The Mysterious Phone Call

Moments passed between them, and Lucas still didn't let go of Rex. 

The comforting silence stretched on for the second time and Lucas realized that it was enough. He pulled away from Rex and wiped the tears that were streaming down his face.

"Are you okay, Lucas?"

Lucas nodded, words unable to come out from his lips. Rex nodded in understanding and helped Lucas wipe away his tears with his large hands.

"It was just a nightmare. Sorry for worrying you."

Rex shook his head and planted a soft kiss on Lucas's forehead.

"It's okay. You're not at fault here. I was just concerned when I heard you scream. Was it a really bad nightmare?"

Lucas looked at Rex, hesitation evident in his eyes.

"It's okay, you don't have to force yourself to tell me about it," Rex reassured. "You can take as much time as possible. I can wait."

Lucas felt grateful to Rex's parents for raising him to be so understanding, though he also couldn't help but envy Rex for having such parents. 

"Thank you. I'll try when everything becomes clear to me, at least."

Rex nodded and wrapped his arms around Lucas once again. Lucas closed his eyes, trying to stop himself from crying and erasing the memory of the nightmare from his mind.

Rex slowly patted Lucas's back, helping to calm the latter down, when Lucas remembered the creepy phone call from earlier.

"Oh!"

Lucas yanked himself away from Rex, causing the CEO to flinch away and stare at him with confusion.

"Someone called me earlier. It was super creepy. Nothing was said from the other end, just a low grumble and the creepiest chuckle I might have ever heard!"

Lucas's emphasis on the word "creepiest" made Rex concerned.

The young man then pulled out his phone and showed Rex the unknown number. Rex eyes the number skeptically.

"Hold on a minute, that number…"

Lucas watched as Rex retrieved his phone from the living room, a confused expression on his face.

'Wait, hold on. Don't tell me that it was his?!'

Rex returned with his phone in hand and scrolled through his contacts before stopping at one.

The caller ID was labeled as "Don't Answer", making Lucas look at Rex, a bit judgmental.

Rex pressed the call button and put the phone on loudspeaker. After three rings, a deep voice answered the call, sending a shiver down Lucas's spine.

"Hunter here, what do you need?"

Rex watched Lucas's expression from the corner of his eye before answering the man from the other line.

"Bad timing?"

The voice on the other end chuckled, making Lucas's eyes widen. 

"Holy shit, it was the same voice."

Lucas whispered, as quietly as he could, making sure that the man on the other line wouldn't hear him.

"Not at all, cousin. It's just strange that you are calling. I thought you needed something."

This time, it was Rex who chuckled. They exchanged a few words for a while before Rex ended the call with a good note.

He then placed the phone on the bed beside Lucas, concern filled in his eyes.

"When you said that his voice was the same as the one from the call, did you really mean it?"

Lucas nodded.

"I did. I got goosebumps on my nape when I heard him chuckle. Who was that? Why did he call you cousin?"

Rex scratched the back of his neck before replying, smiling sheepishly at the young man, who happened to be staring intently at him.

"Is it too confidential? You can't share it with me?"

Rex's eyes widened in surprise, and he shook his head.

"No! No, please don't think of it that way. It's just that…"

Lucas waited, giving Rex time to think of a proper answer.

However, as moments passed and a deafening silence enveloped the whole room, he couldn't wait any longer.

He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and quickly searched on Gugul. He typed the keywords "Rex" and "Hunter" into the search bar and then pressed "Search".

Seconds later, he clicked on the first news article that was generated as a result and read through it.

His eyes widened in surprise when the article mentioned something about Hunter.

"Hunter Ming is the CEO of Ming Southside Corporation?! What?"

Rex looked at Lucas, trying to peek through the phone to see what had surprised the young man so much.

But it didn't take long for him to know as Lucas showed the phone to him and frantically asked if it was true.

"Well, yes. Hunter Ming is the CEO of Ming Southside Co. And he happens to be a cousin of mine as well."

Lucas's jaw dropped.

'What the hell? No wonder the Lin Group was so powerful. The whole alliance was like a family dynasty, the power was literally within their hands and Rex was right at its center.'

"Wow. And the reason you went there earlier is to knock some sense out of him for his hatred of celebrity promotions?"

Rex nodded his head as he snickered quietly at Lucas's conclusion.

"Yes."

Lucas tilted his head, puzzled by Rex's answer. Rex cleared his throat and explained the actual reason why he went to his cousin's place.

"Well, yes, I went there partly for the reason you just mentioned, due to the popularity of the product. Now that I have answered your question, can we get back to mine?"

Lucas swallowed hard before nodding slowly. He knew that Rex wouldn't drop the subject until he had gotten some answers out of him.

However, he still hoped that Rex wouldn't ask anything about the nightmare he just had.

'Well, he promised that he wouldn't.'

"Good. So, did you mean it when you said that Hunter's voice resembled the one that called you?"

"Yes."

Rex heaved a deep sigh, staring at the floor as if lost in his thoughts. Lucas watched him, too hesitant to ask what was on his mind.

"Alright, thank you for answering. I will request a private meeting with Hunter at the office, preferably tomorrow. But for now, I think you should get some rest. Have you eaten yet, though?"

As if on cue, Lucas's stomach rumbled loudly, making sure that Rex had heard it. The CEO gave Lucas a deadpan look before gesturing to him to go outside and eat.

"I will join you later after this call. Save some for me."

Lucas gasped as he exasperated that he wasn't that much of a big eater. Rex chuckled at that and took his phone from the bed before dialing the same number as before.

"Come by tomorrow at nine in the morning. Let's have a talk."