CHAPTER 16
Rose was cursing and shouting at Rayne like he was his enemy from a past life. Rayne ended up laughing, honestly, he didn’t care even if Rose cursed at him.
“Ohh, that’s very bad. But I already fired you, so what are you still doing here?” he asked, knowing Rose was getting annoyed just hearing his voice.
It was clear on Rose’s face. He looked disgusted just looking at Rayne.
“We’ve already informed our boss about this. Let’s see what happens next,” Rose said.
Hearing that, Rayne realized Rose must have informed his father, who was currently enjoying a trip with Rayne’s mother. And did he really just call Rayne’s dad his boss, when Rayne himself was the CEO now? Rose clearly didn’t consider Rayne the boss.
Just then, Rayne’s phone rang. It was his dad. Noticing Rose’s expression, Rayne smirked, he looked like a villain in his own little scene.
What if Dad scolded him? What if he asked what on earth he was doing? What if he took the employees’ side? Of course, he might; he had known them for years. Still, Rayne answered the call while keeping his eyes on San.
“Hello, Dad,” Rayne said.
“My dear Rayne, how are you? I heard what’s happening there, but I don’t think you needed to fire them,” his dad replied.
See? Rayne had known it. His decision was probably fine. He had already realized it the moment he handed the envelopes to the workers.
“You’re still young, and I know you must have your own way of doing things.
If the workers aren’t willing to follow their leader, then there’s no need to keep them in the company.
I would’ve handled it differently, but since it’s you…
everyone acts differently in a situation like this, so I’m supporting you,” his dad added.
Rayne was shocked. He had expected Dad to tell him to retract the order, but no. Hearing that, he felt even more confident in his decision.
“Thank you so much, Dad, for supporting me. I love you. Enjoy your trip, no need to worry about me,” Rayne said.
“I’m not worried at all, because I know Lucian is with you. If you don’t understand anything, ask him. And your mom is taking a bath right now, she’ll call you later; she also wants to talk to you,” his dad said before hanging up.
Rayne looked ahead at Rose and placed his phone on the table, leaning back in his chair.
“So… what were you saying?” he asked.
“What did the boss say?” Rose asked, looking desperate, pathetic even.
Rayne smirked. “Telling my dad didn’t change anything. My decision is the same. Get out of my company right now.”
Rose looked utterly shocked, falling into a chair. Surely, he only wanted to sit down and pretended to be shocked for dramatic effect.
“No… this can’t be true. You can’t fire us. I’ve been working here for six years,” Rose mumbled, biting his nails.
Rayne rolled his eyes. So what if he worked there for six years? In that time, Rose had become so arrogant he dared to rebel against the new CEO. Had he forgotten Rayne was the son of his previous boss?
It was funny, honestly. Rayne would tell his kids someday that he became CEO of a company where no one even wanted him as CEO.
“Rose, why do you hate me so much? I don’t remember doing anything to you,” Rayne asked. He was genuinely curious, Rose hated him like he’d ruined his life, but Rayne didn’t even remember meeting him.
“You’re asking what you’ve done? You’re the true bitch,” Rose spat.
Just then, the door slammed open. Lucian appeared, eyes red, wearing a long grey coat over a white shirt and black pants, hands tucked into his coat pockets as he rushed inside.
Wait, wasn’t he sick? What was he doing here?
Rayne stood quickly. Lucian walked straight to his side, and Rayne grabbed his hand.
“Lucian, what are you doing here?” he asked, touching Lucian’s forehead. He was still burning with fever. Why had he left the house like this?
“Who are you calling a bitch?” Lucian asked, his voice ice-cold. His death glare at Rose released thick anger pheromones.
“Lucian, it’s okay. I already fired him and the others,” Rayne said, realizing he was still holding Lucian’s hand. Lucian had already intertwined his fingers with Rayne’s.
“This! This is the reason I hate you!” Rose shouted, before running out of the room.
San went to close the door, but glanced at them before leaving.
“You can stay,” Lucian ordered. His voice alone carried such a commanding, cold tone it made everyone tremble. If Rayne had worked under him, he would have been terrified too.
Rayne’s own voice didn’t have that effect. If it did, his employees would tremble at his words alone.
“Rayne, what is happening here? How can a mere employee talk to you like that?” Lucian asked.
Rayne told him everything, from how those workers acted when he was an intern, to when his parents retired and he became CEO, and how they started rebelling under Rose. He explained what had happened today, how Rose tried to embarrass him in front of everyone, so he fired them.
“Lucian… was that the wrong decision?” Rayne asked.
Lucian made him sit and gently caressed his cheek. “No. It wasn’t wrong. You did a good job. Let me handle the rest.”
Rayne smiled, but then remembered Lucian was sick. He quickly stood and made him sit down instead.
“You’re sick, Lucian. Why did you come here? You should’ve stayed home and rested!” he scolded.
“I just came to pick you up, but I didn’t expect to hear someone cursing at my wife,” Lucian said, his voice full of anger.
Honestly, Rayne didn’t expect him to get angry on his behalf. And he definitely hadn’t expected him to come here in the first place. Cause lucian was sick so he thought he probably resting at home.
“Rayne, we will hire new employees soon,” Lucian said.
Then his eyes shifted to San. “Go and inform the HR department that we are recruiting for every department, and both experienced applicants and newbies are allowed.”
San nodded and left immediately. As soon as he was gone, Lucian’s cold expression faded, and he began panting lightly. Rayne realized that Lucian had been pretending to be fine while San was present. He hadn’t wanted to show his weakness, but now, with just the two of them, he could finally relax.
It was good to see Lucian comfortable in front of him.
“Let me see your face. How are you feeling?” Rayne asked, touching his forehead. Lucian’s temperature wasn’t too high.
“I have a headache,” Lucian admitted, clutching his head.
Rayne grabbed his hand. “Let’s go over there, on the sofa.”
He sat down and placed a pillow on his lap, patting it to signal Lucian to lie down and rest his head. Lucian leaned back, but instead of resting on the pillow, he picked it up, removed it, and lowered his head directly onto Rayne’s lap.
Rayne blinked, momentarily confused, but he began massaging Lucian’s forehead and temples. Gradually, Lucian’s tense expression softened, and he closed his eyes, relaxing completely. His skin felt warm under Rayne’s fingertips.
Eventually, Lucian fell asleep. Rayne’s hands were sore from the prolonged massage, and his phone buzzed on the table, but he didn’t dare move in case Lucian woke. Slowly, he eased his hands to rest lightly on Lucian’s forehead, enough to maintain contact without disturbing him.
After a while, Lucian stirred and slowly opened his eyes, seeing Rayne’s face hovering above him. One of Rayne’s hands rested on his head, the other on his chest.
“Oh, I fell asleep!” Lucian exclaimed, sitting up. Rayne nodded.
He tried to stand, but his legs were numb from sitting for almost an hour, and he collapsed back onto the sofa.
“What happened? Are you alright?” Lucian asked.
“My legs are numb. I can’t stand up. But leave that, how are you feeling now?” Rayne replied.
Lucian knelt beside Rayne’s legs, beginning to massage them. The sudden action caught Rayne off guard.
“Wait, what are you doing, Lucian? Don’t do this, you’re still unwell,” he protested.
“Shh, don’t move,” Lucian murmured, massaging with full concentration. Lemon-scented pheromones lingered in the air, soothing Rayne. He realized Lucian was releasing calming pheromones for him.
Rayne smiled, instinctively reaching to ruffle Lucian’s hair.
“Oh, sorry for patting you like that,” he murmured.
Lucian caught his hand mid-air, pulling it toward him and pressing it to his cheek. “Why are you apologizing? You can touch me however you want. I’m your alpha.”
Rayne felt a rush of excitement, but he forced himself to stay composed.
“You’re funny, Lucian… but I think we should go back now. Let’s go to the hospital.”
By then, Rayne’s legs had recovered. Lucian helped him up. “I’m fine now. Let’s go eat something,” Rayne said.
He nodded, honestly feeling hungry. Just then, someone knocked on the office door, and San walked in.
“Boss, the director from Aura Hospital is here. They’re not ready to accept that you sent them a contract termination letter,” San said.
Pushed further inside, a large alpha entered, with another alpha standing behind him. Rage was written all over his face. The sudden contract termination clearly hit him hard. When his eyes landed on Rayne, he looked him up and down before smirking.
“Oh, so you are that new omega CEO of this company? Your father should have taught you something before making a kid like you a CEO,” the director said, his words sharper than his expression.
“Really? If a kid like me shouldn’t be a CEO, then what should I do? Can you tell me, uncle?” Rayne shot back, voice sharp and confident.
The director clenched his jaw. Did he really think Rayne would stay silent? Even without the strength to fight physically, Rayne’s words could cut deeply.
“How dare you talk to me like that!” the director shouted, rushing toward him.
Lucian stepped in, standing beside Rayne. The moment the director saw him, he froze, eyes widening.