The New CEO

Chapter 15

Alfred fell asleep dreaming of all the wonderful possibilities that could come out of living here. Maybe he could live near Arthur, and see him often! It would certainly be easier to live here than fly back and forth every time somebody needed his help.

Arthur fell asleep replaying the situation from earlier that night. The American was a very physical person, he liked to touch things, but that alone wasn't enough to force yourself on someone! Somehow, Arthur still didn't feel all that upset. Alfred hadn't been rude in the way he held Arthur, he had been gentle, even if a little forceful. It had been surprisingly nice, Arthur was a very reserved person, and didn't hug people often, but it wasn't as bad as he had thought.

Arthur drove Alfred to work once again, but this time they parted to their different duties without a farewell. Alfred made a beeline to Ludwig, intent on observing him for the entire day, prepared to take notes and anything else that was necessary. He would prove himself to be a responsible boss, if it was the last thing he did.

Arthur shut the door to his private office, and saw the ever growing pile of papers on his desk that had begun to grow exponentially. Every day it seemed like he had twice the amount of work than the day before.

He knew that he should pay attention to himself and his health above his work, but Ludwig expected a lot out of him, and he didn't want to let Ludwig down.

Alfred did his best to be quiet and observe every move that Ludwig made, but found that it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. He tried to understand how Ludwig could so easily make decisions that could change the fate of the office, how he knew which option to choose, but Alfred just didn't get it. It wasn't that Alfred was slow or a bad learner, he just couldn't comprehend the leader's way of life.

After he finished eating that night, Alfred went up and locket himself in his bathroom, judging himself in the mirror. Was he really worthy to take Ludwig's place? He tried to impersonate the way Ludwig walked, the way he smiled and greeted people, the way he spoke.

Arthur, in his bedroom, quietly listened to Alfred attempt a terrible German accent for about ten minutes before he went to ask what was going on. He quietly knocked on the bathroom door, and Alfred immediately stopped to open the door. It was apparent that Alfred didn't realize Arthur could hear him, as his face burned a bright pink.

"What are you doing, Alfred?"

"I was... well, I was trying to become more like Ludwig, so I would be a better CEO. I don't want everybody to hate me, and everybody likes Ludwig, so maybe if I'm more like him, they'll like me more." Alfred muttered awkwardly.

"Alright then." Arthur knew that having a role model or idol wasn't a bad thing, but trying to become someone else entirely wasn't a good idea. He wanted to tell Alfred that, but he doubted Alfred would listen to him, and Alfred would probably figure it out himself eventually anyway, right? This is probably something he has to figure out for himself, I'm surprised he hasn't already. I'll do my best to help him along the way.