Chapter 12- capable

Chapter 12: Chapter 12- capable Sean was clearly annoyed. "What the hell! News this juicy and you didn’t tell me?!" Norton shot a glance at his younger brother. "What’s the point? It’s not like you know who the new girl is. Boss is being super tight-lipped about it—hasn’t even mentioned her name once. But I gotta say, that site she recommended? It’s got pretty much everything. Way more stable than most of those novel platforms, faster updates too. Pure text, no ads. Heaven." Sean’s curiosity was instantly piqued. He stroked his chin, clearly intrigued. "So hush-hush, huh? What’s the deal with her? Don’t tell me the boss is actually serious this time?" Norton shook his head. "Doesn’t seem like it. He’s been away on a business trip for a week, and just like always, it’s all about work. Not even a single call to his new girl." The two brothers had worked under Morrison for years. They knew his habits well—when he was on a business trip, romance never made the cut. Norton had paid close attention this time too, and nothing had changed. That’s why he was sure Morrison wasn’t serious about this new fling either. If the boss really was head over heels, he’d be glued to her 24/7. No way he’d go completely silent. Sean nodded solemnly, as if he were analyzing some critical intel. "So it’s just another fling?" "But man, now I really want to know who she is." His gossip radar had gone full throttle. Norton rolled his eyes and shot him a look. "If you’ve got the guts, go ask him yourself." With that, he turned back to his work, no longer interested in chatting. Sean, now thoroughly bored, shrugged and wandered back to his own office. Sean had just sat down at his desk when Morrison’s internal line rang. "Let the finance department know," Morrison’s calm voice came through the receiver. "Someone new will be joining them soon." Sean blinked, surprised. "Boss... is this an air-drop hire?" The voice on the other end remained composed. "Not exactly. Just call it an internship." The girl had just graduated—it wouldn’t look good to shove her straight into the finance team without explanation. Labeling her as a friend’s younger sister and putting her in as an intern first? Much more acceptable. "Got it. I’ll notify them right away." The call ended abruptly, and before Sean even had time to fully digest the info, he was already heading straight back to Norton’s office. Seriously, what choice did he have? The entire executive floor was practically a desert—with just the three of them up there, Norton was the only person he could gossip with about Morrison’s mysterious affairs. Outsiders might assume Morrison’s love life was some wild, romantic drama, probably surrounded by glamorous women in the workplace. But the truth? Couldn’t be more different. Aside from the three of them—Morrison, Norton, and Sean—not a single woman worked on the top floor. Both Norton and Sean had their own teams: secretaries, assistants, whole departments. But those people were all stationed on other levels of the building. Up here, every day felt like a private kingdom in the clouds—silent, spacious... and honestly a little lonely. Sean plopped down into the chair in Norton’s office, his expression animated. "Boss just called—told me to let the finance department know there’s an intern coming soon." Sean wasted no time spilling the gossip to his older brother. "She’s going into the finance department," he said, eyes shining with excitement. Norton frowned. "Finance? That’s a pretty crucial department for an intern." "Exactly! Total air-drop, right? You think she might be the boss’s new girlfriend?" Sean was clearly enjoying the idea. Norton, ever the buzzkill, shut it down immediately. "You don’t even know if it’s a guy or a girl. What if it’s a guy?" Sean froze. "...Damn." Norton shot him a warning look, his tone steady and mature as always. "Quit gossiping. You’ll find out when you’re supposed to." With that little scolding, Sean quietly retreated from his brother’s office and went back to his own to actually get some work done. Meanwhile, Morrison was flipping through a fashion magazine Sean had given him. It featured some so-called "pretty boy" idol, and Morrison was objectively comparing himself—face, build, overall appeal. Then he headed to the lounge and stood in front of the mirror for a long while. Nope, didn’t feel old at all. Looks? On point. Body? Solid. Performance? Whether it was size, stamina, or technique—he was confident across the board. Too bad she hadn’t experienced it firsthand. Just then, his phone buzzed. Another message from the girl. Oh, I forgot to mention—don’t drive anything too flashy, okay? Or maybe... just take a cab? Morrison stared at the message, eyes lingering on the words "take a cab." Take a cab? In his entire life, he had never once hailed a cab. Not even once. From childhood, he’d been ferried around by the family chauffeur. When he got older, he either drove himself or had a driver, sometimes an assistant or secretary behind the wheel. Now she wanted him to take a cab? Unbelievable. He put his phone away without replying. Back in his office, Morrison made an international call—this one to his younger brother, Karl. Karl was six years younger, twenty-six this year, currently studying abroad. Something to do with chemical engineering or whatever—not that Morrison really knew or cared. Apparently, Karl was gearing up for graduation soon. That morning over breakfast at the family estate, Morrison had overheard his parents talking about Karl. The kid had called home to say that after graduation, he wasn’t planning on coming back to China immediately. He’d landed an internship at some research institute overseas and wanted to continue leveling up for a while. Maybe after the Lunar New Year, he’d consider returning—possibly even going into academia to teach and keep doing research. Morrison wasn’t a fan of that plan. With such a massive family business waiting back home, wasn’t it time for Karl to come back and lend a hand? If his brother stepped in, Morrison could finally breathe a little. The two brothers couldn’t have been more different. If Morrison was a businessman through and through, then Karl was a scholar to the bone. People said Karl took after Linda—their mother—while Morrison was more like their father. Back in the day, their father had also been passionate about science, dreaming of a career in research. But being the only son in the family, he’d had no choice but to take up the family business. Fortunately, Linda had been sharp, capable, and unwaveringly supportive. With her help, MOS Corp. had grown into the powerhouse it was today. In fact, before the Xiao brothers came into the picture, Morrison’s secretarial and assistant work had all been handled by Linda. She had once served as their father’s assistant—and later became the backbone of Morrison’s early years in the company. Eventually, Morrison couldn’t bear to see her working so hard and insisted she retire. After officially hiring the Xiao brothers as his new assistant and secretary, Linda stepped away and finally enjoyed a well-earned peaceful life. It helped, of course, that Linda had given birth to someone like Morrison—a born businessman, decisive and driven. That’s why their parents had been able to retire early with peace of mind. The call connected, and Karl’s familiar voice came through, cheerful as ever. "Hey, big bro! What’s up?" "What are you up to?" Morrison’s tone was casual. On the other end, Karl replied without hesitation, "Still at the lab." Morrison glanced at his watch. It was around 10 AM Manchester time—so over in the U.S., that made it about 10 PM the night before. Still at the lab at this hour? "Karl," Morrison said, brows raising slightly. "You’re still in the lab at this time? Don’t tell me you don’t have a night life?" Morrison could only sigh at his little brother. He’d long known Karl was wired this way, but it still drove him crazy sometimes. Karl, however, didn’t seem the least bit bothered. "My nightlife is the lab," he replied matter-of-factly. Morrison nearly ground his teeth. "I’m talking about a normal person’s nightlife. You know—drinks. Women." Honestly, he had serious doubts. Was his brother still a... virgin? "Bro, I’m not you," Karl muttered in his defense. "Your nightlife might be booze and babes, but that doesn’t mean mine has to be the same." He added, a little embarrassed but firm, "People chase different things, right? To me, running experiments is way more important than chasing women or whatever." Morrison rolled his eyes, no longer in the mood to argue with his monk-like sibling. With a cold snort, he changed the topic. "Mom said you’re not planning to come back after graduation? Still thinking of staying overseas for research?" Karl didn’t hesitate. "Bro, I’m finishing a master’s degree in research. What else would I do?" "You could join MOS Corp.," Morrison said flatly. "Help me out a bit." The truth was, ever since he’d taken over, MOS Corp. had been expanding fast—especially after partnering with Washington Co. on several large-scale projects. Things were picking up to the point where Morrison was starting to feel the weight. If Karl could step in, even on the Washington side, it’d take some pressure off. Karl shot the idea down immediately. "Bro, please! Spare me, okay? I’ve never touched anything remotely close to business. Even if you shoved me in there, I’d just mess things up." Morrison didn’t buy it. "Not necessarily. You’ve got Mom’s blood in your veins, after all. And the family men? We’re born to be excellent. With a little guidance from me, I know you’d be more than capable."