Quiet Things II
1577 Words
Morning sunlight spilled softly across the quiet countryside surrounding Maureen Green’s mother’s house.
For the first time in weeks, the morning felt peaceful.
No nightmares.
No emergency calls.
No terrifying threats.
Just silence.
The kind of silence she used to crave when she still worked inside Rodriguez Corporation.
Maureen stood in the kitchen wearing an oversized sweater while making coffee slowly. The windows remained slightly open, allowing cool wind to drift through the house.
The small home still carried traces of her mother everywhere.
The old clock hanging above the dining table.
The faded curtains.
The tiny flower pots placed carefully near the windows.
Some mornings, the memories hurt too much.
Other mornings, they felt comforting.
Today felt somewhere in between.
Her phone buzzed suddenly against the counter.
Jordan.
Maureen stared at the screen for several seconds before answering.
“…Hello?”
Jordan Rodriguez’s calm voice came through the phone immediately.
“You’re late.”
Maureen blinked in confusion.
“For what?”
“Work.”
She frowned slightly before checking the time.
Then froze.
“Oh no.”
She had overslept.
Jordan’s voice remained cold.
“You have twenty-five minutes.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Then drive faster.”
The line disconnected immediately afterward.
Maureen stared at the phone in disbelief.
Unbelievable.
Only Jordan Rodriguez could sound threatening before eight in the morning.
—
Forty minutes later, Maureen rushed into Vesper Group carrying files while trying to fix her hair at the same time.
Employees immediately noticed her arrival.
One secretary whispered dramatically—
“She survived.”
Another employee nodded seriously.
“Barely.”
Apparently everyone already knew Jordan had been waiting for her.
Maureen sighed softly before heading toward the executive floor.
The second she stepped off the elevator, Jordan’s assistant immediately approached her nervously.
“Miss Green…”
“Yes?”
“He’s in a bad mood.”
Maureen looked tired already.
“When is he not?”
The assistant looked genuinely emotional.
“This feels worse.”
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Maureen knocked once before entering Jordan’s office.
Jordan sat behind the massive desk wearing a black suit while reviewing financial reports.
His expression looked cold enough to freeze oceans.
Without looking up, he spoke calmly.
“You’re forty minutes late.”
“I know.”
Silence.
Then Jordan slowly lifted his eyes toward her.
The air instantly became heavier.
“You overslept.”
“…Yes.”
“You ignored two calls.”
“I was asleep.”
Jordan stared at her for several long seconds before speaking again.
“Sit down.”
Maureen frowned slightly.
“Why?”
“You look exhausted.”
That caught her off guard.
She had expected anger.
Not concern.
Maureen slowly sat across from him while placing the files onto the desk.
Jordan continued reading documents calmly before suddenly speaking again.
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“…No.”
Jordan looked up immediately.
“No?”
“I was late.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
Then he pressed the intercom button calmly.
“Bring breakfast.”
Maureen blinked.
“You don’t have to do that.”
Jordan ignored her completely.
Ten minutes later, breakfast arrived.
Actual breakfast.
Pancakes.
Fruit.
Coffee.
And somehow—
Jordan remembered exactly how she liked her coffee.
Maureen stared at the tray quietly.
“You really didn’t need to do this.”
Jordan signed another document calmly.
“You get headaches when you skip meals.”
Again.
Another tiny detail he somehow remembered.
Maureen looked down at the food silently.
Sometimes Jordan confused her more than anybody else.
Because he could look completely emotionless while quietly taking care of people.
Especially her.
—
Meanwhile, across the city, Emily Rodriguez sat dramatically across from Adrian Knight inside a rehearsal studio.
Music blasted loudly around them while dancers practiced choreography nearby.
Emily sighed heavily.
“I’m bored.”
Adrian barely looked up from his phone.
“You say that every five minutes.”
“Because rehearsal is exhausting.”
“You’re the one who begged to join.”
Emily narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Why are you always calm?”
Adrian finally looked toward her.
“Why are you always loud?”
Emily looked offended immediately.
“I’m not loud.”
Several dancers nearby started laughing.
Adrian’s mouth twitched faintly.
Then suddenly his manager approached nervously.
“Adrian, the interview starts in fifteen minutes.”
Adrian sighed softly before standing.
Emily watched him quietly.
Even dressed casually in black cargo pants and a hoodie, Adrian somehow attracted attention without trying.
Girls stared constantly.
Staff members panicked around him.
And yet—
He always looked strangely detached from everything.
Adrian noticed Emily staring.
“What?”
Emily blinked.
“Nothing.”
“You’re staring.”
“I was thinking.”
“That’s dangerous.”
Emily gasped dramatically.
“You insult me every day.”
“And yet you still follow me around.”
Emily crossed her arms proudly.
“That’s because I’m charming.”
Adrian looked completely unconvinced.
Before he walked away, however, he paused briefly.
Then casually tossed her a bottle of water.
“You forgot yours earlier.”
Emily froze slightly.
“…Oh.”
Adrian continued walking away calmly afterward.
Meanwhile Emily stared at the water bottle in confusion.
Why were cold people strangely considerate?
Was that a rich people disease?
—
Back at Vesper Group, the executive meeting had officially begun.
Jordan stood near the massive screen while discussing expansion projects in his usual calm tone.
Nobody interrupted him.
Nobody dared.
Meanwhile, Maureen organized documents beside him while occasionally correcting report details.
One executive cleared his throat nervously.
“Sir… the investors from Country X are requesting another partnership meeting.”
Jordan’s expression remained unreadable.
“Schedule it.”
Another executive hesitated slightly before speaking.
“There’s also the issue regarding the anonymous threats.”
The atmosphere immediately shifted.
Several executives looked uncomfortable instantly.
Jordan’s face became colder.
“Continue security investigations.”
“Yes, sir.”
Maureen quietly studied Jordan from beside the table.
He looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The dark circles beneath his eyes had become more noticeable lately.
And although nobody else seemed brave enough to mention it—
She noticed he barely slept anymore.
Then suddenly—
Jordan looked directly toward her.
Their eyes met briefly.
And somehow, without speaking, she knew he had noticed her staring.
Maureen immediately looked away.
Unfortunately—
One executive saw everything.
And nearly choked on water.
Because Jordan Rodriguez never looked at anybody that softly.
Ever.
—
By evening, heavy rain began falling again outside the company building.
Most employees had already gone home.
Only a few office lights still remained on.
Maureen sat alone inside her office while finishing reports.
Her shoulders ached from exhaustion.
She rubbed her eyes tiredly before reaching for another document.
Then suddenly—
The office door opened quietly.
Jordan entered carrying two cups of coffee.
Maureen blinked in surprise.
“You’re still here?”
Jordan placed one cup beside her calmly.
“So are you.”
She sighed softly.
“These reports need to be finished tonight.”
Jordan glanced briefly toward the mountain of paperwork.
“Half of this can wait until tomorrow.”
“Not if you want the meeting prepared.”
Jordan sat across from her silently.
The rain outside continued tapping softly against the windows.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Yet strangely—
The silence felt peaceful.
Not awkward.
Not tense.
Just quiet.
Jordan suddenly removed his suit jacket before draping it over the back of Maureen’s chair.
She looked confused.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re cold.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re shivering.”
Maureen froze slightly.
She had not even noticed herself trembling from the office air conditioning.
Jordan calmly opened another file afterward like nothing happened.
Maureen stared at him quietly.
“You notice too much.”
Jordan looked up briefly.
“That’s my job.”
“No,” she murmured softly. “You only notice certain people.”
Something unreadable flickered briefly across his eyes.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Warmer somehow.
Then Jordan’s phone rang loudly, breaking the moment instantly.
His expression hardened slightly after seeing the caller.
Richard Rodriguez.
Jordan answered coldly.
“What?”
Even from across the desk, Maureen could hear the irritation in his voice.
Richard spoke sharply through the phone.
Jordan’s face gradually darkened with each passing second.
Finally—
“I said no.”
The line disconnected violently afterward.
Silence filled the office again.
Maureen looked at him carefully.
“Your father?”
Jordan leaned back slightly while rubbing his forehead.
“Yes.”
She hesitated briefly before asking softly—
“Are things still bad between you?”
Jordan gave a quiet laugh.
But there was no humor in it.
“They were never good.”
Something painful settled in the room afterward.
Then unexpectedly—
Maureen stood and walked toward him slowly.
Jordan looked up.
Before he could react, Maureen gently placed a cup of coffee into his hand.
A small gesture.
Simple.
But strangely intimate.
“You should rest too,” she said quietly.
Jordan stared at her silently for several seconds.
And for the first time all day—
The coldness in his eyes softened slightly.
Just slightly.
Enough to make Maureen’s heartbeat betray her again.
Outside, rain continued falling endlessly across the city while inside the quiet office, neither of them realized how dangerous these peaceful little moments were becoming.
- Writer
