Rancorous

Chapter 6

THREE YEARS AGO

Brevin

The warm May air faded into cool air as soon as I walked into my uncle's company. I nodded toward Genesis Choi, the secretary.

"Hi Brevin. You look a lot taller than the last time I saw you." Smiling at me, I didn't return the greeting.

"It's only been a couple months since I was last here Genesis." I didn't hide the boredness I felt.

She laughed. "I know, but usually this is around the time boys grow really fast. How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Thought so. You're already as tall as your uncle." She took a sip of her tea.

"Speaking of my uncle, I'm here to see him."

She picked up her telephone and dialed a few buttons before pressing it to her ear. After exchanging a few words, she hung up the phone and turned toward me. "Your uncle is currently in a meeting, but you can have a seat and I can let you know when you can head up."

I muttered a quick thanks before I went over to the waiting chairs and plopped down on one. Taking out my phone, I started searching through social media looking for a particular person unconsciously. I didn't know why I always did, but I looked up her name and came up empty once again.

I shouldn't even be thinking about her, but it was like my brain kept taunting me every night with the same dreams. When I was all alone as I laid in bed, her voice was all I heard. And when I closed my eyes, her face was all I saw. It had been over a year since I last saw her, yet my feelings for her were still as vivid as ever.

"Dude, you were so flirting with the secretary, weren't you?"

I turned to my left where Reth was bouncing his eyebrows up and down. The magazine in his lap forgotten.

"What're you doing here?" This guy was a pain to be around. I was fine with seeing him in school, but out of school? My brain cells needed a break.

"I'm an undercover spy investigating potential enemies." He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Genesis. "Suspect number one: the hot secretary. Easy on the eyes but not on the heart." Barely resisting the urge to groan, I rested my fingers on my temple as he laughed at his own joke.

"Kidding, except for the hot secretary part. I have an internship here."

That caught my attention. "Internship? With who?"

He stretched his arms out before folding them behind his head. With a hubris smirk he said, "They usually don't take high school interns for the technology department of this place but because my dad's the CIO, I get some advantages." He paused. "What about you? Why are you here?"

As I was about to answer, a voice made me turn my head.

"This is my nephew, Brevin Romes. I'm mentoring him as he's taken a keen interest in the business." Uncle Richard smiled at me with an outstretched hand introducing me to the businessman he was currently talking to. I faultered at his smile. It looked so foreign and... weird, for a lack of a better word.

Out of the side of my vision, I noticed Reth's mouth was agape looking between my uncle and me.

Standing up to my full height, I stretched my hand out shaking the businessman's hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

The man with dark grey hair and a light, designer suit gave me a nod with a genuine smile. "To you as well. I'm glad to hear young lads like you are showing interest in the business at quite a young age."

I returned a tight lipped smile before my uncle laid his hand on my shoulder, an anomoly of a gesture. "He's going to make a great businessman one day."