บท 11: 11 The Only Person She Considers Her Family

The sun slowly set, painting the sky with its orange and red hue creating a vivid picture. It was already the end of the usual office time and people started to come out of the buildings and started going home, only a few were still stuck inside their offices to work overtime.

October stood by the window of her office as she peered down the buzzing streets. On her hand was a single lily she picked from the bouquet, playing with it absentmindedly.

It would have been nice if she could also looked forward to go back to her house with someone waiting for me. But such thing was only her wishful thinking. October knew that such a situation was impossible for her.

The glow of the sun painted the pale skin of October, giving a golden cluster on her skin and the sun's light created a shadow behind her, outlining her whole body that looked so weak, so fragile.

The atmosphere in the room gave one a melancholic feeling.

October raised the flower to her face and smelled it's floral scent. Somehow or another, these flowers gave her a sense of peace. It really was a wonder for she never bothered herself with flowers before. Even if she wanted to know why, she really can't answer it.

Or was it because these were flowers given by someone to her? October immediately shook her head to dismiss that idea.

"Director?" Yun Xixi let herself in. She was knocking on the door for quite some time now but there was no reply coming from her boss. With that, she decided to take the risk of going inside.

At the sound of Yun Xixi's voice, October slightly turned her head enough her Yun Xixi to see half of her face. Her eyes were still half closed from relishing the scent of the flower.

Yun Xixi gaped at the sight of her boss. Her boss with a flower she held near her lips that was slightly parted, her half-closed eyes shining from the light of the sun looking at her calmly, and the shadow that elongated across the room as if a there was a long dark veil over her boss made Yun Xixi unable to blink and utter a single word. It was as if she was looking at a painting of a fallen angel. She unconsciously got her phone and took a picture of it.

October blinked, she was confused as to why Xixi called but then froze in place and took her phone out. She put the flower down and made her way on her table and leaned on top of it nonchalantly. "Xixi, is there anything you want?"

"Uh." Yun Xixi snapped out of her daydream. She immediately put down her hand that was holding her phone as her heart almost jumped out of her chest. That was really a shocker. That sight really caught her off guard. But she just make a blunder of herself.

Clearing her throat to hide her awkwardness, she reminded, "Director, it's already time to go home."

"Mm. You go home first." October said, looking back out the window to stare at the sky that was slowly starting to dim and light the stars.

"Yes, Director. Thank you. Take care, Director." With that, Yun Xixi turned to leave, closing the door behind her.

When outside, she immediately took a look at the picture she took on a whim and, immediately, her eyes sparkled. She almost jumped in her excitement. She can't wait to show it off with her friends in the company. After thinking that, she started grinning mischievously.

After Yun Xixi closed the door, the room felt even more cold, desolate, and empty.

The sun has now completely set, leaving the room dark with only a hint of brightness from the crescent moon and the city lights.

October closed her tired eyes and felt at peace but her whole being felt so empty. She felt incomplete. She will always feel like this and she doubt that anything will ever change in her gray and dull life.

All of a sudden, a sound tore the deafening silence in the room.

October slowly opened her eyes devoid with emotions and slowly turned to where the sound was. Customizing her ringing tone made her know who was calling.

No matter what, she can't escape and turn a blind eye to what happened last Saturday. She knew she has to eventually deal with it, considering that none can escape his hawk-like eyes.

Sighing in defeat, October reached for her phone and answered it.

October was not even able to utter a single word when the person on the other line exploded, "You brat! How can you just answer your phone now? Do you still remember to be filial? If my assistant didn't tell me, I wouldn't know! Such a thing happened to you! Why are you so silent? Have you became mute? Who was it? Tell me right now and I'm going to go to your city and burn his house! I'll burn his darn company if he even has one! Who dared lay his dirty hand on you? Don't even dare lie to me and don't even think of saying that he's your boyfriend because I know all too well that you don't have one for so many years!"

October endured the loud roar from the phone as she listened to her grandfather ranting nonstop. Although her mouth twitched in annoyance of how unreasonable her grandpa was, her heart still felt warm and her eyes glistened with an almost indiscernible wetness that she herself didn't know was there. "Grandpa, please calm down. Besides, how can I answer your questions if you ask me a series of questions one after the other?"

The person who she can call her family is only her grandpa, the biological father of her mother. Even when her mother was still alive, she knew that her grandpa was watching over them. In fact, the first time he approached her was when he disguised himself as a passing elderly while she was playing in the playground. He gave her a doll and lots of candies. But due to various circumstances, he can't meet her openly.

Her grandfather, He Tian, is a person with deep background. He is a business tycoon in City A and the He family is one of the top families in City A that holds great influence one can never imagine, even October doesn't know how deep it was. Considering that City A is the number 1 city in the whole country, the top families in other cities, much less City D, can't hold a candle for this He family.

"You darn brat! If I didn't get the information myself, will you have called me? No! You just like to make this old bones of mine to worry for you. How can I have such an ungrateful granddaughter like you?" Grandpa He breathed heavily after shouting. Although he was a little harsh, his voice can't cover the worry he has for this granddaughter of his.

"Grandpa, calm down first. I can hear your heavy breathing from here." October worried that his blood pressure may rise and so tries to make her worried grandpa to calm down. "I'll handle this myself. I'm old enough now. I can take care of myself. You don't have to meddle into this."

"No, you're still a small child in my eyes. I can't let my precious granddaughter suffer such loss. I can't accept it." Grandpa He stubbornly said. Just as he was going to ask more, he immediately thought of a great idea.

"This won't do! I won't allow this! Quit your job and work for me! I'll give you a better job, a higher position. Assistant Ke, arrange everything for my granddaughter so she can immediately settle in City A." Grandpa He called his assistant that was standing in a corner making his poor assistant break out in cold sweat especially when he heard his master's next words.

"It's decided, I'll make you work under me so you can take my position in the future with ease." Grandpa He declared loudly with a smug look on his. This plan was really good, he was proud of himself. Why didn't he think of this before, making him worry a lot for his granddaughter that was living far from him?