CHAPTER 56 [IMDD NOVEL] (Patreon)

“Gage had mentioned to me how workaholic you are… but I’m still honestly surprised, Miss Lee.” The chairman commented in an amazed tone, causing Eva who was intensively reading documents from her tablet for a couple of hours now, to lift her head with a start, her eyes blinking in surprise.

“I’m so sorry. Do you need something, Sir?” she immediately sprung from the couch and approached the old man in his hospital bed. She was unsure if he had requested something from her as she was totally focused on reading the reports as she needed to summarize them later.

“No, no… don’t worry about it. I’m all good, young lady. But it’s already quite late and I wanted you to go have some rest now. You’ve been staring at your tablet for quite some time now. The room next door is already prepared for your convenience as Gage had already instructed someone to take care of it for you to stay in before you even arrived. So go on, feel free to leave that tablet alone. You should be preparing for your beauty sleep.” The chairman said good-naturedly as he lifted his hand and waved her off.

Eva froze there, blinking at the old man.

Gage had been telling her to go to sleep since she started living with him and she had already somehow gotten used to it. However, she had never listened to Gage’s words. But now that she was having this old man saying this to her as well, it really surprised her.

Smiling, Eva respectfully shook her head. “I’m really doing good, Sir. I’m already used to working late into the night and I don’t think I can sleep even if I go to bed this early anyway. So I might as well continue on with my work and be productive. Please don’t worry about me as I have been like this ever since I was young. You know, I was pretty studious even when I was small.”

The old man sighed. And Eva could not help but feel touched at the concern that flashed in his eyes. Even an unrelated elder like him could show her so much concern just because she was working a little later past the normal working hours. However, it only brought a flash of bitterness as she thought of how the grandfather she grew up with had never shown such concern even once during those times when she slogged and worked her ass off to build and bring the company to what it is today. Instead, she was given the boot. Thinking of this, she looked up and smiled kindly to the old chairman.

“You know, child… Work and achievements are not everything. I am amazed and proud that you are such a hardworking and devoted lady. But…” he trailed off and smiled gently at her. “As someone older and who has seen life a little more, I would like you to take some time off for yourself too. Find the time for you to relax and have fun. You are too young to overwork yourself severely like this. It’s okay to slow down, Miss Lee. You might reach the peak you are after in no time, but if you get there by beating yourself up every day and night and never giving yourself a moment to breathe, you might not feel anything anymore once you have reached your aim. And wouldn’t that just defeat the whole purpose of getting to that peak in the first place?”

Eva could not respond to the very rational and sincere advice that the chairman gave her. All she did was nod quietly. She wished that there was even one person in her foster family who had told her even one of these encouraging sentences before. Even when she did not sleep, no one had bothered telling her that it was okay to slow down. No one had asked her to take a  break, or stop and go to sleep early for her own sake. No one, not once.

So it was baffling to her how this stranger could genuinely care for her. It was truly overwhelming for her to meet people like this.

“What are your hobbies, Miss Lee?” the old man broke the stilted silence between them. Looking up at his kind eyes and warm smile, Eva knew that he was genuine in wanting to chat and know her more.

“Uhm… reading and…” Eva’s eyes wandered. Now that she was asked, she realized that she seemed to not have any hobbies. Well, maybe because she never had the time to find out about her hobbies? Her entire life was centered around studying and then, after graduating, on working. She did not have the time to kick back, explore her interests or do anything else but work. “I think I have yet to discover my next hobby. If I still have any. Sir.” Eva very honestly and succinctly responded to the question.

The old man chuckled at the way she answered, but his eyes looked over at Eva with what may be called as a fatherly concern that she had never experienced before. The experience was refreshing for Eva. And it made her want more of it.

“This is why you need to stop working once in a while. Don’t bring your work home with you and just do something else. Geez… what is that lazy grandson of mine doing?” the old man’s voice started to sound annoyed. “Aren’t you two already living together for weeks now? What is he so busy with that he’s not doing anything to… he should’ve just brought you out for dates so you can have fun! I’ll definitely scold that lazy bum once he’s back!” The old chairman complained and groused, much to Eva’s amusement.

But Eva could not help cracking an awkward smile at the old man. “Actually, Mr. Acheron is not lazy, Sir. He’s pretty amazing. Really! He shocks me every time he decides to show off his abilities.”

“That’s not going to excuse him. He should be doing something. Better yet, have a dinner date at night and then a whole day weekend break for the both of you to just do your own things and enjoy. That guy’s pretty unromantic. I am starting to feel sorry for you.”

“Err… uhm… actually, Sir… Gage and I are –” Eva tried to explain but was cut off before she could continue. This old man was quite spry even at his age.

“Anyway, when will you two be getting married, Miss Lee? To be honest with you, young lady, I have been holding back from pressuring you two from getting married. Because I was afraid I might destroy your relationship. I am very careful because my grandson finally found the woman he truly loves. But at this rate, I might really die without seeing my great grandchild and it’s affecting my health.”

George then sighed heavily again while Eva just stood there, her lips slightly parted and looking so stunned at the words the older Acheron had spouted. Gage… loves her? That was… that could not be, right? Because why would Gage… no… there is just no way, right?

While Eva was busy denying and reasoning out things in her mind, a soft knock echoed through the room.