After the Business Trip

Chapter 20

A/N:  Here is another chapter and I hope that you like it.  This one is a little boring, but I need to cover some additional information that is important to the storyline.  Please bare with me.  :)

Pete POV

The ride back to our apartment seemed to take forever. There were so many things that I wanted to say to Ae, but I didn't want to start the discussion in the car. I would rather wait until we got back home before we talked.

I want to ease his pain and I'm more than willing to do anything that he needs to accomplish it. That is also part of the reason that I gave in to him last night when he made love to me. Normally, I wouldn't have agreed to do that in my mother's house, but Ae was looking so lost and hurt that I wanted to sooth his pain. If letting him make love to me would help, I was going to do it.

I can only imagine what he is feeling. He doesn't need to say much. I can see it written all over his face and especially in his eyes. His parents have hurt him badly. Even my mother said it this morning. Before we left the house, she pulled me aside and told me to watch over Ae. She is worried about him, and she promised to see what she can do to get ahead of this.

I'm so happy that my mother and grandparents are doing what they can. I didn't tell Ae, but my mother called my grandparents last night and told them everything. My mother may be the only one still working in the family business, but my grandparents have a lot more connections than my mother. Don't get me wrong, my mother has a lot of connections too, but my grandparents have more.

I'm sure it isn't going to take them long to find out everything about Ae's parents and their business. Considering the fact that Ae was living with his grandmother and she is the one that raised him, I have a feeling that the business that Ae's parent work so hard to keep going isn't that big or that good off. However, I could have it all wrong. I know very little about his parents. They could be workaholics and just enjoy working more than rising their son. In either case, I personally think that they have the wrong outlook on life. I was raised and taught that family comes first before anything else and that includes money and work. I think that is part of the reason that your family business has done so well over the years.

At some point, I know that I will have to work there, but I want to get a view of what other companies are doing first. My mother did the same thing. She worked at other companies for several years before she finally went to work for my grandparents. Even then, she didn't want to come in as a top executive. Instead, she started in the middle and came in just like any other employee. After several years and several promotions that she worked hard for and earned on her own, she finally took her rightful place along side my grandparents.

To say that the employees were shocked is an understatement, but since she showed them what she could do before she went straight to the top, they quickly accepted and supported her. This situation isn't any different. She is going to tackle it head on. I just hope that Ae's parents are ready for her. She maybe a subtle at first, but she will get the upper hand soon.

When we finally get to our apartment, we carry everything inside, and we put things away. However, the tension is getting to me. I have to talk about it.

I sit down on the bed and I watch as Ae takes the empty bags and puts them in the closet. "Ae, you know that we will get through this together, right?"

He walks out of the closet and nods his head. He tries to smile, but I can see right through it. He is just trying to put a show on for me. The sparkle in his eyes is gone, and he has a crease along his forehead. He is so easy to read.