045 - Red string: That is kind of low, mom

A tumor.

The word was like a knell that brought a heavy silence to the office, with the only one who displayed no notable reaction being the one involved herself.

Suddenly, Alex pushed himself up from the chair, and without a word, left the room.

Leyna sadly looked at his back as he closed the door, then turned to give Grace a look filled with concern. The latter glanced at the door, before she focused again on the doctor who also looked back at her.

"He is a good kid, he loves you very much."

Grace smiled gracefully:

"The other two you helped me deliver are not bad either. So, what are the chances for the worst outcome?"

Dr Robin replied with some hesitation:

"It is… difficult to say."

Grace kept quiet, then simply nodded:

"Let's get on with the examinations I must go through."

Miranda Robin gave Grace a deep look, then nodded.

_ _ _

_ _ _

Alex didn't return until Grace and Leyna left the doctor's office and they finished going through the examinations. Leyna looked around with a worried look as they walked to the exit of the hospital while from time to time sneaking glances at her superior.

It was when they reached outside that they saw the young man, with Mark standing beside him, looking to be just arriving.

"Mark!? Alex!"

Alex turned away from Mark and glanced at Leyna, before he looked at his mother:

"Is it done? When will the results come out?"

Grace looked at her son, and allowed a small smile on her face:

"In a few days."

Alex nodded, his face calm, then returned to showing his trademark casual smile as he pointed at Mark and stated:

"Your designated driver is here. He will take you straight home where you will be able to rest."

Grace smiling raised her eyebrows:

"Oh? And who will take over the task of leading Arland Group?"

Alex seemed to have expected that reaction. He dismissively waved his hand:

"Why worry about something like that, mom? Even without you, there are other intelligent people. Look, isn't Uncle Marten eager to take over the Group? There is also Uncle Sigurd. He is less restless than Kris, his son, but I don't think he will refuse if you give him the seat. And beside those two, there are enough professional managers that you can hire, so the problem you raised is not a problem, unless you don't want to solve it."

Leyna regained her smile as the mother and son duo bickered.

"Aunt Grace."

Mark bowed slightly out of respect as he greeted.

Grace nodded in reply, but before she could speak, Alex came to pull her with a smile, her hand placed in the crook of his elbow.

Mark took the key of the car from Leyna, and hurried away to bring it to the front of the hospital.

Grace let Alex have his way. But when they stopped to wait for the car, she glanced at him, then looked away and spoke lightly:

"I will be returning to the office. You should come home to have dinner some day."

Alex turned to Grace, looking expressionless for a moment, before his face melted into a mask of helplessness.

"Mom, why must you do this? Just rest for a few days, then you can return to the company and train Leyna to take over in your place."

Standing behind them, Leyna behaved like she didn't hear anything, and Grace calmly looked at the car that arrived.

"If you want me to rest, take over the seat of chairman of Arland Group. That seat is supposed to be yours."

Alex sighed, then raised his head to the sky:

"Change the condition, mom."

As if she had expected her son to compromise, Grace replied without missing a beat:

"Then take over as interim chairman."

Alex looked at his mother without a word.

"Get used to the Group, and if after I finish resting you are still not interested in taking over, I will stop bothering you."

Despite those words, Alex was not convinced. He deadpanned:

"I have trouble believing you, mom."

"But you will still do it, won't you? Because you love your mother and you don't want her to feel stressed at her advanced age, so you want her to rest, don't you?"

Grace stroked Alex's cheek. He held back a sigh and roll his eyes:

"That is kind of low, even for you, mom."

Grace smiled, and took her hand back to walk to the car whose door Mark was holding. Just before the door was closed, she added:

"Don't tell anything about my condition to your brothers unless the results are confirmed."

*Bam*

With a soft sound, the green, smiling eyes were hidden by the door of the car. Leyna came to stand beside him:

"You really are making Mark the chairman's driver?"

Alex pushed his helplessness to the side, and shrugged his shoulders:

"Well, he will have little to do, will be able to cozy up to mom for the sake of his yet-to-be-born son, and he will have the opportunity to spend time with his mother and his wife."

Leyna smiled:

"You are being a good Uncle even before little Brandon is born."

"What else!"

The matter of fact tone and posture made Leyna hide her lips behind her hand and laughed softly.

"Then Ga-yeong will be coming soon?"

"Yes. She has stalled for long enough. Either she goes live with mom and Aunt Lee, or I will send her straight to the hospital for the final month of her pregnancy."

Leyna looked at the determined Alex, then shook her head with a smile.

"You are really taking good care of her."

Waving her hand at him, she went around the car to sit at the back beside her superior.

Alex simply smiled at her comment then turned to Mark who had yet to move. The latter asked with a concerned tone and a slight frown:

"Will you be alright?"

Alex raised an eyebrow, then replied casually:

"At least we won't be going bankrupt. Don't worry about anything until Ga-yeong gives birth. The family first."

Mark gave Alex a deep look, then went to take the new post assigned to him. The car jolted slightly, then moved. Alex remained behind, and watched until it disappeared.