367: An old friend

An old friend

Meanwhile…0

"Hay…" Axel sighed as he stretched his arms and neck, releasing the tension in his stiff muscles. "I'm so tired."

Sitting on a swivel chair, he glanced at the papers on the desk before him. His lips instantly curved down, not pleased at the sight before him. 

"Why does it look like these documents don't end?" He scrunched up his face in dismay and grew resentful of his work. "Huhu. I just want to go home. I miss my sister."

The corner of his eyes turned a little reddish, on the verge of tears due to exhaustion. It had been months since he had to focus on his small company. Even though it was a small company compared to the LYON Group, it was still a subsidiary of his family's company. Therefore, unless Axel was willing to declare bankruptcy, he had to work. 

"I can't believe I have to work to have money." He hissed, taking the document on top of the piles of papers aggressively. A huff came out of his mouth, leaning back to read it. 

Axel barely skimmed through the first page, frowning. 

'I don't understand a word.'He tossed the paper back to the desk, pinching the bridge of his nose in distress. "How does my brother do it every single day all these years?"

Dominic always made things appear so easy. If one watched him work, one would think running the entire Lyon Group didn't need effort. But that was far from reality. It was foolish to think that way. Axel's company was too small, but his brain was already fried. Well, Axel's months of negligence had something to do with this immense work. 

"I should go home," he decided, slamming his palms against the desk. "I can't pull off another all-nighter. I'm dead. I cannot! Everyone will understand that I am no superhuman and I need to sleep on my bed and in the safety of my home!"

Axel nodded in understanding, convincing himself he deserved a rest. He had been working so hard and had been pulling off all-nighters. His company wasn't in a crisis anymore, after all. So, it wouldn't hurt if he relaxed for a bit. 

With that thought in mind, Axel happily arranged the papers on the desk. He would work on them tomorrow. It wasn't like he was running away from work. 

'What time is it, by the way?' he glanced at the digital clock on the desk, nodding in satisfaction seeing that it was only eight in the evening. "They're still awake. Should I sleep over at my brother's place?"

Knock knock

Deep lines appeared between Axel's brows at the knock from the door. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, gazing at the shut door of his office.

"Nope." He shook his head, not answering the door in case it was his staff bringing a new set of paperwork. 

Knock knock.

Axel pretended to be deaf, arranging his table because he knew whoever the person outside would eventually stop. He couldn't take more work tonight, so his staff would know that. 

Knock Knock.

"Nope." Axel shook his head, placing some papers in the drawers of his desk. 

CREAK…

The moment he heard the door creak open ever so slowly, the corners of his mouth curved down. His assistant or any of the staff wouldn't enter his office unless he said so. So, whoever came in without permission was surely bold. 

However, just as Axel turned his head to scold the person by the door, his voice rolled back to his throat, seeing the person leaning against the jamb. 

"I thought something bad happened when you didn't open the door." There, by the door, was a beautiful woman with her arms crossed under her chest. "But I guess you're simply running away from more work."

"Ivy!" Axel's eyes lit up as he abruptly sprung up from his chair. "You're back?!"

The woman with short straight brown hair smirked. "Yes. Fortunately. Can I come in?" she asked, but before he could answer, she already marched inside. 

"Woah… since when did you come back?" Axel fixed his eyes on the woman's figure, watching her sit on one of the couches inside the office. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've picked you up at the airport."

"I don't want to bother you." The woman chuckled. "I heard what happened here, so I knew you'd be swamped with work."

"Well, even if I'm swamped with work, I'll still pick you up." Axel shrugged. 

"Why? Because you got a reason to stay away from work?"

"Well…" Axel cleared his throat. This woman surely knew him well. "Anyway, when did you come back? Also, what do you want? Coffee? Tea? Juice?"

"Water." the woman smiled. "I came straight from the airport."

"Ohhh. Wait." Axel sprawled his arm toward the telecom on his desk, requesting a bottle of water for his guest. After telling his assistant to bring some refreshments, he dragged himself to the one-seater couch near the woman's spot. 

"You came straight from the airport?" he repeated, and the woman nodded. "Are you telling me you came here even instead of resting in your home?"

"I was worried about you."

"Aww." Axel's eyes softened, moved by this woman's genuine concern. "I feel like crying. Ivy, can you help me with work?"

Ivy Wei laughed at his straightforward question. "Surely, you didn't change. It's been a year since I was stationed at our international office. I thought you were more mature now."

"Oy, that sounds like an insult." Axel frowned while the woman laughed again. "I changed, alright?! If you don't want to help me, then just say so!"

"I'm kidding." Ivy shook her head while laughing. "I will help you."

"Really?"

"Yes, but not tonight. I just came to check on you. I need to rest because I have jetlag."

Axel pressed his lips into a thin line. "Fine," he huffed. 

"Anyway, how was your brother?" she asked after a while, making his brows raise. "I heard LYON Group will soon venture the diamond market. That's why I came back since Kaiden is asking for my assistance."

"Well, I don't know about that, but my brother's fine, as you can see." Axel shrugged, keeping his answer short and simple. 

The woman, Ivy Wei, cocked her head to the side. Normally, Axel would say more about his brother or complain about his sister-in-law. It was strange Axel was keeping a tight lip.

But well, the man was tired for sure.

"I know he is fine, although his plans for entering a new market warrants displeasure from some people. But anyway, I know that's none of your concern." Ivy maintained her smile. "I'll meet him anyway in a few days to talk about it."

Her smile stretch as her eyes shone brightly, excited to meet Dominic Zhu in a few days with a few friends.

Meanwhile, Axel simply rocked his head. "The target shooting? I'm coming."

"You will?"

"Mhm. Jeremy told me, and I need a reason to go out. It's the only leisure time I have for the week. I wouldn't miss that for the world."

"Let's come together then!" Her smile grew broader even more until her teeth were showing. "It's been a while since I met some of my friends here, after all. It would be nice to spend some leisure time with them before I got back to work."

"Well… sure?" Axel shrugged indifferently again. "Let's go together."

pqdm.com