"Um, sir. The Head director of the ICT department called in sick today and also the Marketing team organi-"
Xavier zones out.
He is mildly irritated. His fists clench and unclench once in a while. He runs his fingers along his face in exasperation before waving it to shut his rambling secretary up.
Pelumi Dakota gulps loudly and sniffs lowly. He clutches his clipboard tightly against his chest as he stares at his boss who is now facing him from the other side of the elevator.
"All what you just said now, type it out and send it to my desk through Fischer," Xavier says in record time before the elevator door shuts close. He had tried his best to hide the irritation from standing beside Pelumi for too long.
He swallows down the urge to pull out a hand sanitizer. Doing that would ruin things and a façade he'd suffered to build.
"Tough morning?"
Xavier grunts and accepts the cup of coffee from his driver, Leo. He settles into his office with Leo following suit.
"Pelumi?" Leo further asks and laughs later when the grumpy CEO shoots him a warning glare.
To his butler or employees, that ordinary glare would have had them shitting their pants and filing a letter of resignation. But Leo? Nah. He could take it.
Scratch that, he'd been taking it since he was 12 years old; when he was assigned to work alongside his aging dad.
His consistency and slight persistence awarded him the title of his driver, his assistant, and lastly, His best friend.
Leo lets out a belly laugh as Xavier groans and takes a sip of the black coffee that sat hot on his mahogany desk.
He could almost snort at the irony.
Taking a black coffee.
You get it?
"Oh, I forgot to tell you! Chaska booked an appointment." Leo smirks smugly, "I just got off the phone with her, she says she misses you."
"Oh my God! I hope she doesn't skip school!" Xavier groans as he puts a call through Maria. He rolls his eyes as the call enters the voicemail. He does it twice before finally giving up.
"You know she won't, she'll come immediately after school."
"Oh God," Xavier rubs his temple.
Leo snickers and runs his hand through his hair before adjusting his suit jacket.
"Why do I have to wear a three-piece suit?" Leo pouts.
"Because you're my assistant," Xavier replies in a 'duh' tone. "And you can't keep wearing gym shorts to work. People will think you're my brother."
"People? Or tabloids? Besides, I am your brother!" Leo's grin is as wide as a full moon.
Xavier makes a gagging sound to which Leo glares playfully at him.
He couldn't plainly accept the fact that he thought of Leo as his brother. Apart from spoon-feeding the latter's ego, Xavier is sure Leo would make them wear matching costumes that say '*bros bomb'*.
"So..." Leo starts and Xavier already knows it won't end well.
"So..." Leo repeats, he stares at Xavier with expectant eyes. He is awaiting a tad bit of enthusiasm from Xavier before he continues.
"If you're waiting for me to feed into your chit-chat then use the door," Xavier deadpans as he finally takes the last sip of his coffee.
Leo crosses his arm around his chest with a huff, his hair falling into his eyes a little, giving him the "*Korean-y"* look. It wouldn't be just a mere look if his mother was a full-blown Korean from the outskirts of Busan.
"Meanie!" Leo huffs and looks the other way while faking annoyance.
But Xavier knows better.
It won't last long.
Leo's resolve will crack soon. It seems like his record spinner is broken that's why he spewed nonsense all the time.
The half-caste could not shut up even if his mother's toes were on the line.
Leo glances at him.
Once.
Twice.
Before he grins and leans close the desk to bop Xavier's nose.
"What the..?"
"Oh shush! I hope you didn't forget my birthday is in two months!"
Xavier signs off a paper before he glances up to a grinning Leo.
"How would I ever forget, when you ring it in my ear every two hours! I swear you talk than Chaska," Xavier grits his teeth.
"Oh, you exaggerate! I know where I want to go to for my birthday now!"
Xavier groans.
"If you keep groaning your throat might fall off," Leo smirks before leaning on the chair and grabbing a random magazine from Xav's table.
"Just tell me where you want to go so you can leave and do your actual job." Xavier stresses on the 'actual'.
"LowiSe."
"No!" His reply was sudden. "Fuck no!"
"You can't back out! If you do, I'll be forced to be the little birdie that'll tell Chaska who drowned her best friend." Leo threatens.
"That damn puppy ate the Ivanovich and Co. Contract!"
"Chaska won't think that. I heard she's thinking about taking kickboxing classes."
Xavier rubs his palm across his face before waving his palm in dismissal, silently agreeing.
Leo is about to thank him before Xavier glares at him and he jumps from the chair and scurries out of his office.
Xavier sighs in relief at the eerie silence.
He works till it's time for his meeting with the marketing board. Fischer, a member of the messengerial team, had delivered the papers twenty minutes after Leo's departure.
The marketing team had come up with a plan and as much as he wanted to be far from his black employees, he knew he had to do this. So he scheduled a meeting.
When he gets to the conference room, the meeting commences immediately.
"The profit ratio of the Monvosllive Concept against the Ivanovich and Co. Is very high. Stock exchange cou-"
Xavier zones out, again.
He didn't want to be in this position, but when Uncle Geoffrey Morreti—who'd owned 80% of PurpleVille—had given him an option of either; "Handling PurpleVille and its black workers or go home and keep kissing daddy's booty." He didn't have a choice since he craved the independence he longed for.
"Slimy bastard." Xavier had muttered once his uncle Geoffrey had turned his back and exited his office.
Xavier is grateful, though. If not for his uncle, he wouldn't have made a name in the business world.
If not for his uncle, he wouldn't have suffered as he did two years ago.