Without further adieu: Chapter 2
It is our darkest moments
that we must focus
to see the light
-Aristotle Onassis
If you must know, I hate my life. Even though most would kill to be in my position with the job I have, I hate myself. I regret everything that I have done in life, like following my father through his crazy schemes to impress Voldemort, making more enemies than friends throughout my life and finally I regret not ever caring for anyone. Sure I've had girlfriends in the past but I didn't care for them. Because of my caring issues I now am alone with no one by my side. Nobody that I can fall asleep next to or sit across the dinner table from.
No one to love.
I own my own oil company, which is the second biggest oil company in the entire world. It was a job that required a lot of traveling on short notice and spending long nights in the office trying to get the most idiotic people to sign paperwork. For a while I didn't mind, it kept my mind off of the loneliness that overtook me on the days where I had hardly anything to do.
I was on England's top five most eligible bachelors list, though I didn't care. Sure it was all fun and games in the beginning but after a while it was all the same thing. Girls were throwing themselves at me and reporters sticking cameras in my face. I am ready to grow up, to end all my partying and to settle down. I needed that one girl who could make that happen. Though I had no clue where she was and if she was even out there. I wonder if I ever lay eyes on her if I would know if she would be the one. Not every guy would admit this but I'm hoping for a fairytale love at first sight type of love.
My best friend, or so I still think we are, is Theodore Nott. We hang out every once in a while. Whenever he isn't busy with his fiancé. I convinced his her to let him come on vacation with me. A bit of male bonding time. It was like pulling teeth with her, as the muggles would say, but she final caved in.
I found out not long ago that Blaise Zabini worked for Granger as her assistant. He was always a lap dog. I hadn't seen him in a while which I didn't care much for seeing him but it wouldn't be too bad if we crossed paths.
I had been stuck in my bloody office for months. I was in desperate need for this vacation time. I was tired of looking at a mahogany desk for hours on end with a bunch of nonsense papers scattered all over it. I no longer found my leather desk chair comfortable anymore no matter how many cushion spells I threw at it.
Tomorrow was my school reunion and I really wasn't looking forward to that. I wasn't looking forward to seeing all the people I hurt during the war or were hurt because of me. I wasn't looking forward to seeing Pansy and to top it all off I didn't want to see my old house mates. I wasn't looking forward to seeing the people whom followed me around like I was some kind of god to them and me directing their every move.
But I had to get through tomorrow, because the day after started my vacation. I was traveling to Hawaii via muggle airplane. It took a lot of time but ever since a poor bloke named Henry Loom tried international apparation there was a big ministry crisis. His body parts were showing up in the most random places around the world. So the ministry forbids any apparation over large bodies of water.
I was the last one out of the office, like usual. I made sure every door was locked before heading to the lift to go home. I waited patiently for the damn lift to reach the bottom level, damn thing wasn't fast enough and I hated the music it played. It was like todays music just in a classic tone.
Upon arriving home I was greeted in the foyer by my main house elf dodge that with a snap of his fingers turned on some music and led me into the dining room.
"Mr. Malfoy, tonight's dinner is a braised pork loin with a side of sautéed Kale with smoke paprika and I took the liberty of bringing you out a bottle of scotch."
The food was excellent; my house elves had out done themselves once more. Though I couldn't believe I wasn't able to share this wonderfully prepared meal with anyone. I didn't scarf down my food but instead enjoyed it, savoring the flavor. I couldn't help but think to myself how I got this far so early in life.
Four years ago I wasn't even considered in the top fifty of London's most eligible bachelors and I didn't have money. Big shock to the wizarding world. My family's face was plastered on every newspaper and magazine cover:
Lucius Malfoy leaves his family nothing.
When my father died four years ago he didn't leave around a will. My mother and I believed that he didn't want us to have any of the money since we did nothing to save him from a one way trip to Azkaban. So everything that my father had owned went to the ministry. The manor, the family business and the family's Gringotts vault. I had to pick up two jobs just to support my mother and me living in a one bedroom flat in Knockturn Alley. It wasn't the best neighborhood but it had gotten better than what it used to be when Voldemort was around.
Around two years ago I was approached by an older gentleman in a restaurant I worked at. I was offered the decision of a lifetime:
'Draco, could you please clean table ten when you're done?"
"Yeah, no problem." I tried not to sneer. I was the stupid busboy at a local muggle restaurant called Nine. I made just a small amount over minimum wage and tips. I just picked up my bucket full of dishes and was about to head over to the next table when I saw a man enter my line of sight. I wouldn't have said anything if the man was looking somewhere else, but no, the man was staring directly at me with a smile. Practically beckoning me over to him.
I rolled my eyes and continued onto table ten. I wasn't about to stop and talk to the crazy geezer. I started to pick up the dishes and put them in the bucket when I noticed the man was no longer sitting at his table. I quickly glanced around hoping that he left. I finished the table and wiped it down. I turned to head to the kitchen to unload the bucket when the old man suddenly appeared. The last thing I expected was the man to be standing right behind me.
"Ah!" I screamed. The dishes went flying up and soon crashed onto the floor beside me. "Bloody hell!" I looked up at the old man. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Actually there is, my dear boy."
"Ok, what is it that you need?" I started to pick up the broken dishes.
"Come have a seat."
"I can't, I need to clean up this mess." I said angrily.
"Use magic then."
My eyes quickly shot up in the man's direction "What did you say?"
"You heard me."
"Sir, this is a muggle restaurant." I hastily whispered
"Then leave it." The man crossed his arms over his chest. "You'll likely not have this job much longer anyways."
"Excuse me?"
"I have a business proposition for you."
I wasn't sure what to do, I really didn't want to stick around and hear this man's business proposition. It could be something stupid. But on the other hand, I hated having two jobs and barely being able to support myself and my mother.
"Fine." I sat down with the man at table ten
"How would you like to be CEO of a huge company?" The man asked
"Alright I have to go back to work." To me, if it sounded too good to be true then it really was too good to be true.
"No wait." The man motioned for me to sit back down. I, for some unknown reason, sat back down.
"My name is John Ames. And I run the fifth largest oil company in the world." He pulled out a business card and handed it over. "I've been running it since my father passed away and handed it down to me. I was about your age at the time. At the time it was only but a small company, I believe when I took it over it only sold to a few small countries. We weren't even on the list of big oil companies."
"Why me?" I asked
"Why not you?"
"I mean, don't you have kids or grandkids?"
John shook his head. "I was never married."
"I still don't get it, why me?"
"Well," John leaned forward. "I've been observing you for a while now and I know of your family's background and what not and I see how you handle yourself since the fateful day that you lost everything. And I determined you to be a suitable candidate for my company."
"I don't know much about your company."
"I'll teach you." The man offered "I want you to take over so I can retire."
I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. It was indeed the opportunity of a lifetime. I didn't want to pass it up but I needed to do some research first. I knew nothing of the company, I never heard about them or this man. All this man had to prove was some business card.
"Let me think about it and get back to you." I finally spoke up
"That's all I ask." The man stood up from table ten and stretched his arm out towards me. "Send word with an owl."
I shook his hand and then the man left.
"Ahem!" I quickly turned around to see my manager standing behind the bar glaring at me.
"Sorry." I quickly stood up and grabbed the bucket of dishes.
"Didn't you just get off of lunch? Why are you already taking a break? There are tables to be cleaned. We need to seat people; it's almost the lunch rush!"
It took me two days to get back to the man; I had called out sick for those two days and spent tireless hours in the local muggle and wizarding libraries. There was a ton of stuff on this oil company and this man's family. I couldn't believe that this was all going to be real.
John started me at the company immediately; I had been given my own office with a computer and a telephone. A small file cabinet sat behind my desk with a few files that I was to look over and study if I wanted to become CEO of the company
I had been doing a fairly good job with learning the ins and outs of the company and sitting in with John when the company had meetings or flying first class with John to another country to sign paperwork. My downfall on the other hand was electronics. I hated my computer; I wanted to throw the damn thing out of the office window. I didn't understand the blasted thing one bit. As for the telephone, I hated that stupid machine as well. I didn't understand how to answer the different phone lines that were ringing or how every now and then John's voice would come out of it and tell me to come see him in his office.
After a few months of working with John I was able to get out of his small flat with my mother and move into a townhouse in a far better neighborhood. I loved my mother so out of the goodness of my heart I gave her full permission to decorate the townhouse how she liked and that even included my room.
John left the company only eight months into hiring me; it came unexpectedly to everyone in the office. John hadn't given anyone a heads up.
I had just taken the lift up to the floor where my office was. I greeted the floor's secretary and picked up the days mail and phone records from her desk before heading into my office. I riffled through the papers when I sat down at my desk throwing out the junk mail and reading intently the important ones. I had finally gotten to the important paperwork on my desk when I realized that a piece of important documents hadn't been signed. I grabbed the paper, left my office and headed over to John's.
I knocked twice. "Come- in" I heard Johns voice.
I opened the door. "I noticed that you didn't sign this paper. I was thinking you accidentally-" I stopped when I saw the office. Boxes were piled up along the walls and John was sitting at his desk cleaning out his drawers. "Going somewhere?"
"Draco, it is time I take my leave. You are more than prepared to run this company without me." He rifled through some papers on his desk before shoving them into a folder and then into a box. "And I didn't miss that paper on accident. This is your company now. And under that line where it says: CEO signature. That's where your signature belongs."
"But sir, you are leaving without much of a notice?"
"I was never known for giving people a heads up." He smiled "Draco, this is your company now. And this huge office is yours."
"Sir-"
"Draco, I have a cruise leaving to the United States tomorrow. Please don't make me miss it by holding me here."
"Sorry, sir."
John stood up and extended his arm out to me "Goodbye my friend."
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KKB
P.S.: Are people able to review anonymously on my stories? If not I'll change it. Just send me a PM.