I cleared my throat to get the attention of the secretary who was busy with his work. He looked so peaceful as his fingers glided on the keyboard. I felt so bad to disturb him.
When he looked up and he saw me, his relaxed face became alert and he stood up.
"Good Afternoon, Miss Sanders."
I waved to him. "Hello Lawrence. How is your day?"
"It's going well, I guess." then he gestured to one of the sofas. "Here, please have a seat."
I sat gratefully and waited.
"The CEO is not on seat now, but he'll be back before 1pm. Would you like a milkshake before then?"
I declined politely even though I really wanted the milkshake. Anxiety wouldn't let me eat and I was scared of having a stomach ache as a result of it.
"Okay then. But if you need anything, please let me know." Lawrence said and went back to work.
I sat tensely at the edge of my seat, checking the time every two minutes until it was 1pm. No sign of the CEO.
Lawrence must have noticed that I was glancing at the clock and then at the doorway repeatedly.
"I'm sorry, Miss Sanders. The CEO is running a bit late. But he'll be here soon, if you can just wait a little more."
"I'll wait." I replied. I had no choice but to wait anyway even though I was running out of time.
As the time went on in silence, I felt my stomach growl and I hoped that Mr Lawrence couldn't hear it from where he sat. How mortifying would that be?
I shyly lifted a finger to get the secretary's attention.
"Uhm, excuse me. Can I still get that milkshake."
Lawrence looked at me with no judgement in his eyes.
"Of course. Just a moment." He lifted his telephone to his ear and made a call.
Few moments later, a lady arrived with a tray holding a tall glass of chocolate milkshake and handed it to me. I took it gratefully and almost downed it in one go.
1pm became 2pm and still no sign of Ethan Sterling. Lawrence made a call and informed me that he was caught up in an impromptu meeting with a foreign client but he would be done before evening. That means I had to wait some more.
I waited. My phone was about to go off because I had a low battery. I had been using my phone to keep myself company. Lawrence wasn't one to talk much as his eyes were trained on his computer.
Soon, it was 5pm and still no sign of the CEO. While I was waiting, I had downed three milkshakes and five slices of red velvet cake because Lawrence kept indulging me.
"How did you find the gala last week?" He asked me, trying to make small talk.
"It was fine." I answered him . "I have never been to an event of that nature before, so for some time, I was just nervous."
"Oh." was all he could say before the telephone rang again. He dropped the phone and looked at me with a somber expression.
"I'm sorry Miss Sanders, I just got a call from the CEO to cancel all his appointments for the day. His meeting was prolonged. If you don't mind, I'll just reschedule for tomorrow."
I cursed Ethan Sterling in my heart as I felt tears well up in my eyes. Lawrence apologized profusely and even offered to give me a ride back home since he was also leaving for the day. But I declined. I just wanted to be alone.
In the cab ride home, the tears I had held in began to fall profusely. This was all my fault. I was running out of time and I still hadn't seen Ethan Sterling. Tomorrow was the last day I had before the demolition.