6 Chapter 6 – 11 Months Ago: Prince Mor

The young CEO Rex looked nervously at the prince from the other country as he entered the room. He had heard so much about Prince Mor and his leonine spirit, but he had never actually met him before. He had no idea what to expect.

The prince was dressed in a crisp, tailored suit, and he looked every bit the regal figure he was. He was very tall and well built, with lean muscles in just the right places, obvious even with the business suit. His eyes were a beautiful and unique shade of violet, a colour Rex had never seen before. He had fair skin and a golden brown mane of hair, and he really did look rather leonine.

He smiled as he entered the room with big strides, proud as a lion treading in its own territory, and said, "Greetings, CEO Rex. I am Prince Mor of the Kingdom of Strata. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Rex was a bit taken aback by the prince's friendly demeanour – and also struck by the sheer beauty, intensity and powerful aura of the royal man in front of him. Rex was very good looking himself and he had grown up with the super handsome Ao around, so he had always thought that he was rather immune to beauty. But Prince Mor's handsome face paired with the powerful air he radiated – that was very new to Rex. He found himself in a daze, staring at the attractive man who was walking – no, prowling – towards him like the king of the jungle.

A bit embarrassed, Rex stammered out a generic greeting, barely managing to keep his voice level, and said, "Hello, Your Highness. It's an honour to meet you." Then he extended his hand for a handshake.

The prince smiled and gladly took Rex's hand, giving it a firm shake. "The pleasure is all mine," he replied in a magnetic voice. "It is great to meet you as well. I'm very excited to be here. I've heard so much about your country."

Rex smiled. "Yes, my country is a wonderful place, and our City of Light is especially beautiful," he said. "I'm sure you'll enjoy your visit."

Prince Mor nodded. "I look forward to exploring it. I'm sure I'll learn a lot," he said with a chuckle.

"I'm sure you will," Rex replied. "We have a lot of interesting things to offer."

"Indeed," Prince Mor said meaningfully, his violet eyes fixed on Rex's handsome face. He squeezed Rex's hand again and released it.

Prince Mor's hands were full of calluses, Rex noted – clearly the man was more than familiar with swords and weapons.

Prince Mor looked equally surprised at the softness of Rex's hands. "CEO Rex, your hands are very soft," he commented. "I heard that you were an excellent shot, but I don't feel any gun calluses on your hand…?" he enquired curiously.

Rex blinked. He was a good shot, indeed – but it wasn't like he practised at a shooting range every single day! Why would his hands have gun calluses?!

He said as much to the prince, and the latter burst out laughing. His violet eyes filled with a golden warmth, and Rex suddenly felt glad that he had actually come out to meet this man.

Rex had originally not wanted to meet Prince Mor, especially not as a suitor. However, his grandfather had insisted. Rex's grandfather and Prince Mor's grandfather, the former king of Strata, had been good friends for a long time. The two old men had been complaining to each other about their grandsons and their lack of a love life recently, and that conversation somehow led to the two grandfathers setting up a date for their grandsons with each other!

Rex had not expected Prince Mor to agree to meet him – and it was even more unexpected that he had actually flown over to the City of Light to meet Rex the very next day.

And now, looking at how easy it was to speak to the esteemed Prince Mor, Rex was amazed at how the prince was so warm and friendly. Anyone could tell that the prince was a man of stature and importance. While Rex's grandfather had told him repeatedly last evening that he needed to make a good impression on this man, Rex hadn't paid much attention to his words.

But now, Rex found himself wanting to get along with Prince Mor, regardless of what his grandfather said. The man was very charming and attractive, and simply watching him drink tea was like viewing an exquisite piece of art.

The two men talked for a while, exchanging pleasantries and discussing various topics. Rex was impressed with how well-spoken the prince was and how knowledgeable he was about a wide range of topics, including business.

Three hours passed by, without either of them noticing the time. It was not until Rex received a call from his grandfather asking how his meeting with Prince Mor went that he realised how much time had passed.

As luck would have it (or, perhaps, as the two grandfathers would have it, for it certainly seemed like that they had planned it out in advance), Prince Mor's grandfather also called him at the same time.

The two young men looked at each other and burst out laughing. Then they answered their phones at the same time, and informed their respective grandfathers that they were still with the other party.

Both grandfathers immediately told them to stop wasting their time on the phone and pay attention to the other young man!

Amused, Prince Mor and Rex put down their phones and laughed again.

At the end of their conversation, the prince said, "I look forward to seeing you again soon. Please keep in touch and let me know when you are visiting my country. Strata, too, has interesting things to offer."

Rex smiled and thanked the prince for his kind words. As he watched Prince Mor walk away, he felt that he had just made a powerful connection. And he also felt a little reluctant to let the man go. Instinctively, he wanted to spend a little more time with the man.

Prince Mor paused at the door. "CEO Rex," he asked in a gentle voice. "If you are not too busy, would you care to accompany me to dinner tonight?"

A faint blush spread across Rex's cheeks as he agreed.