Sunset Heights.
An elegant welcome sign stood on the outskirts of St. Canard. It greeted each visitor who traveled to the upper class gated community. Bud moved there shortly after his water bottling company took off. It gave him a peaceful hideaway from the hustle of life. There he could forget his problems and stress of the day.
Or at least, he tried to forget. He wanted to forget. But things have a funny way of lingering in your mind. They liked to sit around and pester you throughout the day.
Bud had left EcoTech not long after the little billboard quarrel with Dr. Wulfe. His mind wanted to busy himself with work to avoid thinking about his feelings, but he knew overworking would only result in even more stress. And more stress would lead to finding a way to cope with it, which meant he'd start his smoking habit again.
A habit he was trying to break for his own wellbeing. His doctor warned him of the consequences if he kept it up. So Bud obeyed, and kicked the habit… for now.
Bud dug the house keys out of his suit coat pocket as he stepped down the walkway that led to the front door of his house. He swiftly unlocked the door and stepped inside as he flipped the lights on. The inside was rather large and surprisingly clean, like the house of someone who spent most of his time away from it. (Which Bud did due to his time being taken up by work and the housekeeper he hired kept the place in check.) The day's dying light rays stream in through the windows, pushing their ways past the half-closed blinds.
At first glance, the place looked dreadfully dull. Bud never bothered decorating all that much except for a few fake plants. Why should he decorate in the first place? He didn't care that much about decor anyhow. He only bought what was needed and left the rest untouched. There was no point in fussing over useless objects.
His jacket shrugged off his shoulders. He muttered to himself as he hung it on a nearby coat rack.
It had been a long day for the CEO. Going into the office of that uptight scientist each day stressed him out. It was as though he had walked into a freezer, the atmosphere icy and uninviting, as was the frigid blue glare coming from Kimbra. She despised him and he knew this. Nothing he did has won her over yet.
Never had he expected to meet someone as stubborn as him.
"I don't see why she has such an issue with me." Bud mused out loud, mostly to break the silence.
Besides, it wasn't his fault that Miss Know-It-All clearly had some issues. Kimbra had accused him of using the project for his gain. She'd been dead on, but he protested. No one needed to know the truth behind his motives for sponsoring EcoTech's project.
'Do you even care about this project?'
'You're only here out of pure selfishness.'
'I rather have someone else sponsoring this project.'
Her words played in an endless loop in his head. She was persistent in forcing him out of the project.
Bud exhaled and ran a hand through his tousled hair. He sat down on the window seat in the living room, resting back and propping his tired feet up.
His eyes caught a mere glimpse of his reflection in the glass. Up close, Bud noted how tired he looked. He had dark circles under his eyes. His usually well-groomed hair was now a mess due to constantly running his hands through it. Ever since the company's recent downfall, his health started taking a toll. Endless nights he'd stay up, burying himself with work in hopes of landing back on his feet.
Nothing was working. The commercials didn't even faze the sales plummeting. He spent most of his days answering calls, scaring any employees he caught slacking off, and filming commercials. Working overtime on weekends became a tradition for him.
So, he sponsored EcoTech's project out of pure desperation. He heard talk of a big tech company needing a sponsor for a project. A project that the whole city was bustling about. They said it would be the turn of the century for technology. He wanted in on it. The publicity, the respect, and the profit that the sponsorship would give him. When Dr. Ainsley picked him of all people, his heart leaped with joy. He got his big break.
Bud nabbed a chance to save his dying company.
Bud opened his eyes, blinking several times as he tried to process what time it was.
He hadn't meant to fall asleep. Usually he was more careful about these sorts of things.
With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes and sat up, looking over to the window.
It appeared that night had finally fallen in the quiet suburbs of St. Canard. The edge of the CEO's face was tinted a soft yellow due to the light provided by the streetlamp. This time of night felt the loneliest. Being trailed by employees, journalists, or a film crew filled most of Bud's day. The rest of his time was spent socializing, making connections for his business, and going to parties. People always flocked to him, surrounding him with conversation and admiration.
But at the end of the day, he was alone. Each night he'd step into a big empty house, a silent reminder of how isolated he truly was.
He had accepted that he would remain alone.
In his defense, every relationship he attempted was destined to fail. It didn't matter if it was family, platonic, or romantic. They always took a giant leap and crashed to the ground, shattering into a million pieces. He partially blamed the poor luck on his neglectful parents. His father, Harrison Flud, was an overbearing businessman that didn't even want Bud in the first place. A 'mistake' , he liked to call his firstborn. He knew nothing but his company. It came first. Family came last.
Bud resented him. He hated that he took after the man. His nose, his eyes, his hair, and even his ears was a splitting image of the man. Even down to some of his views, they were alike.
That made Bud resent himself.
His mother, Julie Flud, was a borderline alcoholic and often sided with his father. Maybe she was too afraid to stand up for herself, or her children. Or maybe she truly thought of Bud as an awful mistake as well. It wouldn't surprise him. She had a very promising career in acting until she found out she was with child. It crushed her dreams. Julie never spoke about this, but Bud knew. He could tell from the way her sorrowful green eyes looked upon him.
She resented him.
They both preferred his younger siblings. The planned ones, the ones that obeyed their parent's wishes and didn't disgrace the family. The ones that actually made them proud. He'd hear his parents gush and speak highly of them to their friends and neighbors.
But they never talked about Bud. The black sheep of the family.
The final nail in the coffin was when their parents tried to arrange a marriage between him and a friend of the family. Sure, Bethany Mackles came from a well off family, and it would have raised the Flud family up the social ladder. But Bud just wouldn't be happy in a loveless marriage. He wanted to focus on building his company. He wanted to make something of himself.
You could have had it all you know. She is the heiress of a large estate after all.
He snorted derisively at the thought.
When Bud refused the proposal, Harrison was outraged and accused him of trying to sabotage the family name. A slap in the face and enraged shouting brought Bud to his senses.
'You're a disgrace to the family.'
'We didn't want you anyway.'
'At least your sister is doing something with her life.'
'That business degree of yours was a waste of money.'
They wouldn't control his life anymore. No longer would their words stab through his soul and rip out a part of him each time.
No more.
With a heavy heart, Bud cut off contact with his family and focused entirely on the water bottling company. He wanted to prove himself. He now needed to prove himself. Nothing he ever did was ever enough for his parents. They always found a fault with him and would praise one of his siblings instead.
A mistake they said. It's all he ever was. He wanted to show the world that's not who he was.
He was somebody.
Bud took a deep breath. It pained him to hear his own flesh and blood speak that way about him. He should have gotten over it by now, but it still hurts.
They'd laugh in his face if they knew he was backing EcoTech of all companies. A treehugger company that loved humiliating other corporations and anyone who profited off the public. The business world loved to mock them. All they ever did was focus on helping the environment and use their resources for Earth saving purposes. Yet they were a multimillion dollar tech company. One of the best in the country. In the end they always got the last laugh.
They were obviously doing something right.
Bud moved away from the window as he silently berated himself for being talked into sponsoring such a ridiculous project. What even was it again? C.O.R.E? A reactor? It sounded useless. If it wasn't for EcoTech's reputation, Bud would have taken a gamble elsewhere. His company needed the publicity the project would give them. It needed the positive reputation of working with a well known environmental company. But was it really worth it?
It better be.
He knew of his own reputation in St. Canard. Some admired him, called him a genius for how he ran his company and showcased his accomplishments. Others teased him for adoring the spotlight and the unwavering attention he got from the media. His friends bragged about him behind his back and jokingly mocked him to his face with playful banter.
And then there was Dr. Kimbra Wulfe. Someone who constantly called out his business practices and challenged him. She stood her ground on her views and her opinion of him. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind to his face.
The canine's thoughts circled back to Kimbra. Kimbra. Kimbra. It was always Kimbra . He didn't know why .
She's annoying and a pain in the ass that's why.
Bud had spent years perfecting the art of burying his feelings. Sometimes it came too easy. He worried that it was making him cold and emotionless. People often remarked he came off that way, but at least he didn't think so. Too many times had people broken his trust and used him for their own gain. He had to build walls around him. Pretend that nothing fazed him.
Yet around Kimbra, his walls kept trying to fall apart. They crumbled in her presence and made him vulnerable.
"I don't know how the hell I'm going to work with you." His voice was thick with frustration at the thought of continuing this partnership for the next seven months.
Now was his big chance at saving his company, and the universe gives him a huge slap in the face that is Kimbra Wulfe. It seemed like Bud was always getting screwed over. He finally gets a big break and yet there's a catch. It just wasn't fair.
Perhaps that's what made him so angry at the world. That cruel uncaring world he wanted to find an escape from. It didn't deserve pity or the help that Kimbra wanted to give it.
She was wrong for even trying.
Bud stood up from the couch, rubbing the back of his sore neck. He pulled the blue tie off as he walked to the staircase, leading up to the second floor.
Seven months.
Two hundred and twelve days.
Five thousand one hundred ten hours.
Three hundred six thousand six hundred minutes.
Eighteen million three hundred ninety-six thousand twenty seconds.
Bud Flud would be counting the days until the project would be finished. So he could move on with his life and part ways with that purple haired scientist.
Seven months.