Fear and Favor

The entire building was in flames. It was also falling apart, so debris was coming down from all sides. Someone was trapped inside and was struggling to get out. But at the same time, they were looking for someone else.

They could hear their own voice shouting something as they tried to search in the burning landscape. While the words were clear in their head, what they were saying couldn't be made out, as if it was muffled. Were they actually speaking?

"Miller…"

They could hear a voice. Was it the person they were looking for? It was faint at first, but it soon became louder.

"Mr. Miller…"

Who was Mr. Miller? Was it them?

"No, my name is…" they tried to say in their head.

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"Mr. Miller! Wake up!"

The person named Mr. Miller got up with a yell, start, and jump, causing him to tumble backwards out of his office chair, a feat that would have surprised anyone in return. Thankfully, the chair was on the heavy side. Any lighter, and it would have completely tumbled down with him.

"Wh-What is it?! What happened?!" he asked, still completely in shock, his mind trying to sort between his dream and the reality he was currently facing.

"You've fallen asleep on your desk, sir," said the source of the earlier voice. It was a petite lady with shoulder-length dark brown hair, thick glasses, and business attire.

"Don't wake me like that, Caitlyn!" said Mr. Miller in a reactive sort of anger.

The lady named Caitlyn, who was already surprised by Mr. Miller's earlier reaction, flinched at the statement. "S-Sorry, sir! I'm absolutely sorry…"

Mr. Miller sighed as he tried to calm himself down. He then put one of his hands up and said, "No, no… Don't be. I'm the one at fault here. You did the right thing."

"I still shouldn't have-"

"I SAID DON'T!" shouted Mr. Miller with a bang on the office chair in front of him. He then followed it up with another sigh of frustration. "Don't apologize for that anymore. I said I was the one who was wrong. Haven't I told you about that already?"

"Ah, y-yes… Thank you, sir," said Caitlyn, realizing her mistake.

Mr. Miller leaned forward on the back of the chair and gave a groan. One of his hands was also on his face.

"You didn't get enough sleep, sir?" Caitlyn asked. She worried about him, as she knew he was always working hard. She had seen him having bad dreams whenever he unknowingly slept on the job, just like earlier.

However, she hasn't told him what she knew, as he was also quite a private person.

"No… Not even last night."

Caitlyn knew it.

"Please stop working late into the night, Mr. Miller. It's bad for your health," she reminded him out of worry.

She then suddenly remembered something and asked him, "Speaking of last night, is that why you had me arrange that last-minute meeting with Mr. Bennett today?"

"With Eddie, I mean, Edward?" Mr. Miller asked, struggling to keep his tone formal with his assistant. The aforementioned Mr. Bennett was a close friend. Almost a brother, as well as a business partner, and it now came to mind that he did call both him and Caitlyn about a meeting the night before.

His gaze went to his watch, and he realized that the time of that meeting was close. "You're right! Thank you for that reminder."

"You're welcome," Caitlyn answered with an audible happiness. She was glad that she could be of use to him.

"What am I supposed to…" muttered Mr. Miller, while scratching his head and combing back his short white hair, somewhat at a loss. He then gave an order to his assistant. "Um, Caitlyn, please prepare tea for us. You know what kind we like."

"Yes, Sir."

Caitlyn went out of the office while Mr. Miller got ready for his meeting. On the way to the lounge, she saw a familiar tall man with light brown hair that looked like it was tossed by the wind.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bennett," she greeted him.

"Good afternoon to you too, Katie," Mr. Bennett greeted back with a gentle smile. "Is Mallory in?"

"Ah, yes, sir."

"I'll be on my way there, then. Be careful with that tea you're going to make. You are going to make tea, right?"

"Yes, you're right, sir."

"All right. I'm going to Mallory's office, then."

As Caitlyn started to make their tea, Edward began to walk towards Mallory Miller's office. He had a rather carefree gait, which reflected his relaxed personality. Many people who were familiar with him and Mallory noted that the contrast between them was probably why they were good friends in the first place.

He soon reached the office and opened the door without so much as a knock.

"Hello, Mallory," he greeted.

"Eddie, you're here," said Mallory, not minding the otherwise rude gesture by his friend, being used to it by now. "Please, sit."

Eddie sat down on one of the plush chairs. He noticed that Mallory looked rather tired. "You don't seem to look that well."

"Ah, that… I just woke up from a nap. It was a good thing that Caitlyn was there to wake me up, or you would have caught me completely unaware," answered Mallory, who was making the last few fixes to his work desk as he spoke.

"Did you have that dream again?"

Mallory paused a bit at the sudden question, then sighed. "I wasn't going to bring it up, but yes," he answered.

"You still haven't gotten over that incident? It's been so long, Mallory," said Eddie, who showed some worry on his face at this point instead of his usual smile.

"And how could I ever let that go, exactly?! I lost everything in that event. My home, my family…" Tears were building in Mallory's eyes just thinking about it.

"Holding onto it for years isn't going to change the past, you know," said Eddie in a matter-of-fact way, his expression slowly going back to its usual gentle cheerfulness.

Mallory knew that fact. However, he had a nagging feeling of regret because of his inability to do anything to save the ones he loved at the time. He was too young and weak, and he hated it.

"You weren't able to do anything, but it's not your fault," Eddie continued.

"Yes, it wasn't my fault," answered Mallory. "It was someone other than me, and the police haven't even found that person."

"They've confirmed that it was an accident. It's not going to matter much if they found a person responsible for it or not. They may even be dead already."

Mallory fell silent for a few seconds and tried again to keep himself calm. Thankfully, he didn't have to for long, as Caitlyn came in with the tea and some snacks on a small tray.

"H-Here you go."

"Thank you, Caitlyn. Please leave until after we've finished talking or I call you. Whichever comes first."

"All right, sir."

She left, following Mallory's orders. The two friends were by themselves in the office again.

"Sorry for that rant earlier," said Mallory. "I couldn't help myself."

"No problem. I was the one who brought it up," answered Eddie.

"Getting to the matter at hand… I would like to ask you for a certain favor."