Paper Lanterns

Chapter 16 Φ

Chapter 16 Φ

"I'll call Sir Eric," said Mr. Davis' secretary, who was the one that guided me up to this room. I gave him a slight nod in agreement. Quietly slipping away, he closed the door behind him, and I was left alone in this spacious room, guarded by two securities who were standing outside.

Mr. Davis' office was colored in the most formal hue of white with black linings in some areas. There was a huge painting of a prairie behind his desk. On the opposite side of the room, right beside the door, was a smaller table, which might probably be for his secretary.

An line of indoor plants was placed beside his office window, from which you could overlook the city. The sturdy coffee table in front of me was empty, though. I lifted my head and stared at the immense chandelier above me. It was thoroughly studded with expensive stones.

"Wow," I muttered.

Scanning the whole room, I saw a porcelain jar beside the filing cabinet. But placed on the filing cabinet itself were photo frames. I satisfied my curiosity by standing up and walking over to look at them.

Up close, I saw several pictures of Mr. Davis taken with, perhaps, known personalities. The one I recognized was a former senator.

But among the picture frames, there was one that I had to stare at for a while. Because aside from Mr. Davis, there were two other familiar faces in the photo.

It was seemingly a forced shot to gain what some would call as a family photo. The two young man stood on both sides of Mr. Davis, who was sitting on a velvet chair. It was devoid of a motherly figure. All three of them had the same straight look on their faces, but just a glint of mischievousness in the eyes of the one on the right.

"Jared," I whispered to myself, remembering the name that Eric had called him before.

The door had creaked open, and I stumbled back, startled. I was expecting to see Eric, but it was him whom I had seen. He was as shocked as I was when he saw me inside the office.

Sensing familiarity, he grinned at me. "What are you doing here?"

I wasn't able to say anything at first.

"Just don't tell my dad about this," he had told Eric before.

"We've met again." Jared looked at me with that soggy stare. When he fully stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him, I smelled the scent of alcohol coming from him. He reeked of it.

I cringed, answering, "I'm here to see Eric."

"Ahh," Jared said, swaying his way as he walked inside the office. He was about to hit the floor, but luckily, his hand had found the wall. He shook his head a bit, as if trying to clear his thoughts.

"I'll leave," I said.

"Eric, right?" he said in a drunken voice, moving towards me. I instinctively made my way closer to the door. There was only one way out, and it was apparently near him. "So you're here... to see my... little brother."

"Eric," I repeated.

"Like I said," he corrected me.

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"So you... and my brother messing around?" Jared slurred, before his words were followed by a fit of laughter, broken and unhappy. I took out my phone, about to call Eric, when Jared snatched it from my hand. "Calling for help?"

"Give it back," I said, trying to get it from him.

He threw it to wall behind me, and I froze in my place. "There, get it."