.
“Of course, Dear. He is alright.”
“Sure, Dear. I’ll let him know that you inquired about him.”
“Rayne, just take care of yourself. You’re a good girl, stop stressing over the matter.”
“He can be stubborn at times. Hopefully, he’ll come around.”
Mrs. Lim dropped her phone and shook her head in pity. On the woman’s face was a solemn look. Not a day went by without the poor girl calling to ask about her son. And every time, Mrs. Lim would hope things would get better.
But her son was no longer who he used to be. Sometimes, Mrs. Lim would even be afraid to approach him. He never got mad at her, but she never missed his change in expression whenever she brought up Rayne’s topic.
Why was it that he was now wary of the girl? They grew up together, but he’d never shown her that much hate.
“Madam, the Young Master was in his room all day. I also overheard the servants from the Old Master’s quarters saying he will leave soon.”
Mrs. Lim nodded to her personal maid. It was depressing how she rarely got to see her own son despite living in the same house.
No one could understand the Old Master’s ways. Since her son came back, the man had never let him out of his sight. What even made it worse was that her son’s quarters was very close to the Old Man’s.
“Isn’t it almost time for lunch?” She asked the maid.
“You’re right, Madam.” The maid’s eyes lit up. “I’ll ask the cook to hasten up. I’ll also send some servants to summon the Young Master.”
The maid already knew what she was supposed to do. Every day, her Madam would look forward to lunch and dinner, because those were the only times she got to see her son. It wasn’t that the Young Master never took breakfast. But because the Old Man loved taking his breakfast alone, he would invite the Young Master to accompany him.
.
As the family sat at the dining table eating, Mrs. Lim sat beside her husband, while Andrew sat beside the Old Man. An empty chair could also be seen on the Old Man’s left.
“It has been more than a month since you returned. Grandson, haven’t you grown tired of resting all day?”
Andrew looked at the Old Man. “If Grandfather is comfortable with it, I wish to go back soon.”
Well, if it wasn’t for the Old Man stopping him, Andrew would already be in the other city. Now that his grandfather brought this up himself, it was a sign that the Old Man was finally willing to let him go.
“Resting is good for your health. MystiArt Productions is just a tiny company. You can even leave it in the hands of that Jiang boy, Son,” his father suggested and Mrs. Lim nodded in agreement to her husband’s words.
“That is right. Compared to the companies we have here, MystiArt Productions shouldn’t consume much of your time. Even though you now have a home in X City, you can still manage things from here.”
“By the way, we hoped you would settle down which was why we advised you to get a home there. Your engagement with Rayne is already canceled. How about you both move back here?”
Andrew frowned at his father’s suggestion. He wanted to open his mouth and speak, but his grandfather’s voice interrupted him.
“You both are so eager to have him by your sides. Have you forgotten he is no longer a boy?”
“But father, we are only concerned about him.” Mr. Lim looked a bit displeased.
“If you are concerned about him, then urge him to be a man instead of your little boy.” The Old Man clenched his hand. “Do you want him to take after you and be useless?”
“Eh? That’s not what he means, Father. Please calm down, remember what Mr. Fang said about your health.” Seeing that an argument was about to ensue between the two, Mrs. Lim quickly rectified the matter.
“Honey, father is right.” She turned to her husband. “If we must wish him to be here with us all day, how can he be useful to himself and others? It’s not like he’s still a boy.”
Yet, more than her husband, Mrs. Lim was more troubled. One son was away, and the other one was so close but out of reach. What use was luxury and wealth when you’re deprived of looking after the people you hold close to your heart?
Sometimes, her heart would ache, and sometimes, she would wonder if the Old Man was doing the right thing by keeping the boys away from her.
…
At City X… MystiArt Productions.
When the news of Annie’s demotion spread, the employees expected her to stop coming to work since she refused to accept the demotion. What they didn’t expect was to see her come the next day and the days after that too.
“Isn’t she so full of herself? I wonder if they have pardoned her.”
“If I was the one treated that way, I would be ashamed to show myself in public.”
“Annie is just too stubborn. Why can’t she accept defeat already?”
The girls weren’t gossiping in whispers. They spoke so loudly, so Annie could hear them from where she sat in her cubicle.
Because of the demotion and also the fact that the girl might no longer have any connection with the HR Manager, they couldn’t pretend to be afraid of her anymore. Didn’t the HR Department send the letter itself?
The girls that spoke were none other than those lazy employees, Priscilla’s minions. They looked towards Priscilla who was coming out of the Manager’s office and they showered her with flatterings.
“Ah, Mrs. Ju’an looks as beautiful as the rainbow today.”
“Mrs. Ju’an never ceases to amaze us with her beauty.”
“When you become the Assistant Manager, Mrs. Ju’an, please don’t forget to cut us some slack.”
“After all, you are the only person who is worthy to take that position in this department.”