Chapter 66: Snowstorm

"I am not at the age to brag, gentlemen," Old Master Hawke glanced at the bunch of oldies following him, "But it is what it is. My grandson is heroic, decisive and domineering in his actions..."

The old man pushed open the door and his voice slowly died down.

"What... What... What are you two doing?" Old Master Hawke looked in disbelief.

The people behind him fell in a daze.

In front of them, two handsome young men were locked in a passionate embrace.

Callahan was leaning back on the round the table and Leon stood slightly behind, his chin positioned in the nape of Callahan’s neck while his arm rested on the man’s waist.

The sight was truly... provocative.

"Erm... Cough... Old Hawke, why don’t we visit you and meet your grandson another day?" One after another, all the oldies fled from the scene.

Old Master Hawke snapped back to his senses and stormed inside the boardroom, "You... Tell me honestly. Is this..."

Callahan and Leon turned around and Old Master Hawke exasperatedly pointed his finger back and forth between them as he spoke, "Is this the real reason why you... kept that girl at your place?! To keep this a secret?"

The more Old Master Hawke thought about it, the further he was convinced, "I knew something was amiss. In twenty five years of your life, I haven’t seen you being close to a woman. Then, out of nowhere, you are living with a woman under the same roof..."

Old Master Hawke placed a palm on his forehead, "All along, you were just trying to hide the fact that you... swing the other way?"

"I am not into men," Callahan casually remarked as he walked towards the door.

"And I saw your dead grandma riding an unicorn today!" Old Master Hawke glared, "Do you take me for a silly old man?"

Callahan glanced at him wordlessly.

Old Master Hawke: "_"

Around 8pm, Callahan left the company. The moment he got inside the car, Leon spoke up, "Your old man grilled me for the entire day, saying I should read books about ethics and propriety. He preached on and on, about moral conduct and whatnot."

Callahan felt his head throb, "Take a day off tomorrow."

Leon brightened, "If you insist!"

Thinking of something, Leon suddenly said, "Actually, why don’t you tell him the truth about your marriage?" He glanced at Callahan, "It’s just a matter of a few months. If your grandfather knows, he won’t meddle as much."

"Sienna has already claimed her shares. With her capabilities, she won’t let those geezers shake her position easily. I think you both don’t even need to make your relationship public anymore..." Leon trailed off when he caught a glimpse of Callahan’s face in the rearview mirror.

His eyes widened as a sudden realization dawned on him, "Don’t tell me you don’t want to end this marriage?" He pulled the car over to the side and looked at his friend in shock.

Leon shook his head, "That can’t be. If it wasn’t a short term arrangement, why did you ask me to prepare that thing on the day of your marriage?" he mumbled to himself, completely bewildered.

"Is that the reason you haven’t given her the pendant till now?" It suddenly occurred to him, "Are you worried that if she knew..."

Callahan glanced at the man, a fleeting warning crossed his eyes.

Leon pursed his lips, "Fine, I won’t talk about that. But let me tell you one thing. My brother chased my sister-in-law for years, and the day my sister-in-law decided to be with him, he was the happiest man in the world. He told me one thing back then..."

’If you want someone in your life, you have to choose them and put them first. You cannot take one step forward and two steps back.’

"Those were his words," Leon laughed as he reflected on that distant memory, "Personally speaking, I don’t get it. Why chase a woman when I can have any? Is any person worth all that hassle?"

"But," Leon paused and looked at his friend, "I know one thing. If you mean to keep her in your life, don’t make her guess it or you might just lose her. Either you want her... or you don’t. Cal? Cal?"

Callahan’s gaze had drifted out of the car window. What the man was thinking, nobody could tell.

His expressions did not reveal his thoughts but his eyes seemed to contain a thousand of emotions.

Leon sighed and

Sensing that the ambience wasn’t right, Leon shut his mouth and stepped on the accelerator. As he drove, he turned on the radio.

[...shares of Wang Institutions took a sharp nose-dive this morning following mounting allegations against its chief executive...]

The news anchor’s crisp voice cut through the tense air in the car.

[We break away now for an emergency update. A sudden, violent snowstorm has slammed into the coastal town of Bellhaven. Extreme freezing conditions and power grid failures have brought rescue efforts to a standstill, with initial reports confirming heavy casualties across the area—]

Something in Callahan’s eyes shifted as he glanced at Leon, "Bellhaven?" His voice came in a rasp.

Leon nodded, "It’s a serene town. I heard, in recent years, the young CEO of Davis group frequents that place..."

He trailed off when he realized that Callahan wasn’t even listening to him anymore.

The man had pulled out his phone as he made a call.

Leon lowered the volume of the radio and Butler Thomas’ voice filled the car.

"Young Master."

"Is she back yet?" Callahan’s voice was solemn.

"The Young Madam isn’t back. Earlier, she had left a message that she would be heading to Bellhaven for a work trip and won’t be back before dinner..."

The call disconnected and Callahan alighted the car as he opened the door to the driver’s seat.

Leon stepped out, befuddled by the turn of the events, "She is in Bellhaven?" His words met no response as Callahan had already entered the driver’s seat.

"Wait... Wait for me!" Leon had barely managed to throw himself into the passenger seat before the engine roared and the car whipped around in a violent U-turn.