A Tempting Offer

"Looks like you're ready. Shall we go?"

Lucas could only nod as he followed Ezekiel. The two walked through the halls of the house and Lucas was shocked by the amount of light streaming through the windows.

There were some parts of the house that were modern but he could see that the garden had a traditional essence, reminiscent of an ancestral house.

He felt as if he was inside a drama set, anticipating an encounter with a very important person.

Ezekiel glanced back and couldn't help but chuckle. He could see the amazement in Lucas's eyes as he looked around the house.

Ezekiel then stopped in front of a huge sliding door and felt someone bumping into him.

"Sorry."

A soft whisper came from Lucas's lips before he stepped back. Ezekiel took a deep breath to stifle himself from laughing out loud.

Clearing his throat, he then opened the door for Lucas.

"We've arrived."

Ezekiel announced with a bow.

Lucas followed suit and bowed as well. Ezekiel stood up and slowly walked to the other end of a small table and pulled out one of the chairs.

"Sit down."

The Big Boss's stern voice sent shivers down Lucas's spine, making the fellow stand up straighter and look at Ezekiel, who was offering a chair for him.

"Thank you."

Lucas went to Ezekiel, giving the man a quick glance. He could see that the man was holding some papers but he couldn't see his face as it remained obscured.

Once the young man sat down and looked over at the man, papers were dropped to the table, revealing his face to Lucas.

Lucas's heart skipped a beat. He felt as if he was looking at an ethereal beauty that had somehow come out of a painting.

However, despite that, Lucas felt an inexplicable rush of familiarity with the man in front of him.

'What the hell? Why does he look like someone I've met?'

The resemblance was uncanny.

It felt as if he had already met this man before. Meanwhile, Rex stared down at Lucas and cleared his throat to get the latter's attention.

Lucas flinched and looked down at the table in front of him, his cheeks reddened as he realized that he had been staring too much at the man and thus decided to look elsewhere.

"How's your rest?" Rex asked.

Lucas could only croak a small answer since he was still embarrassed from earlier.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Rex continued to stare at Lucas, a swirl of familiarity evident in his expression, however, he couldn't pinpoint where he had met this young man.

Silence filled the room.

No one was talking and Ezekiel could sense a small tension but didn't know where to look. Lucas felt Rex's gaze piercing him.

If stares could kill, he would be dead by now. He then decided to look up and almost gasped; the Big Boss's eyes were indeed on him.

Lucas trembled, recognizing those judgemental eyes he had known since his childhood. He could see a small smirk on the man's lips but he'd rather look elsewhere than there.

Rex leaned back to his chair then stood up and walked toward Lucas. The young man's gaze followed him as Rex leaned forward, sitting in a chair across from him.

With a smirk forming on his lips, he asked, "Lucas Huang, would you like to work for me?"

_____

Lucas stared at the man, trying to process what he just heard.

'Wait, how the hell he knew my name? And what did he mean "working for him?"'

"Wha-what?"

Rex chuckled as he sat down, crossed one leg over the other and leaned back against the chair as he looked straight into Lucas's eyes.

"I am asking if you could work for me."

Lucas was flabbergasted. The man barely knew him, yet here he was, offering him a job. 

"I-I don't know."

Rex smiled, making Lucas's heart skip another beat. This man would be the death of him. Pale skin, luscious lips, hair looking so soft that it tempted Lucas to touch it.

"Eyes down here, Mr. Huang."

Lucas's train of thought were abruptly stopped when he heard his surname.

"Wh-What did you just call me?"

Rex could see the latter trembling, whether from fear or anger was uncertain.

He had anticipated that this would be the young man's reaction upon hearing his name being called.

The young CEO had just recently found out that the Huang family had disowned Lucas.

What a way to start the new year for the Huangs.

Rex continued to stare down at the man in front of him before chuckling lightly. He gestured for Ezekiel to serve up the tea and the sweet cookies he had ordered from the city.

Ezekiel bowed as he walked to the cart and prepared the tea for both of them.

"Don't get me wrong, Mr. Huang. I am not as naive as others who will just take a stranger, nurture them back to health and not do any background check on them."

Rex slowly spoke, making sure that Lucas had heard and understood every word he was saying.

Lucas gulped as he listened nervously.

He never thought anything like this but the way Rex mentioned it to him while looking straight into his eyes with his piercing gaze, made him feel nervous.

"And I also know that your family has already disowned you. The reasons may not be clear as it was described on every news outlet, but I knew that there was more to it."

Lucas stared at Rex with a confused expression. He was now more confused than when his name was called.

He knew that his father was capable of doing such a thing but he had never expected him to announce it publicly.

He felt a mix of shame and embarrassment, knowing that someone like this man in front of him knew that he was disowned.

"Despite that, I will still offer you the job. I knew that your father had made you his apprentice with his business. So, I will offer you a position at my company."

This time, both Ezekiel and Lucas looked at Rex in shock. 

"Why? I am just a stranger. Heck, I may even be a competitor of yours!"

Rex sighed as he put his leg down and leaned forward, matching Lucas's eyes, seemingly trying to peer directly into his soul.

"Believe me, you are not any of that."

Lucas was flabbergasted.

He didn't understand what Rex meant by that, but there was something in him that made Lucas think that he could trust the guy. 

"I'll give you a whole day to think about it if you want to. And I'll be here waiting for your answer."

Lucas, confused and a bit delirious, thought the man was crazy for giving him a position at his company.

Rex gestured to Ezekiel to escort Lucas back to his room. While Ezekiel complied, the man sipped his tea and smiled silently.

Ezekiel walked ahead and asked Lucas to follow him. It the end, Lucas was left wondering whether Rex was serious about his offer. 

"Are you going to take it?"

Lucas looked up and he could see Ezekiel staring out from one of the windows of the house.

"I am not sure."

Lucas could see a small smile on Ezekiel's face as he looked at him with confidence.

"You should. It will be fun."

Lucas felt a sense of warmth and comfort from Ezekiel, but his mind still remained confused.

The offer seemed intriguing; however, he wasn't sure if he could do the job well.

But if he were to take Ezekiel's words to heart, everything would be okay, right?

Right?