He Waits For Nobody

Roy jogged around the estate until the timer on his wristwatch went off.

He wiped the sweat on his face, neck and arms before he set off to run back to his residence, and that was when he got a call from his father's secretary. 

Of course, he wasn't going to answer it since he already knew what the call was all about, so he slipped his phone back into his pants pocket and continued running.

But in within two minutes, he was forced to answer the persistent call.

"Do you not like your job anymore?" Roy threatened as his chest rose and fell rapidly due to the exercise he was unto.

The man at the other end quickly offered an apology. "I deeply apologize for the continuous disturbance Sir, but the situation is urgent."

"Does the 'urgent' situation have something to do with my father?" Roy asked as he walked ahead at a steady pace to catch his breath.

As soon as he asked that question, the man at the other end informed him of what was going on with his father just as he was instructed.

"Sir, I attached the piece of evidence to the message I sent yesterday evening. Will you be coming today?"

Roy did not answer the question immediately as he was busy staring at the picture of his father lying on the bed and connected to a drip.

"Do you think he will die if I don't come?" he asked after a while. His gaze was contemplative as if he would be happy to do anything that would take his father's breath away, and the man from the other end could tell, so he diverted another means to convince him.

"He won't. But the minister found out about your recent marriage, and he will be going after your wife if you don't come home."

Instantly, a deep frown appeared on Roy's face. "Does he not know any better than to threaten me? If he wants to come after my wife, he can go ahead if he doesn't mind being tagged a 'kidnapper' on the national news."

The secretary was speechless, and knowing that Roy didn't have the time for him, he dared to ask one more time, "Sir, are you coming today?" but his question was met with the line beeping.

Apparently, Roy was done talking to him. Roy could care less about his father's actions and would even love it if the entirety of their conversation was conveyed to him.

---

By the time Anna got to the dining room, Roy was already sitting at the head table reading from the morning newspaper in his hands with a cup of hot black coffee placed before him.

'He's really fast,' Anna thought to herself. 'How many minutes did it take him to finish his run and freshen up because she was sure she didn't take longer than twenty minutes to…?'

Anna's thoughts halted at this point. She just remembered that she took a longer time putting on her skin care products after dressing, a ritual her mother started for her when she lost her sight. 

As Anna closed in, Roy lowered the newspaper to glance at her. 

"Good morning," she smiled at him as she went to take her place at his right side where an extra plate was kept for her. "Good morning," Roy replied, snapping the newspaper close before folding it and putting it away.

"Did you have a good night's rest?" he inquired as he picked up his cup of coffee to enjoy a few sips.

"Yes, thank you," Anna smiled at him before letting her gaze fall on the table of breakfast. It was English.

There were toasted slices of bread with strawberry spread, omelettes, sausages, salads, tea, baked beans and sandwiches. That was a lot of options.

Roy's gaze followed Anna's until they met. "I didn't get a cup of coffee, can I get one she?" she asked shyly.

Hearing that, he took in her glass of Greek yoghurt before meeting her gaze again. "You like coffee?"

"Not really." Anna shook her head. "The aroma wakes me up."

'So, it's for inhaling?' Roy thought to himself before pointing at a button on the dining table, "Press it." That was a weird instruction, but she obeyed and soon, a servant came over.

"Tell her what you want," he said to Anna before picking a sandwich from the white ceramic plate.

"Can I get a hot cup of strong black coffee?" Anna requested.

Within two minutes, the same maid returned with a cup of coffee and placed it next to her. 

"Thank you," Anna said as she picked up the beautiful cup and brought it to her nose, failing to catch the pair of curious eyes quietly watching her as he ate.

Anna repeated her actions until the drink ran cold and then, she finally put it away.

If only Anna knew the worth of the good cup of strong black coffee she just wasted she would have felt a pang of guilt hit her, but at least her 'thank you' to Roy was enough to cover up the loss.

"Can I join you next time you will be going for a run?" Anna dared to ask while blinking as Roy held her gaze.

From another's perspective, it looked like she was trying to get close to Roy but in actual sense, she was only looking for motivation to start practising to get back on her sports team.

"Meet me at the bottom of the stairs every morning by 5:30. But I must warn you, I don't wait for anybody."

Anna understood and thanked him before asking for a car. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm going to meet Sam and Susan for brunch. How do I make it out of the estate? Can I get a car as promised?"

"Sure. Let one of the servants know what time you will be leaving for your appointment so the car will be ready before then."

"Thank you," she smiled with her full set of white teeth on display.

Anna was surprised with how easy it was to close a deal with Roy when he always looked unapproachable. But on second thought, she thought that his aloofness might actually be a defence mechanism to hide his weaknesses and stop others from getting close.