Elysian Secrets

Kabanata 6

Raphael slammed the door to the boardroom shut, and three pair of eyes glanced at him briefly before refocusing on the massive flatscreen monitor they were huddled around. Only when he was dragging a chair across the wooden floor did they turn to look at him.

"She accepted it," Harper happily announced. The full grin on the man's face makes him look even more younger.

Raphael's gaze flew automatically to Harper's new haircut and he couldn't help but cringe. Harper finally gave in to their bitching about his hair and cut his mohawk to a more respectable skin fade. But the little snot couldn't just be bothered to be normal for once. He had a spiderweb motif shaved into one side of his head.

At least, the mohawk is gone. They could finally send Harper to business meetings without receiving complaints about his immaturity. There's still that damn spiderweb, pero kung i-po-posisyon lang nito ang sarili palagi kung saan hindi iyon makikita ng ka-meeting, it would be fine.

Maybe. Sigh.

While the rest of them had to grew up, Harper Mytnik Peter Pan-ed himself.

"Who accepted what?" he asked, leaning back on the chair he dragged to one side of the oversized conference table.

He propped his feet up on the table, closed his eyes, and let his weight sink bank into the plush swivel chair. He almost groaned out loud in the pleasure-pain of stretching his back. He was too busy lately that he didn't notice these aches and pains until now.

Fuck! I'm getting damn old!

He made a mental note to go visit his physical therapist one of these days. That's next to going over the list of primary schools he wanted Guiliana to see.

Napapangiti siya, thinking about that list. Niccolo is growing up far too quickly! Parang kumurap lang siya at heto na nga at papasok na ang bata sa big-boy school.

Double-fuck! He might be bawling his eyes out on the first day of school, rather than the child's mother.

His secretary's image flashed in his mind. In his imagination, the woman is pursing her lips in disapproval and looking at him reproachfully. Hindi niya malaman kung matatawa ba siya roon o maiinis o ano.

He'd given Guiliana the list of primary schools a week ago. By now, he should have gotten a terse reply, ordering him to mind his own business. Pero, mukhang hindi pa yata iyon nabubuksan ng babae. O, kung nabuksan man, she is too distracted with something to bother with it.

Whatever the case is, he is relieved that Giuliana isn't arguing with him about the schools. He really is just too tired to argue with her when they both know he will eventually win and get what he wants. He would never give in if it is for Niccolo's sake.

Something is bothering his secretary these days. She's hiding something and he couldn't put his finger on it. Short of ordering her to tell him what it is, he could only wonder and stress over it in silence.

The stress must have brought him to Elysium on a day when he's not supposed to be there. He might be a co-owner and CEO of Therion Tetrakis, but the Diamond Tower is his main lair. His appearance in Elysium is only needed during the monthly board meetings kung saan silang apat lang din naman ang nag-uusap. Today is not that day.

There are days when being an overachieving businessman becomes too much. Today is one of those days. So, he's here. He left his ever-efficient secretary to hold down the fort while he shirks his duties.

To hell with all of today's contracts and business meetings. He's taking the day off!

He yawned and tried to return his attention to Harper, who was back on his keyboards. Their two friends and business partners, Achim and Dax, are standing behind him, looking like bodyguards.