1 The Phone Call
"What the f*ck was I thinking?"
Rory let out a sigh rubbing her neck which got sore from her attempt to look at the top of the tall building in front of her.
LR HOLDINGS
The gold-gilded letters made a glare reflecting the sun and Rory closed her eyes to take in a deep breath.
"Well, you are already here, Rory! Stop being a chicken. Let's finish this today. You will have to meet him no matter what!"
She told herself to gather the courage to take another step forward. She must have thought out loud for she met with a pair of eyes on her that appeared to be mocking her.
"What?"
She glared at the delivery worker who stared at her. Yeah, she is talking to herself, but no one can judge her for that, alright? She is judging herself enough as it is.
She picked up the visiting card she safely kept in her purse. That simple, but elegant card held the name— Lennon Roberts, and his position in the company— CEO, LR Holdings.
She walked with confidence and entered the door. As the airconditioned air hit her face, she attracted the attention of the security guard standing in the lobby.
Her red-painted lips curved to a smirk as she pressed the card in between her fingers.
It is the visiting card and not the business card anyone could have. A visiting card is personal. The staff will have to treat her with respect.
With pride, she held out her hand, to show the card that would ensure her a respectful treatment in this place.
But her smirk reduced as a thought passed through her mind. Her fingers holding the card trembled as her eyes stung a little.
What am I so proud of? It is not 'his' visiting card…
And just like that, she started to second guess her decision to be here.
-----
Twenty-five hours earlier…
Red Robin Café
"Let there be peace!"
After her gaze swept over the small dining area making sure everything is where it should be and how it should be, Aurora Roberts—affectionately called "Rory" by her pals, turned off the lights.
She looked through the large glass window, leaning on it.
The lines of water blurring the street light to a blob of orange and the sound of raindrops beating on the pane of glass of the window rhythmically, made her smile. She pressed her cheek on the glass to feel the chillness.
Unlike many people she knows, she loves the rain and the snow— wetness in general. And nights too.
Maybe it is her mutated MC1R gene—the one commonly called "the redhead gene". She does not fare well with the sun.
Looking at the blurry nightscape, a lot of thoughts passed through her mind. But she was fairly happy. A blurry figure passing closely at the other side of the window covering the street light, made her jump.
Patting her chest, she waited for the door to open. It should be Mia—her co-worker, and the co-partner of Red Robin Café. A gust of cold air blew in before the petite figure proceeded to close the door with a grumble.
"Ugh! I hate April rains!" Mia cussed.
Rory smiled seeing Mia struggle with the umbrella hushing curses under her breath. As someone who lives in one of the water-scarce cities in the world, they've all gotten used to living without rain. And rainy days are not very appreciated here.
"It is nice though," Rory shrugged disagreeing with Mia.
Although the café has sent off the last of its satisfied customers, Rory's voice was more of a whisper. "A vacation would be nicer," she rubbed her neck as her blue eyes closed with exhaustion.
"True that!"
Mia walked behind Rory with a hushed chuckle. They've been working every day for months and some rest is appreciated.
Rory naturally walked to the carrycot on the counter. Her lips curved up without any effort seeing the little munchkin sleeping in.
Only the little face of the baby was visible and everything else was covered as the baby slept peacefully. Her little pink lips were pouting and glistening as she made a little sucking motion.
"Ah, my peace," Rory whispered. Her slender fingers softly traced over the pink blanket.
Her baby is truly her only peace in this world. No matter how hard everything around her is, no matter how exhausted she is, looking at her baby gives her a ginormous amount of strength. It is the strength that gives her peace.
Her baby has started to smile at her these days, and she would do anything to look at that smile.
And her sleeping face is very adorable too.
"Aww… she's so adorable… I can't…" Mia's voice became high-pitched and her fingers rared to touch the baby. If the baby was not sleeping, she'd have placed a kiss on that adorable chubby cheeks as usual. "Adorable little Lia…"
"Ellie…" Rory corrected Mia for the umpteenth time. "Her name is Aurelia."
"Yeah, so… Lia!" Mia's brown eyes twinkled. "It's in her name!"
Rory shook her head with a smile. There is no use trying to change Mia's opinion.
*Brrrrr*
Rory's phone vibrated. Her fingers immediately answered the call as her first instinct was to not wake up the baby.
"I'll check the inventory," Mia mouthed and walked to the pantry behind the kitchen.
Hearing the voice from the other end, Rory's heart started to shake.
It was a call from her grandma's caretaker. Her grandmother has vascular dementia along with diabetes. Mrs. Delport wouldn't have called her this late at night if not for an emergency. She hoped nothing bad has happened.
"Mrs. Delport," she whispered.
Clutching her chest, she walked to the other end so as not to disturb the baby's sleep. Sometimes Ellie would wake up if she hears her voice.
"Is grandma okay?"
"No, she is not."
The blunt reply made Rory's heart skip a beat. Before she could question more, Mrs. Delport continued.
"She's asking for you, Rory. She is not eating properly and all she wants is to see you and her great-grandchild."
Rory lost words to say. She bit her lips.
"…I'll visit her soon, Mrs. Delport. Once Ellie gets—"
"Tomorrow." Mrs. Delport's stern voice interjected Rory. By her tone of voice, Rory could imagine the middle-aged lady shaking her head in disappointment and holding her tears.
"You said you'll visit once Ellie turns four-month-old, Rory," her voice got high-pitched due to disappointment.
"I…" Rory couldn't deny her. "But I really cannot leave now." She sighed. "The café, my studies…"
Her voice trailed off.
"Visit her, child," Mrs. Delport said softly. "Her dementia has progressed. She wants to meet your baby before she…" she paused and took a deep breath. "She's asking about your husband too. Bring him with you."
"But!" Rory's heart skipped a beat and her fingers ended up at the pendant of her necklace, rolling it around. "Him? How can I? Mrs. Delport, we are..." she bit her tongue to hold herself from saying the truth. Her family does not know.
