I thought I'd never love anyone again after my heart was shattered by my first love. I also thought I'd never see him again, but the childish heart that once had a crush on you seems to have roared back to life after I buried it so deep for so long.
Leon, after deciding not to chase Ethan, felt his heart go numb. He still lived a normal life— had friends, mingled with people, laughed when he was happy, partied, and carried on like most people around his age. But when it came to romance, every time he tried to start a relationship, his heart didn't beat with the same warmth it had for Ethan. That's why, he chose to drown himself in work instead of searching for a lover, and that 'hard work' pulled him further from the ideal life he once dreamed of.
God, how could he be here? In a country where, let's not kid himself, Ethan's face always flashed in his mind whenever he heard the word "Japan." It'd be a lie to say he didn't secretly hope for some miracle to run into that man. Ethan had lived in New York, they'd met and gone to school there. But Ethan also mentioned his whole family was in Japan.
You could say those two place names, New York and Japan, always brought Ethan to mind.
He's truly a pathetic man. He'd sworn back then not to show his face to Ethan again. Showing up now would only rip open old wounds.
"....…"
Or maybe… he doesn't remember me. Yeah, it was so long ago. Maybe he doesn't recall me at all, not even the bad memories…
Damn it, I shouldn't have taken my uncle's offer. Leon was dead certain he'd be happy without a lover, without marriage, without a family. He was too cocky, thinking romance wouldn't be an issue in his life because he was so busy with work. He accepted his uncle's offer not just to keep himself occupied but also because there was no harm in helping build the generational wealth his extended family already had.
That night, when Leon went to his uncle's mansion for a dinner invitation, he didn't think anything weird of it. If he was invited to eat, then he'd eat, like he always did when visiting relatives. There wouldn't be any extra events unless they told him beforehand. So, he showed up in casual clothes, but the moment he stepped into the dining hall, he froze mid-step.
The room was filled with clearly important guests, dressed sharp, the atmosphere heavy with a formal vibe.
'.....'
His uncle, noticing Leon standing there like a statue, called out with his usual warmth, 'Ah, Leon, my favorite nephew… you're finally here. Come, take a seat.'
With slightly awkward steps, Leon flashed a smile at each guest, who returned polite smiles. He noticed a woman around his age and an older lady, likely the wife of the old man sitting right beside her. Pulling out a chair, Leon sat down, his eyes dropping to the array of desserts on the table. It seemed they'd already finished the main meal, and it hit him— his uncle had deliberately told him to come at this moment. He'd been starving earlier, but this situation made him forget his empty stomach entirely.
'So this is the nephew you were talking about, Vittorio. You were right, he's one handsome alpha.'
'Ah, yeah, he takes after his mother more than his father… haha, Leon.' His uncle turned to Leon, who could only muster a smile. 'Let me introduce you. That man over there with his wife, Mrs. Carter, is one of the shareholders of a product you'd find everywhere, Samuel Carter from the Mason Group. He's here with his lovely daughter. That sweetheart Sarah, aren't her eyes just gorgeous? Her green eyes are almost like yours, Leon.'
'Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Carter. And you too… Sarah.' Leon greeted the family politely, but inside, he was screaming in frustration at his uncle for not mentioning there'd be guests.
His uncle clearly knew him too well, had Leon known, he would have never shown up.
Thankfully, the conversation stuck to business and their vacation in Florence. Leon finally grabbed a slice of cake, eating it casually while listening to his uncle, who was clearly a master at business talk. The casual chatter didn't last long, though.
'I've decided to hand over the Lumino Group's Asia branch to my nephew here. I'm giving him a hefty share percentage. I don't have kids of my own, and I'm lucky my little sister has three, haha… And this one, Leon, has been by my side since he was young. I'm not the kind of uncle who plays favorites… but, you know, when you spend more time with someone, you get more attached. Haha.'
'Really? That's not surprising. He does look like a capable alpha to take that role. The initial branch opening will be tough, especially with the cutthroat market competition in East Asia, but if it goes smoothly, you could just sit back, kick your feet up, and watch the money roll in. Though I know, Vittorio, you don't exactly need extra cash, do you? Haha. It's the thrill of dominating more territory with your business, that's what gets the blood pumping. I get it.'
Ha, these two old men, what the hell were they going on about? Leon shot his uncle a side-eye, finally catching his gaze, but the man didn't look remotely guilty. He just kept smiling and carried on talking with Mr. Carter.
A covetous man, his uncle Vittorio Mariotti, seriously, he was outrageously wealthy— so rich that even if one of his businesses went under, it wouldn't touch his fortune in the slightest.
The Mariotti family was usually content basking in their generational wealth, built over centuries from vast landholdings across countless countries, swelling their riches into the modern era. Yet, they'd never seriously pushed to cater to the Asian market. After all, the exclusivity of European luxury products was deliberate, Asian elites would come crawling or directly request the high-end goods they craved. Besides, the Lumino Group's shareholders were already spread across Asia, with others handling things there. So, if his uncle suddenly wanted Leon to take the helm, he couldn't help but think it reeked of some hidden plan.
The thing was, his uncle had never brought this up with Leon. Leon was the one constantly working with his uncle, acting as his uncle's proxy at events when the man was too lazy to show or make decisions, deliberately so. Leon knew it was likely his uncle's way of schooling him in the not-always-clean world of business.
When Mr. Carter finally said he'd be leaving after staying so long, Leon nearly let out a sigh of relief. He kept up his polite, charming front, fully aware that Mr. Carter's daughter had been stealing glances at him the whole time. Leon wasn't clueless, she was into him.
Truth be told, Mr. Carter's daughter was drop-dead beautiful. Her tanned skin glowed under the chandelier's light, her neatly tied hair and simple dress screaming elegance, her long legs and slender frame the kind that would turn any man's head. Plus, she was an omega. But no matter how stunning an omega was or how obvious their interest, even if Leon felt a flicker of wanting to date, he knew he wouldn't take it seriously. It'd only end up hurting her heart, so he'd long stopped saying yes to any omega confessing their feelings to him.
The mansion's atmosphere was eerily quiet, with just Leon and his uncle lounging on the sofa. Leon finally unleashed the flood of questions that had been simmering inside him while he endured the earlier guests.
'Uncle, why'd you lie to me? You said we'd have dinner together, but we didn't eat a damn thing.'
'Huh? I already ate. You showed up late. We'd finished dinner and were on dessert when you strolled in.'
Leon couldn't believe the sheer nonchalance on this old man's face, his own uncle.
'But seriously, ugh, Uncle, look at me… I'm dressed like an idiot, and my hair's a mess in front of your guests.'
'What? Haha…' His uncle let out a hearty laugh, adjusting his seat. 'You're still handsome. I don't often compliment guys, you know.'
'And what was that about handing me shares in Asia? Uncle, you didn't even discuss it with me.'
'You're my nephew. Of course I'm passing some of that wealth to you.'
'I already told Mom that after I'm done working with you, I'm opening a small café… I just want to chill.'
'You think you can't chill? Look at me, I work so relaxed.'
'Yeah, because you've got a ton of people doing your work for you.'
'So what's not relaxing about my job? If you want an easy life, holding shares is the easiest. You just sit at home, watch your workers, and if they screw up, you replace them. You don't need to drag yourself to an office every day to check on things. The world's modern now, everything's monitored online.'
'You don't get it, Uncle.'
Sure, his uncle looked relaxed, but he juggled a ton. Especially at the start and end of the year, or when the market dipped even slightly.
Those small percentages didn't hit his uncle hard, given the sheer number of businesses he controlled, but they still affected the workers below him, meaning more human headaches to deal with.
Then there were the national events, business meetings, mandatory business trips across countries, and so on. But the real issue; Their family was mafia— overseeing land, sea, and air routes, keeping their power steady against rival factions. His uncle might look like he was just kicking back at home, but give it a few days, and that man would be glued to his work, obsessively checking his operations and territories, not to mention handling backstabbing traitors. Yeah, that sounds extremely relaxing, huh.