Chapter 1379: I’ve Been Really Busy Lately
When the call from Cedric Fisher came in, Thomas Fisher was sitting in front of his computer reading documents. He assumed it was his mom, Autumn York, using his dad’s phone to call. He stared at the screen for a moment before picking up, his voice and tone both faint and cool.
Even over the phone, Cedric could feel his son’s indifference. He knew perfectly well why his son was like this. He only sighed helplessly and didn’t take it to heart.
"Are you still busy at the office?" He didn’t approve of his son treating the company like home, and it made him uncomfortable, but what could he do? It was his wife who had done what she did.
"If you’ve got something to say, just say it." Realizing it was his dad, Cedric Fisher, on the line, Thomas’s tone eased a little, but he still didn’t sound particularly warm.
Cedric still didn’t take issue with Thomas’s lack of warmth. He completely understood why Thomas was like this. His own tone and demeanor remained gentle. "Don’t overwork yourself. If you’re not busy, come home. Your mom and I both miss you."
On that last sentence, he deliberately raised his voice and stressed his words on purpose; he wanted his son on the other end of the line to know that they both missed him.
"I’ve been really busy lately. Once this period is over, I’ll come back." Thomas wasn’t using this as an excuse to brush Cedric off. The company really did have a major project on its hands right now: they were preparing to negotiate a partnership with a big international corporation. If it went through, their company would be moving into the global market.
Cedric had a pile of his own affairs to handle. Normally he had no time to manage the company’s business, and even when he did, he didn’t much like to interfere. Ever since Autumn York inherited the company from her family at thirty, she had run it very well.
Now that their son was holding the fort at the company, he was even more at ease. He generally didn’t meddle in company matters unless they ran into something really tricky, in which case his son would take the initiative to talk things over with him.
Hearing Thomas say the company was busy, the uninformed Cedric didn’t take it as the literal truth. He thought Thomas just didn’t want to come home and was using work as an excuse to fob him off.
"All right then! Your mom and I will be at home waiting for you." Since his son wasn’t ready to come back yet, he wouldn’t press him. When the anger in Thomas’s heart cooled down and he was willing to return, he would always be welcome.
"Got it."
Thomas really didn’t have the time or mental space for anything else right now; all his energy was focused on this negotiation. "Dad, if you don’t have anything else, I’m going to hang up."
After saying that, he didn’t hang up immediately. He kept the phone to his ear, waiting for the person on the other end to respond.
"I’ve got nothing else. Get back to work, but make sure you rest—don’t tire yourself out." Cedric was the one who ended the call. Before hanging up, he didn’t forget to remind Thomas to rest and not overwork himself.
Beep.
Hearing the beep in his ear, Thomas realized his dad had already hung up. He moved the phone away from his ear, sat there dazed for a moment with the phone in his hand, then casually set it aside.
Thomas was just about to get back to work when the phone he had just put down on the desk suddenly rang again. He thought it was his dad, Cedric, calling back, and reached for it to check the screen.
He glanced at it and answered immediately, speaking crisply and to the point: "Talk."
"Mr. Fisher, the people from AK have arrived in Flame City today. They’re staying at the Garden Hotel right now." The caller was his assistant, Beckett Yates, who opened with a direct report of the information he had just obtained.