The Chronicles of Love (COMPLETED & FREE)

EVERGREEN: Part One

Title: Evergreen 

Status: Completed

Genre: Contemporary adult romance (featuring the everlasting love between a father and a son)

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"Dad, why do leaves fall from the tree?"

A young boy who was barely seven years old, with short, straight black hair covering his forehead and honey-almond eyes hidden beneath long eyelashes, asked his father while sitting leisurely under a big tree.

It was one hot day for a picnic, yet this family of three still enjoyed their lunch cozily, sheltered from the ray of the sun by its big and full branches.

"Because they reach their time, Bo. They need to go," answered James, the boy's father.

With a short haircut that does not cover his creased forehead and stubble around his jawline and chin, the man looks slightly older than his actual age, albeit he is just in his mid-thirty.

"Where will they go?" The boy's eyes were full of curiosity, the kind of trait that could be found in a smart child.

People said the more children ask, the more they show the potential of their intelligence. James could not help but put on a proud smile, just like any father would do.

"Somewhere where the wind guides them." He patted the boy's head before passing the sandwich from his wife to his son.

Bo took the sandwich. But instead of munching it down like most children did when their food was within their reach, he lowered it, looking down. Resting his hand in either side of his laps as he was sitting cross-legged, the boy asked another question.

"So, does that mean they will never be with their trees again? Will they go far away forever? Do they have to? Won't they miss their home?"

"It's inevitable, my boy. The new season is coming. All the trees change, and those leaves need to go." James hooked his fingers under the boy's chin, lifting the sad face from its hiding place.

"This is nature, Bo. No one has the power to control it. One day, everything around you will be gone whether you want it or not. So, as a boy, who is to be grown into a man, you have to stay strong on your own two feet."

Bo's face swapped from sadness to confusion at his father's word. "What do you mean, dad?"

"You'll know when you grow up." Smiling while patting Bo's head, James took the boy's small hands inside his palms before raising them upwards till they reached the cute rosy pink lips. "For now, eat your sandwich. To grow up fast, you have to eat."

Bo nodded. His expression changed as swiftly as the flip of a coin when the word 'grow up fast' was mentioned.

"Yes! I'll eat a lot and take care of my health. I will become a powerful and intelligent man like you when I grow up. Then, I'm going to protect everything I hold dear without letting them go. You'll see, dad."

When Bo finished saying, he took a big bite of the sandwich and began to eat, creating an adorable sight to behold as two puffy cheeks moved in rhythm with the teeth trying to chew the big piece down.

James widened his eyes in surprise after hearing such a confident declaration. For a seven-year-old boy to have such a resolute determination, they cannot be prouder as parents. Turning to his wife, they both exchanged warm smiles before picking up their sandwiches and enjoying the picnic meal.

*******

Twenty years later

Standing in front of The Wang Corporation —with a history of the fifty-year establishment— Bo could not help but feel enthusiastic about walking through the front door. Today, his presence was neither a visitor nor an ordinary worker like he used to. He would enter through those automatic sliding doors as the president.

When he was a kid, he always followed his father to see what the company looked like and how his father worked. He was amazed and proud of how his father helped hundreds of people to be employed and how he led the company with neither legal nor moral issues throughout the years. Every employee from every department, as long as they were a part of The Wang Corporation, loved and respected his father deeply.

Now that Bo had graduated from a top university with flying colors, the time had come for him to follow his father's footsteps to make the company striving for the top ten positions nationwide. All the same, he wished to earn his employees' respect and love, just like the way they gave to his father.

Stepping out from the backseat of his black Mercedez Benz C-Class, Bo turned to give a quick thanks and a smile to his chauffeur, who was holding the car's door open for him, before craning his neck up to look at the tower. 

On the very top, the 'W' letter was shimmering from the morning sun shining on it, reflecting a golden color all over the surrounding pale blue glasses.

Watch me, dad. I'll create a golden age for this company, like how our 'Wang' logo is shining golden light. I won't disappoint you. Bo muttered to himself.

Arranging his suit and tie, he lowered his head and looked straight at the entrance that would take less than ten strides to arrive. With a deep breath to calm his nerve, he took his steps towards it. 

"Good morning, Mr. Wang." 

The glass door slid open when he was within the distance, revealing two rows of people donned in black suits standing in straight lines. Everyone greeted him simultaneously while bowing forty-five degrees in unison. 

"What..." he murmured, completely unprepared by his employees' warm welcome, leaving him awestruck and speechless.

Bo's eyes moved back sideways between the two rows of male and female staff, unable to focus on anyone in particular until a man dressed in a dark grey suit and silver tie approached him with a bouquet.

"Welcome to Wang Corporation, Mr. President." He handed Bo the bouquet of green cymbidium orchids, neatly wrapped inside a translucent white flower wrapper.

"Come on, Ben. Just call me Bo. We're cousins, after all. What's with the title?" Bo accepted the bouquet of his favorite flower with a warm smile that was even more beautiful than the flowers themselves. 

"I am afraid we have to draw a firm line between family and work, Mr. President."

"Please. I insist."

"Well, if you insist, then I'll call you by your name when we're alone. Not in front of our staff, though." Ben chuckled, making his cousin follow suit.

Bo nodded in agreement, knowing how stubborn his cousin was. Besides, the latter seemed to have a point. Regardless of blood-related kin, one should draw a firm line between personal and business matters.

"By the way, President Wang, on behalf of the company's employee, I'd like to invite you to join our party right after work today."

"What party?" asked Bo in confusion.

"Your welcoming party, of course. It isn't every day we have a new president, right?"

"Don't you think it's excessive for a newbie like me?" murmured Bo as a dusting of red crawled up his face. The welcome for his first day was already beyond what he had anticipated.

Now, there was going to be a party; he was a bundle of nerves. He had neither done nor showed any accomplishment to the company yet. To receive all this celebration, he felt quite embarrassed.

"No, it isn't. Don't worry, President Wang. Everything is arranged. You only need to say yes."

Bo took a look around. Despite the hard-working effort everyone was putting on to control the facial expression, he could still comprehend that the staff was waiting for his green light. After all, who wouldn't enjoy a free meal and entertainment arranged by the company?

"I don't think it's appropriate..." he trailed off, trying to leave a cliffhanger in the air. Some employees discreetly exhaled and slumped their shoulders, feeling dejected. "to say no and disappoint everyone, do I?" Bo finished what he left off with a soft laugh. He then said in a loud voice, "Let's have a party tonight!"

A few squeals escaped from female employees, but they hurried to clamp their lips shut, silencing their voices. Loud applause echoed throughout the building to cover up the employees' over excitement, albeit the corner of their mouths were curving up to produce thin smiles.

"Perfect! It's a green light, everyone! Make sure you finish your work half an hour early so we all can go to Sunday Hotel and enjoy the buffet to our stomach's content!" said Ben, turning around to address the staff. "Now, let's get the work done!"

After Ben clapped his hands twice, the rows of people started to scatter, making their ways back to their desks. They were fully motivated since early morning, knowing the compensation in the evening was worth it. 

"Wait. Sunday Hotel? That five-star one?" one of the female employees asked her friends as they made their way back to their desks.

"Yes! I heard the buffet there was very expensive," replied her friend.

"It costs half my monthly salary to dine there," another female employee joined in the conversation, smiling from ear to ear.

"Our boss isn't only handsome but generous as well. I think I make the right choice for applying to work here. With that gorgeous face, I'm willing to work for him till I die!"

"Me too!"

"Me three!"

The three women giggled and continued walking with happy smiles on their beautiful faces, not knowing their voices carried their words further than intended. 

Bo, who happened to have keen ears, smiled to himself after overhearing the conversation. It wasn't the compliments about his appearance that made him smile, for he had heard it countless times already. It was the thought of accomplishing his first mission: winning the employees' hearts. 

"What's so funny?" Ben asked when he saw the smile on Bo's face as they were heading towards the lift.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking to myself. That's all."

Ben arched his eyebrow in perplexion but decided to drop the topic since the ding sound was heard, indicating the lift's arrival. Strangely, during the ride, Bo could not help but feel a tiny bit of uneasiness about the party tonight. 

 *******

 Standing in front of the hotel's front gate after the party, Bo waited for his chauffeur to come and pick him up. However, ten minutes passed, there was still no sign of his ride. Shoving his hand inside his pants' side pocket, Bo wanted to fetch his phone and made a call when he stopped his action due to the sight of something unexpected.

Someone, to be exact.

At the corner of a well-trimmed bush lay an older woman dressed in a thin, loose button-down white shirt that already turned beige due to dirt and who-knows-how-long sweat stain. Her tangled and messy hair was all white, whereas her face was full of wrinkles. She was hugging her scraggy, shivering body as she was sleeping, exposing herself to the freezing air with nothing but a thin piece of something that resembled a black cloak underneath to separate her body from the cold concrete.

How could the security allow her inside a luxurious hotel like this?  Bo asked himself.

Though it made him confused,  he couldn't just stand and wait for an answer. Given his tender-hearted nature, there was no way he would allow a penurious elderly to suffer independently. Taking steps to the dark corner that was darker than where he last stood due to the broken lamp-post, Bo approached the sleeping woman and squatted down before asking in a gentle voice.

"Excuse me, ma'am, are you lost? Do you need help with anything?"

He waited for an answer, but sadly, there was none, for the woman didn't even stir or react to his words. She was lying completely still.