A 30-year-old man appeared restless as he glanced at his phone repeatedly while seated at his desk in the office, seemingly waiting for something. Although he was on his laptop, working, his mind seemed to be flying somewhere else, preventing him from focusing.
Heaving a heavy sigh, he frustratedly ran his fingers through his hair. He rested his elbows on the table and clasped them together. The nameplate on his desk read, "Deric Eliazar, President," indicating the high position he currently holds within the company. However, aside from his work responsibilities, something else seemed to have been bothering him.
Suddenly, he heard knocks on the door that lit up his face, hoping that the person knocking would resolve the predicament he was facing.
"Come in," he uttered while staring at the door eagerly with hopes that his secretary would deliver good news for him.
Upon entering, his secretary said, "Sorry to bother you, Sir, but Mrs. Lila Robinson is here. She said she needs to talk to you. I already told her that you were busy and she does not have any scheduled meetings with you, but she was so persistent to meet you, so please excuse the interruption. Do you want me to ask her to leave?"
Deric told her earlier that he wouldn't meet anyone except for certain people he mentioned, and that doesn't include Mrs. Lila Robinson. Knowing that she would exacerbate the issue Deric already has, Lila is the last person Deric wants to meet today. However, it is the third time he has declined to see her, and the situation Deric is in now would worsen if he rejected her again.
Left with no choice, he responded, "Tell her to come in."
The secretary, who looked worried, slowly nodded her head and replied, "Okay, sir," before leaving the room. She could notice how stressed her boss is right now; however, she couldn't grasp what has been happening to him.
After that, Deric sighed again as he prepared himself to face the woman he had been ignoring. He composed himself and made sure Lila would not notice anything was amiss because if she did, she would resort to any means necessary to learn the truth.
When the woman came inside the room, she turned to Deric and smiled sweetly, which he knew was fake. "Hello, my dear Deric," she said as she walked gracefully towards his desk.
Lila Robinson, despite being in her 50s, still looks fine and classy wearing her modest white dress underneath a beige trench coat that reaches until above her knees. Her short blonde hair was neatly slicked back, and she wore light makeup to complement her eye-catching red lipstick-painted lips. She was adorned by gold and pearl jewelry that glistens when the light reflects on it, screaming how rich she is.
Deric stood up and said, "Mrs. Robinson, to what do I owe the pleasure? Please sit down," but he hadn't even finished his sentence when Lila sat on the sofa.
Lila's expression grew stern. "Tell me, Deric, are you ignoring me?" she demanded.
Deric walked towards the sofa, sat on the couch in front of her, and replied, "Like I said, I've been busy these days. Weren't you advised by my secretary to schedule a meeting with me? I have a meeting in 10 minutes."
"Your stupid secretary told me she'd schedule me next month? How could I wait that long?" Lila answered while knitting her eyebrows in frustration.
"Kindly refrain from calling her stupid. She is merely carrying out her duties. Besides, I am indeed busy. I would advise you to carry out your reason for coming here today or else you'd really have to schedule your next meeting with me," he uttered monotonously without breaking eye contact.
Lila, who was irritated by his impoliteness, made an effort to conceal her rage by smiling; after all, she was talking to the president of the company.
"Right," she uttered. Meanwhile, Deric's secretary entered the room to bring them their tea.
"Thanks, Freya," Deric told her. Freya then bowed her head and left while Lila stared at her with her sharp eyes. Deric looked at Lila and said, "Please continue."
"I would not beat around the bush anymore; you know the reason why I am here. Tell me where my son is. I know you know where he has been hiding," she eagerly demanded and gritted her teeth.
Deric raised an eyebrow and replied, "How would I know where your son Kian is? You are his mother; you should know."
Lila scorned at him as she tried to compose herself and responded, "You know I am not talking about Kian. I am talking about my son Hans. He hasn't answered my calls for a month now, and as a mother, I am worried sick waiting for his replies."
Upon hearing her statement, Deric lightly scoffed and took a sip of his tea. "Since when did you care about Hans? We both know he's not your real son," he uttered while looking at Lila with a blank expression.
In response to his remarks, Lila clenched her fist and said, "The moment I married Hans's father, he was already my son. I might not have shown it often, but I do care about him."
Her empty words could not penetrate through Deric's cold facade because he knew what really lay in Lila's heart. Even Hans is aware that she has never been sincere or compassionate. If he heard her words, he would choke on laughter.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Robinson, but I cannot tell you where he is," he responded as he rose from his seat, straightening up his dark blue tuxedo. He must look presentable when he meets up with the board later.
Lila immediately stood up to stop him from leaving. "Where are you going?" she asked with a threatening tone.
"I told you, I have a meeting. I don't want to be late, so please excuse me," he responded and turned his back at her.
"You cannot do this to me, Deric Eliazar! You are just the president of this company. I am the mother of the CEO. I could fire you anytime!" she exclaimed as she couldn't control her anger anymore.
Deric sighed and turned to her. "First of all, Mrs. Robinsons, you had no share in this company despite being the mother of the CEO. You have no right to fire anyone nor treat anyone in this company with disrespect. If you continue doing this, I would have you banned from this entire building, and you'd never be able to set foot back here ever again," he stated in a firm voice that made Lila shut her mouth.
He knew what Lila really wanted, and that was to take Hans' position in the company and give it to her son Kian. She was just trying to find a fault in Hans so she could convince the board to demote him.
Aside from that, Lila was so furious when she found out that Hans let Deric take over his job as CEO while he was enjoying himself somewhere two months ago. It is been a month since she last spoke to him, and during that time, Hans did not even address her properly or provide a reason for his departure.
Being the sole heir to the company's founder, his father, Hans, holds the majority of the company's shares. However, he was the one who made the company what it is now. When he first came into the company, it was on the verge of falling. Hans was the reason the company has been at the top until now, which is why the board of directors trusts him and his decisions.
Although Deric believed Lila had no power in this company, she might trigger the board to lose their faith in him. There are still a lot of enemies lurking everywhere, which is why Deric must never lose his guard. His goal is to protect Hans's position until his return. The problem is that Deric can't contact or find him.
If the board finds out about this crisis, they might appoint Kian as the new CEO because he is the second son of the founder. Deric has no ownership stake in this company, making it difficult for him to maintain his position without Hans once the board questions him. For this reason, he needs to locate Hans as soon as possible. The board will undoubtedly look for him, so he cannot continue to tell this lie forever.
"Where are you, Hans?" he thought to himself and sighed as soon as he left his office.
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End of Chapter 7