Passionate Love

Passionate Love - Chapter One

Early in the morning, Logan was returning from his morning walk when he noticed a girl by the roadside tending to an injured puppy. She was holding the puppy in her arms, crying and saying, "Who hurt you? It must hurt a lot, but don’t worry, I’ll take you to the hospital. You’ll get better soon, understood?" The girl, talking to the puppy, was on her way to take him to the hospital, and Logan stood at a distance listening to her. After the girl left, Logan returned to his mansion, did his workout in the gym, and then went to take a shower. About half an hour later, he came downstairs, where the chef had already set breakfast on the dining table. Logan sat down. At that moment, Andrew came and sat in the chair next to him. Both of them had breakfast and left for the office.

In the car, Andrew briefed Logan about today’s board meeting.

Andrew: "Logan, the board meeting is at eleven today. Are you ready for it?"

Logan: "Yes, whatever happens, we’ll face it together and deal with all the problems as a team."

Andrew: "Absolutely, I’ll be with you every step of the way."

After half an hour of travel, their car stopped in front of a huge building. Logan and Andrew stepped out. Logan looked up at the massive building in front of him, which had a large board that read "Clive Industries." Seeing that board, Logan’s eyes welled up, and his heart ached, but he quickly composed himself. He put on his black sunglasses and walked toward the entrance of the building.

At the entrance, the general manager was already waiting with his staff. As Logan approached the door, the general manager welcomed him.

General Manager: "Good morning, sir. Welcome to the headquarters of L&G Industries." The general manager led Logan and Andrew inside, where the entire head office staff was already present. The staff welcomed them, and Logan acknowledged their greetings and moved forward. As soon as he left, the female staff members began whispering.

"Wow, our new chairman is so handsome."

"Yeah, you're right. The new chairman is no less than Logan Hayden himself."

"Well, of course, they’re brothers after all."

"By the way, our Chief Director Andrew and Director Gabriel aren’t any less handsome either."

And why shouldn’t they be praised? They are indeed very handsome. Logan, a six-foot-two-inch, blue-eyed, blond-haired, twenty-eight-year-old, was wearing a white linen shirt with a black blazer, black pants, and black shoes, looking even more dashing.

Meanwhile, Andrew, a six-foot-tall, brown-haired, brown-eyed, well-built twenty-eight-year-old, was wearing a brown suit with a white shirt and brown shoes.

The general manager took both of them up to the twenty-seventh floor via a private elevator and showed them their offices.

General Manager: "Logan, sir, this is your office. On the right is Andrew, sir’s office, and on the left is Gabriel, sir’s office." The general manager opened the door to Logan’s office, and Logan stepped inside, followed by Andrew. The office was spacious, with a white and gray color scheme. On the left wall, there was a large photo frame of a young man in his mid-twenties. The name under the photo read "Archer Clive." The young man in the photo bore a strong resemblance to Logan and Andrew, making it clear that they were brothers. After taking a brief look around the office, Logan and Andrew stood in front of the photo. Logan ran his hand over the photo, and tears began to fall from his eyes onto the table below. Andrew placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder and, in a choked voice, said, "We will avenge our brother and mother’s death and the destruction of our family. Only then will we find peace." Logan nodded and sat down at his desk.

"Have you found out anything about that girl? Who was she?" Logan asked Andrew.

"Not yet, but Gabriel is looking into it. Once we find out, we’ll track her down, even if she’s hiding at the ends of the earth," Andrew replied.

As they were talking, someone knocked on the door. Logan called out, "Come in."

A man entered, greeted them, and introduced himself.

"Good morning, sirs. I’m Manager Leo. All the board members have gathered in the conference hall. General Manager Jack asked me to inform you."

Logan: "Okay, let’s go." Saying this, Logan stood up from his chair, and Andrew followed suit. Leo opened the door and gestured for them to proceed, leading them to the conference hall. Once there, he opened the door, and they stepped inside. As soon as they entered, all the board members stood up. Logan sat at the head of the table, and Andrew took the seat next to him. On Logan’s other side, General Manager Jack introduced Logan and Andrew to the board members.

After getting acquainted, Logan addressed the board and discussed the company.

Logan: "You all are aware of my father, Chairman Robert Clive’s health. He is currently unable to work, so until he can resume his position, I will take over as the acting chairman of Clive Industries, handling all his responsibilities. I trust you will all fully support me in this."

Board Members: "Certainly."

Logan: "Now, please update me on the current situation."

GM Jack: "Sir, the news of Archer’s death and Robert’s illness has spread in the market, causing our company’s stock prices to drop significantly. Most people are selling their shares, and our investors are gradually pulling out."

Board Member One: "Sir, many of the projects we secured through Archer’s hard work are also slipping out of our hands."

Board Member Two: "Sir, the financial condition of the company is also weakening."

HR Manager: "Sir, many of our good employees have left the company, and many others are considering it."

The board members continued to inform Logan about the company’s various issues, which Logan promised to resolve soon. By the time the meeting ended, it was evening. Logan and Andrew left for home.

On the way, at a red light, Logan noticed the same girl from the morning standing by the roadside, holding some flowers and asking passersby to buy them. An elderly woman in a wheelchair sat next to her, with more flowers in her lap. Every time the girl sold some flowers, she handed the money to the elderly woman. Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Logan’s face. For some reason, Logan signaled the girl. She came over with the flowers and handed them to Logan, who gave her a hundred-dollar bill. The girl went back to the elderly woman to get change, but before she could return, the light turned green, and the car drove away.

Andrew, sitting next to Logan, asked why he bought the flowers. Logan replied, "I was just trying to help that elderly woman."

Andrew: "In what way did she seem elderly to you?"

Logan: "Those flowers didn’t belong to that girl. They were the property of that disabled elderly woman. The girl was merely helping her sell them."

Andrew: "Which woman?"

Logan: "The one sitting next to her in the wheelchair."

Upon arriving at the mansion, Logan and Andrew went to their rooms to freshen up. Afterward, they went to the room next to Logan’s. Inside, a man lay on the bed, surrounded by various machines, their wires connected to his body. A nurse sat on the sofa in the corner of the room, reading a magazine.

As soon as Logan entered the room, the nurse stood up and greeted them, "Good evening, Mr. Clive." Both of them nodded in response and sat down beside the bed.

Logan: "How is Dad’s condition now?"

Nurse: "It’s the same as before. There hasn’t been any improvement, but it hasn’t worsened either. I’m hopeful there will be progress soon."

Logan: "Alright, Andrew and I have an important engagement tonight, so please take care of Dad. We might be back late."

Nurse: "Don’t worry, sir. I’ll take good care of him. You can go without any concerns."

Andrew: "It’s eight o’clock now. We need to be at Mr. Denvers’ party in an hour. He’s going to announce that his company is awarding the project to us, Clive Industries."

Logan: "Hmm, let’s get ready in half an hour." Saying this, Logan went to his room, and Andrew went to his, which was right across from Logan’s.

To be continued......