After finishing his work at the office, Alas went home to have dinner with his father. It was the first time they would be together since he returned to the Philippines. He had been so busy that he hadn't found the time to visit his father at their family home.
"Good evening, Dad," he greeted, seeing Eduardo already seated at the head of the table.
"Good evening too, son. Please have a seat. Let's eat," his father replied, wearing a wide, welcoming smile.
The table was filled with food, all prepared waiting for him. "Wow. You really know me, Dad. All of these are my favorites," he said smilingly, immediately getting a plate and serving himself the dishes he loved.
"Yeah, I know they are your favorites, that's why I ordered the chef to cook all of these. Okay, let's eat first. We can talk later."
"That's better, Dad."
Suddenly, the table went quiet. To ease the deafening silence, Alas spoke up. He remembered Jomari's request regarding his daughter.
"Dad, when will Yna start working at the company as my secretary?" he asked. He was excited to see her again; it had been quite a while.
Eduardo stopped eating and looked at his son. "I'm sorry, son. I haven't told Jomari yet that you already agreed. I will tell him tomorrow so he can talk to his daughter as well."
"It's a good idea. Is it really true that she has changed now?" he asked curiously.
"According to what Jomari said, yes, she really has. But I am sure that once she sees you again, she will go back to her old self."
"I hope so. I want to help Uncle Jomari. I hope I can influence her with good vibes."
"I know you can do it, son. We are here just in case you fail. But with your skills, I doubt you won't be able to capture even her heart."
Alas smiled at his father's words. He really wanted to see Yna. He wasn't sure if she still remembered him, or if she would be angry or happy when they met. But right now, his main goal was to help Jomari.
"Oh, are you full already? Why did you stop eating?" Eduardo noticed that he wasn't adding any more food to his plate.
"Yes, Dad. I don't eat too much. I want to keep my body firm and masculine like this," Alas said with a chuckle. It was the truth, spoken without arrogance.
Eduardo laughed as well. "You really are just like me, son. You are so diligent in maintaining your looks. You remind me of my younger years. I was so sexy and manly that I attracted a lot of women, but the luckiest catch I made was your mother."
"Of course, Dad. I'm your son, so I inherited those traits from you," he smirked and took a sip of water.
"Really? But why is it that until now, I haven't heard any news that you have a girlfriend or are dating someone?"
Alas nearly choked on his water.
He cleared his throat first, caught off guard by his father's question. "Well, I guess having a girlfriend is not my top priority at the moment. I'm busy managing our growing business. Maybe I'll plan for that later."
Eduardo smiled. His son was right. But he wasn't getting any younger. Alas needed to build his own family too; Eduardo wanted to see grandchildren.
"Okay. You are already twenty-eight years old, so you should find a girlfriend or perhaps a fiancee. But if you aren't in a relationship after two years, I will find a way to make sure you get a wife."
Alas smiled at his father's threat. "I will keep that in mind, Dad."
Eduardo was simply concerned for his son; he didn't want him to waste his youth. He had never seen Alas with flings or dates. Sometimes, he even wondered if Alas was gay, but there was absolutely no hint of that.
The only thing he remembered was that Alas had a crush on his childhood friend, but that was a long time ago. When they migrated to the US, he lost contact with her, and they never saw each other again until now.
Twenty years had passed so quickly, and now they were both adults. They were supposed to be capable of handling their own responsibilities, but it was the opposite for Yna—she still acted like a child.
Suddenly, Alas received a text message. "Dad, I think I shouldn't stay any longer. I have an important matter to attend to. I'm really sorry, but it's urgent."
"Okay. Go ahead. I understand. I was just as busy back when I was the CEO. But now, I can breathe and sleep longer. I have already handed that burden over to you."
Eduardo walked with him to the garage where his car was parked. "Be careful, son."
"Thank you, Dad. Bye." Alas immediately got inside his car, revved the engine, and drove off.
Eduardo waved his hand, waiting until the car was out of sight before going back inside. He was happy to have such a responsible son. He had nothing to complain about Alas. After his wife died, they lived together in the United States and built a strong bond.
Alas attended an emergency meeting with new business investors from South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore. He didn't want to postpone it because it was a great opportunity to expand their investment scope and increase their partners. Both parties stood to gain millions of dollars if the partnership succeeded.
The meeting ended quickly. It was a success; the representatives agreed to the company's terms and conditions. It was a new achievement for him. So far, his day had been perfect.
He left his staff to take care of the guests and arranged for hotel accommodations for his business partners for the night. He needed to ensure they were satisfied with their service to win them over completely.
Feeling exhausted all over his body, he headed straight home to his condo. It was past 10:00 PM when the meeting finished. He immediately took off his coat and loosened his necktie, throwing them into the laundry basket.
He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes; he was extremely tired that day. He had no rest at all. Before, he had only dreamed of becoming a CEO without realizing how heavy the responsibilities would be. Now he fully understood that it was hard and exhausting, but worth it whenever he saw success.
He suddenly opened his eyes when he smelled a familiar scent of erotic perfume lingering on his bedsheets. He cursed under his breath as memories flooded back.
"Stupid." He stood up, ripped the bed cover off, and threw it aside. He walked into the shower room, feeling incredibly annoyed.
"Why won't that nightmare leave me alone?" Alas scolded himself, cursing repeatedly under the running water.
After showering, he lay back down on his bed. His mind wandered to what he would do when he met Yna. He missed her so much.
He smiled as he stared at the ceiling. "Is it really true that you've changed, Yna?" He furrowed his brows and massaged his forehead. He closed his eyes; he needed to rest because it was already late.