STIGMA

Jason Halloway leaned back into his chair, stretching slightly. He was happy that he managed to accomplish and clear his workload for the day. Clearly, his decision to leave the twins in his assistant's hands was a sound one. They hadn't bothered or called for him at any point of the day, aside from the first hour but that had been expected as they were in a new environment. Yes, it was a good day. Now, he just had to bring them home, hopefully have an uneventful bath and dinner and they'd fall asleep without any fuss.

'Janice, please ready the twins. I'll be going off in 10 minutes, 'he said into the intercom as he packed. Silence greeted him. He frowned. Janice, his assistant, was always prompt in acknowledging him. 'Janice?'

'Ah, Mr Halloway, 'she finally said but her voice was extremely strained. 'A few more minutes please. I have to-um- change them.'

'Alright. Do you need any help with them? They can be quite a handful, 'he offered. He was shocked to hear her sputter. He knew he had a reputation for being cold and stern but they were his children and he'd learned that he liked being a hands on father, soo different from his own parents.

'N-no need for that, sir. I, um, have to go now. I'll bring them to you in a minute, 'she said hurriedly and disconnected. A sense of foreboding started in his chest but he waited. Janice had assured him that she would be able to take care of them. He could trust her. She hadn't proven him wrong in the past. Surely his children were in good hands.

- ---@@@@-----

It had been 30 minutes and his patience was starting to fray. Actually, it had frayed within 10 minutes and now, he was ready to snap. He was second-guessing his assistant. Even if the twins were being difficult, it shouldn't take that long to change them. Deciding to find out what was causing the delay, he left his office and was greeted with an empty desk. He went to the main office and was greeted with chaos.

All of his employees were on their hands and knees, looking under chairs and tables. It would have been amusing if he didn't hear them calling his children's names. Were they looking for them? What did that mean? Are they missing?

'M-Mr Halloway, 'one of the female workers cried loudly. Everyone stopped and looked at him with an arrested expression. One that morphed into guilt. All of them hurriedly stood up and rushed to their desks, contriving to look busy.

'Mr Halloway, I, um, we- I can explain, 'Janice said, running towards him. Her beautiful face was red and her dark, grey eyes were darting about, never settling on him. His sense of foreboding grew.

'Where are my children? And how long have they been missing?'he asked coldly. He knew bringing them to work had been a bad idea but there had been no one else available and he had trusted his assistant. He hadn't wanted to leave them with someone he hadn't vetted either. His blood ran cold. Did their mother take them? Surely not. She had dropped them into his arms like hot potatoes and left with no explanation 3 months ago. She'd even signed the contract stating she gave up her parental rights. Plus, the last he heard of her, she was in Paris and that was 3 hours ago. She wouldn't have had time to arrange a kidnapping in such a short time. So it definitely wasn't her. Which just left his exaggerating assistant.

'Actually, sir, it's my fault, 'one of the female workers said nervously, joining Janice. He recognised her. She was one of Janice's best friends in the office. Another women joined them. Another of Janice's friend. 'Janice had to photocopy and mail an important document and left them with me and Aubrey. That was about 2 hours ago. We have neighboring cubicles so we thought it'd be easier for us to look after them than Janice. Since, you know, two is better than one and all that.'

'That still doesn't answer the question, 'he said slowly, his anger reaching a boiling point. They didn't appear to be responsible enough to take on the care of his children. Slim and beautiful, yes. But not responsible.