"Anyway, I heard Eden is due back today. Why don't we take this opportunity to have dinner together? I haven't seen him in a long time," Edward said, taking another sip of coffee. Initially, he only planned to have a drink with his buddies tonight, but quickly changed his mind. Having dinner together was going to be better. After all, the more, the merrier.
"Sounds good. I'll inform Annie about it later. But you call Leena and Duke, okay? Between the two of us, you have more time. You handle the invitation." Rain stood up and got ready to head back to his office. There was a ton of work waiting for him.
"Who told you I had plenty of time? Justin's assigned more tasks for me than before. I don't know what he's thinking about," Edward complained. Although Justin was now the CEO of the FX International Group, Edward decided to help his son in managing the company. If he didn't, Justin would be exhausted.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Rain chided Edward. "I suspect you haven't been to the company today, huh? It's already afternoon!" Rain scoffed. He knew Edward so well that he could tell when he was lying.
"Well, I got up late this morning. Then my father asked me to play chess with him. So, you know..." It was a perfect excuse, and most people would probably buy it if they didn't know Edward as well as Rain did.
"Stop talking nonsense. I really have to go now, because unlike you, I really am busy," Rain declared. If Rain didn't leave, he knew the whole afternoon would be a waste. So, he fished out his car keys and turned to leave.
Breathing deeply, Edward stood up as well. He was planning to play golf with his daughter, but Jasmine left the house early that morning, so he ended up hanging out with Rain. "All right. I'll head out to the office, too. Otherwise, Justin would get mad at me. Can you imagine that? My son mad at me because I'm not working?" he sneered.
When Rain returned to his office, he was surprised to see Joyce sleeping on the couch. She hadn't slept well last night, so she quickly fell asleep not long after slumping on Rain's office couch.
"Joyce," Rain called her name softly and shook her on the shoulders. "What are you doing here? Have you been waiting here for a long time?" he asked. He was aware that Joyce had slept very late last night. When he got up to get a drink of water in the wee hours of the morning, the light in Joyce's room was still on.
Rubbing her eyes, Joyce recognized her father's voice and sat up.
"Dad! Finally, you're back," she yawned and finger-combed her hair.
Grumbling a little, she rubbed her eyes again to focus on her father's face.
"Why are you sleeping here? You might catch a c
oyce and thought, 'Even if you decide to be alone and never marry, I will always be here for you.'
She looked at her father and was pleased with his words. "Don't worry, Dad. I'm a tough girl and no one is going to hurt me." Joyce smiled at her father reassuringly.
"That''ll be great! Hey, will you be home soon? If you are, please tell your mother that Edward has invited us to have dinner together this evening. I'll pick you both up after work," Rain related the plans. He was going to call Annie, but since his daughter was here, she could inform her mother for him.
"Okay, no problem," Joyce said. "I'm leaving now. If I don't, Mom would be worried about me," she told her father. Surprisingly, she calmed down considerably after her talk with Rain. She even felt a little guilty for her mother.
"I understand. Please keep your Mom company for me," he requested. "And thank you, Joyce, for dropping by." Father and daughter both stood up, and Rain smoothed Joyce's messy hair. He was so proud to have a daughter like her, one who was pretty and with great character.
Eyes twinkling, Joyce said, "I don't think I'd be able to keep her company for you. Don't you know that no one can replace you in her heart?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Joyce grabbed her backpack and put it on.
Rain laughed before he said, "That is so true! Let me tell you, I am the one and only in your mother's heart." He raised his chin proudly as a smile lit his eyes.
"Don't bet on it! Bye, Dad!" Joyce called out. She walked out of his office, waved her hand without a backward glance and disappeared.
"What? Wait! What did you mean by that?" Rain yelled. He watched his daughter's departing back, but Joyce ignored him and hastened her steps. Rain shook his head and went back to work.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢