Chapter 354 Serious Business
Chapter 354 Serious Business
”You don’t have to drive me around anymore. You’re CEO now. I’m taking my own car. You should take yours too,” Tom told Harry over the phone as he took his private elevator to his private parking lot.”I’m not complaining. Besides, it’s not practical. We are going to the same place, so it makes sense that we use the same car,” Harry said as he left his office, they were ready to go to I-Global airlines for the last meeting before the official opening ceremony.
”You’re beginning to make me feel you love my company so much, and you want to be in the same car with me by all means, even if it means you have to be my driver,” Tom said in amusement, and Harry chuckled.
”Haven’t I told you I’m in love with you?” Harry asked, and Tom’s face scrunched up in disgust.
”Ew! I hope nobody heard that!” Tom said, and Harry chuckled.
”Since you don’t want me to drive you, how about you return the favor and drive me for a change?” Harry asked as he walked into the elevator.
”You realize I’m going to be leaving to meet with those foundation ladies after the meeting at the airline?” Tom reminded him.
”Perfect! I want to come with you for that meeting,” Harry offered, “And don’t you dare say no. I have to be there. It was my idea,” he reminded Tom.
”Whatever. Wait for me in front of the building now. If I get there before you, I’m leaving you,” Tom warned as he hung up.
He got into his car before dialing Lucy’s line after hanging up, “Hey, pretty!” He said once the call connected.
Lucy, who was trying to settle back to work after the phone call with her parents, smiled, “I take it you’re calling because you’re leaving the office?” She asked, believing he won’t bother her during work hours unless it was necessary.
”Am I that predictable?”
”Being predictable isn’t a bad thing. I like that I can guess what you’re up to,” Lucy assured him.
”Good response. That’s not the only reason I called. How are you feeling? Do you need a belly rub?” Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.
”Like you’re going to cancel your meeting to do that,” she said in amusement.
”I guess I’m not so predictable then. I can postpone the meeting. Some things are a matter of urgency,” Tom said, and she grinned again.
”Yeah, things like giving your girlfriend a belly rub. I’m sure you’ll find a more diplomatic way of saying that to the shareholders and board of directors,” Lucy said dryly.
”I’m sure they’ll trust my judgment. The company needs me to be at my best all the time. And I can’t be at my best if my Jewel isn’t feeling well. Hence, I will need to postpone the meeting and make her feel okay in order for me to be okay enough to attend to the company,” Tom explained, and Lucy laughed.
”I love you, Ace,” she said with a wide smile, and if he could see her eyes at the moment, he would have seen her heart in her eyes.
”I love you more. Since you don’t need a belly rub, I should run along then. I’ll be seeing Anita. Do you have any message you need me to deliver to her?” Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.
”I’m sure whatever you’re likely going to tell her is enough for two. It will be your first meeting since you officially revealed your identity, so you both can’t pretend not to know each other anymore. I’m curious to know how she would react to seeing you and how your conversation with her today plays out.”
”I’m curious too. Don’t worry. For your sake, I might just record our conversations so that you don’t miss anything. Or would you rather I call you discreetly, so you listen in directly? I could even wear an airpod, and then you can tell me what you think as you listen,” Tom suggested, and Lucy laughed softly, knowing that he actually meant it.
”I’m too busy right now to eavesdrop on your conversation with her. You can just tell me about it after work. By the way, has Harry told you about us having dinner with him after work?” Lucy asked, and Tom raised a brow.
“Dinner? When did you speak with him?” Tom asked curiously.
”Earlier this morning.”
He had been talking with Harry earlier before he was called away to attend to something, and from there, he had gone to supervise the job interview, so that was why he probably had not mentioned it yet, “No, he hasn’t told me yet, but I’m sure he will mention it later. What did you tell him? Are you up for it?” Tom asked, and Lucy smiled as she remembered what Harry had said about Tom being wrapped around her finger.
”I said it depends on you, and I’ll wait for whatever you decide,” Lucy said.
”You tell me what you want. Are you up for it? If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to,” Tom assured her.
”And then what? Will you go without me? Or you will turn down your best friend’s invitation to stay back with me?” Lucy asked curiously.
”I could go while you stay back home and rest. You will finally have time to yourself the way you love,” Tom said, and Lucy frowned slightly.
She would have jumped at this three weeks ago, but the thought of Tom being out while she was inside didn’t seem like fun. She knew she was just going to be waiting for him to return, and she would be bored, “Let’s go together,” she suggested, and Tom smiled.
”Okay then…”
”Harry seems to believe you’ll just go along with his plan because I’m okay with it. So you can play a little hard-to-get game with him before giving in,” Lucy suggested, and Tom chuckled.
”Where have you been all my life?”
”At the company’s branch in Heden. You refused to promote me early enough,” Lucy said jocularly, and Tom laughed.
”I love you, Jewel. I need to run now. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”
”I love you too, and don’t call me again unless it’s the close of work. As sweet as these calls are, I’m distracted…”
”I’m going to call you. And you better pick up when I do. Bye,” Tom said and hung up before she could protest.
He started the car automatically and drove off immediately, knowing that he would probably see steam rising from Harry’s ears by now. He had kept the guy waiting after warning him not to keep him waiting.
When he got to the front of the company, he chuckled when he saw Harry glaring at him angrily, “Sorry. I was on the phone with my crown Jewel,” Tom said once Harry got into the car and shut the door.
Harry, who had been about to snap at him, scowled instead, “For Christ’s sake, Tom! She’s in the same building as you. You spent the night together on the same bed and left the house together this morning. Couldn’t it wait?”
Tom chuckled as he drove off, “It couldn’t. Don’t worry. You’ll understand me better when you finally find someone you love and go into a relationship,” Tom promised.
”You’re lucky I love Lucy. Else I would have thrown you out of the car,” Harry muttered.
”It’s my car, remember?”
”I’ve sat behind that wheel more times than you have, remember? It’s not about who owns it. It’s about the person who handles it. Ask Richard Miller,” he said with a dark smile, knowing how much Tom hated such jokes, and as expected, Tom looked at him distastefully.
”Sometimes, when I listen to your dark humor, I wonder how you’re my best friend. How can you joke with something like that?” Tom said with a shake of his head, and Harry laughed.
”How can I not joke with it? Feel free to admit that it’s funny and true silently,” Harry said before, returning to his serious mode.
”So about the interview earlier. We may have gotten someone. He will be resuming next Monday, so until then, I’ll try to organize everything to hand over to him,” Harry said, and Tom nodded.
”I suppose you want to use the time to run a background check on him?”
”Sure. If he’s working that closely with you, we have to be sure he’s someone trustworthy,” Harry said, and Tom smiled in gratitude.
”Thank you. Feel free to let me know when I can repay anyone of the many favors you’ve done me.”
”In friendship, there is no repayment of favors. But I’ll appreciate it if you have dinner with me and my father tonight. You can come along with Lucy since I know you won’t want to leave her alone,” Harry said, and Tom turned to spare him a glance.
”Can’t make it. Sorry, I have plans.”
”What plans? I have already invited Lucy, and she is available. Who do you have other plans with?” Harry asked with a scowl since he had already made the dinner reservation.
”I didn’t tell her about my plans. It’s supposed to be a surprise dinner for just the both of us. I hope you don’t mind?” Tom asked, and Harry scowled at him and looked out of the window in annoyance, making Tom stifle the urge to chuckle. As manly and strict as Harry could be, he sometimes behaved like he was his girlfriend, and Tom wondered if he knew that was how he acted.
”I will think about it, though, and see if I can cancel the reservation,” Tom said, and Harry snorted in response, making him chuckle.
”I was just kidding. You know you’re my second girlfriend. I can’t say no to you and hurt your feelings,” Tom said, slapping Harry’s shoulder.
”You’re lucky you changed your mind. I was already mentally composing my resignation letter, which I would submit tomorrow morning if you didn’t show up. You want to hear it?” Harry asked with a smirk, and Tom laughed.
”Not interested. Did I give you the details of the last meeting we had in your absence yet?” Tom asked, and Harry shook his head.
”Shit! There are always so many distractions lately. That was the reason I came into your office earlier, but I got carried away by Barry’s revelation,” Harry said, and Tom chuckled.
”The last meeting was very entertaining. Lucy had a face-off with Anita,” Tom said, and Harry sat up, looking at him with interest.
”What happened?”
Tom narrated how they had been arguing over their ideas for the airline and how he asked Lucy to excuse them…
”No, you didn’t do that!” Harry exclaimed, feeling slightly annoyed on behalf of Lucy, and Tom chuckled as he continued his narration.
By the time he was done, Harry was howling with laughter, “You mean she pulled over by the side of the road and got out of the car just so she could receive your call?” Harry asked in amusement and then shook his head, “You’re both crazy.”
”Even the most normal people do crazy things when they’re in love,” Tom pointed out.
”Yeah. Like Anita,” Harry said with a chuckle, and Tom glared at him.
”Why do you keep talking about her and her family? Besides, who said she’s in love?”
”She’s in love, not necessarily with you. But she’s in love with your money and your identity,” Harry said with a shrug, “And now that we’re back to the subject, I think you should make your stand to her known today. Spell out that even if she was the only girl left in the world and you have to choose between her and a female cheetah, you’d choose the cheetah.”
”No. I’m not choosing either her or the cheetah! Are you crazy? You can be so weird sometimes,” Tom hissed, and Harry laughed as Tom pulled over in front of I-Global airlines.
Harry cleared his throat and put on a straight face when he saw the long line of executives waiting for them, including Anita, “Time for serious business.”