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Be the big brother you’re supposed to be and check on her.
I should call her. But no matter how much I know I should, I can’t bring myself to. Guess being a bastard runs in the family.
Instead, I find myself walking.
Anything to distract me from my thoughts for a little while longer.
New York City has a way of calming me.
The sounds. The smells. The chaos. They force me to stop thinking about everything else. Immediately.
I allow myself to become immersed in the hustle and bustle until all thoughts of this morning are gone.
There is no point in thinking of something I can’t fix right now anyway.
It takes me twenty minutes to get back to the building.
Once inside, I take the private elevator up to my floor. My assistant, Allison, sees me, but I must look like I do not want to be disturbed because she says nothing as I walk past her and into my office, closing the door.
Stacks of notes pile on my desk. She must have left them here. She’s the only person allowed inside this space, other than the cleaning crew. I’m sure I have a shit ton of emails waiting for me too.
I fire up the computer, and just as I suspected, there are hundreds.
This is why I come in at five o’clock in the morning most days.
Now I’ll get nothing done today but answer emails.
By the time my assistant finally walks into my office, it feels like my eyes are going to melt from staring at the computer.
I lift my hand and scrub at them.
“You haven’t left that spot all day.”
I lower my hand. “I know.”
“Are you caught up?” she asks, standing in front of my desk, a stack of folders in her arms.
“I am. Thank fuck. I take a few hours off, and it’s like the world has gone crazy.”
“Well, luckily for you, you have me. I would have answered all of them if you had asked.” She smiles, steps forward, and places the stack of work she completed in front of me.
“I wouldn’t give that job to my worst enemy. Actually, maybe I would.”
He just happens to be too dead to do it.
She chuckles. “Are you going to work late tonight?”
“Why? You have places to go that are better than this?” I gesture around.
“I actually do.”
“Of course, you can leave. Enjoy your night, Allison.”
“Thank you, Mr. Aldridge.” She turns to leave before stopping and looking over her shoulder. “Don’t forget. Tomorrow you are meeting with Lorenzo.”
“Thank you. I won’t.”
Once she leaves the room, I close out my computer and stand.
