Magic Ball: the Billionaire in Ranch

34 Reunion With Highschool Friends

“I’ll be gone in about three weeks or so. But not more than a month.” The sun’s ray entered the office in Noah’s farmhouse. Noah sat at his chair while Thomas leaned his shoulder on the wall next to the front door.

This week, Noah had a call from a good friend during high school that he's invited to his wedding in October and that the boys are meeting again for a reunion. He’d opted to say no given the fact that he still had a lot of things to do with the expansion of his Stream Ranch, but the said friend had invited his entire high school gang on the said reunion, and it would be a shame for Noah to miss the bachelor’s party they’re about to throw.

What did he do about it? Of course, he moved his schedule. He called Thomas to his office to ask him of the things that are yet to be checked such as the salaries of the construction workers, the food they’re going to eat, the animals that need to be fed, the distribution of their premium meat to the market—Thomas halted him on the spot and told him that he already knows how to handle the situation at hand.

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine? This month’s load of work is incomparable to the previous ones we had. I’m not sure if I can leave you guys alone.”

Thomas groaned. He strode and sat on the seat in front of Noah’s wooden desk. Then, he rests his arm on the table. “How long do you think we’ve been working here? It’s been two years already, Noah. Have a little faith.” Noah couldn’t directly tell him that he had faith in him. He just wanted to make sure that everything will work out fine when he's not around. The idea of one of them calling him during a wedding was more agitating than the fact when he’s sitting inside his office doing paperwork or answering his clients’ inquiries.

“I have faith in you. You’ve been with for almost three years now,” said Noah. But Thomas noticed the crease on his brows.

“Then, what’s the matter? Why are you so reluctant to leave us?”

Noah gently placed his hand on the desk, one palm over the other. He stared at Thomas. “I didn’t want to enjoy and have you guys dealing with work here. It’s unfair.”

“That’s what we do,” Thomas answered right away. “We deal with your stress as you have fun on another place or two.”

Noah knew he could do that, but he believes that he couldn't enjoy his vacation if he leaves his workload to other people. Maybe he just wasn't that kind of boss, to begin with.

Thomas hummed. Noah straightened from his seat. He'd have to admit he didn't know what the older man was thinking about.

“What?” he broke the silence that stretched between them. Thomas shrugged his shoulders. He stood and headed straight toward the door. “I’ll decide for you if you can’t,” he said in a manner that made Noah feel anxious.

Thomas used his arms to lean on the chair's armrest. “You’ll go to the bachelor’s party, meet with your high school buddies while we handle the entire ranch.” Noah thought he looked dead serious.

“I’ll be gone for weeks,” he countered. The older man wasn’t unfazed about the period he’d be gone.

"Noah," Thomas made it sound as if he was ridiculous for nothing, "the ranch will be fine, I tell you. We'll handle the facilities, take care of the animals—we'll even call you when problems arise.”

Noah opened his mouth, but Thomas silenced him with a look. “Yes, go. Or do I have to tell Wynn to book you a flight back to Knox?”

“I can do it myself,” he protested. “Fine. I’m going. Call when something happens.” He took the pen he placed on the stack of paper he had on his desk, “But if ever something bad arises, call me the moment it happened. Or better yet, call me when it’s happening!”

Thomas was already closing the door to his office, “Of course I would. Now go buy yourself some airplane ticket home.”

Noah sat in the waiting area. He awaits his flight back home. He had his phone on his ears. It was his mother. She immediately called the moment Noah messaged her that he's already at the waiting area getting ready to board the plane.

Are you all set? She asked in her usual chirpy voice. He heard mumblings from the background. Noah assumed it must’ve been his father mutter something to his mother for her to tell him.

Ask him yourself—no! What are you doing?

“What’s happening there? You two love birds fighting again?”

There was a pause as he tried understanding what they were arguing about on the other end of the line.

“Hello? Am I still talking to someone?”

More muffled voices came, and then his father spoke, Hey. It was one word that sounded too tough for a normal man.

“Dad? Where’s mom?” Noah pressed the little video camera button on the lower left of the screen so that the three of them can see each other well.

Hi! His mother screeched behind her scowling father.

“Mom, why are you hiding behind Dad?”

Oh, this big grump snatched the phone away from me. He wanted to hear more of your voice—ouch! Why did you poke my sides?

His father cleared his throat. She wouldn’t let me talk to you. That’s why I took the phone from her.

Noah chuckled at their sight. They look like two teenagers fighting who gets to talk to their eldest son first.

“We can talk like this,” besides, he gets to have a better view with them like this.

When are you coming home? His father asked. Are you taking us back with you to the Stream Ranch afterward?

Noah nodded. “That’s the plan. But I was thinking you had no one to take care of the flower shop for you. Maybe after the wedding on October, you’d find some caretaker.”

His father waved his hand,"we already hired someone. We'll be monitoring the shop via this secret camera Elijah installed for us," his father said in his perfect Italian.

See, your little brother had developed this app for us, and it's convenient for looking out for your business!

Noah thought maybe he could ask his brother about it, and he’d have Brice collaborate with the work to install CCTV cameras all over the Stream Ranch.

“Maybe I’ll ask him about that system you’re talking about.”

I’ll tell him, his mother said. Your father’s very excited!

“I know. It’s still six months away, so calm down," he answered, a smile playing on his lips. The joy of seeing horses had been on his father’s face ever since Noah told them that he would like them to visit his Stream Ranch one day. He watched how his father’s eyes danced with interest upon the mention of horses whenever he video calls them. “I’ll be home after two weeks. I need to bond with the boys.”

Take your time, darling! Be sure to call us when you’re headed to our home. Noah waved at him as she smiled back. She shook her tiny hands on the screen. He heard his father asking why she was waving at the screen.

It’s what you do to say goodbye, she said as if she was talking to a kid. Only he had a buffed one. 

Oh, I see. His father waved vigorously that it made Noah chuckle. The whites of their hairs flew in front of their faces when the breeze came rushing inside their room.

“I’ll see you,” Noah waved one more time before he heard the announcement that the plane headed to Italy was arriving in a minute.

“I’ll be boarding now. See you in a bit.”

He heard his mom’s squeal before he pressed the red button on his screen.

After several hours, Noah had finally arrived at Knox city's airport. When he pressed his phone open, he saw that two text messages from one of his high school buddies.

ROBERT: Buddy! I won’t be able to pick you up. I’ve been pretty busy

with preparations lately.

ROBERT: The three idiots will be waiting for you at the pick-up area. I

heard Mike made you a card! Good luck with that! See you in a bit.

Noah shook his head. He couldn’t believe that Mike made him a big-ass placard—his eyes landed on the said placard, and Mike was yelling at him. He waved the giant banner in the air with the words: NOAH, YOU ARE MY LIGHT. WE’RE HERE YOU PICK YOU UP TOWARD PARADISE!

The idiots had outdone themselves this time. Fitch stood beside a smiling Andy. The three of them waved their hands in the air, and when Noah finally reached their place, the three of them enclosed him in a tight bear hug.

“I can’t believe you’re back!” said Andy as he patted Noah in the back. It almost felt as if his punching him vigorously. He ruffled Andy’s hair.

“It’s good to see you, too.” Mike jumped on him as the three of them shouted in the middle of rushing tourists.

“Mike! Get-off me!” Noah laughed as he pulled Mike down. “God, you’re so annoying.” The grin on his face was like that of when they were still children.

“Can’t believe you made it!” Fitch grabbed him by the arm and hugged him tight once Mike was already done climbing his back. 

Noah grinned, “I sure did.”

The four of them squeezed themselves inside Fitch’s car. Noah sat on the passenger’s seat while Andy and Mike make do on the back. Of course, it was Fitch who drove the car.

When Fitch started the car’s engine, Noah’s phone began ringing. He pressed the green button when he saw who the caller ID was.

“Yeah, mom? I just arrived. I’m with the boys. Oh, not yet. We’ll be traveling somewhere now.” He hummed, “Okay, bye.” He swiftly placed the phone back on his bag.

“What did she say?” asked Flitch. He looked sideways and maneuvered toward a street.

Noah rests his elbow on the window sill. “She said congratulations to Robert, and that they’re sending their regards.”

“Robert’s fiancée liked your mother’s flower shop, by the way.”

Noah looked behind him, “Really? She did?”

“Yeah,” Mike was the one who answered him. “She even had her entire entourage order flowers from your mom’s shop.”

That explains why his mother sounded so happy when she talked about Robert’s wedding. He didn’t know that Robert’s fiancée had brought her flowers from their shop. His mother must’ve been over the moon about it. Noah thinks it was the first big event her mother had covered with her flowers.

“I heard the whole team for their wedding approved of your mother’s flowers. They told us the flowers’ color looks so vibrant.”

“Yeah!” Agree Fitch, “I saw it personally. Your mother claimed that they bloomed like that because of the soil she got from your Stream Ranch.”

So, it also affects flowers? Noah thought inwardly. He would have to take note of that.

"Look here," Andy called from behind. Noah turned his head, and then he heard the click of a camera.

He furrowed his brows. “What’s that for?”

“I’ll send it to Robert. He’d feel jealous!”

They all laughed at the remark.

“By the way, it’s Robert’s bachelor’s party. Why isn’t he here?”

“You know that guy,” Mike answered, “he’s the type to not even attend his own wedding. He’d been juggling work with his wedding nowadays.”

“Should we pick him up?” Fitch suggested.

That would be a good idea, but knowing Robert, they highly doubt he’d come with them.

“This isn’t a bachelor’s party without the groom,” Noah argued.

Fitch shrugged his shoulders, “It’s a reunion, actually.” The guilt crossed his eyes.  

“Oh,” Noah said. An odd feeling surged his chest, and it made his heart pound. He shouldn’t have attended then—that’s what had been running through his mind. He thought of one person who could come to the said meeting, and he knew it was going to be awkward.