452 Chasing Dreams

Friday — November 23

It's been four days since Katherine left for the business trip. And while Damien used to go away for this long or sometimes even longer, he just wasn't used to her leaving. It wasn't that he didn't trust her—because he knew that she was faithful. However, with everything that's going on right now, he couldn't help but worry that Shadow could get to her and he wasn't around. 

How long was she planning to be away? Damien checked his phone again. He had just gotten out of a meeting that lasted for three hours—and it wasn't a good one as he ended up scolding his employees for not complying with a deadline. It didn't happen all the time, and when it did, he would usually be more forgiving. But today just wasn't his day.

"Fix it! I want it on my desk no later than six." He got up from his seat and buttoned his coat. Scanning the faces of the people at the table, his eyes were cold and unforgiving. 

The employees gulped and fidgeted in their seats. 'Whoever made their boss angry should be punished,' they thought.

"Disappointing," he muttered just before he left the room.

As soon as he disappeared, the employees deflated in their seats. "Mr. Lee…" one of them called Markus. "It's already four p.m. How are we going to fix it by six? We will die!"

Markus knew that trying to fix the problem could take hours, however, it was the staff's fault for not finishing on the deadline despite being given enough time. It was just their bad luck that his boss was currently suffering from an illness.

The illness? Damien was lovesick. 'That was probably it', Markus thought.

He took a deep breath and addressed them, "Then you should start working. Time is ticking." And then he left the meeting room.

…

CEO's Office

Damien just didn't feel like himself without Katherine. What had he gotten himself into? Why was he like this with her? He felt weak and just constantly pissed.

When he got to his chair, he slumped and threw his head backward on the back rest. He chuckled and massaged his temple. 'She's okay. She's okay. She's okay,' he chanted in his head.

His phone beeped and he quickly checked only to be disappointed that it wasn't Katherine who sent him a message but a reminder from the committee of the gala that the Parks were hosting next week. He sighed and was about to pocket his phone when he thought of sending Katherine a text.

[Damien: You coming home yet? I'm already a mess and it's your fault. Bad Kitten.]

He stared at his message and decided to send another.

[Damien: I'm okay—in case you're wondering. Please be safe, love.]

"So whipped," he mumbled to himself.

…

Golden Phoenix Residences

Just as he stepped into the living room, his phone rang and he hurriedly went to check. He mumbled a curse when he saw that it was Alianna but he answered anyway. "What?"

Alianna's cheerful voice came through the speakers, "Damien! Is Katherine home yet? She's not picking up and you didn't answer my text earlier. I want to—"

"No. Stop asking me!"

"..." Ali was surprised to hear his irritated tone, but she wasn't going to have it, obviously. 

"Oh my god! Why are you so cranky?! Are you on your period?!"

Realizing that he just snapped at his cousin, Damien let out a heavy sigh. But he wasn't in the mood to talk to her. Katherine could call any time and Ali would only keep the line busy. "Yes, I am. Now I need my rest. Bye."

He put his phone away and his stare darted to the side. He found his mother looking at him with a curious gaze. Feeling silly, he rubbed his nape and walked over to join her on the sofa. "Sorry, bad day at work."

Amelia had her legs crossed on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn in her hands. She offered the bowl to Damien but he declined the offer. "Would you like something to eat? I can cook for you real quick."

"No, thanks. I already ate." He took off his coat, tossed it to the side, and rolled up his sleeves. Glancing at the TV, he arched his brow when he realized what she was watching. "You like basketball?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "I like how competitive it is."

"I could never tell that you like it…" He chuckled. "Dad was into basketball too. Well—he enjoyed watching it at least."

"Do you like it? Basketball?" she asked.

"I don't hate it… I played it in school too. But I prefer soccer and ice hockey."

"Really? That's interesting! I'm sure you're really good at it... Your father told me that when he was younger, he used to play basketball a lot and he was even a varsity player. He was offered a scholarship but he had to turn it down because of your grandpa." She rolled her eyes. "We watch it together sometimes. He even bought us front row tickets to a game between Esmea Wolves and Miami Bobcats." She chuckled and there was a sparkle in her eyes. "That was so much fun…"

Damien knew about his father playing basketball once too but his father only told him that in passing. "You miss him…"

Amelia smiled at her son and turned to face the huge TV screen again. "Your father said he dreamt of owning a team. He wanted to buy Esmea Wolves… that didn't happen…"

"He wanted to franchise a basketball team?" Damien probed and saw his mother nod absent-mindedly before she complained about one player in the game who just got a foul.

Just a few days ago, he learned about her being ASLP—Crown Resort Group's angel investor. She basically owned shares of the company. When he offered to provide her a reputable financial manager, she refused, saying that she didn't need one as she hadn't touched a single cent from the investment she made years ago. "I may have put in the money… but it's still yours. Your father and I prepared that account for you. So whatever that investment earned… It's yours," she told him.

Damien didn't feel right after hearing that, but he didn't know what to say, so he kept quiet and decided to deal with it later. He watched her silently, his eyes darting between his mother and the TV screen. He had been thinking about what to give her without asking her. And after hearing her short story about her and his father, a sudden impulse nagged his heart. He just had to do it. His gut told him to do so.

Therefore, in the next second, he sent Markus a text message.

[Damien: Find Esmea Wolves' current owner. I want to buy out the team. Draft a contract.]

Putting his phone away, he slightly felt better knowing that when he gets this done, he'd be accomplishing one of his father's dreams—at the same time, he'd be making his mother happy—hopefully.