Alex was alone in his apartment, accompanied only by the noise of the pages moving. He was leaning back against the backrest of one of the high stools before the kitchen countertop, the other stool beside him carrying the weight of the box from which he had taken the document he was skimming through, one of the many boxes he was being made to spend the weekend with.
Despite all the grumbling before, he was now looking casual with financial and activity reports around him, and before him, on the laptop a pen drive had been connected to.
He slowed down at some part of the document, and raised his head to check something in the more detailed file on the computer, as Leyna's words before she took her bag and left came to his mind. Then he shook his head with an exhale.
Too bad, had his Uncle Marten been just a little more likeable, he would have given him the post in a jiffy. He had the ambition, he was not incapable, and he had the appropriate surname. Even his aggressiveness was not bad, not with the world itself being ruthless, and business being war in another form.
Unfortunately, he was just, yeah, not very likeable, if at all, a very subjective reason, but a strong one nonetheless.
Alex sighed softly in defeat and with disappointment, the former because he would have to take on the job despite his ever-growing reluctance, and the latter because of how there really seemed to be no one capable of meeting his expectations.
He shook his head once again, threw the document in his hand to the side, to take another one and continue with the torturous day. But on further thoughts, he paused, raised his eyebrows, and pulled his hand back.
He took his phone and called Leyna. If he was going to hell, why not pull some company along?
The call didn't ring for long before a beautiful voice came through:
"Hello?"
"Leyna, please, be a dear and call Lance for me. Have him come to my place early on Monday."
There was a pause on the other side, during which Leyna seemed to pick up on the deeper meaning of the order, and she asked with a hint of smile in her voice:
"You want to pull him along?"
Alex retorted with straight face:
"Am I so wicked in your eyes?"
As if she did not hear his answer, Leyna's smile deepened, and she ascertained:
"So, I'm right. You want to pull him along to suffer together."
Even though his intentions had been busted, Alex's heartbeat didn't change:
"Think whatever you want. His family has shares in the Group, I'm just giving him an opportunity to involve himself and train before he takes over from his father."
Leyna's answer came with a soft chuckle:
"Whatever you say."
Alex rolled his eyes, and changed the subject:
"After calling Lance, call Tyler and have him pick up my Alfa Romeo from the police station. Have him help me send it to Kim to see if it can be salvaged or if it will end up in a museum."
"Which Alfa Romeo? What happened? Did you have an accident?"
Leyna was shocked, and the tension was audible in her voice. Her mind was already replaying her visit earlier to see if she had missed any injury Alex had been sporting.
Alex relaxedly answered:
"The red Alfa Romeo mom got me for my birthday. I got into a small accident with it yesterday, but I came out unscathed, so don't worry."
There was a moment of silence on the line, before Leyna relented:
"Alright, I will get it done."
Since Alex said he came out unscathed from the accident, she knew she would not get more information from him.
"Thanks."
*Beep*
The call on loudspeaker ended.
On the large veranda facing the rear courtyard full of greenery of a large villa and full of the soothing smell of plants and flowers, and beyond which was the calm lake from which the freshness of the air was coming, Leyna lowered her hand holding the phone.
She turned to Grace who was sitting at the side in a casual but elegant wear, and spoke in a soft tone filled self-reproach:
"I'm sorry, chairman, I did not notice anything."
Grace tucked a strand of dark red hair behind her ear. She returned her attention to the laptop in front of her while dismissing Leyna's guilt:
"Ten years ago, after the accident, after he had been discharged from the hospital, Alex refused to take any painkillers even when he had to grit his teeth to sleep, or turn his bed into a swamp from sweating too much from the pain. That was until at some point, he stopped showing whether he was in pain or not anymore, because he got used to it. So don't blame yourself. If he doesn't want to let you notice some things, you will never be able to see beyond his armor."
The chairman's light voice made Leyna bite her lip, her heart aching for Alex.
Before she could wallow further in the mire of sadness and pity, Grace changed the subject with a slight smile:
"Interesting, isn't it? K World Group, apparently less than a decade old, is shaking the country itself and getting the attention of the government with its ambitious project."
Leyna took a deep breath, and returned to her professional self. She looked at the article her superior was reading where there was no detail of the project kept under wraps. But the mystery was only for those who had no need or no ability to know, at least for now, so she was able to comment:
"In a way, they are bringing the future forward. That aligns with the interests of the country with the economic boost they will bring, while the social impact of the project will serve as solid reference data for future decisions. Maybe the whole world will focus on the project soon."
"Maybe."
Grace calmly assented with a nod, then shifted the topic again:
"Help me find out what happened yesterday."
The abrupt change didn't produce any wave in Leyna's heart. The distraction had already helped her mind settle down, and in a way, she had been expecting those words.
She simply did what she had always done. She accepted the instruction:
"Understood, chairman."