Billionaire's Toy

Chapter | I

"Goodmorning, Charles!" His mother greeted cheerfully through the small screen of his phone, giving her son a very sweet smile.

"Goodmorning to you too, mom." Charles replied quite weakly, managing to smile back at the enthusiastic lady.

"Oh? Why do you look so tired? Am i calling at the wrong time?" Her smile dropped, her eyebrows slowly crossing in concern. "You look..sick. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, i'm fine. Just a little tired. Late shifts we're kinda tiring and also, i just finished my school activities." He sighed, rubbing his reddening eyes. "Kinda fun tho, i feel really productive."

"Productivity is a good thing, but please don't overwork yourself. Have you gotten some sleep lately? You look so off." His eyes we're really drooping and his features doesn't look as good as before. He look stressed. "Get some rest, hun. You can always come to us if you're struggling. We'll always have your back. Are you slacking financially? We can--"

"Mom, we already talked about this." He tried not to sound tired yet a yawn made his attempt quickly fall. "I promise i will come to you if i really need help but for now, i'm fine. I'm just trying to prove something, nothing much."

"But you don't have to prove anything to us. Look, we know your fully capable of standing at your own feet but~"

"I know, mom. And i love you for that. Its just...i want to prove myself to someone.." For a split second, his gaze diverted to a small red box on his desk. Something he considers as a prize for his sleepless nights and hardwork.

"Someone? Who? Don't tell me it's that Eunice girl again." She narrowed her eyes, expecting for a no but the look on his son's eyes already gave her an answer that somewhat disappointed her. "Charles, i love you. That's why i want the best for you. You followed her all the way to there just so you could be with her. Isn't that enough to prove your love? Also, I met her once and i can't even bring myself to like her at all."

"Mom, that was like a year ago. Also, she's having a really bad time that day." Of course, his mother just had to bring that up. He remembered how irritative Eunice had been that day, and that time probably wasn't the best time to introduce her to his parents but his mother was itching to meet her already. Clearly, it didn't end well. "I promise she's not what you assumed to be. She's not like that. Just give her a chance."

The line got quiet for a short moment, her mother seemed to be thinking. "Well," she sighed, "it's not really my place to decide. At the end of the day, it's up to you. It's your life afterall. But please, be careful. I don't want you hurt."

"She won't. She wouldn't." He tried to reassure her, even trying to give her his brightest smile even if his face wasn't cooperating. "Please don't worry about me, i'm doing absolutely fine. You'll age faster if you keep stressing yourself out."

"Look who's talking. You should tell that to yourself." She joked back, letting out a humorous laugh that definitely made the conversation lighter. "But honestly, you should rest. Get some sleep. Exhaustion wouldn't be good for your health."

"Fine, i will." He surrendered, chuckling at her mother's persistence.

"Good. You really should." Her mother smiled, her enthusiasm slightly showing again. "Okay, i'll end the call now. Go, get your beauty sleep, okay?"