[ WP ] `` He was never warm in his entire life . Not once . ''

Mr. Greenly was a loveless man who spent each and every day working as if one second of stagnation would stop his heart and send him in an elevator to an early grave. His dedication to his trade was envied by those, young and old, who wished for the success he reaped. Though, those who worked alongside him would tell you that the real David Greenly was a cold, heartless man. They would say that he was never warm in his entire life. Not once. 
 
 
 He would agree. 
 
 
 There was no time for love. No time to heat up the rooms which were never used, as he would put it. It would be a waste of metaphorical electricity. Even the most wealthy men in the world know when they are wasting resources. This applied to his words as well as his emotions, and just about every other aspect of his life. There wasn ’ t a man or woman in town who would revel to give him bad news. For the slew of crude pointed insults, delivered loud enough to burst an eardrum, could make even the most hardened soul shake and shed a tear. 
 
 
 “ Mr. Greenly, you have a call, ” a small man dressed in a navy blue suit stated firmly, pressing his hand against the glass door as he peered through the entryway. “ It ’ s Rachton, he needs to cancel the dinner. I can reschedule if you want. ” 
 
 
 
 “ Fuck that. Tell that slimy arse he can see me in hell, I ’ ll send him chocolates if he offs himself to save me the trouble. I don ’ t have time for his bullshit, ” he growled, slamming a bound stack of papers down to his prestigious wooden desk, face running red as his tendons burst out from his neck. Shrinking under the misdirected cruelty, the assistant paused and took a breath, exhaling softly. This sound, the little hesitation which kept him from his work, caught David ’ s attention and his keen gaze darted up. “ What!? ” 
 
 
 “ Well, the reservations are for the opening night of Carington ’ s. Five stars and a really amazing table, ” the man started, cautiously tapping his fingers against the glass. “ Well, we could go. ” 
 
 
 It had been years since he ’ d gone to a dinner without the sole purpose being doing business. In fact, he couldn ’ t recall a time when dinner was anything but additional stress on his already chaotic life. When he was young, his junkie mother spent days, sometimes even weeks, AWOL. In her absence, David had to take care of his siblings, cooking and cleaning and ensuring they washed and got to bed on time. They called him a terrible person for leaving - for jumping into the real world and never looking back. But David always did what he had to do. 
 
 
 “ I ’ m not a faggot, you realise this, right? ” He pointed out, impatiently looking between his busy monitor and the nervous face of his assistant. 
 
 
 “ You ’ re like a father to me. This job has changed my life, you know, ” the younger man replied, rolling his eyes at the rude comment. “ I know you ’ re a hateful man, but I figured it couldn ’ t hurt to ask. ” 
 
 
 With a sour taste in his mouth, the assistant left and returned to his desk. Thinking back to his siblings, David began to feel guilt. Regret. The pain pushed through his body like roots sprouting up from the red stained wooden floors and into the soles of his feet. They wrapped around the very bones which held him up and crushed, working with incredible vigor to merge his body with the ground. Two hours passed and he didn ’ t move a muscle, eyes watching the emails pour in; reading the names of people he spoke to on a daily basis but knew nothing about, looking to his desk which housed no photographs of loved ones. 
 
 
 “ Mr. Greenly, I am on the phone with the restaurant. They want to know if you want to drop the reservation to one or cancel it all- Mr. Greenly? Are you okay? ” The assistant inquired, tilting his head as he watched the statuesque man stare vacantly at all of the parts of life he ’ d neglected. 
 
 
 “ Do you know what, Anthony, ” he started, pausing and letting his eyes linger on the stacks of work he ’ d be leaving behind. “ I fucking told you to cancel it, you pea brained little moron. Were my instructions too complicated for you? ” 
 
 
 David Greenly was a cold man. He was never warm in his entire life. Not once. And everyday, through his hard work and dedication, he was slowly dying alone. 
 
 
 
 

