章節 5: Chapter 5 – 11 Months Ago: Grandfather’s Ultimatum
"I can hardly believe it," President Lex muttered, patting Rex's shoulder. "My little boy is all grown up now…already twenty seven years old! How time flies…!"
CEO Rex smiled at his grandfather.
"You know, my boy, when I was twenty seven…you father was already crawling around the house," the old man said. "Isn't it time that you found yourself a partner? How about a nice girl who can let me see the face of a great-grandchild before I die?"
Rex sighed. "Grandpa…you know I don't like women," he said quietly.
"How about a nice, steady young man, then? I don't care if he's rich or poor or about his family background – all I want is for him to cherish you and respect you. Everything else can be taken care of," President Lex cajoled.
"I'm too busy," Rex said tiredly.
"Should I find some suitable candidates for you, then?" his grandfather asked promptly.
Rex shook his head.
Fortunately, the guests for this birthday banquet started arriving, and he was called away. He missed the flash in his grandfather's eyes that never bore well for anyone who dared to oppose him.
Two weeks later, President Lex called a meeting of the board of directors of the Zephyr Business Group and made a shocking announcement – he would hand over the position of the President to the partner chosen by his grandson, CEO Rex, when they announced their engagement. This must be done before CEO Rex's twenty eighth birthday, otherwise CEO Rex would lose his position as well as inheritance of Zephyr.
Everyone stared at the old President Lex in disbelief. It was fine if he wanted his grandson to get married, but wasn't this too much!? How could he issue an ultimatum like this? Wasn't he afraid that CEO Rex would take offence and quit? And if CEO Rex left, what would happen to Zephyr?
Because CEO Rex was the heart and soul of Zephyr!
Several directors protested, suggesting that they all search for a suitable partner for CEO Rex, but discard the ultimatum.
But President Lex was adamant.
CEO Rex stood up slowly. All eyes turned to him. His young face was impassive. With his dark curls and unusual eyes, he really looked like he had walked out of a painting.
"Is that your final decision, President Lex?" he asked flatly.
His grandfather nodded. "It is," he said firmly. "I'm giving you almost a year to sort this out. Do you think you can succeed?"
CEO Rex didn't reply. He simply walked out of the room without looking back. Executive Assistant Ao hurried after him.
President Lex sighed at his departure. "This stubborn child…he really needs someone to look after him properly," he murmured.
Within a few hours, word of the ultimatum issued to CEO Rex by his grandfather spread all over the media – and it remained a hot search topic for several days. Some people sympathised with him, some made fun of him and some just watched curiously. Countless people offered to date CEO Ren and sent public proposals to him over the internet – although no one took those seriously.
The man in question, however, was missing.
No one saw CEO Rex for an entire week after that ill-fated board meeting. He wasn't at home and he wasn't in office. He had hidden himself away somewhere and refused to take calls – but all his work progressed smoothly and he responded to emails, so no one could raise any complaints.
No one could have imagined that CEO Rex was actually in a coma for three days and it was Executive Assistant Ao who was taking care of all the work and emails on his behalf!
Rex had walked out of the meeting in a daze and returned to his office on the top floor, with Ao right behind him. And then suddenly, without a warning, he had collapsed. If Ao hadn't been present to catch him, Rex might have cracked his head open on the expensive marble floor of his prized office.
Ao was aghast at the condition of his childhood friend, who he practically raised with his own hands. He cursed the old man silently – didn't he know that romance was a sore point for Rex – and threatening him with Zephyr like this…how was that any better than cornering the poor guy into a dead end? Ao didn't even want to think about the colossal impact this stupid ultimatum would have had on Rex's psyche to send him into a coma for three whole days. He thought of taking Rex to a doctor immediately, but then decided to wait for a bit. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened with Rex, and no one knew better than Ao how much Rex detested hospitals…and bringing an outsider to this inner sanctum that Rex had built for himself was out of the question.
So Ao simply kept vigil over Rex, just like he had done in the past. On the third day, when Ao was just beginning to panic and considering taking Rex to a hospital after all, the younger man opened his eyes and blinked innocently at his Executive Assistant.
"Ao…? What happened? What's wrong with you?" Rex asked in a hoarse voice, frowning at the other man. Ao's blue eyes were ringed with dark circles and his handsome chin was covered in a scruffy stubble. He looked utterly exhausted.
Ao shook his head and chuckled, suppressing the tears of relief that threatened to spring from his eyes. "You're asking me what's wrong?" he retorted in a soft voice. "You've been in a coma for three days."
Panic flooded Rex's eyes and he looked around wildly, before realising that he was in his own bedroom in the second circle of his office. He relaxed visibly and peered at Ao. "You've been taking care of me by yourself?" he asked.
Ao nodded. "I was planning to take you to a doctor if you didn't wake up today, though," he replied honestly.
Rex leapt from the bed and hugged Ao warmly. "Thank you," he murmured. "Thank you for looking after me."
Ao sighed and rubbed the younger man's back.
After some time, Rex let him go. "It's real, isn't it?" he asked in a choked voice. "Grandpa…he really threatened me with Zephyr…?"
Ao nodded. "I'll ask my father to speak to him and talk him out of this nonsense," he murmured.
Rex shook his head. "Grandpa is determined to do this; it won't help," he said, rubbing his temples. "In fact, it'd make him even more stubborn. Let it be for now. We still have time."
"What do you plan to do?" Ao asked. "Don't tell me you actually want to find some suitors and get married just to fulfil this stupid condition?"
Rex smiled bitterly. "I'll give it shot," he whispered. "After all, there's nothing else for me to lose, is there?"
Ao's heart ached. "You could leave Zephyr and start your own company," he suggested.
Rex shook his head. "If I could bear to leave…would this ultimatum be such a threat…?" he whispered. "Leaving Zephyr…I may as well take a flying dive out of my window."
"Don't say that!" Ao cried, pulling the younger man into a tight hug. "You absolutely mustn't harm yourself!"
Rex nodded tiredly. "Let's just see if we can find some suitable candidates."
Ao patted his shoulder. "There's no dearth of people attracted to you, Rex," he said seriously. "What matters is whether you like any of them or not."
Rex finally laughed. "Your eyes are too biased," he said.
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