A Troubled Man

1. the meeting

Chapter one

the meeting

Aaron hesitantly stands outside the giant building, contemplating his decision. The massive sign written ‘ Asano he could have ruined her pressed blue shirt if he had spilled it.

She glares at him, her mouth curling in disdain at his threadbare t-shirt.

Everyone entering or leaving the building is in formal wear and well-dressed, and Aaron knows he stands out.

His ripped jeans and tattered trainers scream he doesn’t belong here.

The woman must be late because she says nothing and hurries inside.

"Good afternoon. How may I assist you today?" the receptionist asks in a bored voice once Aaron gathers enough courage to enter the building.

He feels a few glances directed at him, but he steels himself.. He knows this isn’t the best choice he can make, but he has no other options. His mother’s health is on the line. What he is about to do is incredibly shameless, but at this point, he does not care.

"Um, hi. I’m looking for Xander Bennett?" Aaron asks, somehow able to keep his voice steady.

The receptionist looks up at him with narrowed eyes. "Mr. Bennett’s office is on the fifth floor. Take the lift on your left, and when you get there, his secretary will arrange an appointment for you," he says with practised nonchalance. "Thank you."

It takes Aaron a second to realise that he’s been dismissed, so he follows the directions, going up the lift. Will Xander even recognise him, let alone listen to his request? Worrying about it won’t change anything, so Aaron takes a deep breath and steps into the corridor.

This floor must be where the higher-ups of the company work because Aaron passes a sign on the corridor pointing to the office of Alvin Sinclair, presumably one of the owners of the company. He follows the sign that directs him to Xander’s office.

To his utter disappointment, however, Xander is not here.

"I’m sorry. Mr. Bennett is out of town; he’s meeting a new investor today," his secretary, Primrose Lance, according to her name tag, says. "What do you want to meet him about? I might be able to squeeze you in for an appointment in a month or two."

"What?" Aaron asks incredulously. His mother needs the surgery as soon as possible. In two months, it will be too late. He’ll have lost her.

"Mr. Bennet’s schedule’s fully booked; it’s hard to get any meetings with him currently," she explains.

If Xander is so busy, that must mean he has money, right? That means he will help Aaron, right?

"Is there no way for me to talk to him before that?" Aaron asks again, digging his nails into Primrose’s desk.

She shakes her head. "I’m afraid not. If you have a portfolio or a proposal, you can leave it with me. He’ll look it over when he returns." She gestures to the corner, where a pile of lever arch files are stacked neatly on the bookshelf.

Aaron sighs and takes out a notebook from his backpack. He writes his name and phone number on there. "When Xander comes back, please give him my details. We’re family, and I haven’t seen him in a while. Please tell him it’s urgent."

Primrose stares at Aaron like he’s mad. It’s no surprise that Xander has probably never mentioned him. "I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that Mr. Bennet had any more family," she says hastily, taking the paper from him.

"Like I said, I haven’t seen him in a while. This was the only place I knew I could find him," Aaron says, looking down.

"Here. Take his card. You can call this office yourself. How about that?" she says kindly, handing Xander’s business card to Aaron.

Aaron thanks her and asks to go to the bathroom before he leaves. He feels like he is going to hyperventilate, and he needs to sit down. Everything is a total mess, and he can barely hold it together. He immediately collapses onto the floor the moment he enters the bathroom, breathing heavily.

‘Xander Bennett, Managing Director,’ Aaron reads the card.

It seems that his brother has done well for himself.

It is funny to think that the two of them come from the same home, yet Xander is ten times more successful than Aaron who couldn't even finish university.

But unlike Aaron, Xander was always smart and received scholarships that helped him to get ahead in life, while Aaron struggled for the bare minimum, working hard and yielding nothing.

The sobs come before he can stop them. His mother suffers a lot of pain every day, and there is nothing that Aaron can do for her.

The coffee shop is struggling too, and they can’t make money.

This is all his father, Charles Williams’ fault.

Why did he have to die, leaving Aaron the responsibility of taking care of her?

What kind of father leaves nothing behind, only sad and painful memories for his wife and son?

As tears flow from his eyes and sobs wreck his body, Aaron vows he will never forgive his father. He has nothing to his name, and his mother is the person who matters the most to him. If he loses her too, he will be alone in the world. The pain in his heart only makes him cry harder.

"Are you okay, kid?" A deep voice startles Aaron as someone enters the bathroom.

Aaron knows he shouldn’t be here; he should apologise to this stranger and hurry away. But there is concern in the man’s voice, and that makes Aaron cry even harder.

The man crouches down next to Aaron and places a hand on his arm. "Hey, what’s wrong? Do you need help?"

It has been so long since Aaron has allowed himself to feel anything, to cry and let someone see it.

For the past few months, he’s had to be strong for his mother to keep holding on, but right now, he is at his breaking point.

He grabs the stranger’s shirt, pulls him closer, and buries his head in his shoulder.

"Oh, okay," the man says, and he hesitantly pats Aaron on the back. "You’re going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright."

Aaron hopes so, crying in the man’s arms, holding onto him for dear life.

He is warm, and he puts his arms around Aaron, comforting him.

The acknowledgement of his feelings only makes Aaron cry even more.

He lets out his fear and stress through tears, sobbing into the man’s shoulder.

He does not know how long they stay like that, but he doesn’t let up until he runs out of tears.

Then reality hits him. He broke down in a bathroom and is currently crying in some stranger’s arms. Aaron pulls away, mortified, and stands up.

"Oh God, I’m so sorry... oh shit… um," he stutters, as the man also stands up.

"I guess you’re all cried out then," the stranger says. "Thank goodness, because my legs were dead."

Aaron looks up, then down, at the man because he’s slightly shorter than him. The stranger has short, neatly combed dark hair, and his narrowed grey eyes are trained on Aaron. His cool olive skin is smooth and flawless, even though he looks much older.

He adjusts the sleeves of his perfectly tailored suit as he assesses Aaron.

His dark suit and shoes all appear to be designer, so he’s probably a rich client, or he works here and Aaron just made a fool out of himself in front of the first guy who’s even touched him in months.

The stranger’s white shirt is also ruined by Aaron’s tears.

He's hot and damn it all to hell but, the man smells like money, power and pine.

"I’m really sorry. I’ll just get out of your hair," Aaron says, taking his bag and preparing to escape. But the stranger grabs his arm, stopping him.

"Hold on. You look like you’re going to have a panic attack, kid. Let’s go get you some calming tea, alright?" the man says.

Hell no. Aaron is too embarrassed to remain in this man's presence; and wants to flee as fast as he can. "No, I don’t want to impose on you, sir."

The man raises his eyebrows. "Wow, this is the first time in my life a guy has refused to go out with me after being held in my arms."

Aaron’s face turns scarlet. The stranger is teasing him for his own amusement, as evidenced by his pleased smile when he sees Aaron blush. "I... just one cup of tea, then."

"Excellent. What’s your name?"

"Aaron Williams."

"Okay, Aaron. Follow me," the man says, leading the way out of the bathroom.

*

The café that the stranger leads Aaron into is luxurious. It is the sort of place with private VIP rooms for esteemed guests to have their coffee alone. If Aaron compares this to his mother’s coffee shop, it falls a thousand times short.

"… by yourself? Aaron? Aaron, are you listening to me?" his companion asks, snapping Aaron out of his daydream.

They are seated in the back, and the man orders some clear-looking tea, while Aaron chooses a latte and doughnuts.

"I’m sorry, what did you say Mr…?" Aaron asks, looking across the table at him.

"Asano. Rion Asano." The stranger’s eyes never leave him, as if Aaron is a fascinating new toy he found. "I said, why were you crying all by yourself?"

"Oh, um, that’s a long story." Aaron nervously sips his coffee.

"I’ve got time," Mr. Asano says, leaning back in his chair. When Aaron hesitates, he shrugs. "Sometimes it helps to cry next to someone you’ve never met before, and it makes you feel better to tell a stranger all your problems. I’m offering to listen."

"Why?" Aaron doesn’t understand. Judging by his clothing, mannerisms, and the respectful way all the staff in the café are treating him, Mr. Asano is clearly well off. It makes no sense for him to concern himself with a nobody like Aaron.

"You happened to catch my attention." He shrugs, eyes looking over him. "And it’s not every day that I get a cute young man crying on my shoulder."

Aaron’s face heats up again. "Not every day, huh? Just some days?" he asks to cover his embarrassment.