"Ma'am you have to do something! If things continue like this, our company would go bankrupt!"
"Do you think I don't know that?"
"Then…!"
"I am thinking I am thinking, okay!"
"Mrs. Lancaster, "a distinguished loud voice was heard from the other end of the meeting room. "In this three years of L group suffering losses one after the other, what exactly have you done?"
"W-what do you mean? I-I have done everything—"
"—a replacement CEO should?" the woman clenched her teeth. "Yes."
"Do you really believe that?" the man scoffed. He is an old man still stout and strong enough to hold an important position of a shareholder of the L group. In fact, it's him who holds most of the share of this company.
"Owing to Mr. Lancaster's declining health six years ago, you have taken the responsibility of being the CEO of this company and since then the company has been running steadily but for the last three years we have been suffering from endless losses enough for us to pull out our investment money—"
"No!"
"You are unable to produce any proper results, Mrs. Lancaster. What do you want us to do?"
"If you could give me—"
"More time?.....How much time do you even need? Wasn't three years enough?"
"B-but I—"
"Listen here Mrs. Lancaster, we, the shareholders have discussed this before among ourselves and have come to the decision that…." He paused roamed his eyes around the entire room, received some nods from his fellow shareholders and continued; "….either you give up your position as CEO or allow us to put someone from our side. The choice is yours."
The suited middle aged men left the room one by one, the last one being the same old man who threw the ultimatum at the cold, arrogant face of wife of Mr. Lancaster. Mr. Lancaster, as a man and businessman is a good one but not his wife.
After everyone cleared out of the room, he decided to drop the bomb that he was wondering about for a long time.
"Didn't you have a son?"
"....and it's just so frustrating how clueless he can be!"
Seon Hul slurped on the mango punch drink that she had brought listening intently to her bestie venting frustrations of her love life to someone who doesn't have any, all the while stirring the coke that the latter has never drank at all.
"Hmm." Hummed the mango punch bearer.
"That's all you have to say?" Emilia raised her arms.
"Mm? Oh you wanted my opinion?" Seon Hul poked her straw in the plastic cup to see if any more juice was left or not. Emilia gave her a look of 'Well, duh' and waited for the girl beside her share her opinions. As much as she is outspoken, she's typically honest and genuine about her opinions. She never fakes it, not even cares that if they are brutal or not. Emilia, as much as she hates it, she likes it at the same time.
"Well I think you should talk to him about your past."
"What?"
"Yep."
"No w-what? I-I am not ready! Besides it's been only two and half months since we started to date."
"Uh fine. If you are not ready to talk about your past then you better get ready to break up with him."
"Are you cursing our relationship now?"
Seon Hul stopped poking her plastic glass with her straw and put it down. "No. But I am cursing you. You see, this is the major problem in relationships, ya'll don't talk it out. Ya'll just take your emotions out on each other and hurt each other and then you sit back and cry like some little kid who has spilled her milk on the floor."
Speaking of talking it out, she has to talk to someone too. Ever since that encounter in front of the alleyway, she hasn't seen the ginger head much in school or in their mutual classes, even if she did he'd out rightly avoid her. They weren't friends to begin with, they were acquainted enough to say smile and exchange 'hi', 'hello' with each other.
Seon Hul stopped gazing at the purple sky that signified sunset and looked at the girl beside her deep in thought. "Sometimes…..sometimes Emily, it's you who'll have to take a step forward. Better doing something than regretting about it later on. Who knows maybe he too has a past that's kinda similar to you?"
Fifteen minutes later, Emilia left the spot where they were sitting. It was a children's park, the biggest and only one in Roschend with lush green grass filled with laughter of children. The juice van that stood near the gates of the park is extremely busy with handing out the juice cups as ordered by the clamoring children or their parents. She felt someone run up to her, stopped and bent forward holding knees to catch breath.
"Is this some kind of a prank?" Seon Hul looked back at the panting carrot top then readjusted her position to the prior one again. She patted the grass patch beside her indicating for the puffing boy to sit next to her. The boy sat down.
After he had caught his breath, the pink haired beauty beside him decided to speak up; "I just wanted to talk to you, Luke."
He exploded; "Really? By sending this kind of message you wanted to talk to me?" he shoved the phone almost at her face by opening their chat in messages that read.
"Come to the park."
"Now."
"It's urgent."
"You wouldn't have come otherwise." Luke couldn't deny that.
"So, how's it goin'? You gonna be mistress soon?"
Luke gaped. "I told you not to talk about it." He hushed forcefully.
"Yes I didn't talk about it to anyone else but you never forbade me not to bring it up in front of you." She reasoned.
"I-I-ughh."
"What is it?"
"No luck actually. He's adamant."
"Okay." Seon Hul stood up making Luke look up. "Let's get going."
"Go? Where?"
Seon Hul looked at him as if he had asked the most stupid question ever. "To have snacks of course. Your treat by the way."
"Wait what? When did that get decided?" Luke followed her patting his back to get rid of the grasses from his pants.
"Just now."
"I don't have money right now."
"You can always Venmo~"
"That's not the issue!"
A phone buzzed impatiently and persistently with calls and messages on the study table of a room of a two storied house. The boy sitting on the study table ignored the phone blatantly and continued on with his study. He needs to start cramming for exams. The phone went quite for some time and the boy was enjoying the peace when again the phone buzzed, this time it was just a number.
He picked it up without looking at it; "What?"
No answer.
"Hello?"
Again, no answer from the other end.
He looked at the phone and found that it was unsaved number. A sound made him hold the phone again. A panting was heard. This panting is not the same one as someone does after running a mile or two or when they're having a panic attack…..this panting is something else, lewd, dirty and erotic.
"H-hello?" the boy decided that if there is no answer this time, he'll hang up and block the number.
"Ah~Rio~!" he immediately hung up, tapped on his screen as fast as his fingers could and blocked the number before a call was made from that number again and threw it away on his bed as if he had been electrocuted by it.
Rio tuned on the lights of his washroom and started to scrub his hands with soap until they are red. It's been thirteen long years since he heard that voice. Thirteen freaking years since his life turned upside down. Thirteen years to forget his fear and trauma and give his life a chance again.
Thirteen years since he heard the lewd voice of the 'skeleton' that he had hidden deep inside his closet.