Little Devil

It was a busy week for the Creed trio, even more so for the youthful Alexander, who decided to squeeze out his drawing potential.

He had no clear idea of how many papers he wasted from all the revisions but at the very least, it isn't at the level of paper loss that thesis-making requires of high-level students.

Alexander went for neatness and being easy to understand, so his information organization abilities were also used to their full potential.

The drawing level he opted for was in between two extremes of the infamous One's works. From the overly detailed redraws and the scrappy doodlings of the source version.

He chose to go in between so that he can maximize speed and image legibility. All that was left was to pitch it to his father and see what he thought of it.

Arranging the paper in proper sequence, he left the study and headed for the person he was looking for.

The week of running around and making arrangements for their new equipment was done and dusted for the most part.

Mark even took it to himself and already strategized whatever those machines and technologies are meant to do.

His son had already hinted at what they meant and it would be foolish of him to not pick up the cues being shown to his face.

It was also a liberating experience for him because old Sullivan explicitly mentioned that he had full authorization for the whole collection he accumulated.

The long-time director had used most of these things in his career but what was different was the fact that they were only borrowed. This time it was his own.

After all, owning one is quite a step up from having to share it with others.

Sullivan would be the winner if there was a competition between who was the most tired. He had to travel and ask around who is the authority of which and where to find them.

The old man was debating between traveling or not when it comes to his retirement. Sure, seeing new sights was interesting but the heavy feeling when accumulating tiredness is no joke.

It was even more troublesome if he accounts for the jet lag that messed up his rhythm.

The father and son duo finally recouped from all those tiresome things and wanted to relax at home.

But it is not like there wasn't a certain person in their house that just won't stop milking their workaholic tendencies.

Their peace and relaxation might not last for long as Alexander found them drinking tea in the dining room.

"Grandpa! Dad! You both are just the person I wanted to see!" He came dashing with a heavy stack of papers in hand.

If it was any other day, the elder duo would have responded enthusiastically to the sight of the little Creed's papers.

This time, however, they could not help but develop traumatic tendencies when seeing such thick pages of reading.

Their energy that was slowly recovering figuratively plummeted at the thought that Alexander's papers would send them spiraling to another busy and hellish week.

"Fufu! Did you see the devil or something?!" Alexander could not help but snicker at his grandfather and father's undisguised weariness and fear.

"Haha! It is not that, little devi... I mean, cutie! It is just that you should give your poor, old grandpa a break!" Old Sullivan did not know whether to laugh or cry at his grandson's antics.

He also had to reevaluate whether he should be happy or worried that his little grandson takes after him when it comes to delegating manual labor to his grunt workers!

One of his many business-managing tactics was to juice each and every one of his employees' potential. Who would've thought that he would be at the receiving end of this method?

"How the tables have turned hasn't it, Dad?" Mark could not help but chide from the side. It was quite rare for him to see his father's vulnerable side.

He remembered that he was a father himself and had an instant headache when he thought of the possible ramifications of the things written in Alexander's papers.

Throughout this period of time, Mark sometimes looks into nothingness and asks why can't his son just be normal or be normal again. The boy was cute and innocent for the first three years and he wondered why was it in the fourth year that those qualities shifted.

Although the boy was even cuter and outwardly expressing innocence, the Creed elders knew from recent experience that a shrewd and goal-centered adult is hiding within.

The adult inside was a perfect reflection of themselves and the scary thing is that it comes off from a little kid. Obviously, they are quite proud of their little one's uniqueness, however, they are terrified of what society would perceive of him.

"Alright! Alright, little devi... I mean, little guy! What do you have for us to do now?!" Mark automatically assumed that it was more work and hesitantly took the papers.

Alexander harrumphed at their implicitly fired shots and complained. "I'm not a little devil! I'm just a humble newcomer trying to impress the corporate bigwigs and get a promotion on the side."

The adults in the room had to roll their eyes at that. It is more like it is the other way around at this point!

Sullivan entertained young Alexander with his traveling exploits but Mark had his eyes glued to the topmost paper.

It had the title 'Kid Psychic' doodled in bold fonts and a subtitle that says: A Script and Storyboard by Alexander Creed.

Fortunately, he had set down his tea or he would've splattered it all over the room.

Mark had to double-check reality and he unwittingly murmured. "Is this what I think it is? But how?!"

"Alexander, you have some explaining to do! And, why haven't I heard from Helena about this important development?"

"Err... I had her sign a confidentiality agreement to minimize risks!" The young boy looked guilty at this point. "She found on the first day you were gone but I never thought she would take it quite seriously that she hadn't even told you. I really thought you have known about this side project by now!"

The adults had to facepalm in unison while the young one was confused at their comedic reactions. "Did I do something bad?"