10 Don’t Want To Miss Dinner

At Sy Business Empire building

Alex knocked on the door to Draco's office. When he entered, he saw Draco putting on his suit as if preparing to leave.

Keeping his confusion in check, he stated his actual purpose. "Boss Draco, the meeting with Mr. Montenegro is at 7 PM… His secretary called to confirm the time again--"

"Tell them to reschedule. I have something important today."

"Sir? But you have no meetings scheduled today…" Alex had made sure of this when he agreed to the appointment a week ago. Did he miss something important?

But what Draco said next further confused the secretary.

"From now on, avoid late dinner meetings for me as much as possible."

Huh? Is there something a matter with Boss Draco? No late meetings. Leaving early. The gears in Alex's brain began to turn.

Draco Sy is a certified workaholic. It is a known fact. He never leaves the office before 10 PM. If he is doing this, something must be wrong.

Maybe, the boss is sick?! He remembered the boss had a check-up right after they arrived from L. Country. Did they find a serious health issue?! He hopes not!

Alex was terrified by his thoughts. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply and gathered his courage. Though fearful of what he might hear, he had to ask. "M-may I know the reason, sir?"

With a deadpan face, Draco declared, "I don't want to miss dinner with Riley. I want to spend time with him before school starts."

"Huh?" An imaginary glass shattered from somewhere inside Alex's brain.

Good lord! Poor him was overthinking. He should have guessed this was all because of Little Riley.

Getting his composure back, the secretary began to reason with Draco. "But boss, we canceled this meeting several times already and…"

"I am not inclined to meet him." Draco carelessly replied. He picked up his case, informing Alex, "Have the driver prepare the car to leave."

Unrelenting, Alex tried to persuade Draco again but failed. "Sir, I… "

Staring him down, Draco ordered, "Alex, do your job."

The door closed after Draco and Alex were left inside the empty office, crying in his heart. Boss, you are merciless to everyone except Little Riley. Your biased treatment deeply hurts me.

When Draco arrived back home, he immediately looked for Riley. Butler Oliver informed him that Dylan and the boy were playing in the outdoor pool. Not even bothering to change, he went to find them.

As he neared the area, Draco heard crisp laughter. Turning in the corner, he saw Riley in board shorts getting thrown by Dylan into the pool. The boy shrieks. His hand flayed as he was momentarily suspended in the air before a huge splash disturbed the water.

Dylan, laughing, jumps right after Riley.

A shadow passed over Draco's face. A moment later, he took out his phone and dialed a number. 

After making the call, Draco could not hide the smirk on his face.

Then still in his suit, Draco strode into and right at Dylan's line of sight, getting his attention at once. The guy froze in mid-laugh, stopped his playful pursuit of Riley, and called out his name.

"Boss… D-Draco…"

"It seems you are both enjoying the afternoon."

Dylan shivered, feeling frost from the seemingly simple words. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He felt threatened. He did not expect the boss to come home this early! Ah! Boss, when did you become inconsistent?!

He was really hoping to be gone by the time the boss arrived. Furthermore, considering the boss's somewhat possessive attitude towards Little Ry, adding that icy tone and hard look he was giving him, he doubted he could leave unscathed today. Dylan resigned to his fate.

On the other hand, Riley, who had his head in the water, was unaware of Draco's arrival. As soon as he emerged from the water, he began to splash at Dylan, swimming away, laughing. When Dylan did not follow him, he looked back to see the other guy unmoving.

"Dy?" Following his gaze, Riley saw Draco at the side. He was surprised but immediately flashed a big smile at the man. "D-Draco? When did you arrive?"

Draco turned to Riley. His eyes devoured the vision of his exposed skin, shimmering. His hair was wet and slicked back from his face. Droplets of water trickled down his shining face. The euphoria of playing in the water under the sun was evident.

Draco's mood had a roundabout.

"Just now, " he said, his countenance mellowed.

"Come on, join us."

"Hmmm. I will. Too bad, however, Dylan had to go. But wait for me. I'll be right back."

Draco started to walk away.

Dylan, perplexed, asked, "Huh? Boss wait! Why?"

Draco stopped as if realizing something. "Oh, did I forget to tell you? Aunt Regina called. She wants you to go home tonight before dinner?"

"What?! How did…?"

"I told her."

"You told Mom?!" Dylan almost cursed at Draco. Almost. But in the end, he did not have the guts to say it audibly.

Expressionless, Draco replied, "Yes. You've been away far too long. She misses you. I had to tell her."

"But…" Dylan made one more attempt to resist.

But Draco came prepared. He used his trump card.

"If you will not go home, she'll have Uncle Dave…"

As if he never struggled at all, Dylan shamelessly surrendered. "I'm going! I'm going."

What can he do?! If his father gets involved, it would be worst than facing a death squad.

"Good." Quite satisfied with the result of his devious plan, Draco returned his focus to Riley and said, "I'll just change."

Then he sauntered away.

Bullied, Dylan released a long sigh. What bit of fun he had these few hours went to the drain. So much for taking a few days to play around before going home. He will not hear the end of it from his dad if he refuses to go back after this.

Riley, who heard the exchange between Dylan and Draco, was confused. He swam to Dylan, tapping the other guy on the shoulder.

"Hey! What did that mean? Draco calls your mom Aunt?"

"Yeah, because she is his aunt." Seeing Riley furrowed his brows, he flicked him in the head. "His mom and my mom are sisters. We're cousins."

"What? You and Draco are cousins?!" Riley was truly shocked. In the years he spent together with Dylan in L. Country, the guy never mentioned his real relationship with Draco.

"Well yeah! Isn't it obvious we both have the same superior genes?"

"How come you never told me?"

Rolling his eyeballs, Dylan replied, "Duh! You never asked."

"But… you were calling him Boss Draco! Shouldn't you call him… I don't know… maybe, cousin?"

Dylan laughed, scratching his head. "Oh, that… You know he was older than me and really bossy when we were young. So, I have been calling him boss since we were children. It kinda stuck even after we grew up."

"I never would have guessed you were cousins…" Riley muttered, unbelieving. And he never discovered the truth until now. However, no one can blame him. Especially given he never really saw much interaction between the two guys to perceive any connection. Though both men were good-looking, Dylan was very lively and approachable. While Draco was the complete opposite and was often aloof and businesslike. It was hard to put the two together.

Incredulous over Riley's blatant disbelief, Dylan used his hands to send splashes of water in Riley's direction, whining in a loud voice, "Is it that difficult to accept that we are related?! You are too much, Little Ry! You are hurting my feelings!"

Riley cannot help chuckling while moving away from Dylan.

Before Dylan could start a chase, he heard a ringing tone. They both stopped and swan to the side. It was Dylan's phone.

Dylan pushed himself up and took the phone. His face immediately looked like doom had fallen. A series of expletives left his lips.

"Fuck! Fuck you, Draco!"

Nonetheless, his demeanor instantly changed in a flash before he clicked answer. With a surprisingly sweet voice, almost dripping in honey, he said, "Mom! Hey, you called? Hmmm…"

Riley was amused at how fast Dylan flipped into an obedient son. He saw him walking back and forth as he talked to his mom. The scene made Riley envious for a moment.

Growing up, he never had the opportunity to experience maternal love. Riley's biological mother died in childbirth. When he was 9, he once overheard his father and the madam fighting. So, he knew the madam did not give birth to him. That was when he understood why the madam wasn't like how most of his friend's mothers; helping with homework, preparing meals, hugging or kissing, and laughing together.

It was not that the late madam was cruel to him. But she never cared for him as she cared for his brother Anton. Riley also never resented her. For the most part, she just let him be, and he was already grateful for that bit of kindness. Until the day she died, in that unfortunate accident with his dad, the madam had provided his basic needs.

Dylan's phone call brought Riley back to the present.

"No, no… Of course, not. I had jetlag yesterday. So, I was not able to go home… Huh? Yes, I was going home tonight. Yeah, yeah. I mean, yes. I'd be home for dinner. See you, Mom! I love you!"

After the call, Dylan slumped on the chair, exhausted. He was never a match to his mom's nagging. She must really have missed him. Unexpectedly, he was given pardon without much haggling.

Heaving a sigh, he looked at Riley soaking in the pool. "Little Ry, I need to go. I will get flayed alive if I can't reach home before dinner time."

"It's okay. Go ahead. Did you pack all the gifts you brought from L. Country?" He was with Dylan when he bought a ton of gifts for his family abroad. Riley could tell, even though Dylan often complains, he adores his family very much. He must have a loving family.

"Yeah. I won't wait for Boss Draco. Anyway, he'll be here soon."

"Yeah, you go. Bye, drive safely."

Draco picked up the towel and hung it on his shoulder. "I will. Bye."