despite me wanting to find some flaw in his business, everything was perfect. Our communication has been keeping things still running. And with his work still growing, it seems like mine has well. The numbers all looked good and he has been keeping his side of the deal. 

"Well, it seems like things are still going well here. How has your statistics team been doing? And marketing? Looking through everything that has been sent to me, it seems like you are still taking up offers from smaller, indie companies although it hasn't hindered the business." I wanted to find a reason to be mad at him, even if it was small. It was just annoying me how much he was being smug about everything.