Sudden encounter
1157 Words
Lawrence’s POV
New York City. The city that never sleeps. The city is known for its wild lifestyle and business prestige.
I stood on the balcony of my office, staring as the sun set and taking in the air that the city brings. My eyes drifted towards the various corporate offices, bars, and people walking to catch the bus, subway, or just to get drunk, until they caught sight of the Empire State Building, a building renowned for its architectural ambition and strength.
“Sir, the files are here”, Samantha, my assistant, said, walking into my office and placing them on my desk.
“You may go”, I dismissed her, keeping my eyes on the building.
“Sir, you have a message from Daniel”.
I groaned and replied, “What’s the message?”
“He said, and I quote, ‘Meet me at Lino’s by 10 pm. I want to introduce someone to you. Oh, and you can’t say no’”, she said.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and dismissed her.
Daniel. Words won’t be enough to describe who Daniel was to me. He was my partner, my friend and someone I could call a brother. The only person who truly knew me was him, but for some reason, I always kept a few guards up when I was around him and my father.
After a while, I went inside my office to finish some paperwork when my phone buzzed.
Daniel. The caller ID showed. I ignored it.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed again, and I still ignored it. Until the third time when I sighed and answered the call with frustration hinting in my voice, “What?”
“Woah, bad day?” Daniel’s voice echoed through the phone, and loud music could be heard in the background.
“What do you want? I’m busy.”
“Did your pretty assistant relay my message to you?”, I rolled my eyes at the tone he used.
“Yes, and I’m not interested.”
“Oh, come on, this is going to be a huge deal. I promise it’ll be worth it”, he said, trying to convince me.
“Overpriced alcohol, half-naked people, and loud music aren’t worth my time. But fine, I’ll be there.”
With that, I ended the call and informed Samantha to get the driver ready.
When the time reached 9:50 pm, I clocked out after my assistant and began my journey to Lino’s.
After a while, I arrived at Lino’s and met a man in a black tuxedo suit and pants who immediately recognized me and escorted me to the VIP lounge, where I was meant to meet Daniel.
Upon arrival, Daniel was nowhere in sight.
That dickhead! I thought to myself and sat down on one of the couches, declining any drink that was offered to me.
After what felt like an hour, I saw Daniel approaching with another man, and I shot Daniel a glare.
“Yo! You made it. This is Han, he’s the CEO of Luminous Technologies”, Daniel said and sat down opposite me with Han to his right.
“Nice to meet you, Mr Han”, I said politely, offering my hand as a polite gesture.
Mr Han took it, then said, “It's so nice to finally meet you, Mr Lawrence. Daniel has told me so much about you and your work.”
I raised an eyebrow at the first-name basis but ignored it. Daniel always had his ways with people, and I never complained.
“Great! Now that introductions have been done, let's talk business. Listen to this, Mr Han’s company plans to change the healthcare system by building an AI healthcare tool that detects symptoms before it even shows and allows those in the wealthy sector access to immediate help when needed. Think of it as a flash system but in the healthcare sector.” Daniel finishes and takes a wisp of his whiskey while I stare at him blankly.
I looked over to Mr Han, “And how do you plan on doing that? We have wearable devices that deal with things like this.” I watched him carefully as he replied.
"Wearable devices are items of the past. We at Luminous Tech are looking towards the future. I’m talking about a biochip implant that will detect every single activity going on inside our body. This will alert us and our doctors immediately before even a grain of symptoms shows.”
“Implants? That’s dangerous and expensive.”
He leaned forward a bit and said, “Dangerous? No. My company does not deal with anything dangerous. Expensive? Yes, and that is why it’ll only be available for the wealthy.”
“And why do you need my company's help?” I questioned.
“Mr Daniel has made me aware that you are the best marketing agency and an excellent investor, making you a perfect fit for the future of Luminous Tech.”
I looked over at Daniel, trying to read his thoughts on this. After not getting anything, I sigh and say, “Your idea sounds good, but not good enough for me to work with you or invest. If that is all, I’ll be leaving.”
I stood up quickly and left, not liking the idea of the business proposal. I texted my driver to pick me up and headed upstairs to the washroom to relieve myself.
It happened so quickly. She bumped into me, mumbled an apology and left, not once looking at me.
I blinked. What just happened?
I ignored it and went to the washroom to relieve myself, washed my hands and stepped out to see a black wallet on the floor.
I looked around to see if anyone was near and picked it up to open it, hoping I’d see an ID or something.
Inside, the wallet was a bit worn out, a few credit cards and voila! I found an ID.
It was for Anabeth Carter at some nursing school.
It must belong to the woman who bumped into me earlier.
I closed the wallet and held it in my hand, making my way out of the bar, into my car and back to my penthouse.
Once I arrived, I went straight for the bathroom, stripping and turning the shower on. The sounds of the shower and the water flowing through made me forget about work, Daniel and the encounter with her.
I stepped out and went to my walk-in closet, settling on a black tee and boxers. I lay on my bed and stared at my nightstand, the wallet sitting there.
Something new or different stirred inside me as I remembered her name.
Anabeth Carter. A name long forgotten in the shadows of memories.
The one I could never have.
And with that, I drifted off to sleep.
- Writer
