The wind brought a freshness purified of the smog of the city, moving strands of hair in the ponytail Leyna had tied at the back of her head. She looked at Grace, and could not help but envy her composure, not one that did not feel, but one that was intellectual, and simply difficult to shake.
"Did Alex say where he will be demoting you?"
Leyna's focus snapped back, and she shook her head:
"No, not yet."
"It doesn't matter. Just focus on doing a good job."
"Understood."
Leyna nodded, then raised her hand holding the phone up:
"I will go make the arrangements for the investigation, and also for what Alex asked me to do."
"Go on."
With Grace's nod, Leyna left the veranda. Now alone, the older woman raised her head to the soothing green and multicolored flowers under the bright light of the sun and the whimsical presence of the wind.
While nothing showed on her face, only she would know what was going through her heart as a mother.
She let out a soft exhale, then returned her focus to something that was easier to deal with than emotions and relationships: work.
She tucked the rebellious strand of her hair behind her ear, and breathed the air freer and fresher than anything she had breathed in the last few decades. A smile made its way to her lips as she thought back to her youngest son's face the previous day outside the hospital, and the weight on her heart melted like snow under the sun.
Her son was alright. He was strong, so he would be alright.
_ _ _
_ _ _
*Ding-dong*
Alex raised his head from the investment report he was going through and looked at the door. His calm brown eyes held mild curiosity, as he was not expecting any visitor. Well, he had not been expecting the gift-bearer from this morning either.
He put the document in his hand down and stood up to open the door. He indeed got a surprise, and his expression stagnated, especially when he lowered his head to look at the luggage Sharon was pulling.
He didn't even complain, he did not bother. He left the door open after giving the blonde a deep look, then went straight to the landline. He called an internal number, and put the call on loudspeaker. It barely rang once, and was immediately picked up:
"Hello, this is the director of the property management office. What can we help you with, Mister Lenner?"
Alex indifferently ordered:
"Revamp the security system of the building, tighten the checks on those coming and going, and change the staff of the lobby, including the manager."
The man on the other side hesitated, his gravelly voice immediately turning weak as he worked through the surprise of the situation:
"This… Mister Lenner, did something happen? Did anyone offend you?"
A wisp of coldness slipped into Alex's indifference as a frown made its way to his face. His voice carried the sharpness of a blade's edge as he replied:
"Wrong reaction. If you can't find the answer to those questions on your own, it would be for the best that you find a new job. Don't wait to be fired"
"Ye– Yes, sir. Sorry– I–"
*Beep*
Alex cut off the call, and turned to Sharon. The latter was pale, her hands clenched into fists as she stood before the door she had closed after getting inside.
He indifferently took notice of the absence of any sign of pain on her face, before he looked into her angry blue eyes. She dug her nails deeper into her palms, then asked in a suppressed voice:
"Are you doing this to punish me?"
"Don't think too highly of yourself."
Alex turned away from her to walk to the kitchen. Still, his dismissive voice only made Sharon clench her fist tighter, with anger and distaste, almost disgust, but beyond that, guilt and self-blame.
She took a deep breath, and let go of her luggage to march toward him to demand an answer:
"If it's not to punish me and make me feel guilty, why are you being so cruel? Even if they made a mistake, I am the one who fooled them, I'm the one bothering you, the one being an annoyance, take it out on me!"
Alex served himself some water which he drank before he finally looked at his persistent guest. He gave her a once-over, before he let out a scoff:
"And what will you pay the price with? I told you not to think too highly of yourself. Those you fooled three times are taking money from me. If they can be fooled, then they don't deserve my money. Blame the ruthlessness on me for being rich and spoiled if you want."
Sharon glared at him with all the fire she could muster from her anger and her guilt, then turned around to pick up her luggage and pull it toward the room she had noticed when she had set out to freshen herself earlier in the morning.
She came back a few minutes later, her anger barely diminished, especially as she saw Alex uncaringly sitting before a computer with boxes opened around him, and documents scattered on the countertop, with one in his hand.
She finally couldn't hold it in, and she snapped, asking the question that had been gnawing at her since the previous night:
"Alex Lenner, why don't you care about what is happening? Why are you ignoring the red string and everything?"
Alex didn't bother turning his head when he replied:
"I don't think I owe you any explanation. Go find yourself something to do, don't bother me working."
That was when Sharon blinked, letting her anger melt in the backseat. She finally took a good look at Alex, and at the boxes and documents in front of and around him, before she gave him an incredulous look.
Still finding it difficult to believe, she went over and bent down to take a document in one of the boxes, and leaf through it. Curious, she went through a few other documents before she asked, astonished:
"Are you taking over Arland Group!?"
She was finding it difficult to reconcile the notorious playboy with something serious like working, producing value, even though she had seen some hidden facets of him before. But then a thought came to her mind, and a faint light flashed through her eyes.
She took a deep breath, stood up, looked at Alex seriously, then dropped words she would have never imagined she would say to him one day:
"Let me work for you."