33: Genuine Fun
1017 Words
When Count, Hunter, and Maxien arrived at the place they have agreed to meet in for the dinner, most of the members were already there and seated in their designated places, currently conversing and happily exchanging greetings. The place was easily covered and overpowered by their laughs and positive energy, that Count barely managed to gradually adjust at the energy coating the whole place, and he was immediately forced to match their enthusiasms.
“Good evening, Sir Hunter! Good evening to you, too, Sir Count!”
The loud shouts filled the room as soon as the people's attentions were on them, focused and gleeful upon the sight of their Boss and his secretary.
Well, could we blame them for the excitement they always felt whenever Count was on the picture and plan? When they have always known their CEO as someone who hated these kind of small parties and gatherings, as someone who hated socializing and spending time with his colleagues, and as someone who barely hung out with them before.
“Good evening!" The two boys greeted them back in chorus, making them look at each other and grin at their jinxed reactions.
“It is very nice to have you again here, especially you, Sir Count! We thought we have turned you off because of the last dinner's mess, or something, so we are so glad that you are finally here with us again! Right?!”
“RIGHT!” Everyone agreed.
Count, on the other hand, could only laugh at them and ponder. Ah, did they really think they have turned him off the last time when that was one of the most enjoyable events he has attended in quite a while? They were worth while, they were genuinely fun people to spend time with, to talk to, to hang out with. And never did he regret that short hour he was with them previously.
And that was when Count realized that these people were also glad to have him with them again, they were happy to see him near, they were gleeful to make him comfortable and free to be himself.
That night, all of them were more carefree around him, too, they way he has learned to become just too. They have started to share their first impressions about him, their honest thoughts about the CEO all throughout their stay in March-Tech, before they happened to be in the same dinner to actually meet the real Count, the factual demeanor he had, and the pinch of friendliness hidden in his straight face and hostile nature most of the time.
They have also expressed their full gratefulness for Count's initiative to give them a room at the penthouse. Not only did it feel good and sounded good whenever they would say that their office was on the top tower and the pent house of March-Tech, not only it was boasting their egos, too, but it also felt good to be sharing the same space as him because he seemed really open for them to get to know him more.
“Really, it was nothing. That is a simple act of kindness. I am also... glad that instead of finding me a terrible CEO, all of you are actually so nice to refer to me as the best March-Tech has ever had, especially the seniors who has experienced my Dad's rule before...”
And yet another realization has hit him. With all the dinners he has been itht be elites before, those boring ass events with most of them only boasting about their wealths and, he has finally concluded that this kind of intimate bonding was much better than having countless platters and unlimited food in the table, with the most known chefs even cooking the food in their front.
Those boring ass parties with solemn music and small interactions, not even peaceful but awkward and making him drowsy. Those meetings full of plasticity and business talks with people who do not even know how to have genuine fun.
If only they could always be this carefree and happy all the time without letting the greed take over their systems in toxic hope to be the most powerful and wealthiest, then those must be a lot better than it actually was. But rich people were not like that. Wealth did not equate to happiness and awareness of what was the most enjoyable activity.
Count just watched Maxien drink just like the last time, taking note of how many glasses has she taken already and internally reminding himself to stop them when the girl is already lost in her fine state of mind due to the liquor's effect.
And then, after a few minutes of laughing at their colleague's joke alongside Hunter, Maxien stood up and excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Count only followed the girl with his eyes, and then, he focused on the happenings in his front again, completely forgetting about Maxien and how the girl failed to come back even after almost half an hour since she left.
And it has been that long already when Count has come to realize that Maxien has not come back yet, has not actually even peeked to the room to say her goodbye if ever she did decide to go home already before everyone else.
After a few contemplating whether he should make Maxien's absence a big deal or not because this could be a natural stunt she pulled in order not to disturb the ongoing ceremonies earlier, Count's intuition was saying otherwise as it soon pushed him to ask and clear his doubts. But then, nobody saw Maxien, and he almost managed to round the whole room to ask, but the girl was remained unseen to any body.
In a rush of adrenaline and worry, Count fished his phone and dialled the girl's number in a haste, sent her a lot of messages and waited for her to read it, until he gave it up because Maxien was unresponsive.
D*mn it, he cursed himself as a series of possibilities crossed his paranoid mind.
- Writer
