CHAPTER 2 THE FURIOUS

Dominic's Pov As I stepped out of the car, a flurry of cameras greeted me. Men fully dressed in blazers flanked me, trying to pave the way for me to pass through, but I stopped them with a simple snap of my finger. The men stood aside as the paparazzi swarmed me, pointing their mics, which bore the different media networks they represented, almost jabbing the mic to my lips. One man shouted a question as he surveyed them. "We know you are trying to stop the strange disappearances, but how long?" "Thank you, thank you," I said, glad they noted we were not folding our hands and doing nothing. I turned my attention to the cameraman behind the paparazzi, who was screaming, and continued. "The well-being of the people in Aperture is my foremost concern, and I'm committed to making the state a better place for everyone. To this end, I will not hesitate to use the full arsenal of my position to fight anything and anyone responsible for these disappearances." As I concluded my speech, the applause from the crowd briefly surged, only to fade into silence as I made my way inside. The men resumed their position, flanking me and paving the way, while a new wave of cameras trailed behind. Inside, as the number of men with me decreased, and a few others joined me. As we entered the elevator, one of them handed me a tablet, and I glanced at it. It was a message from the state finance minister. "Sloppy." As I scrolled through the record of expenses before handing the tablet back to the man, a hiss slipped from my lips. "Schedule a meeting with Mr. Baltimore. He needs to explain why he didn't heed my instructions." The dark-haired, porcelain-skinned man tried to explain. "Sir, the governor must have—" "Wilson?" Just as I heard the slight buzz from the elevator come to a stop, I stopped him. "Alright, Sir." The elevator doors slid open to reveal a large hallway. I walked out, heading forward, as Wilson and the other men struggled to catch up to me. Wilson was my personal assistant, and though he was excellent at his job, I restricted my relationship with him, ensuring our relationship was strictly professional and not more than that. I reached one of the doors and stopped as a hand shot from behind, bearing my keycard. When the hand placed the keycard on the door, I heard a beep and a click. The hand then grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open to reveal a sizable, lavishly furnished office with a fantastic view of the busy city below. I walked in, rounded the large glass desk, and slumped into the reasonably large leather seat behind, rocking it a little before I began to turn it this way and that way, just as Wilson's voice came through. "Scheduling your meeting with the finance minister at..." He trailed off, his fingers scrolling through the tablet he held, before he looked up and met my gaze. "We have cleared your schedules for the week." "Huh?" Suddenly, I stopped rocking my chair and sat up. "What do you mean my schedules have cleared?" "I don't know how it happened, but I can't see all your meetings, your conferences, your—" The doorbell's sound cut him off, and another man joined us in the office, making a beeline for me and stopping a few feet from my desk. "Morning Sir. The governor requested to see you." "Why?" I raised my brows at him. "You must join him at once." I sat back, looking from him to the wide-eyed Wilson, and I wondered if he was thinking the same thing. My father must have cleared my schedule for the week, as it was not his first time doing so. Glancing back at the man, I gave him a curt nod and expected him to walk away, but he only stood there. After a moment, I spoke again. "I said I'd join you." "The governor said I must come with you." I chuckled a little. My father wanted to make sure I followed the young man. With a grudge, I stood up and then turned to Wilson. "Find a way to create new schedules that align with the previous one, and make sure to allocate some time for me to reason with that foolish minister while I investigate why my father cleared the previous one." "Yes Sir." Abandoning him, I walked out of the office into the hallway, with the other man following closely behind as I headed towards the elevator. In a moment, we found ourselves in another hallway that led to my father's office. As we approached my father's office, I asked him a question. "By any chance, do you know why he is calling me?" The man shook his head. "No, Sir." I nodded, muttering almost inaudibly. " This had better be good." Pulling the door to his office open, I saw a bald man sitting and backing his desk, his attention on the large window that provided a fantastic view of the bustling city downstairs. As my shoes clicked on the marble as I walked in, my father slowly turned to meet my gaze. "Earlier than I expected, hmm." He said he was picking up a folder from his desk and tossing it to me. I grabbed the folder and gave him a pointed look, and he returned it with a nod. Then, I opened the folder and emptied the contents to reveal different proposals before looking up to meet his gaze. "What's this got to do with me?" I asked him. "I can't stand those humans' patience, so please stay on them while I figure out why disappearances are happening." "I do mind," I said, holding myself back from snapping. "That was rhetorical, son. You don't mind. It's not like you have a choice." He turned to his laptop, my presence becoming a secondary concern. As my skin began to heat up, I folded my hands into knuckles. Suddenly, he glanced up at me, adding something. "I forgot to add. One of the things you'll do is represent me in a ball. "I hope you find the human ball appealing." With a grunt, I turned around and stormed out of his office, heading for my own. Inside, Wilson remained occupied with his tablet, attempting to adjust my schedule while seated in one of the chairs near my desk. I tossed the folder on the desk before him, rounding it and slumping in. "Uh…Sir?" "A job for you." I rolled my eyes before meeting his surprised gaze behind his glasses. "But I'm yet to be done." "Relax. All you need to do is simply relax.