Five Years Later

Atobe Keigo looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and took a deep breath. He rubbed a hand through his hair and wiped the other hand on his clean shaved face. He was exhausted and he knew exactly why. He was a man that never got a break.

Five years ago, his father suffered a massive stroke. It was fortunate for him that it was not lethal. However, that stroke put Atobe Mitsuru on a wheelchair for a year. In those five years, he had graduated from university, went to the US to complete his masters and finally…. Started working at his father's company in the last year.

It was a whirlwind. His father was an honourable man. He wanted his children to learn so he made them start from the bottom. He was still not half way there, but he was learning the perks of the business.

He threw a towel over his shoulder and had another around his waist. He casually walked out of his bathroom when he heard a knock at his door. "Yes?' he asked, as he entered his dressing room to get his clothes.

"Atobe-san?" An old man said, walking in.

Atobe pulled a dark suit from his closet and started dressing. He put on his pants, and walked out of the dressing. "Yes?" he asked again, as he put on his shirt. He was buttoning it without looking at him. "What is it?"

"Your father is requesting that you join him and your sister for breakfast.'

Atobe nodded, 'Okay. I will join them in the dining room.'

"No, sir. They are having breakfast on the balcony."

Atobe nodded and the butler excused himself.

Atobe Mitsuru had surprised his children two years ago. He had moved them out of the mansion and into a huge apartment building, where he had dedicated 6 floors to his family and had them completely renovated. The 42nd floor was their garage, while the 43rd consisted of staff accommodation, kitchen and laundry, 44th floor was the guest accommodations with 4 wings, while the 45th was their apartments where he had three penthouses built for each of them because he believed that his children were old enough to have their privacy, 46th floor was a gym, and swimming pool with a huge balcony that had a dining setup. Last floor was a dedicated ballroom for the family.

Atobe got dressed and finally left his apartment to head to the 45th floor.

Fay was seated for breakfast waiting for her father and brother to show up. She sipped her coffee gently and looked at the view of the city beneath her. She had gone through a lot in the past years, emotionally and physically. Now, she had various thoughts in her mind and didn't know how to put them in order.

For the past five years, she was in an on and off relationship with Takeda Ren. As much as she loved him, she still could not get him to get serious with her. Somehow whenever the subject of the future came up, he seemed to brush it off, and that concerned her.

I am already vey busy with work. I cannot just keep thinking of Ren, while I have tons of things to do. I need to know if we have a future together.

She was deep in her thoughts when her father called her name, making her look at him.

"You are preoccupied," Atobe Mitsuru remarked.

Fay blushed, "just thinking of all the horrible meetings I have today."

Mitsuru laughed.

It was then that her brother joined them. He greeted them quietly and took a seat. The waiter poured him some coffee and started serving them hot bread.

They made light conversation until everyone left for work.

Atobe Corporation

1PM

Fay was just staring at the laptop without any care when the rumble of her stomach alerted her that she had not eaten anything since breakfast. She forced herself to get off her chair, picked up her purse, and walked out of her cubicle.

She couldn't concentrate on anything because Takeda Ren was driving her mad. Fay looked around the office, and noticed that it was quieter than usual. The holiday season was approaching and a lot of people were taking it easy.

She decided to leave the building, and walk across to a small coffee shop there and take a breather. Fay made her order, picked it up and sat down on one of the sofa's. She pulled out her phone and started browsing through different social media pages.

She was engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't notice until…

"Are you slacking off?'

She looked up and saw Jirou looking at her. Fay gave him a weak smile, and gestured for him to sit down.

He took a seat across her, holding his coffee mug and sipped it. "You're preoccupied."

"I'm just annoyed.' She admitted. "I'm feeling lost, and …" She shook her head. "It's not important."

He raised an eyebrow. "If you say it's not important then it's not."

Fay didn't remark.

He Was about to say something when Fay's phone rang.

She excused herself, and walked away. "Hello?"

"Hey…"

"Hey, Ren." She replied. "It's been a while."

He hesitated. "It's been surreal…."

Fay frowned. "Are you alright? You're off… You've been distant."

He was quiet for a very long time until he finally answered, "Yes, my bad but I have been trying to sort stuff out. At home. At work. It has been crazy."

Fay could sense that something was off, "Ren…?"

"I'll call you back later. I am being called." He hung up.

Fay stared at her mobile in surprise. Did he just hang up on me…?