Chereads / MIMI / Chapter 18 - Steamed Meat Buns

Chapter 18 - Steamed Meat Buns

2 months later...

In a spacious office on the top floor of the most successful trading companies in the country, Glory Trade Corporation, Tobias Itou the CEO sits leisurely in his large leather chair reviewing documents and files.

A cold look on his grim intense face. He hadn't even looked up when his office door suddenly burst open.

Already suspecting who it could be, Tobias Itou glances up to see none other than Alec Hirogori.

Noticing the man standing in his office with a smile on his face, he indifferently looks back down at the documents in hand.

"Haha, it's good to see you too." Alec lightly chuckles. "You're cold as always."

Sighing, Tobias creases his brows to look up at Alec, annoyance visible on his face. "What can I help you with Alec?"

Alec pleasantly smiles while sitting calmly down on the sofa in the man's office. Majority of the large office walls were made of glass windows.

In the center of the office stood a long black desk and leather chair, the floors were white marbled creating a modern clean atmosphere.

Off to the side of the desk near another oversized window were a lounge with a glass table, leather couch, and chairs.

The whole office was more spacious than Mimi's apartment!

"I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch. After all, I have nothing better to do." Alec laughs bitterly recalling the errands Mimi made him attend to the whole morning.

"Busy." Tobias Itou shortly responds placing all attention on the file in his hand.

"Well, I guess I tried," Alec sighs. "What if I promised to never bother you for a whole week."

Hearing those words, Tobias Itou's dark eyes slightly glance up. Finally, receiving his attention Alec laughs.

"Two weeks," Tobias coldly said.

"Ahaha...fine two weeks. Don't say you won't miss me, Tobias." Alec stands up from his chair to walk out of the office while Tobias takes out his phone to settle a call placing his coat over him.

Tobias Itou, twenty-two-years-old. At a young age, the man built and started from scratch his own company at age sixteen.

Taking after his father, Tobias Itou instantly became a success.

Not just for his age and well-established company that brought made him a multi-billionaire, but also because of his godlike striking looks.

His dark cold eyes and aura made him unapproachable, but that never prevented women from courting the young man.

The man didn't hate women.

He just simply never had an interest towards the opposite sex. Because no one ever witnesses him with a woman or show interest in them everyone had assumed he was homosexual.

But then again, he hadn't displayed an interest towards men either...

From their times in high school and college, Alec Hirogori was close friends with the reserved man.

Alec had stood by his side from his hard times with his father's business falling in utter chaos, towards him rising to success.

Tobias Itou was also present when seven years ago Alec's company VIVA enclosed a contract with a private successful company ANSETT.

From then on both slowly made their way to the top. Tobias had heard about the sudden death of his eldest sister Emily Hirogori.

But Alec never positively spoke of her much, so he never thought to ask.

As the two were leaving the restaurant, they dined at, Alec received a text message from someone Tobias himself was unsure about.

He noticed the gloomy look etch onto Alec's always jolly face.

For the past couple of years, Tobias took notice of Alec receiving calls and text messages from an unknown number.

Whenever he received a message from the mysterious person he'd always rush away.

Thinking nothing of it, Tobias decided to ignore it.

Currently with his black overcoat wrapped around him and patiently waiting for Alec who was endlessly searching for some object in a convenience store.

Sighing with frustration, Tobias reaches into his pocket to take out a small pack of cigarettes.

Lighting it, he inhales before slowly releasing a puff of smoke. He repeatedly found that whenever he was tense or annoyed he'd smoke.

He knew it was bad for him, but he still did it for unknown reasons.

With his broad hands in his suit pants pockets and a gray scarf wrapped around his neck, Tobias gazes up at the setting sky.

Staring up at the cold sky, he had missed the small figure next to him.

Detecting a presence nearby, he watches as a girl no older than fifteen blow warm air from her soft pink lips onto her small pale hands.

Wrapped around her neck and covering the edges of her layered short brown hair was a red scarf. Concealing her youthful body was a dark blue peacoat.

On her feet were ruffled white stockings and black shoes. He couldn't help but think the girl looked like a life-sized antique doll.

Glancing up at Tobias with her light violet eyes, he notices her eyes flash with what he assumed was surprise for a split second before turning normal once again.

He found her eyes to look oddly familiar, but he couldn't understand where.

Tobias sighs inwardly at his misfortune. To be standing next to a young teenage girl really was unfortunate.

However, instead of gazing heart-eyed at the attractive young man like most teenage girls who saw him did, the girl simply leaned on the wall of the building.

Closing her eyes with a sigh a cloud of frosty air escaped her lips.

Deciding to ignore the teenage girl, Tobias continues to smoke his cigarette while looking up at the sky.

He cursed Alec for taking so long to shop for the item he was looking for.

"You really shouldn't smoke. It's pretty harmful." Tobias hears a gentle feminine voice say.

With furrowed brows, Tobias turns towards the source of the voice. Only to see the same young girl lean against the wall while her violet eyes staring up at the blue sky.

Feeling his gaze on her, the girl looks back at his dark cold narrowed eyes.

Grunting with annoyance Tobias turns away from the girl paying no attention to her once again.

For some reason, her voice sounded familiar to him but once again he couldn't recall who it had belonged to.

"Hmph...I was only voicing my honest concerns. From a fellow human to human." He overhears her say in a pouting tone.

"Mind your own business, brat." Tobias lazily says, scrunching his dark thick eyebrows together.

He hears the girl go silent for five seconds before fits of hidden giggles can be heard from behind him.

Running his hand through his black hair roughly, he turns towards the girl only to find her no longer leaning against the wall but instead standing right beside him with her hands behind her back.

When did she move? He had barely heard her.

Coldly glancing at the teenage girl beside him just as he was about to speak, he hears her gasp softly while looking up at the sky.

The setting dark blue sky was now softly covered by white glowing snowflakes.

Guess it was snowing now huh?

Focusing on the falling snowflakes, next to him Tobias detects the sound of a shuffling paper bag.

Glancing at the girl next to him, he sees her take out two palm-sized steaming meat buns from a container.

Wrapped in a white wrapping she holds both in each hand while munching joyfully on one.

Her violet eyes glance up at him with her cheeks stuffed with food.

The girls brow furrow before to his surprise...she performs two steps to the side away from him!

Unsure why but Tobias felt the corner of his lips twitch while his face remained indifferent. The little brat had guts.

Biting down on the cigarette in his mouth, Tobias looks elsewhere away from the annoying girl.

The sound of the girls munching took over the silence as the sound of her crunching up her wrapper and stowing it into her paper bag could be heard.

Feeling a sudden warmth next to his cheek, Tobias looks down to see her hold up the second meat bun to his face.

Arching his brow handsomely at the meat bun then the girl, he watches her look up at him with a slight grin.

"It's cold so you should really eat something warm," She says with a teasing tone. "I just got them fresh from a food cart nearby!"

Confused by her sudden concern, he suspiciously eyes the steaming meat bun. He hated taking food that others had already touched, especially fried food.

Tobias constantly had women always try to court him with expensive desserts, suits, and items to win his favor. But he didn't like retaining something that someone else had so he always declined.

And he wasn't about to change his ways today.

"No thanks," He coldly says.

The girl frowns before a mischievous smile creeps up on her face.

"Oh, come on! Here I am seeking amends with you. And here you are an adult declining the kindness of an innocent kind-hearted kid!" The girl says with a monotonous solemn tone.

Tobias's lip twitches again at the girl's shameless words. He honestly had never approached this girl, and here she was talking to an utter stranger and offering him food.

Did she take him for a fool?

Biting down on the cigarette between his teeth, he stares at the meat bun being waved in front of his face.

Pinching the space between his eyebrows with his fingers, he sighs before taking the meat bun from the girl.

He had already eaten earlier and thought if he were to accept it she'd leave him alone. He could just throw it out when he left.

However, she didn't stop there.

She eagerly stares up at him as if expecting him to do something which he wasn't sure what.

Why was she staring at him like that?

"Well...why aren't you eating it? It tastes better when it's warm." She said. "Just so you know I paid good money for those so don't waste it!"

She wanted him to ingest it?

Tobias arches both his brows this time, looking at the girl in disbelief. He couldn't believe this girl at all...not that he ever understood women.

Tobias had a desperate urge to reject her but he couldn't understand why under her gaze he couldn't.

Alec definitely was going to pay for this.

Snatching the cigarette out of his mouth and flinging it to the ground, he steps on it with his foot. Raising the steaming meat bun hesitantly to his thin rosy lips, Tobias bites down into the soft fried bun tasting a sweet but salty mouthful of seasoned pork.

It...Was actually relatively good!

Looking back at the girl, he sees her satisfied grin. Cheeky brat. Ignoring her, he continues to munch on the delicious meat bun.

For some reason to the girl, he looked like a pouting cold child stuffing his cheeks with food.

Giggling, she turns to look back up at the snowing sky before turning her gaze towards the convenience store door.

Picking up her paper bag, the violet-eyed girl starts to walk away.

Tobias notices the girl's retreating figure he opened his mouth to say something but the sound of Alec's voice restricts him from doing so.

"I got it! Sorry, that took so long." Alec huffs a breath of air as he walks next to Tobias.

Staring up at the frozen man, Alec catches sight of something round in his hand.

"Is...Is that a meat bun?" Alec's eyes widen with surprise at the usually strict eater eating a steamed meat bun.

Tobias releases a deep hum, indicating Alec's guess was correct.

"When did you get that? I thought you hated fatty foods?" Alec begins throwing questions at him.

Sighing, Tobias dodges his questions to stare at the plastic bag in his hand. "Did you get what you came for?"

Clamping his mouth shut, Alec hides the bag behind his back before awkwardly laughing.

"Er...Yeah, I got it. It took me a while to find. I'm unused to going to these kinds of stores." Alec says with a crooked smile.

"En." Tobias nods his head before walking away from the store with the meat bun still in his hand.

Following close behind, Alec eyes the steamed bun in his hand. He couldn't help but think of a certain someone whenever he saw fatty oily foods food.

Shaking his head, Alec walks faster to catch up with the cold man.