ceo | bokuaka

[22] family reunion

when akaashi woke up, the first thing he wanted to do was vomit. he had a splitting headache and the room swirled around him.

"ah, you're finally awake," a voice spoke from the corner of the room.

akaashi swallowed down the taste of upcoming bile in his mouth, trying to ground himself as he feebly sat up, looking at the other man.

"father."

"nice of you to visit your old man again," he chuckled.

akaashi's eyes drifted around the room. he was in his old childhood bedroom. it hadn't changed much since he left—in fact he didn't think anyone had touched it since his disappearance as evident by the stale air in the room. though what certainly changed was his father. his once midnight hair had started to fade into a salt and pepper gray, and his stolid face had succumbed to wrinkles. the once polished businessman now looked like any ordinary old man.

"not by choice," akaashi muttered out.

"drastic measures are sometimes needed to be taken. i wouldn't have to if you didn't run away from me all those years ago," he shrugged.

his father's voice was surprisingly calm, something akaashi wasn't used to in the final years he lived in the house. his head pounded, but he ignored it. he wanted to get answers first.

"why did you bring me here? and why wait all these years to finally find me?"

"i raised you to be a lot of things but stupid isn't one of them. you knew how to cover your trace and you did it good," the man huffed. "changed your surname, managed to somehow void all your past records and create new ones, moved to an entirely new city. it was like searching for a made-up person. had my best men looking for you but to no luck. for all i knew you could've fled the country, hell, the continent," his face darkened. "but here you are now,right in front of me, something i've wanted since all those years ago," a smile quickly replacing his previous expression.

"as for why i brought you here...i'm sure you've noticed but my business, our business, sank into the ground once you left. i couldn't bring myself to go to work knowing you were out there somewhere. i stayed up night and day looking for you. eventually i had to shut down the company for good because it just wasn't the same," he sighed.

akaashi almost felt a twinge of guilt. the man did sound like he had genuine sadness in his voice. he probably would've felt bad if he didn't distinctly remember the reason why he left in the first place.

"but now that i've found you, i can restart the company. i can continue the akaashi name but...i want to make some changes," he said eyeing his son. "you've probably already noticed my looks. i'm growing old. i only have so much longer left in me to run the business i'm afraid and i don't want the company to shut down yet again after just being reopened, and i certainly don't want just any damned asshole walking in and taking my position once i retire. i want you to take over the company. for you to become ceo," he stated.

akaashi felt his breath hitch. ever since he was young the idea of taking over the company was something he knew would one day come.they pushed the idea onto him from a young age, making him join his father on business trips and meetings to ensure he got a feel for what it was like, as well as putting him in modeling to make him always involved in the fashion world in some shape or form.

it had been his dream to become CEO of the company. he studied vigorously, sacrificing sleep, friends, and meals. he had his future all lined up. he planned to receive high marks in high-school, go abroad to study, then come back to work at the company before ultimately being handed it. but of course the future was unpredictable, and soon enough akaashi's world came crashing down around him.

when his mom first started showing signs of illness, they thought it was a simple chronic cold. swelling in the neck, trouble swallowing, and a constant cough. when the symptoms started worsening they took her to the hospital, only to discover a lump in her throat. she was later diagnosed with stage 3 thyroid cancer. the doctors told her the cancer hadn't spread to the rest of the body, so after surgery and possible chemotherapy, she was expected to make a full recovery. though luck didn't seem to have it's way because after removing the tumor it had been found the cancer did move throughout the body. it had affected a large portion of her lympth nodes and even her lungs, something that was so rare the attending doctor hadn't seen it happen before.

akaashi grimaced as he remembered his mom sitting down and talking to him, showing the newly made scar on her neck that made him queasy to look at. she promised him she would make a speedy recovery. she died two weeks later.

if akaashi's dad had told 15 year old him that he was going to be taking over the company, he would've been ecstatic. but now he couldn't bear the thought of it.

"i don't want to do it," he whispered.

"i'm sorry, what?"

"i said- i don't want to do it," he repeated louder this time meeting his father's eyes.

the older's eyes darkened again and his face turned into a scowl. akaashi was yet again reminded of why he left in the first place. it was the same expression he was met with every time he even attempted to speak to his father after his mother's death.

"i figured you would say that," he heaved out. "oh well. i'll make you agree to it eventually, even if it takes me another decade."

with that he stood up, heading towards the door. he opened it, causing akaashi to squint at the light illuminating from the hallway. his father began speaking to the two men standing outside the doorway, probably his initial captures if he had to guess. his father gestured and the men entered the room.

they grabbed him tightly, pinning him onto the bed. he thrashed against them, but it was no use. he was much weaker than them, especially after being knocked out the first time.

"FUCK YOU! YOU'RE A FUCKING ASSHOLE AND MOM WOULD HATE YOU IF SHE KNEW WHAT YOU'VE BECOME!" akaashi yelled at the top of his lungs. his father, who stood watching, made no sign of acknowledgment.

he felt a sharp pain in his head, but that's all he felt as he fell in unconsciousness once again.