Chapter 280 - At Death's Door

*WARNING: The following content may contain mildly mature content that may not be suitable for younger audiences.

Three years later...

"So, did you book it?" Mimi twirled around in her office chair, a finger twirling around a strand of hair. She should schedule an appointment for a haircut later.

The voice on the other end sighed, "I'm trying all right, but it's hard. All the flights are full until next month."

"Alec." Mimi's voice sounded higher, her lips curling into a smile that sent chills down one's spine. "Surely you understand the importance of this trip. I don't care if you have to bribe, blackmail, or threaten someone for it. Book it."

Alec gulped. "Got it."

"Good!" Mimi smiled and turned her chair back to her desk.

His voice hesitated. "By the way...did you hear about what happened to dad?"

"You mean Henry Hirogori, yes I've heard about it." She glanced at the newspaper on her desk. "It's practically all over the media. Quite annoying seeing his face all over the place."

"Mimi..." Alec sighed.

Her brows raised. "What? Do you expect me to pity him?"

"No. It's just..."

"Alec, learn to leave things be. For example, I had asked you to book our reservation two weeks ago, but you only started this week. Did I make a fuss? No. I decided to leave it be and have faith in my big brother."

"Right..." Alec laughed nervously. "I promise, I'll have something by the end of the day."

"Glad to hear that." Mimi laughed before hanging up.

Finishing the last bit of work for the day, she glanced at her watch and stood up. She shrugged on her jacket and gathered the doc.u.ments on her desk.

"Jeanie, send these down to the accountant branch. Make sure they look over those files very carefully and tell them to report back to me once they've found the problem."

"Yes, Mr. Andras." Jean took the files and placed them securely in her hands. "Would you like me to drive you or..."

"It's all right, I can drive myself," Mimi reassured, flashing her car keys. "It'd be a waste of money if I never use it."

Nodding her head, Jean followed her to the elevator. Bidding goodbye to her secretary, Mimi walked to her car while humming a soft tune. She drove the car away from her office, the wind blowing through her hair. If she hadn't been driving, she would have closed her eyes to relish in the breeze.

Arriving at her destination, Mimi smiled. Just before entering the building, she disposed of her contacts and jacket. Taking the elevator, she leaned against the wall, eyes closed. When the door opened, she stepped out, greeted by the workers.

Mimi finally reached the door, brown and dull like all the others, but she could already see people inside. She entered and saw nurses surrounding his hospital bed, attaching IVs, heart monitors, and oxygen tanks to him.

Mimi decided to explore the room while they worked. A flat-screen TV hung from the ceiling. A window giving her a view of the world below was just beneath the screen. In the corner were two chairs, bright with new leather. It was a typical hospital room, polished, and functional.

A nurse finally noticed her presence. "Excuse me, miss, you are...?"

"Mimi Hirogori. His daughter. I scheduled an appointment last week."

"Oh right." The nurse nodded, clearly unsure whether her words were true or not. "Well, we'll leave you two alone then."

"Thank you." Mimi smiled.

Watching them leave, she slowly turned to the man on the bed. He was skin and bones, pale as a ghost, face masking the ordeal inside. His entire being seemed dull and lifeless. He had lost his high spirits, and his eyes seemed soulless. Despite how he looked, Mimi felt nothing. Her mind, heart, and soul were numb.

After years, this is what had become of Henry Hirogori.

Slowly, the man on the bed turned to look at her. The moment his eyes set on her, there was no change. No sense of life within them. Although she noticed a slight tremor.

"Mika...?" He blinked, clearing his eyes. It was then he realized who stood before him. "Of course you're not her. Mika...she's dead."

Mika. That was probably her mother. The named weighed on her for a moment. It was so foreign.

"It's me, Mimi. Your daughter." She reminded softly. He often forgot those he considered useless to him.

"...Oh...It's you." Henry Hirogori dragged his words and shifted his gaze. "So, you heard about my terminal cancer and came to mock me, huh? You want revenge on me for abandoning an ungrateful girl like you?"

Mimi sighed helplessly. "Even at death's door, you're still as bitter as ever, huh?"

She pulled up a chair from the side to sit beside him. "Truth is I came to take care of you."

Her father froze. He looked at her wearily.

"I don't need your care."

"True. However, seeing as you have no one visiting you, I thought I'd keep you company. You know until you...pass away peacefully." She smiled well aware that his wife and sons, had left him out to die alone.

For a moment, Mimi thought she saw a smile on her father's face. However, his muscles were too weak to move his face.

"The abandoned accompanying the abandoned. How interesting." He coughed.

"Mm." Mimi nodded her head. "Couldn't have ended better could it?"

Henry Hirogori's eyes narrowed at her, but he said nothing. Perhaps too tired to speak. He leaned back on his pillow and closed his eyes. Mimi watched him, his chest moving up and down slowly. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

With a sigh, she stood up, prepared to leave the room. Just before stepping out, she looked over her shoulder.

"I'll see you later, Henry."

Leaving the room, Mimi was unable to see the man had opened his eyes. Dull, and staring up at the ceiling.

...

It was past lunch when Tobias Itou returned from his meeting. After nearly a decade of working in this business, it never failed to wear him out. The only thing that ever kept him working so hard was one person and one person only. He ran his hand through his hair as he marched to his office.

He wanted to see her.

The moment he entered his office, Tobias froze. Sitting at his desk, with her feet propped on the table was none other than the girl who had been on his mind.

"Mimi..." Tobias shut the door, storming toward her.

Not looking up from her phone, Mimi held a hand up, stopping him in place.

"First off, I'm hungry. So I'm ordering burgers and salad for both of us. Do you want anything else?" She skimmed through the menu on her phone.

"You." Tobias's voice was deep and husky.

"Not yet," Mimi said casually. "Again, what do you want to eat? Any drinks? They have your favorite calzone."

Tobias kept his eyes on her while he slowly stalked around the office. "Just coffee. Make it dark."

"How boring. I'll be using your card also," She noticed him closing on her from her peripheral vision.

He was standing behind her chair now, looming over her. "That's fine. Use it anytime you like. You don't need to ask." His voice deepened while he lowered his head to gaze deeply at her.

Typing and tapping one last thing into her phone, she finally set it on the table.

"Done?" Tobias's eyebrow raised.

Laughing softly, Mimi finally met his dark eyes. "Done."

"Good." He grabbed waist, pulling her out of the chair and with strong arms, placed her in the v of his legs while he sat on his desk.

Before she could pull away, he grabbed her jaw and held her, taking in a deep kiss. Slowly, letting his mouth lightly suck her bottom lip.

"I missed you." Tobias leaned his head into the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent.

"Did you miss me?" He asked, head dipping lower as he tried to get level with her eyes. He kissed her again.

Mimi gave his bottom lip a little lick. "Hmm...hard to tell. I don't think you marked me long enough for me to remember." Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=11284734506314305)/at-death's-door_%!d(string=51564143458708495) for visiting.

The man's deep chuckle made her skin tingle.

"I'll need to change that won't I?"

Nodding her head, Mimi put her arms around his neck and hung there as he opened his trousers. Then he placed both hands beneath her bare buttocks and lifter her.

"Wait..." Mimi pressed against his chest.

"What is it?" He mouthed against her neck, sucking the skin there.

Leaning back, Mimi cupped his face to look deeply into his face.

"Toby...can I suck you off?"