1 Chapter 1

1

“Good morning, Mr. Morris.”

Jensen Morris nodded at Harrison Lee, his personal assistant, to acknowledge the greeting, but he didn’t utter a single word in response. He was still winded after spending nearly two and a half hours inside his home gym. At forty-four years old, he most probably wouldn’t keel over and die anytime soon. It was now halfway through the twenty-second century, and the lifespan of an average human was somewhere around one hundred and twenty-three years old. Some lived much longer than that, thanks to the rapid advancement in medical sciences and technologies. However, Jensen was fully aware that, while he wasn’t exactly what some might consider to be an old man, he was no longer a young man in the prime of his life either. It was getting much more difficult to maintain his muscular physique. Fortunately, he was six feet and three inches tall, so his current weight of two hundred and thirty-two pounds was evenly distributed everywhere.

“Thank you, Harris,” Jensen said as he accepted another brand-new towel from Harrison and quickly wiped the sweat off his face, hair, neck, and arms. “Is there anything on my agenda today?”

“A meeting at nine o’clock with the other shareholders and lunch at that new Italian restaurant downtown with your parents at half past eleven,” Harrison promptly replied. “I’ve already made a reservation on your behalf, sir. You have two more meetings in the afternoon at two and half past four, respectively.”

“Very good. Anything else?”

“Mr. Hawkins called precisely thirteen minutes ago.”

Jensen grinned as he glanced at Harrison. “Oh? Did he?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did he leave a message?”

Harrison nodded. His facial expression remained neutral, but Jensen knew Harrison well enough by now. After all, Harrison had started working for him almost twenty-four years ago now, which was when he had taken control over the inheritance that had been left to him by all four of his grandparents. That consisted of various investments, properties and other assets, and several trust funds that had his name on them. Among other things. Jensen could tell by the slight reddening of the tip of Harrison’s left ear that his personal assistant was rather embarrassed to answer his question. He might not know what the message was exactly, but Milo Hawkins, his lovely boyfriend for the past fifteen years and counting, must have told Harrison something that his personal assistant was too mortified to repeat to him. Milo could be rather direct most of the time. He had minimum brain-to-mouth filter most of the time. Jensen folded his arms over his broad, heaving chest and stared at Harrison, waiting expectantly for his personal assistant to answer his question. Harrison visibly gulped.

“Mr. Hawkins can’t wait for you to join him in Tokyo, sir.”

Harrison appeared to be even more uncomfortable now, and Jensen was amused by his personal assistant’s obvious struggle to remain dignified and composed. Harrison was six years older than him, and the man was always calm and collected. It was a rare treat for Jensen to see Harrison looking so self-conscious and flustered.

“And?” Jensen prodded as he stared at Harrison.

Harrison cleared his throat a couple of times as he fidgeted a little. “Mr. Hawkins is greatly anticipating a wonderful reunion when you meet him there.”

Jensen snickered. “Is that all?”

Harrison’s cheeks flushed much redder than before, but aside from that, his facial expression didn’t betray his obvious discomfort at all. “Yes, Mr. Morris.”

Jensen bit back a sigh. He gave up. It would be a cold day in hell before Harrison would ever lose his poise and self-control.

“Very well.”

After that, Jensen made his way toward the private elevator inside his penthouse and placed his right palm flat against the designated surface on the computerized system that was installed into the wall, before pressing the button for the fiftieth floor. The doors slid shut, and the elevator left the forty-sixth floor in the next second. Upon reaching his destination, he exited from the elevator and made his way past his massive king-size bed, heading toward the bathroom for a quick shower. He briefly debated if he should stroke a load out to get rid of his mounting tension, but he decided that it would be better if he held back for another few hours. After all, he would be reunited with Milo soon enough. Besides, according to the digital clock on the bathroom wall, it was already seventeen minutes past eight. He needed to hurry if he was going to make it on time for his first meeting.

When he was done with his shower a few minutes later, he dried himself with a towel before making his way toward the sink. He tapped on the computerized system on the wall. In the next instant, a robotic arm emerged from a concealed location inside the wall to assist him in brushing his teeth and shaving his facial hair. The huge mirror in front of him served as a computer so he could read or watch the curated news on the internet, ensuring that he was kept up-to-date with regards to everything that was going on around the world. He also took the opportunity to check on his electronic mails and answer some of them.