You Need Me

Chapter 1

"So, you have no objection with this agreement, Leon?" Ian asked.

Leonard Oliver nodded, agreeing without saying anything.

Ian sighed in relief. He knew his son loved him dearly and would do anything to make his father happy but he still could not believe his stubborn son would agree to his request so willingly.

"Are you sure?" He asked again.

"Yes." Leon replied shortly.

Leon was his only child and his only family. He lost his wife to an accident when Leon was still a child and since then, he had single-handedly raised him to become what he was today.

"Very well then. We can continue the discussion." Ian smiled, patting Leon on the back.

"So, George..." as Ian attempted to continue the conversation with the other party in front of them, suddenly, a knock was heard outside the wooden sliding door. After Ian gave his permission, a team of servers entered the private dining room where the Olivers were having a meeting with their guests. The door was left opened and a light gentle winter wind passed through the room. One of the guests quickly grabbed a shawl that had been hanging on the back of the seat and wrapped it around her body. Seeing one of his guests was shivering, Leon signaled at one of the servers to close the door and returned his gaze to the food served in front of him, ignoring the guest who was trying to thank him.

"Are you cold, Viola?" asked the elder Oliver.

"No, no, I'm okay, um... Mr. Oliver. Thank you." Viola answered nervously – her fingers clutching her shawl tightly to hide her trembling.

Viola still could not believe she was sitting in front of Ian Oliver, the head of Uni Infinitus, one of the most influential multinational companies in the country − a company that had helped modernizing a once slow, underdeveloped suburban area into the current vibrant metropolitan Bellfield city, and a company that... saved her family.

"Hahaha, you don't need to be so tense around us, Viola." Ian said cheerfully and gave Viola a wink. Viola just smiled sheepishly at him and turned her head to look at her father who was sitting beside her.

Her father aged a lot in just a few weeks, she thought. How could he not? George Ernest lost almost everything he had in one day. He almost lost Viola too if not for the help from his old friend, Ian Oliver.

George and Ian attended the same university and forged their friendship back when they were roommates in the dorm. Ian, born as an heir to a prestigious family, had spent his college days more in the clubs than in the academy and George, a modest straight-A student back then, had helped tutoring Ian to achieve a passing mark that led him able to receive his degree. After graduation, Ian went on to succeed his family business while George migrated to another country to start his own career. In the span of 30 years, George eventually built his own company and had his own little happy family there. He never thought he would come back to his home country if not for...

"Dad?" His daughter called him softly, snapping him back to the present.

"I... Sorry, Viola, what is it?" George flushed.

"Are you okay, George?" asked Ian, concerned about his good friend.

"Oh... Yes, yes, I'm sorry, where were we again?" asked George.

"Let's just eat first, shall we? We can continue our talk after dinner." Ian assured him.

The servers left quietly after serving the dishes.

Although it was supposed to be a casual, family-gathering like dinner, nobody made a sound for almost the entire time, except Viola. She would occasionally drop her spoon or accidentally knocked over glasses. The evening was a repetition of her apologizing to her dinner companions and servers coming in and out to replace the tableware. The more she tried not to embarrass herself, the more mess she eventually made.

Her father chuckled. He was used to seeing this. His daughter had always been a shy girl and nervous around people whom she was unfamiliar with.

"Ouch!" cried Viola suddenly. She quickly grabbed a wet towel and dabbed her dress furiously with it.

"Are you okay???" asked George.

"Do you want to go the washroom to clean yourself?" asked George again while pointing at her daughter's white dress, now covered with yellow stains from the hot pumpkin soup she dropped a few seconds ago.

"I... I'm very sorry, please excuse me."

Viola could not bring herself to look at Leon who was sitting in front of her and left the room hurriedly.