Chapter 50

Gabriel Evans leaned back into his chair, hooking his ankles on the edge of his desk as he fiddled around with a stone figurine that was usually perched on his desk. He listened to the static laced voice that swept through the room. How he despised phone conferences. He hadn’t spoken a word since ‘Good Morning, Gentlemen’ almost twenty minutes ago.
He wasn’t keen to partake in the vocalisation war of his peers either. Any such exercise would be futile; not a word of their conversation was recognised during its exploitation. Not to him anyway. Gabriel had been biding his time until an escape route had been established. It only now occurred to him that he couldn’t find a way to sneak out if he wasn’t the slightest bit aware of anything that was being discussed.
Should he just hang up? Blame it on network failure? Was it necessary to even make an excuse? Surely these old farts didn’t deserve that much from him.

“Mr. Evans?” he was called out of his plotting by another male voice to give his opinion. His time as a silent partner had prematurely ended. He dropped his legs off the desk and onto the floor, sitting up in his seat.

“Gentlemen, let’s reconvene this meeting at another date. The network has been ass today.” He said not waiting for confirmation before he ended the call. He rubbed his eyes and turned back to more pressing matters.

“Uh, Mr. Evans?” A shaky undertone that almost masked the words being spoken came at a frequency that caused Gabriel’s concentration to shatter into irreparable shards. He raised his head to observe the source of interruption, his displeasure written simplistically on his face. His personal assistant, a college student he’d given an internship to give the impression that the company was giving back to the community, peeked his head through his door with the stupidest blank expression he ever did see.
It was the dumbest suggestion of the Board. His conclusion had not changed upon giving in to the suggestion. The boy’s, Gabriel couldn’t for the life of him remember the name—not that he wanted to, ability to move without detection was unnerving to him. He never knew when he entered or was lurking around.

“Out with it.” Gabriel mustered enough self-control to mutter the words without an accompanying growl, as for the scowl, he couldn’t be held accountable. The lad squeezed through the tiny opening and closed the door behind him softly, every movement soliciting Gabriel to knock both rows of teeth together in place of a timer counting down the last strands of patience he possessed.

“Ms. Taylor is here to see you.” The boy said silently. He’d learned to be discreet while working for Gabriel Evans. The man was a notorious womanizer and while rumours were entertainment for an impetuous fanatical audience interested in vicarious pleasure, the rumours surrounding Gabriel Evans wasn’t just true; it was a severely wretched underestimation.
He’d been interning for a few months and he’d already been privy to information that would cause some people to colour at the mere mention of it. He’d come to know Taylor with a civil familiarity, his kindness and enabling assistance having more to do with securing a good recommendation than any indication of his concurrence.

“Tell her to leave.” Gabriel turned his attention back to his task. He planned to have dinner at home tonight. For that to happen, he had to leave work early enough to prevent Mia from making other plans. His time didn’t permit untimely and unwanted visits.

“Sir?” the boy did a double take. He’d expected the usual, ‘No interruptions for the next hour’ or ‘I’ll be heading out’. The actual command was so unnatural that he wondered if there was some catch. Was it a test?

“Is there anything else?” Gabriel could feel his presence sucking the energy out of the space. He needed quiet.

“Should I give her a reason?” he questioned, the realisation that Gabriel might actually be serious was dawning on him. He’d never had to tell a woman to leave Mr. Evans office; the execution of it worrying. This particular woman was in the habit of making scenes and drawing attention. How was he to keep the situation under control if she resisted?

“Is the fact that I don’t want her here not enough?” Gabriel’s annoyance was manifesting itself in the deepening of his voice as it bounced against the walls in the room with an echoing simulation.

“What if she resists?” He questioned reticently, the spitting image of a wide eyed puppy as he bit down on his nail beds.

“I do not pay a security team to just walk around the building and stare at monitors all day.” Gabriel felt offended by the thoughtless question. “If she refuses to heed your words call them up to have her forcibly removed from the building.” Gabriel explained, “Any more questions on how to do your job?” Gabriel snapped querulously; his eyes looking at the time on his cell phone.

“I’ll take care of it, Sir.” The boy responded respectfully. He was at the mercy of this man, any embarrassing situations had to be endured without fuss or tears; both of which were difficult to fight off on every given day.
He exited the office, his eyes connecting with Taylor’s. She was standing about by his desk, her designer handbag hanging from the crock of her elbow, her legs crossed into the shape of an X as she waited resentfully.

“I apologise, Mr. Evans is unable to entertain any visitors today.” He’d tucked his hands behind his back to hide the slight tremors in them.

“Did you tell him it’s me?” She demanded, straightening her legs and blinking at him as if he were some incompetent fool. Treatment he was growing immune to the longer he continued his internship at this company.

“Mention of your good self was in the very first words I spoke.” He assured her with a crocked smile. She frowned at him and he cleared his throat, wiping the warmth from his expression. This woman didn’t deserve it. Any pity he might have had for her at being cast aside had vanished; quiet like her soul, he mused.
Taylor shifted her gaze at the closed office. A tiny door acting as a barrier between her and the man she loved dearly. She’d considered getting angry; he hadn’t seen her in a full week. Her calls, texts and emails all went unanswered.
The longer she mulled her options over the more she decided against acting out. Last time she did he’d threatened to let her go on account of her attitude problem. She couldn’t give him cause to worry about the toxicity level of their relationship.

“Very well.” She said without another word. She’d be reunited with him soon enough. It seemed as though work was really busy lately.
***
Mia hugged herself in the door way of their house waving goodbye to Amiyah as she tucked away into her grandmother’s car. She’d spent half hour crying to see Marina until Mia finally called her up.
Mia had been enjoying her mid-term break for the past week. As a result Amiyah barely saw her grandmother. Today, she desperately missed her and now Mia was watching her daughter go off to her grandmother’s for the night. Amiyah barely paid her any mind as the car drove away.
Mia shut the door and sighed deeply as her eyes roamed around the silent house. What was one to do alone for tonight? She’d been programmed to spend every spare moment with her daughter that she now had no hobbies to keep her occupied.
Worst of all, she was left alone with her thoughts. As if the universe understood her plight, the front door swung open and Gabriel entered.

“I just ran into my mother on my way home.” He said by way of greeting. Mia gazed at him, her senses on alert. It was a rarity that he was home this early.

*A rarity that seemed to be happening with a more frequent mode* Lady Evil-Hour frowned. She barely ever surfaced once he was around.

“Amiyah is already fed up of us.” Mia joked, already walking off.

“What do you feel like for dinner tonight?” his question stopped her in her tracks.

“What?” she questioned, gazing over her shoulder.

“Since it’s just the two of us we can order something spicy.” He offered, raising his eyebrows suggestively. The fact that he recalled anything she preferred was a wonder. Did he ever mix up the preferences of the women he had affairs with?

“Two of us?” she echoed. “Don’t you usually go out on weekends?” she questioned calmly.

“Feel like staying in tonight.” He shrugged. “It’s almost seven, how about I order us some take out?” he didn’t wait for her response as he fished his cell phone out of his jacket.

Mia was startled to say the least. Could she refuse? She’d much prefer to cuddle up in bed alone. She didn’t want company and even if she did, Gabriel was the last person she wanted to spend time with. His moods usually switched from zero to a hundred without warning.
Mia parted her lips to speak but in place of words came the characteristic ‘ding-dong’ from their doorbell. Gabriel moved back towards it, Mia wondering if Amiyah had changed her mind and wanted to come back home.
Gabriel eased the door open. Taylor posed off like a model at a high fashion photo shoot in the doorway. “Miss me?” she smirked.