Room Number

Prologue

"The last part of the conference will be tomorrow at nine-thirty in the morning, Mr. Grint.", morosely reported by the middle-aged secretary after seeing her employer's injured hand

"Make sure Daniel will be there before eight to find a suitable place where we can take the board's picture.", replied the untroubled gentleman who happened to be the guest of honor of the much anticipated EUROPEAN Annual Assembly.

"I already told him, Mr. Grint. I will call him and remind him about the picture," she said as she furtively glanced down his hand. She could see the initial formation of bruises on his left knuckle. As to how he got the injury, she could only wonder but she needs to at least tell him that he should get his hand checked and taken care of.

"Would you like me to call for some ointment and bandages to treat your hand, Sir?"

"There's no need for that, Amanda. I already asked and will treat it myself in my room." Mr. Grint replied while seemingly counting the remaining floors they have to take to get to their individual floors.

Everyone working directly under him knew that Jackson Grint would only take up a room on the topmost floor of every hotel he stays in. And everyone who knew would always silently praise his secretary of seven years for always getting a room of his choice even during the peak seasons. It earned her the name of Amazing Amanda at the office. She always seems to know what her employer's needs are. Whatever needs to be done, she will do it perfectly.

"Amazing Amanda always got it right for our boss. She knows everything!" They got it all wrong. Amazing Amanda is not at all amazing. She used to know what her boss' been doing before, during, and after an appointment. But today she could not even think of any possible explanation for her boss' injury. This baffled her and anything that baffles Amanda regarding her young boss would make anyone in their company faint.

The doors opened and Amanda stepped out of the elevator still thinking about her boss. As she turned around to bid good night, she saw a small smile tugging at the corners of her boss' mouth. She stared in shock at her employer who didn't even look her way while he kept staring at the lift's floor indicator. When Amanda was about to call his attention, the elevator doors closed leaving her with the image of her boss' small smile on his perpetually stolid face.