HEIRESS REBORN: MARRYING HER EX-FIANCÉ-Chapter 39: Five Years Later (1)

’’Sis! I don’t like those bodyguards following me around! It’s getting more annoying now!’’

The door swung open and a boy with curly hair angrily barged inside the office with his backpack dangling off one shoulder, his face scrunched in frustration.

"Sis—" His voice faltered when he noticed the other faces standing respectfully before the office desk. His hazel eyes shifted to the young lady seated behind it, dressed in a tailored suit and, as usual, absorbed in stacks of papers.

’Hmph! She’s busy again!’ The boy instantly scowled with complaints in his heart. Unfazed by the presence of others, he walked over to the double sofa in the office and shrugged off his backpack. He then carelessly tossed it onto the cushion and sprawled on the double sofa, making himself comfortable inside the office.

Behind the desk, another pair of hazel eyes glanced at the small figure on the double sofa before moving her focus to the people in front.

’’It’s look good.’’ She expressed her approval, nodding her head repeatedly. Her words brought a wave of silent relief to those standing before her, their tense postures easing ever so slightly.

Only the heavens knew how many revisions they had made to this proposal to meet their boss’s strict standards.

"However..."

The single word froze them in place, their nerves instantly tightening again.

’’It would be best if none of you ever find out what will happen if millions of dollars’ slips away right under our noses again.’’

In the other words, you all can kiss your jobs goodbye.

All of them understood her true meaning of her words, and did not voice out their complaints against her attitude despite the large age gap between them and her.

’’Thank you for coming. You can leave.’’

Seeing that they understood her words, the young lady dismissed them and the people wasted no time in leaving her office.

The five employees silently stepped into the elevator with solemn faces, and it wasn’t until the doors slid closed that one of them dropped his serious demeanor.

"Ah... I can never get used to her presence," one of the two men sighed, leaning his forehead against the wall. "She’s so intimidating for an eighteen-year-old. Aren’t young ladies her age supposed to be...softer?" He couldn’t help but shiver, recalling the tensed atmosphere in the president’s office.

One of the three women called Linda, snorted at his words with disdain. "That’s what you men want and like. I admire the president for being career-focused at this age, despite being privileged from birth.’’

"As prickly as always, Linda." The man teased. "No wonder your relationships never last with that attitude."

"Shut up!" Linda glared at him before turning to her colleague beside her. "Don’t you think I’m right, Mrs. Heslie?" Her voice, visibly softer than when she talked to the man.

’’Sometimes I wonder if you’re Mrs. Heslie’s secret daughter? You always run to her when you can’t win an argument with me.’’ the man taunted with a smirk.

’’You!’’

’’Haha...’’ On the side of the bickering pair, Mrs. Heslie, now older than five years ago, chuckled lowly to herself.

’’What do you find funny?’’ Another one of her colleagues by her side, a man of similar age as hers, glanced curiously at her.

’’No. It’s just...what many see about the young president isn’t her actual character.’’ She replied, thoughtfully. ’’ In my opinion, she’s just like every other eighteen years old trying to find her path as a young adult.’’

"Really?" Linda, who had paused her bickering, looked at Mrs. Heslie curiously.

"I’ve never seen her with friends besides Young Master Easmond." She mused, recalling the two years since her promotion as a department head. "The president doesn’t even appear on trending searches like her cousin.’’

"The two young misses have different lives, Linda." The man beside her pointed out. "One is a well-known famous actress, and the other is a young president of an entire top-global corporation.

’’Still....her social life just seems....dull?’’ Linda thought her boss should have felt lonely at times without any friends to laugh and bicker with in her life.

The Young master Easmond who frequently visited seemed like her only friend, but surely, her boss would have secretly wanted to find a female friend....right?

’’Well....we can’t argue with that.’’ Mrs. Heslie stared ahead as the elevator dinged and the doors automatically slid opened. ’’if it weren’t for the tragedy years ago, her life might have been a bit different.’’

’You also haven’t even seen how she behaves with the young heir. She’s almost like a mother to him.’ Stepping out of the elevator, she added privately to herself.

****

*Thunk!*

’’Ouch!’’ The boy instinctively let go of his tablet and rubbed his head while looking up at the young lady with blaming eyes and pouted lips.

’’Sis!’’ He cried out. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

’’When your elder sister calls you, you must answer immediately, Jason.’’ Ayana said pointedly before folding her arms with a lifted eyebrow.

’’And what do you mean that I should remove those bodyguards? Jason, you should know that I’m not doing that.’’ She added, as her words were a matter of fact.

’’But, they are always following and annoying! And.....’’ Jason lowered his arm, followed by his gaze. ’’It’s attention-seeking. Almost everyone at school knows that I’m your younger brother and the young master of the Kingston family. It’s annoying how they want to be my friend just because of my identity.’’

’’...’’ Ayana observed the down-hearted face of her little brother as a moment of silence passed.

*Thunk!*

’’Ouch! Quit it, will you?!’’ Jason rubbed his head once more, looking up with a sharp glare.

’’Glaring at your elder sister?’’ She arched an eyebrow.

"No!" He quickly averted his gaze, feeling a mix of irritation and unease.

’Why is she always getting scarier every minute?’ He complained in his heart.

"You must know, Jay, you’re very lucky to be born into this family as the young master." Ayana said, walking around the double sofa before settling down beside him.

At the same time, Jason sat up and folded his knees. "Lucky? It feels more like a burden sometimes," he muttered, glancing at her with a hint of blame—obviously because of the bodyguards.

"Burden, huh?" Ayana chuckled softly, finding the word all too familiar. "The identity you see as a burden is something many would love to have. Most people envy and hate you for it."

Jason snorted in response.

"Should I let you in on one of my little secrets, my little brother?"

"What?" He replied, feeling a little curious.

"As I said earlier, most people envy and hate you for being the Young master of the Kingston family."

"Yes?"

"An example is your elder sister sitting right here." Ayana smiled at her confused little brother. "I hated...no, I probably despised you for being born into our family."