A Decision to Make

Lucas went straight to his room and locked the door.

He had a lot of things to think about thoroughly and would need a room that was both cozy and quiet.

Ezekiel understood this and left him to contemplate this matter alone by himself.

As Ezekiel was about to leave, Lucas stopped him.

The young man had many questions and theories to finalize before Ezekiel could walk out.

Lucas sat on his bed, pondering how to formally ask Ezekiel about everything that had happened in that room with his boss. 

Ezekiel just stared at Lucas, wondering why his boss would give this young male a position in his company. 

He might understand if Rex did it to provoke Lucas's parents, but giving him a position in the company? Who would even train him?

His trains of thought were interrupted when he heard Lucas clear his throat.

"How did you meet your boss?"

Ezekiel had not expected this question.

As much as possible he wouldn't like to disclose any information about his boss since he was trained for that, noticing Lucas's pleading eyes, he considered giving in and sharing his first-day working experience under the Lin Group's CEO.

Lucas waited for Ezekiel's answer, but nothing came out of his mouth.

'Damn it. Let's try another question then.'

"May I ask your boss's name?"

Ezekiel, who was still looking at Lucas, sighed and leaned into Lucas's ear and whispered Rex's name as if it was a small secret.

Lucas's eyes widened upon hearing the name and gasped as he watched Ezekiel return to his spot before clearing his throat and looking away.

'Rex?! As in Rex Lin, the famous CEO who brought his company from the brink of bankruptcy to the top of the pharmaceutical industry? THAT Rex?!'

Lucas stared at Ezekiel with a gobsmacked expression, making the secretary chuckle a bit.

"Did I answer your question?"

Lucas shook his head, reminiscing about his first encounter with the CEO during his apprenticeship under his father.

"There's no way that your boss is Rex Lin. I've seen him before! He never looked like the guy that I met earlier!"

Ezekiel showed a small smile before taking a card from his pocket and giving it to Lucas to ponder over.

Lucas took the card and read it. He gasped for the second time upon seeing the Lin Group logo and Ezekiel's name and position in the company.

"How? Why? What?"

Lucas still couldn't believe what was happening to him as he looked at Ezekiel with bewilderment. The man could only chuckle at Lucas's expression.

The young man looked like a deer caught in headlights. 

"You don't have to worry about anything. You will be under the care of the Lin Group and your family might not even be able to detect your whereabouts. Well, given that they barely cared about their youngest child now."

Ezekiel sighed, unaware that any mention of Lucas's parents made the young man sadder than usual. Their faces would forever be engraved in his mind.

"Well, if that's everything, I'll go back to my duties. Ring the bell next to the small lantern near your bed if you need assistance from me."

Lucas nodded and watched Ezekiel leave the room, closing the door softly and slowly. Lucas then took a deep breath and tried to process everything he had gone through.

"What the hell just happened? Is he truly Rex Lin?"

Lucas sighed and trembled, as he considered his next move. He looked at the small lantern near his bed and saw the button that Ezekiel had mentioned earlier.

With a trembling hand, he placed his finger on the top of the button unsure what assistance he would ask Ezekiel for.

Asking the man might just lead him to more questions than giving him answers.

Lucas withdrew his hand and sat on the bed instead and leaned back to stare at the small door in front of him before closing his eyes.

Eventually, the young man fell into a void of darkness and succumbed to the loneliness and fear of being left behind by his family and his peers.

_____

Lucas woke up in darkness.

No light peeked through the thick curtains and realized that he had fallen asleep. He tried to look around the room, hoping to find whether the lanterns were somewhat lit, but found none. 

Sighing, Lucas then proceeded to get up from the bed and turned on the tiny lantern beside his bed.

Leaving his room, he went to the garden near the central courtyard of the house.

The exterior design of his family's old ancestral house had some similarities and made it easy for him to navigate through this new place.

He felt the cold breeze through the cardigan he was wearing as he sat down on one of the rocks that surrounded the garden lake.

Staring down at his reflection, he saw his face and hair disheveled and almost couldn't recognize himself.

His eyes were swollen, possibly from crying during his sleep, his lips were dry and the flawless skin that he once had, had turned bumpy and sunken.

He sighed, letting the cold breeze sweep away his aching heart for the life he once had and continued to ponder regarding what had happened earlier. 

After moments of silence for his weeping soul, a warm, fuzzy piece of clothing dropped on his shoulder, making Lucas look up at the other figure.

"Is your bed not warm enough?"

Lucas scoffed at his voice. He regrettably and amicably admitted that the person beside him was indeed Rex Lin.

He knew from the way he composed himself and how he treated others.

He managed to remember it all since Lucas's first impression as a CEO was nothing but bad and negative. 

Rex watched Lucas's expression through the reflection and chuckled. Ezekiel's further investigations revealed that the CEO had indeed met Lucas before.

It was a bad first meeting and he was pretty sure that he left a bad impression on the young man as well.

But Rex barely cared about the past and kept moving forward.

Hence, he was offering a position to a former apprentice who had managed a huge enterprise of pawnshops in the capital city.

"Have you considered my offer?" Rex asked.

He expected Lucas to either flinch or scoff at the persuasive attempts he had been making ever since they talked, however, Lucas showed no expression of some sort.

Instead, the young man just looked up ahead and stood up from the rocks before he dusted himself off and looked straight into Rex's eyes.

"Yes."

Rex was visibly surprised by Lucas's answer. It was simple yet the young man's was somewhat impactful, considering what he was going through.

The CEO was about to respond when Lucas stopped him and said, "Under one condition."