Wealth (free and completed)

Chapter 9 - Records and Reports

Valerie

I finally met Andrew. Janus was right: he was a handsome man who could be my type. He has a head of soft brown hair to match his warm brown eyes. His overall appearance was attractive but gave off a much softer effect than Janus's darker hair and piercing gray eyes.

Janus's junior designer was quiet and a little shy, I could tell. With me, though, he tried but mumbled a little. Unlike Janus, who almost seemed to hide in his silence, Andrew's quiet demeanor was brought about by something else – diffidence.

Based on his clothes, watch, and gold chain peeking from under his dress shirt, Andrew seemed like he came from a regular family, perhaps even upper-middle-class. He knowingly tried to disguise any signs of affluence. He probably went to church every Sunday with his family. That was the vibe he gave off. I should be the one feeling shy, but I had never felt any shame for being myself – a cripple who came from a strange family that was constantly under the media's lens.

"Good morning, Val. Is it okay to call you that?"

"It's alright, Andrew. Andy?" I teased. "Usually, people who are close to me call me Val. I go by Valerie, but since Janus gave you a high recommendation, why not?"

"Oh, great. You can call me Andy, by the way, or any name you want to call me. Do I -?" Andrew gestured at my wheelchair.

I knew that he had seen my pictures on my wheelchair, but he still looked flustered. I felt sorry for him. He was probably trying hard not to offend me. I had gone through so much when I was younger that offending me nowadays would take a lot more effort.

"I can do it myself, thank you, Andy. My dad chose this wheelchair model, especially so that I could get around by myself."

"So, you can quickly go from Point A to Point B with no problems?" he asked, the smile on his face gone.

I somehow felt like I was being questioned. Still, I reminded myself that Andrew was fiercely recommended by a man who somehow committed himself to be my new big brother.

"Yeah, no problem," I said, noting the minimalistic look of Janus's workplace. It was chic and modern, all clean lines in shades of blue and white. The corners are sharp, and everything seemed in place, dust probably shying away from the overall sterile look. However, the shelves carried replicas of some of the company's best works encased in glass.

I had been to another product design office. Being the ward of a leather goods billionaire had its perks. That other office took their industrial name seriously. The walls were textured, although the color scheme was also monochromatic. They were meant to be that way, to set off the designs on display. Everything else should be plain.

These two types of designs sounded like Andrew and Janus. The more textured one, homey and warm, would be Andrew. It was what you would expect in a guy. The sterile, colder one that focused more on efficiency was Janus. Of course, he was not like that with me. He was warmer, more willing to engage. However, I could imagine that people would have difficulty getting to know him. His broodiness was on display when he brought me to his office this morning. He was friendly enough to Andrew, making the younger man feel more comfortable.

"You know, it's nice of your brother to have you come over here at the office. I have been, um, admiring you from afar for years now."

"He's not really my brother," I snapped, feeling sorry right after. "Sorry, I did not mean to be mean. It's just -."

I sighed. It was just complicated.

"I-I’m sorry, Val. I didn’t know it was a sensitive topic. Yeah, I can see why you would say that. You have just met Mr. Sangster. I usually call him Sir. So, you know how I am uncomfortable with calling him by his name.”

“Oh, okay. No. It’s my fault. He’s a little overprotective, even for someone I have just met. It’s like he has always been there.”

I was telling Andrew the truth. It was basically how Janus made me feel.

“Okay,” he smiled this time. “So, what do you like to do? Where would you want to go?”

“Are you asking me for a date right after I have been rude?” I asked with a nervous laugh. Andrew was not joking around.

“Yes. I wanted you to be comfortable first. We can sometimes spend time here at the office when I do not have a lot of things to do, and Janus is okay with it. I’m under his department, anyway. Or, I could visit your home. Again, I’m okay where you are most comfortable.”

“I don’t want to disturb you and Janus too much. But you’re welcome to come over during the weekends.”

Oops. That also meant everyone would be home by then. My siblings would want to see Andrew. I could barely remember the last time I went on a date. It always ended up being awkward and ridiculous. My first experience with s*x was unpleasant. I shook my head to get rid of the memories that were threatening to bubble over the surface.

“That would be great! Don’t worry. I’d call or text before coming. You could say no to me several times. I would understand,” he said.

I should like him. After all, he was so eager to please. He was nothing like my siblings, who expected everyone to pander to their wants and needs. He also made sure that he asked me before making decisions, unlike Janus, who thought it his mission to find someone to date me. It almost already felt like he was walking me down the aisle, representing a father figure, to the man who would take care of me one day.

Did he care for me, or did he subconsciously want to get me out of his hair?

“So, how are the two you getting along?” a deep voice called out from about a few feet away.

“We are doing well, sir. I might come visit some weekends,” Andrew reported happily.

“Oh, great. By the way, I may have to talk to you about your most recent report,” Janus said, his voice uncharacteristically cold, at least to my ears. Was that how he talked to Andrew whenever I was not here? Suddenly, I felt strange hearing him sound that way.

“Yes, sir. Coming, sir. I’ll just have Val waiting by my desk if that’s okay.”

Janus nodded in agreement, barely looking my way. It looked like the last leg of my tour would be to Andrew’s desk. I did not mind it. I did not think Andrew would want to hear what his boss had to tell him. Seeing Janus as a boss startled me a little. Was he like that with everyone?

Andrew walked towards his cubicle while I followed behind him, operating my wheelchair efficiently in the minimalist office. The path towards his cubicle, however, was different. Narrow. There were also some beaming faces going my way. It seemed that people were eager to meet Theodore Sangster’s ward and Janus Sangster’s “sister.”

“Good morning,” I said a few times until we finally reached Andrew’s desk.

It was a neat desk. The space was small but notably a little bigger than the other’s own. He was one of the leading junior designers, from what I gathered. He reported directly to Janus.

“What was that all about, Andy? Does he speak that way to you all the time?” I had to know.

“Oh, no. I wonder if I did something wrong. Mr. Sangster is a very nice guy. I hope I did not mess up one of the latest designs. I know that the latest project with your dad’s company is a big deal to Mr. Sangster.”

“Oh, okay. I hope that you will tell me if ever he does not treat you right,” I said. I mostly offered those words because I was curious and not because I was starting to care for Andrew Simon. He seemed like a nice guy, though. Perhaps I needed to get to know him better. My heart twisted at the thought that maybe, just maybe, I was only seeking to use this guy.

But didn’t relationships have to start with a getting to know you period? There were no sparks at the moment, but that did not mean that it would always be like that. Andrew seemed like the kind of guy you immediately liked because he seemed safe and caring. I needed someone safe.

“Mr. Sangster treats me right, don’t worry. You sure you’ll be okay here? I have some sheets of paper and pencils if you would like to use them.”

“Um, sure. I have my phone with me, too, and a paperback. I should be fine. Thanks, Andy.”

“Sorry about my quick assumption that everyone likes to sketch,” he chuckled. “I’m offering basically what I want someone to offer to me.”

I loved how his smile made his whole face light up. I had not been with people like that in a long time. We had all the money that we could ever want, but we were a bunch of grumpy, unhappy people. Okay, I was not the grumpy sort, but the constant unhappiness that gripped me was sometimes too much.

“I don’t think even Janus knows this, but I do sketch – a lot,” I said, glad to share something that mattered to me. Andrew had been very nice, and all I was doing the whole time was wishing he could arouse some sparks in me. Guys who made you think of sparks and hot love were the dangerous sort.

“Ah. We should have some drawing sessions together. Sorry, I’m such a geek.”

“Don’t worry about me. I think Janus needs you there now,” I said, hoping I could hide the slight tremor in my voice as I said his name. It had become more heightened after meeting with a guy who could well be a good match for me – emphasis on good.

He left me, but had to glance back again with a goofy smile on his face. He looked more attractive when he smiled like that, but I just smiled back like an indulgent aunt. There was no frisson, no shiver.

I was left fiddling with Andrew’s desk, feeling a little weird about this strange intimacy. It was undoubtedly intimate to be left to see what someone’s thoughts and ideas were. I looked at the pictures pinned on the panel right below his overhead shelves.

I touched them, some of them faded pictures in sepia. They were probably pictures of his grandparents. I guess Andrew was pretty family-oriented, and here I was – so willing to be detached from my family.

One of the pictures caught my curiosity. It was in sepia like the rest, but the woman in it looked so much – looked so much like me. The picture might not be colored, but her hair's almost white color gradient suggested that she had the same ash blonde hair like mine.

“Whoa,” I whispered, not knowing what to make of it. I shrugged it off. After all, the picture was old. I was probably imagining things, and everyone said I had a wild imagination. Even Rafael said so, and he usually would take my side.

I was being particularly nosy and wanted to check out a page with the heading REPORT peeking from behind a blank sheet of paper pinned to the corkboard section to the right of the cubicle. As my hand was about to flip the paper up, Andrew returned. He looked breathless, but he had a smile on his face as usual.

“Were you bored?” he asked.

“How can I be bored when you didn’t take long,” I said, with a grin in place.

However, something told me there was more to Andrew Simon than he was letting on, and I intended to find out more.