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ZACH
Iscan through the report about a potential acquisition. As the CFO of Elixir Inc., one of the leading and fastest growing pharmaceutical companies in the world, I oversee mergers and acquisitions among other departments. But M&A is what I find most interesting and challenging.
Today, however, my mind is elsewhere. I cannot focus on the report my team has prepared. I think about the previous night’s dream, about Ray. There is this perpetual feeling of worry in my heart.
A knock on my office door startles me and I drop the pen in my hand, almost knocking over the coffee mug. My brother Zane looks at me in surprise.
“What’s-s up?” he says, giving me two words. Our twisted childhood has left its impressions on all of us in different ways. My brother Zane stutters, even after a lot of therapy.
“Just on edge today.”
“Does th-this have anything to do with yourt-talkwith Zander last Fr-riday?”
So, he and Zander talked about me. I’m not surprised. We’re the kind of brothers who know everything about each other’s lives. I shrug, remembering his question. “Maybe.”
He takes a seat opposite mine. “D-did you look at the r-report?”
I shake my head, looking at my screen where the first page of the report is still open.
“You know, unlik-ke me, you’ve got no pr-roblem speaking.” My brother has a light smile on his lips, but I don’t miss the hint of frustration in his eyes.
“Sorry, bro. My head is not in the right place today.”
“W-what happened?”
“Lot of things. Zander and Rose saw me with Vanessa. And then she showed up at my place, forcing William to let her up to the foyer.” I skip the part on how she did that. No sense in opening an old can of worms. “But I made it clear to her that she needs to stay away from me.”And I hope she fucking gets it this time.
“So, w-what’s the problem? You s-second-guessing?” Zane arches an eyebrow at me.
“Fuck no. Not at all.” I grab the black pen with my name inscribed in silver from my desk and spin it around my thumb. “Friday night, I had a weird encounter with a kid.” I pause, dropping the pen and pulling on my tie, which suddenly feels too tight. “He looked four or five years old, but he was like a spitting image of me.” I rehash my meeting with Ray and his pup.
Zane listens to me patiently, other than running his hand back and forth over his neck, he doesn’t give me any reaction. Among us three, he’s the most calm. When I’m finished, he walks to the mini fridge in my office and picks a water bottle for himself. “D-did you take a pict-ture?” he asks after taking a few sips.
I shake my head. “Honestly, it didn’t occur to me.”
“But you know w-where he lives?”
I nod and hold my breath, waiting for him to finish.
“D-do you want to s-see him?”
“I don’t know.” I glance at my brother. My pulse quickens as I wait for his next words.
“Let’s-s go.” Zane strides toward the office door and I follow him. Maybe this was what I wanted to do since I had that dream. Check up on Ray.
While we walk out of the office building, I think about Ray’s parents. He told me about his mom. Will she be there? Will she think of our arrival as an intrusion of their privacy?
“That’s where he lives.”I motion toward Ray’s house after parking my Porsche in the same spot as the previous night.
In the daylight I notice it’s a modest neighborhood. Ray’s home is an old cottage-style building with a small gate, and from the looks of it, it needs some serious repair.
“Th-then let’s-s check it out.” My legs fucking shake as I follow my younger brother. For some reason, I can’t help this feeling of nervousness.
When Zane and I reach the main gate, I spot Ray with his pup. If I’m not wrong, he’s trying to build a doghouse from thin cardboard boxes, but not having much success. The shaky building finally topples, and he springs back before folding his arms over his chest. When he turns around, looking annoyed, his gaze immediately lands on us.
Ray’s head jerks up before he does a double take and his face lights up like the Fourth of July. No one has ever been so happy at my arrival, and just watching his smile settles something in my chest. This kid is too fucking good for my soul.
Ray runs to me followed by his squealing pup, which I now realize is a St. Bernard. “Your Highness!” he says and bows.
