[Wednesday, in the privacy of Vale's study--]
Tap. Tap. Tap.
" 'She wanted to know why he was so adamant to help a stranger like her. It did not give him enjoyment to him in any way to guide and provide the support she needed to perform better in---' Hmm… No, that's not right."
"Boss--"
Lethargy was creeping in and his vision blurred. Vale then shook his head and stared at the laptop's illuminated screen. He needed to finish this chapter before he could sleep and prepare for the appointment he had with Vincent at the AO Company.
" 'It did not benefit him in any way to guide and provide the support she needed to perform better in---' Mmm…" Vale said and drank from a small glass bottle. "Just a bit more," he said before continuing.
"Boss--"
" 'Then she saw a flicker of emotion flash in his eyes and--' "
"Boss!" someone yelled and a hand gripped at one of Vale's hands.
Startled, Vale looked up from his laptop to see an upset Derek staring at him.
"Oh. Sorry, I didn't hear you," Vale said.
"Boss…"
"Uh… Yes?" Vale replied as the alpha looked at the laptop.
"Were you working on this novel the whole time?" Derek asked in an unhappy tone.
Vale raised a brow but did not question further about that. He instead asked, "Yes, are you just about to leave the cafe?"
Derek just stared wordlessly at Vale.
Feeling a little awkward, Vale began to stand from his chair, "Ah, I should lock the shop after you. Come, let's-- Ah--"
Vale nearly fell over as his legs were numb. He would have hit his head on the table if Derek had not grabbed onto his right arm.
"Whoa. Thanks--"
"Boss! I told you to not overwork yourself! I suspected that you would forget the time and make sure to lock up the place after all the customers and staff have left!" Derek growled.
"What do you mean? Isn't it--"
"No, it's already the next day. It's 8.05 in the morning. You didn't even sleep, did you?"
"I… No, I didn't. I sort of… lost track of time…" Vale trailed off.
"Hah… Is this new novel that important? Is it more important than caring for your own health? Then again, this isn't the first time you have done this. How about you take a nap now and I'll wake you up in about an hour's time?"
"No, I can't do that. I admit that I'm a little drowsy, but there are things I need to do before I go out for the appointment this afternoon."
"I… Hahhh…" Derek scratched at his hair in frustration, "Just finish up on what you have to do and get ready for the appointment. Jasper and Nash should be returning to work today. The staff and I will handle everything else. So, don't worry about anything, okay?"
"Yes, thank you for everything. I'm sorry for giving you so much trouble. I'll come down in about half an hour's time. I just need to finish up on this last sentence before I freshen up."
"Please don't apologize. I'm always happy to help you whenever I can. But can you promise me something?"
"Yes?"
"Can you try sleeping early today?"
"I.. Yes," Vale could not help but laugh at Derek's serious expression.
Derek laughed as well and said, "Okay, do you need help getting up?"
"No, I'm okay. I just got up too quickly."
There was uncertainty written on Derek's face but he just smiled slightly and said, "Okay, I'll see you downstairs when you're done."
***
[In the cafe area-- 8.40am...]
Vale was descending the stairs when he heard people talking. At first, all he could make out was there were two or three people conversing with one another due to the different tone of voices. Even so, Vale could vaguely tell that one of them was Derek since he knew that the alpha was in the cafe. Moreover, Derek was the only one amongst his staff to have such a deep voice.
Even so, the voices were quite muffled and there was no way of telling who the other one or two people were. Since it was way before time for the rest of the staff and customers to arrive, Vale was certain that it could be only the senior staff that were downstairs at the cafe. They were the only ones with keys to the place.
It was only when he had reached the bottom of the staircase when he could hear the actual words. Looking out towards the cafe's dining area, Vale saw three people sitting at a table and eating. It was Derek, Nash, and Jasper.
"You mean Boss didn't sleep at all?!" Jasper half-yelled and nearly choked on the coffee he was drinking.
For a split second, Vale was tempted to go back up the stairs. However, before he could even move, all three men turned to look at him.
"I… Good morning~" Vale said as innocently as he could.
"Boss!" Jasper growled and Nash snickered. Derek just silently went to the kitchen.
"Oh, someone is in trouble," Nash smirked and leaned in his chair.
'Nash may be quite indifferent, he sure enjoys seeing Jasper angry,' Vale thought to himself.
"Boss! I know that the 'Being Neighbours With The New Kid At School' is a rather important project for us since it is our first novel ever, but you shouldn't take your health for granted," Jasper said as Vale approached the table.
"I didn't intentionally do it. I was so immersed in the story that I really lost track of time," Vale replied.
"Boss…" Jasper said in a rather whiny and resigned way which only made Nash smile wider.
Nash then leaned in and kissed Jasper on the left cheek, "Please forgive, Boss. He's just addicted to working on stories. Hmm?"
"I… Ahhh! Stop touching my thigh! I can't think straight when you do that!" Jasper exclaimed and Nash gave a low chuckle.
Vale laughed and shook his head at the couple's banter.
Just then, Derek had returned from the kitchen with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, "Uh… Here we go again," he rolled his eyes at the couple before continuing, "Boss, this is your share. Please eat and then have this," he handed a small mason jar of some yellowish liquid.
"What's this?" Vale asked.
"It's chicken essence. I made it myself. So, you won't have the disgusting chunks as you would from a bottle that is sold outside."
"Ewww. You want Boss to drink that?!" Jasper cringed and backed away as if the mason jar was cursed.
Vale laughed at Jasper's reaction.
"Well, thank you, Derek. I'll drink it after the meal. It should be only slightly different from chicken soup," Vale said.
"Mm…" Derek agreed just as there was a 'clink' sound coming from the front door of the cafe.
"Good morning!" Cassidy greeted as she entered and everyone greeted her back.
"Boss, I just noticed that the red light for the surveillance camera that is right at the entrance is no longer flashing. Was it switched off or is there a malfunction?" Cassidy asked.
"Oh?" Vale asked and immediately looked at the surveillance cameras that were just above the cashier area.
"The cameras are all supposed to be connected by a single circuit and I see that the ones above the cashier are still working. I think that it is a malfunction. I'll have to call the technician but before I do, I need to check on all the surveillance cameras as well as the surveillance footage in case there is another malfunction," Vale said.
"Boss, let us help you," Derek said and the others chimed in.
After a sweep through the cafe, it was discovered that the cameras at the main entrance, stairs and a remote camera that was within the cafe itself, have malfunctioned. As the cameras were as old as the building itself, Vale came to the conclusion that there could have been a problem with the wiring. Although there was maintenance conducted on a quarterly year basis, it was still possible for the surveillance cameras to malfunction from time-to-time.
When Derek and the others had started to work since the cafe was going to receive its first customers of the day in less than an hour's time, Vale returned to his room to retrieve the surveillance company's number.
As Vale kept all of his contact numbers in a single folder, he had found the surveillance company's number fairly quickly. Although a worker has always been sent promptly when it was always time for maintenance, this was the first time Vale had actually needed to call the company. Dialling the number from the orange contact card, Vale waited for someone to answer his call.
However, after trying a few more times, it became clear that there was no one available to answer on the other side. Since the number was the only means Vale had of contacting the company, he decided to leave a voice message.
'I hope that this gets sorted out soon,' Vale thought as he went on with his day.