"Sir, I have sent the executive president of TN Corporation home. His secretary came in with his car to pick him up," the man with glasses promptly reported.
"Cole," the man suddenly called his name, making Cole blink in surprise.
The president he served was not an easy man. At the age of twenty-two, he won the fierce battle to inherit the largest and richest corporation in the country, the McGarden.
During his reign as CEO, he managed to grow the company tenfold, even extending its influence to other countries worldwide. He also changed the name to Vermillion Garden Corporation and made it into the top ten rankings of the richest global corporations.
In short, this man was a global tycoon and a vicious tyrant. Whenever this man mentioned his name, it meant something had caught his interest.
"That boy, isn't he from this morning?"
Cole adjusted his glasses. He looked in the direction where the man was looking and squinted his eyes. Indeed, on the pavement across the road, a young man could be seen squatting beside a broken bike.
"Compensation," the man suddenly said. His icy voice made Cole conscious. He then remembered that this young man had run away this morning without accepting his business card.
"Yes, of course." Cole turned to go down when the man stopped him.
"Ready the car," the man stood up and gestured for the waiter to take their bill before he went to the bathroom.
"Yes, sir." Cole was puzzled. What did his president want to do? First, he mentioned compensation, but now that he was about to go down and find the boy, he ordered him to ready the car?
Even though Cole was confused, he did not show it on his face. He adjusted his glasses as the waiter swiped their card and gave them the receipt for the bill. Cole then promptly left.
The car was parked beside the restaurant, so it was easy for him to come down, drive the car out of the parking lot, and wait for his president to come down.
Five minutes later, the president, with his famous black inky hair and dark grey eyes that seemed to stab people if they met his gaze, came out. In the evening wind, this man looked stunning.
His hair fluttered, and his sharp eyes and handsome features became even more eye-catching. He looked like a god who had descended under the moonlight, clad in black with long legs and an icy glare.
Cole parked in front of him so the man could get inside the back of the car.
"Compensate the boy," the man ordered.
Cole nodded and slowly maneuvered the car to turn onto the straight road. He stopped right on the pavement.
Dwayne noticed the black car that stopped a meter away but did not react, thinking it would just drive away. He heard the driver come out and walk toward him.
"Ehem," Dwayne sluggishly looked up.
The familiar face of the man with glasses from this morning appeared in front of him. Dwayne's hazy eyes could not focus. He looked like a lost kitten left in the dark, not knowing what to do or where to go.
"Eh?" His soft voice could barely be heard, as it could easily be taken away by the wind.
"Are you alright?" Cole asked. "You can't go home because of your bike?"
Dwayne absentmindedly nodded. He gazed at Cole as if he was seeing a big, harmless human curious about him. It only hit Dwayne a few minutes later that it was dangerous.
Talking to strangers is dangerous, especially at night!
He scrambled to his feet and made sure he distanced himself from Cole. Both his hands gripped his bike with determination. If they tried to do something, he could always drag the bike to the café, or he could leave it behind momentarily and hide on the café's roof.
"Here's my business card," Cole offered it to the young man.
Dwayne had his guard up. He looked at Cole's face, then at the business card. Cole knew this boy was feeling suspicious about them and felt he needed to clarify this misunderstanding.
"The president cannot let you go without us helping you. This morning, I almost hit you with the car."
Dwayne shook his head. "No, it's okay. It was my fault. I had to save my cat that suddenly crossed the street."
Cole sensed the boy was pretty stubborn, vehemently refusing the offer to take his business card. He went to knock on the president's window and whispered something.
When the window was brought down, Dwayne met eyes with the coldest and most handsome man he had ever met. The sharp grey eyes, the tousled dark inky hair, the perfect flawless jawline, and chiseled face.
But when he noticed the strings surrounding the man, Dwayne flinched.
[Holy…]
The Matchmaker System also reacted. The man didn't have a single white or red string. They were all black, and some of them were green.
This meant the man was full of hatred towards people and had done terrible things to others. Maybe some of them were murders.
Dwayne gulped, horrified by the impending danger. He turned his back and nervously removed the lock on his bike.
[Wait, don't run.]
"Huh?"
[They will offer to get your bike fixed and send you home.]
Dwayne wanted to cry without tears. "I don't want to." Dwayne swallowed the sob in his throat. "I didn't work hard just to be killed at midnight."
[That man with glasses, his name is Cole Fester. He is the executive secretary of Raven McGarden, the CEO of Vermillion Garden Corporation.]
Dwayne's eyes bulged. His fearful face was replaced with utter shock.
"Really? That globally famous IT company?"
Cole turned to Dwayne. "My boss said that we can send your bike to a repair shop. Since you can't go home without it, we can give you a ride for now and have the bike sent to you early in the morning."
Dwayne swayed. "Uh, sirs. May I ask why you would go that far? Actually, it's okay. I can take care of myself."