A New Identity

Ezekiel woke up at the same hour he had been waking up since he started working for the Lin Group.

He began his morning routine by exercising in the courtyard before watering the flower plants that surrounded the garden lake.

Next, he proceeded to carry out his daily tasks: asking the chef to prepare Rex's breakfast, ironing the CEO's clothes and organizing all of the meetings for the day.

However, there was one thing that had changed in his routine, more precisely, added.

As he reviewed his to-do list he needed to do before Rex woke up, he noticed that he had an uncrossed task that he didn't recall adding.

He stared at the note, puzzled as if wondering who might have placed it there since he remembered that he hadn't put Lucas's name on his list.

Moments passed by and the door on the second floor opened, snapping Ezekiel back to reality.

He cleared his throat and prepared to welcome Rex after he came down.

However, instead of seeing the CEO, what he saw was a small figure with messy brown curls, yawning away his sleepiness but still greeting Ezekiel with an enthusiastic, "Good morning!".

The man could only nod as he watched the next figure, trailing behind the young man was his boss.

He stared at the two as they went straight to the kitchen while greeting the other staff along the way.

Ezekiel wondered what had changed and frowned at the sudden cozy atmosphere between Rex and Lucas.

But before he could even speculate about the matter further, Rex called him over, asking him about his schedule for the day.

"You will have a meeting with the Ming Southside Corporation at 10 am today and another one with the Xia Lei Marketing Industry for the stocks on the next release of the capsulated medicine," Ezekiel informed.

Rex took a bite of his sausage before reviewing his calendar, marking every meeting that he would be attending and rejecting a few in return.

As he scrolled through his calendar, Rex noticed a familiar name on one of the slots where he wouldn't be busy or would probably take a break from all of the headaches that he might get from the meeting.

He pointed it out to Ezekiel, silently asking for an explanation.

"Ah, that. I tried my best to deter her, but she was persistent in meeting you as in her words, "I have an important meeting with him"."

Rex sighed and marked it as rejected before returning the tablet back to Ezekiel. He then went back to eating his breakfast and glanced in Lucas's direction.

Smiling in between his bites, he decided to just drop the news since everyone was there.

"Lucas."

Lucas paused, cutting off his eggs and looked in Rex's direction, his eyes meeting Rex's smiling face.

"You'll be training under Ezekiel."

Ezekiel, who was instructing one of the maids regarding a particular task, turned toward Rex with his mouth agape.

"Wait a damn minute, what?!"

Lucas sheepishly looked at Ezekiel, giving the man a small grin, as if asking for his forgiveness in advance while Rex finished eating his breakfast.

Rex looked at Ezekiel before sighing and taking a sip of orange juice.

"Mr. Huang had accepted all of our terms and conditions regarding the role. He will start his full training next week. For now, he will be shadowing you for everything you do. So, make sure to teach him every single thing he needs to know."

Ezekiel was flabbergasted. 

He had anticipated that Lucas would be under his care from the moment they got him from the hotel, three days ago.

However, he hadn't expected the young man to actually accept all the terms and conditions.

At most, employees asked for compensation or, worse, a higher salary for an entry-level position.

He glanced between the two of them, filled with many questions to ask, but knowing his boss, he already felt that his boss wouldn't give him proper answers.

In the end, Ezekiel just accepted his fate and smiled warmly at Lucas, welcoming him as best as he could.

_____

As the three arrived at the office, they were greeted by the employees while Rex walked through the crowd with nobility and pride.

Lin Group Corporation was located on the right side of the Metro Financial Centre and was surrounded by endless roads, small shopping centers and a small park nearby, the building was once known as the tallest building in the city center.

Lucas admired the architectural design of each floor that was visible through the open space in the middle of the establishment.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel was watching him from behind, worried that the young man would bump into someone.

After they arrived on the floor at Rex's office, the CEO sat down in his chair and closed his eyes while a small sigh escaped from his lips.

"Lucas, this way."

Lucas was staring at Rex's tired figure when he heard Ezekiel call his name. The latter nodded and followed him to a small room.

The first thing Lucas saw upon entering the room was a pile of paperwork and some boxes.

"Sorry for the mess. Can you clear that table in the corner? That will be your desk. I'll just look for the training guide."

Lucas nodded and began clearing the table near the giant AC unit. As he was dusting off and removing the boxes of papers on the table, he noticed a picture frame beside the monitor.

He was about to ask Ezekiel about it when he noticed that the fellow was staring intently at him. Lucas cleared his throat nervously, trying to get Ezekiel's attention.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Wang?"

Ezekiel's ears reddened after being caught staring. He shook his head before clearing his throat and fixed his posture.

"Sorry, I was just appalled by the series of events that have happened. I hope you will forgive me for staring at you."

Lucas shook his head and offered a small smile.

"Don't worry. I am also shocked by my own decision."

Ezekiel finally offered him a sheepish smile, leaned against his desk and folded his arms.

"So, what made you accept the position?"

Lucas stared at the ground as a hint of red spread across his cheeks. He looked at Ezekiel under his lashes before answering.

"A new identity. I asked Rex for a new identity."

Ezekiel nodded in understanding, but Lucas's answer gave rise to even more questions than clearing his doubt.

Curiosity got the best of him and he asked the young man what identity Rex gave him.

"Well…"

Ezekiel watched the young man, anticipating his answer, when he noticed Lucas's body language, giving him answers to all of his questions about the ordeal.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."