New Life : A Second Chance

CEO Charles was miffed. Actually, to say that he was miffed was putting it mildly. He was livid.

Today, a boy that had just become a teen, would be visiting with a bunch of friends. What did he think this was? A school excursion? So what if he is the Smith Heir? He's only 13! What does a snot-faced 13-year-old know about business? Did he think he could waltz in here and then after just observing them for a month or two, figure out what is wrong with the company? Why it was facing a loss?

Charles was frustrated.

He had been trying to find out the cause but to no avail. He knew that sooner or later, the Smith Industries would send a team to audit them. Heads would roll. However, instead of that elite team of people, they send a group of babies? What a joke.

What Charles found aggravating was the resources and man-hours he would have to put in just to appease and 'play house'. The time that would be wasted in pandering to the orders of the higher-ups. Time that he could be using to truly find out what is the reason for the loss.

He sighed and shook his head. The thoughts of the rich were truly beyond his comprehension. Did they already regard Company LV as unsalvagable, thus sent the heir so as not to waste the valuable time of the audit team? Charles already could feel that he was the laughing stock. Even Smith Industries treated him like a joke.

"Sir?" a quiet voice broke into his thoughts.

He looked up and saw his assistant looking at him with concern while holding a file.

"Yes, Pauline?" he asked tiredly, "Are they here?"

"No, Sir," she answered politely, "They're scheduled to arrive at 9am. It's only 8am right now."

"Fine. Just make sure you're there to greet him when they come," Charles said then asked, "What is it then?"

She placed a file on his table, saying, "These are the financial reports you asked for. The accounts department just had it delivered."

Charles looked at the file with a frown. He's going to have a long talk with those people in Accounts soon. He had asked for this file since last week but it had been delayed for one reason or another. Somehow, he had been so busy that he didn't have time to follow up on it and Pauline didn't remind him either.

Were everyone so incompetent or was this the way that they had always been operating?

Unknown to both of them, Kyle was already walking through the doors of Company LV. He was dressed to kill, figuratively speaking. First impressions are important, so he donned the Gorgio Armani suit that his parents had gotten for him for the Press Conference. His hair was sleeked back and he wore black dress shoes. However, instead of the thin blue stripes for the shirt under the suit, he opted for a white mandarin collar shirt instead. That way, he didn't have to wear a tie.

Ali and Xing Han had their own suits and opted to wear black as well, and they wore ties. Sam, on the other hand, didn't wear a suit but he did wear trousers (rather than jeans) and a bow tie. Kay was in a one piece black pencil line dress which was two inches above the knees. It had a scoop neckline whereby there were some intricate patterns in white on its neckline. She had a simple necklace with black onyx, matching earrings and completed the ensemble with a matching black jacket and white lining.

All in all, when all of them walked through the door, they certainly made people stop and stare for a while. The thing is, it shouldn't have made an impact as they were dressed like everyone else who walked in that door, right? Even taking into account that they were quite young as compared to everyone else.

It's just that each and every one of them gave off this indescribable aura. From their outstanding features, dressed impeccably and the air of regality that oozed from four of them (and one had a refined aura) just took their breath away. It was as if they had literally walked out from a painting and into the building.

Kyle had this indifferent look on his face as he walked towards the reception desk. He looked all around him in one glance, taking note of the expression of everyone there. It was mostly shock and surprise, with some admiration.

[Interesting. It doesn't look like anyone was expecting us] Kyle said as he neared the reception desk.

[How can you tell?]

[If you heard that some 13-year-old kid was coming to audit you, what would you do?] Kyle asked.

[Try to see who this kid was?]

[Yet, everyone here has this expression like we're a surprise to them. They looked curious but it's more out of wondering who we are and what we are doing here. Not curious as to what we look like]

[Maybe they want to keep it low key?]

[We're kids, no matter how smartly we dress up. How low key can we be when we go around and attend meetings?]

[So you are saying that the games are going to begin even now?]

Kyle turned to her and smirked.

"Yes, how may I help you?" asked the receptionist as they reached the desk.

Sam took a step forward and said politely, "Kyle Smith to see CEO Smith."

Sam took on the role as Kyle's personal assistant for this, as he was merely here to observe. Since he didn't want a free ride, he insisted on doing something and Kyle relented, telling him that he needed someone to act as his PA. Sam happily took the role.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Of course," Sam replied and Kyle looked at her with a frown. Though that was a typical question, the point was that she should have automatically checked the moment his name had been given. Wasn't there a system that she could check or at the very least, wasn't she informed of their arrival? The information should have been given to her already and she should have memorised or known in advance of this. This was simply a waste of time.

"I am sorry, Mr. Smith but your name is not listed here," the receptionist said apologetically and politely.

"Are you sure about that?" came an icy voice from behind Sam.

The receptionist looked up and was stupified for a minute. The vision was just too breathtaking. She had seen her fair share of good looking men while working here but this was at another level. In fact, all of them, together, made it such a picturesque sight.

She gulped but maintained her professionalism, "Yes, Sir, I am sorry about that."

"So if the name is not listed, then you will refuse entry to anyone who walks in?" Kyle asked, his eyes cold.

"I - I ... wait, let me double check with CEO Charles's secretary," she stammered, fumbling for her phone, her hands shaking.

The receptionist dialed the number but no one was picking up. She tried two more times but there was still no answer. She looked up at them in fear, seeing four pair of eyes staring at her in displeasure. The one who had spoken earlier looked even more unhappy and she could actually feel the pressure and fear filling her entire body.

<It's not my fault, okay! What can I do about it?> she was cursing inwardly but who could she complain to? She turned to the one person who appeared to at least look kind.

"Mr. Smith, I'm really sorry but -"

"I'm not Mr. Smith," Sam interrupted and introduced Kyle, "THIS is Mr. Kyle Smith, Director and future CEO of Smith Industries."

Smith Industries?! The receptionist's face paled. Who in Company LV didn't know Smith Industries? It was their boss's boss company! And this young boy was a Director there? Future CEO? Is she going to lose her job??!

"Seriously, Kyle," said Ali, while raising an eyebrow, "Is this a joke? Even if we are early, shouldn't have they been notified to be expecting you?"

"Agreed. Perhaps they think you're just here for fun?" muttered Xing Han.

The receptionist quickly said, "My apologies, Mr. Smith. Please wait in the lounge while I get this sorted out."

"That's fine," Kyle said, a little more kindly but still looking extremely unhappy, "It's not your fault. You're only doing your job. Keep it up."

The receptionist breathed a sigh of relief. There weren't many people who would be willing to let this go and even blame her for not letting them through. She's seen her fair share of arrogant officers. Her respect for the young ones in front of her increased.

Indeed, Kyle did not blame the receptionist. She was merely following protocol. He also doubted that CEO Charles wouldn't have informed the receptionist, so there was something that went haywire in the chain of command. The question was: was it deliberate or mere incompetence?

Throughout the entire time, the receptionist kept glancing at them in nervousness as they all sat elegantly at the waiting area. Kyle leaned back on the chair, one leg placed across the knee of his other leg as he looked around him.

"Just a heads up," Kyle said, his voice low so that it could only be heard between them, "You're going to see a part of me that I've never shown before."

"You've already told us that," Xing Han pointed out. Prior to coming here, Kyle already told them that he has a different persona when he's working. His reasoning was that he had to be strict and firm, for he would not be taken seriously otherwise due to his young age.

Kyle's lips curled up to a slow smile, the air around them suddenly getting chilly and he looked at Xing Han.

Xing Han found his throat dry, his heart pounding and he opened his mouth but no words came out. Even Sam and Ali, who were nearby, felt the pressure and their eyes widened. Suddenly, the pressure lifted and Kyle gave him a bright smile while patting his shoulder.

"Sorry about that," Kyle said, "Just giving a demonstration."

Xing Han's face brightened up, his eyes sparkling as he leaned forward and said excitedly, "OMG KYLE. That was SO cool. Quick quick. Do it again! You have GOT to teach me how to do that!!"

Kyle couldn't help but laugh at that and laugh he did.

The receptionist was startled to hear it and looked at him in a daze. It truly transformed him completely from the cold, detached person she had met earlier. She could swear, she saw bright sunshine and birds chirping around him. She sighed, then shook herself out of her daydreaming.

Despite the fact that the boy looked very approachable right now, she knew it wouldn't last long. She picked up the phone again and tried to call Pauline again.

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