Forget Me Not

Chapter 1“Good morning, Mr. Morris.” Jensen Morris nodded at Harrison Lee, his personal assistant, to acknowledge the greeting, but he didn’t utter a single word in response. He was still winded after spending nearly two and a half hours inside his home gym. At forty-four years old, he most probably wouldn’t keel over and die anytime soon. It was now halfway through the twenty-second century, and the lifespan of an average human was somewhere around one hundred and twenty-three years old. Some lived much longer than that, thanks to the rapid advancement in medical sciences and technologies. However, Jensen was fully aware that, while he wasn’t exactly what some might consider to be an old man, he was no longer a young man in the prime of his life either. It was getting much more difficult to maintain his muscular physique. Fortunately, he was six feet and three inches tall, so his current weight of two hundred and thirty-two pounds was evenly distributed everywhere. “Thank you, Harris,” Jensen said as he accepted another brand-new towel from Harrison and quickly wiped the sweat off his face, hair, neck, and arms. “Is there anything on my agenda today?” “A meeting at nine o’clock with the other shareholders and lunch at that new Italian restaurant downtown with your parents at half past eleven,” Harrison promptly replied. “I’ve already made a reservation on your behalf, sir. You have two more meetings in the afternoon at two and half past four, respectively.” “Very good. Anything else?” “Mr. Hawkins called precisely thirteen minutes ago.” Jensen grinned as he glanced at Harrison. “Oh? Did he?” “Yes, sir.” “Did he leave a message?” Harrison nodded. His facial expression remained neutral, but Jensen knew Harrison well enough by now. After all, Harrison had started working for him almost twenty-four years ago now, which was when he had taken control over the inheritance that had been left to him by all four of his grandparents. That consisted of various investments, properties and other assets, and several trust funds that had his name on them. Among other things. Jensen could tell by the slight reddening of the tip of Harrison’s left ear that his personal assistant was rather embarrassed to answer his question. He might not know what the message was exactly, but Milo Hawkins, his lovely boyfriend for the past fifteen years and counting, must have told Harrison something that his personal assistant was too mortified to repeat to him. Milo could be rather direct most of the time. He had minimum brain-to-mouth filter most of the time. Jensen folded his arms over his broad, heaving chest and stared at Harrison, waiting expectantly for his personal assistant to answer his question. Harrison visibly gulped. “Mr. Hawkins can’t wait for you to join him in Tokyo, sir.” Harrison appeared to be even more uncomfortable now, and Jensen was amused by his personal assistant’s obvious struggle to remain dignified and composed. Harrison was six years older than him, and the man was always calm and collected. It was a rare treat for Jensen to see Harrison looking so self-conscious and flustered. “And?” Jensen prodded as he stared at Harrison. Harrison cleared his throat a couple of times as he fidgeted a little. “Mr. Hawkins is greatly anticipating a wonderful reunion when you meet him there.” Jensen snickered. “Is that all?” Harrison’s cheeks flushed much redder than before, but aside from that, his facial expression didn’t betray his obvious discomfort at all. “Yes, Mr. Morris.” Jensen bit back a sigh. He gave up. It would be a cold day in hell before Harrison would ever lose his poise and self-control. “Very well.” After that, Jensen made his way toward the private elevator inside his penthouse and placed his right palm flat against the designated surface on the computerized system that was installed into the wall, before pressing the button for the fiftieth floor. The doors slid shut, and the elevator left the forty-sixth floor in the next second. Upon reaching his destination, he exited from the elevator and made his way past his massive king-size bed, heading toward the bathroom for a quick shower. He briefly debated if he should stroke a load out to get rid of his mounting tension, but he decided that it would be better if he held back for another few hours. After all, he would be reunited with Milo soon enough. Besides, according to the digital clock on the bathroom wall, it was already seventeen minutes past eight. He needed to hurry if he was going to make it on time for his first meeting. When he was done with his shower a few minutes later, he dried himself with a towel before making his way toward the sink. He tapped on the computerized system on the wall. In the next instant, a robotic arm emerged from a concealed location inside the wall to assist him in brushing his teeth and shaving his facial hair. The huge mirror in front of him served as a computer so he could read or watch the curated news on the internet, ensuring that he was kept up-to-date with regards to everything that was going on around the world. He also took the opportunity to check on his electronic mails and answer some of them. By the time he got out from the bathroom, he only had fifteen minutes to get to his first meeting. However, he wasn’t worried that he would be late to the meeting. He might be residing in New York, which was notorious for its horrible traffic jam most of the time, but he could always take the helicopter or travel underground simply by driving his car into one of the pods, one of the most advanced technologies to grace the twenty-second century. Then he wouldn’t have to be stuck on the road along with most people out there, or squeezed into the subway. Not that he was interested in the latter by any means. He avoided public transportation because, being who he was, he had a target on his back. There were people out there who would abduct him and demand a ransom. Once he was done with everything he needed to do inside the bathroom, he went straight toward the walk-in closet to dress up properly and fix his hair before double-checking his reflection in the full-length mirror next to the entrance. He was admittedly rather vain about his appearance so he had to make sure not a single strand of hair was out of place before he strode briskly toward the elevator and got inside. He tapped his right foot impatiently against the tiled floor in the elevator as it descended. “Here’s your suit jacket, Mr. Morris,” Harrison said the moment Jensen stepped out from the elevator on the forty-sixth floor. “Is the car ready?” Jensen inquired as Harrison assisted him to put his suit jacket on. “Yes, sir,” Harrison replied. “I’d already prepared your luggage for the Tokyo trip later this evening. It’s inside the trunk of the car. The members of the cleaning crew have already been informed that their services will be suspended for the next two weeks until you and Mr. Hawkins return from Tokyo.” “Thank you, Harris. You’re the best.” “You’re welcome, sir. I’m just doing my job.” Jensen smiled at Harrison, but he didn’t utter a single word in response. Instead, he headed toward the main entrance to the penthouse. The door opened automatically, and he exited from his penthouse before heading straight toward his car, which was already waiting for him about three feet away. When the computerized system on the car detected his presence, he noticed the light on the camera scanning him from head to toe, including his retina. Then the door moved to the side on its own, allowing him entry. He stepped in and made his way deeper inside, occupying one of the large leather chairs before strapping himself securely with the seat belt. Harrison did the same next to him after keying in the destination the two of them would be going to into the computer at the front of the car. “What do I need to know about this upcoming meeting?” Jensen inquired of Harrison as the car slowly maneuvered itself into the gigantic private elevator that was solely reserved for the personal use of the residents in the penthouse. As expected, Harrison immediately took out a handheld tablet device as thin as a piece of paper, and passed it to him. He read through the concise yet detailed summary as the elevator descended quickly all the way down to the basement level. Then the car made its way toward the pod station, which was connected to the apartment building via a short underground tunnel. Jensen didn’t bother to look outside when the car abruptly came to a complete halt for a few seconds. He had made a similar trip many times before in the past. He knew that the scanner on the wall of the pod station was communicating with the one in his car, and it would ask for the payment required to use the pod. Since Jensen’s credit card information was already available inside the systems of all the cars he owned, he didn’t have to bother with it. The computers would do everything on their own, including the exchange of information with regards to the destination he and Harrison were heading to. He knew the transaction was completed when he heard the soft beep inside the car. “Transaction approved. Thank you for using the Speedy Pod Transit. Good morning, and have a safe journey.” Jensen ignored the robotic voice and focused his attention on the screen of the tablet in his hand instead. When he was done, he realized that his car was now the third in line for the next available pod. Fortunately, the two cars in front of him departed from the station in a matter of seconds, and it was now his turn. He observed as his car entered the pod. Once it reached the center, it was rendered completely motionless by the powerful magnetic field from the bottom of the pod. After that, the door to the pod shut tightly. The pod hovered in place for another few seconds before it zoomed away at the speed of five hundred miles per hour. Jensen knew he would make it to his meeting with plenty of time to spare. In the meantime, he had a brief discussion about the upcoming meeting with Harrison. It was just another Monday morning in his busy life. He was used to it.