Busy day

Sebastian’s POV

The meeting wrapped up in a flash. Dad seemed pleased, nodding in agreement with every suggestion and conclusion I made.

Once it was over, I headed back to my office. As the acting manager and soon-to-be CEO, my workload was ridiculous. The board meeting was nothing compared to the mountain of tasks awaiting my attention on the desk. The sheer volume of things to do was overwhelming, but it came with the territory.

Dad had already entrusted me with major responsibilities, both locally and overseas. It wasn’t a burden—if anything, it was a reminder that soon, the Hartley Group of Companies would be mine to run entirely.

"I've sorted the files by priority. Though... they all need your signature," Mike said, pulling me back to the mountain of paperwork in front of me.

Oh, great. The stack was almost sky-high. Not surprising—I had been away for nearly three weeks, and Mike had traveled with me, leaving no one to handle the backlog.

I sighed heavily and picked up the first file. Time to dive in.

"The meeting with the Minister is scheduled for noon," Mike continued, his eyes glued to his iPad. "And you have a client meeting with Mr. Shaw at 11 a.m."

"That's all?" I asked, not looking up. I always preferred knowing my schedule at the start of the day—it helped me manage time better.

"Not even close," he replied, voice flat.

I raised an eyebrow. "What else?"

"Mr. Hartley wants you to meet with Mr. Moreau at the Royce Hotel and Suites at 2:30 p.m. And the design team is pushing for a quick meeting today—details are vague, but it's supposedly brief and not likely to be postponed."

Typical of the design team—pestering for meetings without ever revealing the agenda. Mike never seemed fazed by it, though.

"Push the design team meeting toward the end of the day," I said. "Anything else?"

"Meeting with Mr. Johnson at 4 p.m. That’s the last one," Mike confirmed, finally lifting his gaze from the tablet.

I nodded curtly and buried myself in the file again, flipping through pages and signing where necessary. These were all important documents—my signature had to come first before Dad’s final approval.

Mike cleared his throat and sank into the chair across from my desk. I looked up and shot him a flat stare. Whenever he did that, it meant he wanted something.

How a grown man could act like a needy kid was beyond me.

"Make it quick," I said, grabbing another file.

"Nothing serious. Just wanted to remind you about my girlfriend," he said.

Oh, fantastic. I was knee-deep in work and here he was—bringing up his love life.

"What about her?" I asked, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"You forgot. She applied for the receptionist position last Friday. I’d really appreciate it if she got hired. Not because I have influence or anything—but because she's qualified."

I chuckled dryly. "If she applied like you said, the HR team will contact her if she’s qualified. No big deal."

His shoulders slumped slightly. Assistant or not, he wasn’t the boss—and I wasn’t about to start playing favorites. Qualifications first. Always.

"Need me to remind you how packed today is?" I asked, raising a brow.

"No, sir," he muttered, retreating to his desk.

I checked the time—10 a.m. already, and I wasn’t even halfway through the files. I skimmed through them quickly, signing wherever Mike had marked. Thankfully, he prepped everything in advance, so I didn’t have to read line by line.

Mike handled most of my emails and communications too, keeping things moving while I dealt with bigger issues.

Thirty-five minutes later, I was ready for my meeting with the Minister. Mike had already gone ahead. I made a quick stop at my father’s office.

"Done for the day?" Dad asked.

"Not even close. Meeting with the Minister is at 11," I replied.

"Good. Handle it the same way you handled things overseas," he said, giving me a firm pat on the shoulder.

I headed toward the exit but paused when I caught sight of Mike with a woman. He kissed her forehead and hugged her goodbye before she disappeared out of sight.

That must be his girlfriend. Before I could approach, she was gone.

"Your girl?" I asked as he opened the car door for me.

He nodded.

Once seated, Mike said, "The Minister wants the meeting at his mansion."

"Alright," I replied, settling deeper into the seat.

His face didn’t exactly light up, even after seeing his woman. Strange. When I was with my ex—granted, it wasn’t a public relationship—we were always careful but deeply connected. She had her own life, her own ambitions, and we were both big on privacy.

We didn’t last more than a year; she relocated to New York, and that was that. We kept things so private, I barely even knew her family. Still, she was my first love. The one who truly stole my heart.

"Did she get the job?" I asked.

Mike shook his head. "No. HR called earlier. Someone more qualified was given the position. They had even invited her earlier to get acquainted with the role, but..."

I nodded slowly. Looks like HR had handled it well.

I wasn’t against hiring someone Mike knew—only if they were truly the best candidate. Familiarity couldn’t outweigh competence.

"Okay," I said simply.

I leaned back into the seat, letting my mind drift for a moment.

My mind slowly drifted towards her.

Her lips.

The way she Shu her eyes to welcome my lips.

I should have kissed her.

Savouring the taste of those perfect lips. 

Her voice echoed in my head.

Damnit.

But what can I say.

After the workload of today, I'll get to see that beauty again.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the Minister’s mansion. But something was off. Instead of the usual security welcome, we were greeted by flashing ambulance lights.

Someone was being rushed into an emergency vehicle. The ambulance sped off, security cars trailing behind it.

The Minister himself was about to step into one of the cars when I got out of ours.