The annoying man who stopped Calix was Gerard Xu, his so-called cousin of the same age. The latter came from a minor branch of the Xu family. His grandfather was a cousin to Calix's late grandfather.
Thus, one could say they were just distant relatives.
Calix put on a smile yet, it didn't reach his gaze.
"Oh, Gerard. I'm going home. Aren't you busy fixing your proposals? Give them to Edward once you're finished with them."
Calix looked at Gerard from head to toe. His indifferent gaze was a stark contrast to how lively it was usually in front of other people.
Gerard clenched his jaw. Through gritted teeth, he replied, "We're still having discussions to fix them. What can we do when our CEO is a perfectionist?"
Calix sneered. Shrugging, his response stabbed Gerard where he hurt the most.
"That's why I'm the CEO, Gerard. I have to be a perfectionist. If it's you, won't Xu International collapse in a year?"
Gerard stiffened. Holding back a rush of anger, he bit his lower lip hard.
Gerard bore hatred toward Calix. Even though the former didn't have the capability, he dared to question Calix's appointment as the new CEO.
The one-sided rivalry stemmed from the time they were in elementary school.
Gerard always tried to outrank Calix in everything, be it in academics, sports and even extracurricular activities. Yet, he kept failing in his quests.
With every defeat, Gerard's blind hatred toward Calix kept growing. It continued until they started working for Xu International.
As the successor, Calix jumped to be the CEO even though he started from a much lower rank. Now, Gerard filled in the role of the Vice Director of the Planning Department. They often butted heads during meetings.
Calix didn't particularly loath Gerard but, the latter's annoying actions caused him to be so unpleasing in his eyes.
"Haa! I forgot. I haven't congratulated you on your marriage, Calix. You've broken many ladies' hearts."
Gerard changed the topic once he opened his mouth again. His voice was quite loud considering they talked in the hallway right next to an open office area.
Several employees pretended to diligently work on their tasks yet, they actually kept their ears open. All of them knew how often the two men verbally fought.
Calix had an inkling that Gerard tried to say something bad again yet, he still played along. Edward stood as still as a statue behind the former, silently enjoying the show.
Shrugging, Calix responded, "I only need to care for my wife's heart. If you wanna give me wedding money, wire it to my account. You know it, don't you?"
Gerard snorted. Putting both hands into the pocket of his pants, he intentionally made his voice louder.
"Your first night was bad, wasn't it? After all, your wife's still in a coma. You're not perverted enough to do it when she's in that state, right?"
Faint gasps echoed from the direction of the open office. Gerard's words reached them as intended. A few pairs of curious eyes glanced at Calix while the others whispered among themselves.
Calix kept smiling yet, the frostiness of his gaze reached another degree colder. As he had expected, Gerard tried to cause trouble by airing Leslie's condition to the public.
Calix was not ashamed to let people know his newly wedded wife was in a coma. But, Gerard's action displeased him because it was laced with malice.
"Gerard."
Calix took a step forward. The intensity of his gaze caused his presence to loom over Gerard. The latter almost took a step back yet, he pretended to be brave by locking his eyes on Calix's.
"What? I'm just telling the truth. Many wanna know who's the lucky lady. After all, she's the wife of the Xu International CEO."
When Gerard heard Calix picked the comatose young lady of the Li family, the one who was neglected by the matriarch, he was so delighted. Joy took over his heart as he mocked Calix for making a bad decision.
The Li family was of a lower standing than the Xu family but, it was still an influential old clan. If it was Gerard, he would surely choose the beautiful and sensual Gladys Li whom the matriarch adored.
Tilting his head, Calix raised one hand and grasped Gerard's right arm. The pressure was quite high, causing the latter to grimace in pain.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I feel sorry for your future wife. The first night isn't entirely about consummating ah. Oh, are you the type to force yourself on a woman, en?"
"W-what? That's nonsense!"
Calix didn't mince his words at all, earning a glare from Gerard whose expression turned grim.
More eyes were trained in their direction. Some of them didn't even pretend to hide how busybody they were. Edward also did nothing to stop them.
Calix let go of Gerard's arm. He stared at the man a moment longer before he slowly, ever so slowly tilted his chin down until his eyes landed in the space between the latter's thighs.
"No wonder you can't come up with any good proposals. Turns out, you use your small lower head to think."
"Pfft!"
Edward snorted at Calix's cruel remark while Gerard instantly froze.
The annoying guy unconsciously closed the gap between his legs. Red color spread to his entire face, down to his neck. Faint snickers reverberated in the open office area.
Unable to retort, Gerard stiffly turned around and fled from the hallway. Calix let out a deep sigh, relieved to see the troublemaker escaping like a scaredy cat.
"What a waste of my time," Calix sighed again, "I should already be in my car now."
Edward smirked, "But, you enjoyed it, Boss Xu."
Calix said nothing even though Edward was telling the truth. He loved messing with Gerard but, doing it often would just annoy himself.
"Alright, enough. I'll go home."
"May you have a good first dinner with your parents-in-law, Boss Xu."
Calix shrugged. Quickening his pace, he immediately headed to the basement parking lot. He drove today instead of using Uncle Raymond's service.
Once Calix got inside the car, he made a call to Aunt Wendy. The line was connected in less than two rings. The middle-aged woman's voice reverberated from the car's built-in speaker.
"Aunt Wendy, I'm going home now. Have you prepared the food?"
"I have, Mr. Calix. You're so early today."
Calix laughed faintly at Aunt Wendy's remark. The time had just struck three. He usually went home late.
"Well, I wanna see my wife."
If other people heard what he had just said, certainly they would think how lovestruck he was with his bride.
Huhu, if only they knew the truth.
Aunt Wendy's chuckle echoed gently at the end of the line. She reminded Calix to be careful on his drive home.
Humming to a random melody, Calix speedily drove down the expressways. When he stopped at a red light, his personal phone rang. The Caller ID was displayed on the car dashboard screen.
Calix's hum turned to a sigh. He reluctantly accepted the call.
"Yes, Xan..."
"CALIX XU! Did you really get married?!"
The male lead's voice, Xander Qin, blared loudly inside the car.