"Done!" Jared typed the last letter as he pressed the enter button on the keyboard before he shut his laptop off.
He had completed most of his work after Trevor had left so that he could have ample time with Miss Ariana during their lunch.
He wasn't going to hide the fact that he was excited to see her again. He knew they met less than twenty-four hours ago but he still missed her pretty face which radiated with so much life and joy.
A small smile slipped into his face as he thought of her. He moved up from his chair to take his coat from the hanger, about to leave the office when the door was pushed open and an unannounced guest came in.
"Dad?" Jared stopped in the middle of his office.
"Son," Jared's father, Mr. Romano Antiano smiled.
"What-What are you doing here?" Jared couldn't help but stutter out.
Mr. Romano Antiano was a sophisticated man in his late fifties but he still managed to keep the physique of a young man.
With his towering height, lean muscles, and boyish features, one might not believe he was the owner of the second most successful company in town.
His gentle brown eyes which were normally filled with ambition also held a small amount of kindness and warmth he showed to his close ones.
He was dressed in his usual attire of a formal suit and today's color was grey with a mix of black.
His lips were spread out in a wide smile as he stared at his startled younger son.
"What? Am I not allowed to visit my son's office?" Romano teased.
"No, of course, I didn't mean it like that. I was just a little surprised, I guess," Jared laughed awkwardly.
"I only came to see how you are settling in. I have been too busy lately to come to see you here," Romano walked in as he closed the door behind him.
"I see, I'm fine, I'm settling in just fine," Jared smiled while he discreetly looked at his watch.
"Are you going somewhere?" Romano asked.
"Yeah, just for lunch," Jared nodded his head.
"That's great, why don't we go toge-"
"No!!" Jared blurted out quickly.
"What's the matter?" Romano frowned.
"Uh, I, um, I'm having lunch with the guys and it might be a little awkward with you there, no offense," Jared lied to avoid a lot of questions from his father.
"With Trevor?"
"No, Trevor isn't the only friend I have," Jared laughed as he waved his hand.
Technically, Trevor is the only close friend he had.
"I see, it's okay. I'm glad to see you where you truly belong," Romano smiled as he moved forward to pat his shoulder.
"This is what you were born for. To take over the business, to lead the company into further heights in your hands, and also to defeat the Jatropeshs," Romano added and Jared looked uncertainly.
"Dad, I have always told you, I'm not in this business to compete, I just want to do what I am here to do, nothing else," Jared sighed.
"I know, but in this industry, there are a few things you can't just avoid and one of them is rivals. Everyone would be watching and they would all be jealous of what you possess. That is when you would have to fight to keep what's yours," Romano hit his son's chest lightly.
"I-I get what you're saying, but I need to go now, I will be late for lunch," Jared said as he stepped out of his father's hold.
"Sure, son. See you later," Romano nodded his head.
"See you at home, Dad," Jared muttered before he walked out of his office.
"Old men and their expectations," he mumbled under his breath with a groan.
Jared was a huge fan of his father. Ever since a young age, he had always admired the strong man he saw as his hero but the more he grew, the more he realized that admiring something and being it were too different things.
His father, Romano, had always shaped his younger son, Jared, to take over the business because his eldest son, Jason, wasn't a better fit.
So Jared had to grow up with a lot of pressures on his shoulders and when he was sent abroad to further his studies, he had no say in what his father had in store for him.
But since he came back, he began to see the world of business for what it truly was and he would be frank to say he didn't want to participate in all the gambling and politics of the industry.
He would rather spend his time doing all the things he couldn't do from a young age and find his real purpose in life than stay behind a stuffed desk as he dealt with what he could care less.
Jared had no idea how he would break it to his father that his supposedly 'perfect' son wasn't what he thought he was.
Instead, he wanted something....more.
Jared sighed as he walked into the cafe he had planned to meet with Ariana and he moved to an empty table to sit when he didn't see her anywhere.
He guessed she hasn't arrived yet, so he sat patiently as he took out his phone to keep him from being idle.
"Sir, what would you like to order?" a waitress came toward him and she asked politely.
"Um, I'm expecting someone so maybe when she arrives, I'll-" Jared's attention was taken away when he saw her walking into the building.
And as usual, Ariana Jatropesh stepped in with a bang!