Wearing a black turtleneck shirt and cream-colored tapered pants, a suffocatingly handsome boy sat on a table, finishing up his breakfast. Right in front of him, sat a pair of a man and a woman, nervously waiting for him to speak.
He had not said a word to them since they had arrived here, and it had already been half n hour.
Time passed, and under their nervous glances, the boy eventually finished the breakfast, cleaned his mouth with a napkin, and signaled to the waiter to clean up the table.
"Next time, do not come early to curry my favour. I only appreciate those that stick to the time they are given." Keith checked his watch, and as soon as the clock dial showed 10 am, he smiled at the aged man and pointed out his folly.
"My Apologies, Heir Demiliore..."
Keith waved his hand and stopped him from speaking. It was a rude thing to do to someone who was more than twice his age and a renowned person in the society, but the old man did not seem to have a speck of dissatisfaction on his face or in his heart.
"I understand your nervousness and the anxiety." Keith lightly spoke and then scrutinized the woman the old man brought with him. "Have you brought the contract?"
"Yes!" The old man hurriedly nodded his head and presented the file to him. "All the terms have been accorded as you asked for."
"I see..." Keith took his time flipping through the contact, and only after thoroughly checking it did he close the file. "Good Job. Now then, let's talk about business, Mr. Warner."
The old man straightened his back, even more, staying attentive to what Keith had to say.
"Over the years, you have done a really good job. The company is doing great under your command, and I have decided to keep you as the CEO of the Black Jay Records, which is now under the banner of my Black Forest Group."
Warner heaved a sigh of relief at hearing Keith's words, and a sincere smile appeared on his face.
"The structure of the company will remain the same, and you will work just like you have been doing under the command of my mother. And you will still get the percentage of dividends that you are currently entitled to."
"I will not let down your trust in me, Heir Demiliore!" Warner assured him with confidence.
"Good." Keith nodded his head and then glanced at the woman before looking at Warner again. "And there's something I want you to put your utmost attention to."
"Speak and it shall be done, Heir Demiliore." Warner nodded unhesitatingly. It was only because he believed that Keith would not ask him to do anything that would jeopardize the company under his command.
He had high expectations of the young man in front of him, who happened to be the son of an accomplished business magnate, his former boss, and also the heir to one of the most powerful families in the country of Netheria.
"I want you to understand that Alana is off-limits to anyone. No matter who they are." He intently spoke, and Warner grew a little apprehensive in his heart. "We both know how the showbiz industry works, but you are not going to allow Alana to fall into those seductive yet lucrative pits. And if you find yourself hard-pressed by someone with enough power, you will simply guide them to me, and I will take care of the matter."
Seeing Warner nod to his words, he continued.
"I don't want anyone whispering stupid words in her ears, and I don't want her to do stupid things for publicity. You understand what I mean, right?" He narrowed his eyes at the old man, who readily nodded his head. "Good, because if she comes under harm, or she is made to do anything I did not want her to do..." His voice grew icy cold at this point. "You and this lady by your side will be the first to suffer, and then that suffering will befall on those dearest to the two of you."
Both their hearts palpitated in fear at the blunt threat by Keith, and the old woman felt chills run up her spine because she realized his words were mostly directed at her.
"Please rest assured, Heir Demiliore. I will do my job as lady Alana's manager to the best of my abilities. And I will heed to your warning."
"Your good performance will not go unrewarded, Miss Hamilton." Keith nodded his head and then sipped on some white wine. "You may take your leave now, Mr. Warner. Thank you for coming to see me on such short notice." His words were polite, and more than what a man like Warner could afford.
Even if he could not sleep last night and had to travel all the way from Alfendra, the showbiz capital of the country, to Magic City, which was thousands of miles away, he was still happy in his heart to learn that everything was going to be fine.
"Please don't thank me, Heir Demiliore. The subordinate is only doing his job." Warner stood up from his seat and then bowed to him.
Only after Keith nodded, did the old man straighten his back and took his leave.
"Alana will be here in half n hour. You can order whatever you want to eat if you are hungry." He left the old woman with those words and headed to his suite.
Yingying was quietly sitting at the study table, going through the Sheet Music that he had written right before going for breakfast.
Keith knew that she had an interest in music too, and he could see that she was quite attracted to the Music that had played yesterday at the restaurant.
"You can keep copies of these for yourself." He softly spoke before sinking on the couch, and Yingying nodded her head, not showing any emotions on her face.
"Here is the property deed, Master." She picked up a folder and brought it to him.
He did not need to look at it and just accepted it from her hands.
"Where's Uncle Caesar?"
"After we finished the task you assigned us, Lady Venessa called him and instructed him to go to the Mourntale Estate and finalize the Bride Price with them."
"I see." Keith nodded his head and then tapped on the place right by his side. "Sit."
Yingying did as asked, but then tensed up when Keith wrapped his arm around her, and pulled her closer to him.
"So, does my Yingying want me to teach her how to play 'Merry-go-round of Life'?" He mischievously whispered near her ear.
As good as she was at hiding her expressions, her ears still turned red at him addressing her as 'his' Yingying.
Her heart was quite troubled at his words, but then mustered up some courage and then nodded her head.
"Say it." He stressed.
"I want Master to teach me how to play 'Merry-go-round of Life.' And 'Windy Hill'." She softly spoke.
"Cute," Keith commented and then planted a kiss on her cheek. "I will teach you when we return home. Okay?"
"Yes." She quickly nodded her head, still trying her best to not allow her anxiousness, anticipation, and happiness on her face.
Keith sighed in his heart when he saw her behave that way. He knew he could change it all in just one night, but he did not want to rush things with her. He found himself enjoying her adorable attempts to hide her affection for him, and he wanted to see how long she could hold herself back.
"Brush my hair." He commanded and then rested his head in her lap, closing his eyes.
Yingying's heart skipped a beat, and a sweet smile threatened to appear on her face, but she hid it well. She softly started combing his hair with her fingers and felt his body relaxing under her ministrations.
Keith loved having his hair combed this way, and the feeling of Yingying doing it for him was quite different from what he felt from his mother, but he loved it too.
Time passed, which the two of them did not pay a fraction of their attention, and finally, a knock came on the door to their suite.
Yingying and Keith recognized who it was just from the knock, and the latter opened his eyes and stoop up, before lazily stretching his arms.
"Thank you!" He pecked a kiss on her cheek after wearing his shoes and then walked up to the door to open it.
"Good Morning, Alana!" He brightly smiled at the young girl, who was nervously fidgeting at the door, standing next to Victor.
"Good Morning, Keith!" A faint blush crept on her cheeks when she saw his brilliant smile, and couldn't help but stare at him.
"Let's go. I will introduce you to your new manager, and then you can go through the contract."
"Un.." Alana nodded her head and took a deep breath.
"How's your throat feeling?" He casually asked to lighten up the mood, and it worked.
"It feels good!" She happily smiled at him. "You are a brilliant doctor, Keith!"
She was quite skeptical at first when Keith had treated her by simply giving her neck a type of massage. And if she was being honest, it was too comfy, and as she recalled the sensation, the blush on her cheeks brightened up.
And after she returned home, she took the prescription, which was a honey syrup mixed in with a few herbs, and slept soundly.
When she woke up this morning, she did not feel the usual irritation that was always there when she woke up. And she did her best to not allow her curiosity to win over.
Keith had advised her against testing her vocals for the next few days, and so she was still being extra careful to not speak loudly.
"Thank you!" He smiled back at her. "Just keep taking the prescription for a week, and then you will be free of this problem."