Chapter 2: The Angel Comes Back
"You are so useless! You are fired!" I shouted at my secretary (or should I say ex-secretary) since she was not able to finish the list of works that I had commanded her to do.
The recently-fired secretary pleaded, "Please Saiga-sama.. Give me another chance.. I will certainly not happen again."
At her words, I raised my eyebrows and scoffed at her. "There is no way that you can be certain." I told her uncaringly as I turned my back from her and went towards the elevator to head to the board room where my father is currently waiting for me.
With every step I take, I sensed the whisperings and fear of the employees who have heard and saw the incident a while ago. Wanting to teach them a lesson, I looked towards them. To those who do not work in the Saiga Corporation, it is only a coincidental glance. But for those who landed a job here, they interpret it as "work! Unless you wanted to be fired next!". As they noticed my glance, they averted my their eyes from me and immediately focused doing their jobs. Satisfied at the result, I continued my way to the elevator.
"Demon, CEO Frozen Heart, Tyrant." I smiled bitterly as I remember these monickers that my employees call me when I turned my back, not knowing that I am still within earshot. How can I not be a demon when the angel who sees the good in me is gone? How can't my heart not be frozen when all its warmth had been taken the moment I know that she was gone? How can I not be a tyrant when deep inside me I wanted other people to feel how it's like to be empty?... What its like to have someone you love taken from you in spite of everything? I sighed. As if they will ever know. And once again I smiled bitterly.
Father is already sitting the head of the long table in the board room when I arrived. I noticed that the other members of the board are absent and only the two of us are in the room.
As he noted my silent observation, father said, "Only the two of us are having this conversation so you might as well sit down so that we can get over with this."
Upon hearing this, I carefully took my sit on the other end of the table, opposite to where father was sitting. Once I was seated, father immediately went on with the issue at hand.
"During the recent years, the Kirisaki Financial Group had broadened their influence not only in the US, which is their home turf, but also in other countries which include Japan." I nodded at father's statement.
" Knowing this, I planned to take Saiga Corporation into a whole new level and make it into an empire far larger and more influential." Not sure where he's getting at, I just looked at him.
Not bothered by this lack of response, father just continued. " The fastest way to accomplish this is to merge the two companies. And the easiest way to do this is through marriage. Needless to say that I am talking about your marriage."
Upon hearing this, I looked at him with a deadpanned expression before saying, " what made you think that Kirisaki Financial Group is going to agree with this?"
But Father just brushed this question and laughed shrewdly. "It is as if you do not know me my son. I have already had their approval before telling you this. It seems that they also need to have influence in Japan quickly. Seeing as we are one of the most influential families here, they readily agreed. So this merging between the two companies is as good as done once you married the owner's granddaughter."
As my father talks about this "marriage", I noticed how he did not even ask for my opinion regarding the matter. Oh well. He was more of a businessman than a father anyway. Only focusing about business… and his family is just an instrument to expand his beloved corporation. I sighed.
"Well if its already agreed upon by the two companies, I might as well go with it." I said nonchalantly, agreeing to my father's recently thought off business venture. I scoffed in my mind. As if there is anything I can do once my father made up his mind. Besides, I do not have someone special anyway. So I might as well marry and expand the business my father cared so much about. Anyway it is just a matter of time before the business that father held so closely in his heart will be controlled by me. At that thought, I smiled cruelly in my mind.
I got up thinking that the meeting was already done. But as I went towards the door, father spoke. "Get ready for tonight. We will meet with Umasaburo Kirisaki and his granddaughter. We shall discussing the marriage plans further over dinner."
"Yeah." I said in response as I continue towards the door, making my way in my office the thing that had been my life over these past few years. And with the arrangement that my father made, it seems that it will always be that way, even in the future.
Driving to the restaurant where I will meet my "future wife", I recalled the things that I have just known about her and her grandfather, all thanks to our family's private investigator. According to the investigator's report, Umasaburo Kirisaki, the owner of the Kirisaki Financial Group, is quarter American whose family had been doing business many years ago even longer than Saiga Corp. As for the granddaughter, her name is Megumi Kirisaki. Being the granddaughter of the owner of the Kirisaki Financial Group, she is currently the CEO of the said company. It is said that the income of the company and its recent expansion internationally had been solely attributed to her skills.
Having the same name as HER, I found myself wanting to know more about her. But while there is a ton of information about her grandfather, information about her had been only limited to the short report that the investigator had given me before hand. Heck, there is not even a picture of her in the report. Sighing at this, I just focused on driving and within a few minutes, I arrived at the restaurant.
After fixing my tie, I got out of my car and made my way inside the restaurant hoping to get over with this sudden engagement/business plan.
I sat beside my father in one side of the western-type table of the restaurant where we are going to meet. My father is getting annoyed since the other party seems to be running late. Fortunately, somebody called out his name behind us before he lashed out to someone due to his annoyance.
"Kouichi Saiga-san." The voice called my father.
My father and I turned around to see a man of late sixties of early seventies coming towards us, and eventually sitting in the other side of the table, opposite to where father and I are sitting.
"Kirisaki-san, you had me worried. I thought you are not going to show up." Father accusingly said to the old man as a comment to his late arrival.
"You have to excuse me Saiga-san. I had unexpected work that came up before this. You know the life of businessman and such." The old man Kirisaki responded.
"There's nothing we can do about that. And by the way, where is your granddaughter? I trust that she will abide by the agreement between the companies?" Father asked Kirisaki, proceeding to business immediately.
Kirisaki responded, "You're quite eager aren't you Saiga-san? But do not worry my granddaughter knows her duties and she will arrive in a short while." He smile and suddenly turned his glance to me. "So this is my granddaughter's future husband. You're quite blessed in the physical department. I am so happy. If not to boast, my granddaughter is also blessed in that department as well." He said.
I smiled at him. "I am looking forward to meeting her." I said in response.
"Do not worry. You will not wait any longer. It seems that she have already arrived." He said as he glanced past me to look behind me, at the space where his granddaughter is apparently at.
At this, my body went rigid at the sudden arrival of my betrothed while my father turned his head to his soon-to-be daughter in law.
"I have to say Kirisaki-san. You are not exaggerating when you said that your granddaughter is blessed in the physical department. I am glad to have such a beautiful daughter in law." My father remarked as he looked at the girl.
"I do not know how to exaggerate Saiga-san." Old man Kirisaki replied.
Noticing that I have yet to turn around, my father said. "Come, Yahiro. You should meet your future wife."
At this, I smiled, preparing myself to turn my head around and look at the face of the girl who have been arranged for me to marry. When I turned, my hard-fought smile fell. My mind cannot seem to process what is in front of me and what is before my eyes.
Processing it before my mind does, my heart skipped a beat.
The angel-my angel- had finally come back.