CHAPTER 8

The cool breeze blew gently, softly tugging at Alan's clothes. He raised his arm, shielding his eyes from the bright sun rays - The Gu family manor certainly had a great, natural aesthetic.

The scent of lush green trees and the soothing melody of birds chirping, he bit his lower lip - It's too bad that he wasn't in the right state to appreciate such delicate, craftsmanship.

He'd only successfully bought some time, but..... could he really prove his innocence.

He raked his fingers through his coffee brown hair, a soft, exhausted sigh escaping his lips. The Old man had allowed him to remain in the company, only until he could recover the stolen money...... Or else, face imprisonment.

He blinked, a vivid image of the Old Gu staring at him with unfiltered contempt flashing through his eyes.

Ahhh, and here he hoped the previous host had it easy!

He palmed his face, uncertain of what yet to do. Going to the company seemed to be his only way out, at least, he had a starting point. He shrugged off a fallen leaf, walking out through the long, winding corridors.

A figure stood above the third floor, staring at his receding back with an unreadable expression.

"Amelia, is this really a good idea?. Letting him go back to the company sounds like it would cause us more harm than good."

The young miss shut the curtains with a crisp sound, having watched her brother walk a long way off. "Mother, sometimes...... learning to make sacrifices only helps to achieve an even greater good."

She walked over, her brunette hair swaying beautifully while her emerald, green eyes stared at the nervous Lady Gu. She sat on one of her cushions, calmly pouring herself a cup of warm chamomile tea. " Since Father has decided on it, opposing his will would only backfire on us."

She stirred the tea, her eyes never swaying away from the glistening liquid. She stopped briskly, bringing the small, porcelain cup to her lips - blowing gently on the steam before having a sip. "This isn't something to make you so restless in your seat, Mom. Infact, it's an opportunity...."

Lady Gu stared at this beloved daughter of hers, her brows arching in disbelief. She parted her lips, unconsciously expressing her doubts. " An opportunity?! "

Amelia gave this narrow-minded Mother of hers a soft, eery smile, " Yes, it's an opportunity....to destroy whatsoever good image he has left. Only when Father sees that he's beyond redemption, will he make me the next heir to Gu's group."

"None of that will be possible if he's far from my reach, it's necessary to have him in the palms of my hands. It makes crushing him a whole lot easier of a task."

" Oh, I see...!!"- Lady Gu expressed, her lips curling in a smile. This daughter of hers had a plan, she should have known....her daughter never moved without having a geniusly laid out plan.

"So we don't have to worry about him cuddling up to the board of directors!!"

Amelia stared, lowering her empty teacup as she stared at Mrs Gu. "The board of directors.... have long since been won over by me. Afterall, they only care about how much is being profited and not who's doing the profiting."

" I've spent years growing my connections, it's not something Alan can beat in a single day." - She spoke, her tone filled with a smug confidence.

"Ah, it's great to hear that!. I was so worried, but i'm glad that everything is under your control." - Lady Gu sighed with relief, finally relaxing her tensed shoulders.

Amelia only smiled in response, holding a little tea kettle while pouring herself a cup. A dark, calculative expression flashed through her eyes, disappearing as quickly as it came - like it had never existed.

"Mother, would you like a cup of tea?" - She squinted her eyes, politely offering to pour Lady Gu a cup.

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"Damn it, I'm running late!!"

Alan ran through the hallways, cussing underneath his breathe. He overslept after pulling up an all-nighter, he paused..... glancing at his phone's screen.

Fifteen minutes past eight. Great, now he was really going to get chewed out on his very first day at work. He slammed the door open, breathing heavily while holding his trembling knees for support.

The people inside paused, their incredulous gaze settling on Alan's sweat-soaked frame. The silence hung heavy with the sound of the shredding machine making up for the lack of noise.

Alan took one quick breathe, straightening his posture. "Good morning!!", he cleared his throat, wearing a thin smile. "I'm Alan Gu, i was asked to report to this department...?!"

Everyone blinked, staring at each other with silent confusion.

Alan stood still, awkwardly enduring the scrutinizing eyes while wearing an embarrassingly polite smile. Well, this was quite the situation to be in.....but he only had himself to blame.

" You're late!!." - A young lady walked up to him, placing a huge pile of files in his arm. " We were expecting you about thirty minutes ago." - She added sternly before turning towards the still bedazzled employees, who had somehow gotten stuck in a trance.

"Okay, everyone!!." - She clapped her hands twice, demanding everyone's attention. "This is Alan, he'll be here for awhile and he'll be the head of our financial department. Now snap out of it and get back to work!!"

"Yes, ma'am!!!"

Alan watched everyone else snap out of their daze, scurrying away to their different offices. Everything suddenly felt bustling and so.......alive.

"Follow me." - The short haired lady stepped off without another word, leaving Alan trailing behind her.

He walked by some few cubicles, noticing how everyone stared at him with  much serious curiousity - it almost felt like he owed them something. He shivered, walking a few steps faster.

"Here's where you'll be working and an assistant will be assigned to you later on. Take a look, if there's anything else you'd like to add, be sure to reach out to me." - The lady led him towards a separate office, bidding him with her final words before leaving.