Emilia wasn't sure when she finally fell asleep as she ended up going down a rabbit hole of watching all the interviews that Christopher Hayden ever did.
They weren't helpful at all to her. She felt that they were so perfectly orchestrated that it was hard to really see who he was as a person. It was likely that it was an intend. The less of Christopher Hayden was out there, the less likely he was to attract negative press and scandal.
As the night grew, she changed into her pyjamas with cartoon characters that could not be any more contrasting with her new surroundings.
Emilia hardly slept through the night as the deafening silence was too silent. Her apartment was fairly near a busy road and there was always some distant noise to overshadow her many racing thoughts. Now, there was nothing to stop her focusing on everything that has happened through the day.
But she still fell asleep earlier than Christopher did. This resulted in her waking up much earlier too.
In the morning, Emilia got herself ready for a day and went straight downstairs. She found Bernadette and a few others in the kitchen, and like the night before, she had a meal with them. This time it seemed that the initial veil of awkwardness was lifting. Bernadette told Emilia of the trip she was taking with her family in the coming weeks.
Although Bernadette turned out only two years older than Emilia, she already had two kids and was married for six years. Emilia often felt like she was behind everyone else when it came to her personal life. Whilst focusing on the university, she never dated. Later, she was too socially awkward to ever be able to just meet someone new. It was a perpetual cycle which led her to nothing.
After breakfast she felt much more energised, and whilst Christopher was not in sight, she asked Bernadette about the grounds and gardens. Once she worked out how the courtyard was spread and that it linked to the nearby road, she went for a run. The morning air was refreshing.
Christopher sluggishly got up and dressed up in another black tailored suit with black shirt to match it. After all, he was still grieving, or whatever that was.
He made his way downstairs where there was one place set up for him. One of the maids quickly brought him a pot of coffee which he desperately needed.
"Hmm…" he looked around and realised that Emilia was not in sight.
"Yes, sir?" The maid turned towards him in a hurry.
"Where is Emilia?"
"She's out, sir."
"Out?" Christopher wasn't sure how he felt about this.
"Yes. After having breakfast she went out to the garden. Bernadette might know more precisely of her whereabouts, sir."
"I see."
"Shall I ask Bernadette?"
"No, there is no need."
Christopher continued with his breakfast in solitude when Patrick arrived to assist him through another busy day. Patrick read out the schedule for the day. It might have been a Saturday but it was yet another working day for Christopher. Once aware of what waited ahead, he excused himself from Patrick and went upstairs, to his study, to grab his briefcase and any relevant documents for the day.
Patrick stayed downstairs where he was using his phone to check emails and confirm the attendees for the meetings.
"Good morning, Mr Cosby." Emilia wiped the sweat off her forehead when she entered the hallway. She was wearing her sports gear of very clearly running clothes. Her cheeks were red from the exercise and her breath was still a little irregular.
"Good morning, Dr Vincent." Patrick replied purposely choosing to use her maiden name whilst also realising that there might be some legal implications for Emilia for not using her married name now. He dismissed that thought as soon as it appeared reminding himself that many people choose to use their maiden names in the present world. "How was your first night at the manor?"
"Deafeningly quiet."
"Yes. Mr Hayden likes his tranquility." Patrick smiled at her in a somewhat reassuring way. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy for her to stay around Christopher who was very particular in many ways, and who definitely didn't like having people around him.
"Mr Cosby, may I ask for a favour?"
"Yes?"
"Do you have any resources I could use to learn a bit more about Mr Hayden and Crimson Tech? Frankly, everything online is so washed-down. I suspect his PR team is making sure of it but also, I'm struggling to learn anything valuable that could help me in the future."
"Certainly. I have a lot of documentation available in regards to Crimson Tech dating as far as a decade ago."
"That'll be fantastic."
"As per Mr Hayden, what exactly would you like to know?"
"Well, part of my role is to paint him in a positive light, right? I do not want to repeat what everyone else knows. I doubt that me saying how good he is at business would make for a good conversation. I was thinking that I could use something more personal and quirky. You know, something that can truly show his character."
"Hmmm…" Patrick really had to think about it. He didn't think of Christopher as a charming person with cute quirks at all. There was nothing positive he could truly say about his boss. Besides the fact that he was truly intelligent and he knew what he was doing, especially when it came to his company. "I don't think I have anything that could be of particular help. Mr Hayden is very private."
"You worked with him for a few years, perhaps you could share some things you've learned during that time?"
"I can try but I don't think there will be much that you will find useful." Patrick was able to recall only the negatives and peculiarities of Mr Hayden.
"I'm sure that I can turn something into a positive."
"Okay. I'll try to think of something and I can come by tomorrow and we can have a chat then."
"Thank you, Mr Cosby. Another question, what is the public transport like in the area?"
"There are some buses going every 40 minutes or so towards the city."
"Where from?"
"If you go onto the road at the end of the courtyard and turn left and continue for about half a mile, you will get to the junction with a slightly bigger road and the bus stop is right behind that junction."
"Thank you, Mr Cosby. Have a good day!" She said enthusiastically before running off up the stairs, barely missing Christopher by a few seconds.