The Story of Silence (Book 3)

Chapter 16

Monday, 13th:

The day started for Silence as it would each weekday when he had to work. He woke when his clock rang, showered, dressed, had breakfast, caught a cab, and arriving on time he went with the flow of company employees heading up the elevators to their offices.

Silence still hadn't decided on what job to take full time, and when he arrived in his office there was a message waiting for him from Oldwood telling him that he had better get started because he had until Thursday when the papers would be signed and then Oldwood would officially be CEO.

Hearing a noise, Silence looked up and to his surprise found the man himself standing in his doorway, watching him with keen eyes that were trained on his every move. A strange feeling of nervousness started to tingle its way up Silence's back. He coughed abruptly and turned away, picking up his pen as he did so and asked if Oldwood wanted anything. He then handed the note to Oldwood's new secretary, Miss Phelps, who read it and repeated it out loud to Oldwood.

Oldwood didn't say anything for a while, and then when he did reply he didn't say much. He simply said, 'Yes.'

Silence nodded his head, and wrote: Pardon?

'To watch you while you work, Mr Mourner. To watch you while you work.'

Silence nodded his head again, but was still in confusion. Oh-key, you can watch, he said in his mind and sat back down in his seat.

He was aware of Oldwood's gaze on him all the while he worked, and it felt disconcerting. He could think of no reason why Oldwood would even want to watch him while he worked; it wasn't as if Silence did anything interesting. He just went through all the papers of sales and made notes about them, rang for new orders of the things they'd run out of, and paid the bills for the things that needed to be paid for.

By eleven o'clock Oldwood was still watching him. He'd seated himself down in one of the chairs across from Silence's desk and had crossed his legs, only moving to unfold them and cross them over the other way, his gaze never faulted.

Every time Silence got up to go to another office, Oldwood would get up and follow him. In fact, when Silence headed off to the toilets and Oldwood got up to follow him, Silence was afraid that Oldwood would enter into the toilets with him, but no, he just waited outside until Silence was done and then followed him back to the office. And Silence didn't dare ask him why he was watching him and not doing something else more important. He didn't think Oldwood would enjoy being questioned about his actions. He also started to wonder if his uncle had mentioned anything to Oldwood, and this was how Oldwood was repaying him. But repaying him for what?

And poor Miss Phelps had to stand to attention behind Oldwood in case he wanted anything. He would tell her to do things and she would run off and do them, and by the time she arrived back he would send her off to do something else. Silence pitied her, and he didn't even know her first name. He only knew her last name, but then, everyone did.

She was a good looking girl, Silence noted, and all the men at work liked her. Her hair was a dark red and it was always ever so slightly wavy. She was also probably in her twenties; maybe about the same age as Silence, either younger or older he didn't know, he had never really talked to her. She also wasn't the stupid sort of blond secretary like some, hired only for their looks; she was smart and could stand on her own. And while she didn't mind the men's whistles and comments, she never encouraged them. She had a boyfriend, and to her, it was right to stay with him and not go off with other men while she was his. And as to what she was doing working for Oldwood, Silence was able to pick up that she had been hired after Oldwood had fired his previous secretary, one Quinton Vourve.