Lead The Way (BL)

THIRTY - THREE

(unedited)

A dinner to celebrate their first day on vacation really was located beneath the stars.

 There was no harsh breeze you'd expect to find blowing up from the ocean and disrupting the finely set tables. However, there was a gentle breeze that kept everyone cool and from sweating their evening makeup off.

Since this dinner was set for a less formal occasion, mostly everyone came dressed in their tidiest casual clothes, except for a select few who came rocking a hoodie you can pick up at any store department.

Also keeping in theme, decorations and table settings were all kept clean and simple. As for food and beverages, they were served buffet style on long white tables.

Tonight, it was a help yourself occasion.

Despite its simplicity, overall it appeared very beautiful and enchanting with the starry night as a backdrop and tealights giving a warm homely feeling. It was so beautiful that some who were happily snapping photos with awe clouding their eyes. Not everyone here was able to enjoy this sort of treatment on a daily basis. In fact, 90% of those attending are still fresh faced rookies in their line of business and are still trying to earn enough to leave their parents embrace or have a house to themselves.

As this wasn't a formal occasion, everyone was allowed to choose where they sat instead of being assigned seats. But of course, no matter how casual the occasion, a junior still wouldn't dare to sit with their superior. It isn't that they were only considering their social standing but many were just afraid that if they daringly sat with their superiors, they'd say or do the wrong thing and screw up what little social standing they had developed. It was bound to happen what with all the alcoholic beverages being served and passed about. Besides, wouldn't it be better to enjoy this time with people you feel comfortable with instead of always worrying yourself stiff?

This is what a majority of people thought.

However, there were a select few who couldn't be bothered with this sort of gathering when they felt they could be doing other things instead. One of these select few was gene, who was currently lost in his glass of wine.

Every now and then, when someone at his table would converse with him, he'd reciprocate with a few words and a soft smile while wishing he was sleeping somewhere quiet or had pure whiskey instead of this watered down wine.

Unlike most people who had migrated towards tables where their friends sat, Gene turned up late and sat down wherever he could fit. As for his other group members, they too were split.

Gene was offered by ace and les to join either one of them, however he turned them both down for varying reasons. Two of the top reasons was the alcohol and girls they shared their tables with.

Right now, gene wasn't in the mood for either and chose to sit with a group of rookie managers who were on his good side. As rare as that sounds and is.

When everyone had finished their servings of food, suddenly; three distinct bangs silenced the area.

This banging came from a middle aged man who had stood up from one of the tables dotted about the courtyard. Sitting at the same table as this man was van, whom gene had recently met.

"Now that everyone has had their fill, I'll like to say a few words!" The middle aged man said this loudly as he cracked a smile.

Gene recognized this man as one of the head management.

Jon Preston.

From genes few encounters with this man, he found he was a very brisk and straight forward type of guy. He didn't discriminate nor believe in rumors off the bat. He was a guy gene could easily get along with, if not for their ranks within the company separating them by a fine line.