Chapter 1: Chapter 1
The summer sun was torture on his skin and he cursed underneath his breath as he walked the expanse of the front lawn. One thing he was grateful for, was the sweet breeze that bathed him. It was something he could not get in the city and despite him being mildly irritated that he had to come all the way from New York to sort this issue out. Climbing the porch steps, his brisk foot walk carried him to the door and after quickly composing himself, he put on a dashing smile before softly knocking on the door.
It only took a few moments before the door was flung open and in front of him, stood the man that he had flown all the way to see.
"Mr Axton." The robust man said, looking frankly surprised
"Oh, no need to look so frightened Jonathan. I've come all this way to see you and the heat out here is melting me away. Do you mind if I come in?" he asked and waited patiently as Jonathan stepped aside and allowed him entry
The fan was blowing somewhere downstairs and the sound of the turbulent blades did nothing but increase his irritation. His hand tugged at the tie around his collar, loosening it enough till he felt he could breathe. His eyes didn't bother to look around or pay attention to the surroundings, but he only sat down at the closest chair to the window, looking out at the barn out that wasn't too far from the home.
"What brings you here sir?" Jonathan asked. He loved visitors, his home was welcoming to anyone who wanted to have a cool beer and sit around while his daughter-in-law made cookies. This visitor was also one he conversed with, but not one that he had at his home on a regular. The younger man's sudden appearance placed him on the very edge and he could feel the sweat dancing on his eyebrow in suspension
"Jonathan." The intimidating man started, looking back at him "You know how much I like you. I've been in this business with you for how long now?"
"5 years sir." The reply was with a sigh of resignation that left him open. They both knew what would come next
"Yes. 5 good solid years and yet, I had to come down all the way. Might I ask why?" He watched Jonathan take a deep breath before answering softly
"The balances of the-"
"Exactly! The balances of the account. This is the 3rd time this month I've had problems with my finance director concerning this orchard and frankly, it's become very annoying. I've been calling to ensure that this is fixed, but it seems like all these promises you keep giving are null and void!" The baritone of his voice shook the tension in the room and Jonathan could do nothing but scratch his neck meekly
"It's just that…" he hesitated, trying to find the words that would guarantee him less damage "…the accountant we have isn't really top tier and we've pushed most of our financial resources to the fancy new security system we got."
Axton groaned loudly, then tugged ungracefully at his chestnut brown hair that was beginning to grow out. Making a mental note to cut it, he directed a pointed look at the man before him before he spoke again.
"Tens of thousands of dollars invested into this place and you couldn't afford a decent accountant to help run this place? You could have told me instead of making my finance team keep secrets from me all these past months and making me almost fire one of my trusted directors."
"I'm sorry sir." Jonathan knew he had messed up big time, he didn't want to reveal to Mr Axton that it was actually his son that had taken up the job of keeping the books for the orchard for the past 6 months, as the boy had convinced him it would save cost. He should have known it was a recipe for disaster
"Cyrus, Jonathan. This formality is getting too old, call me Cyrus or nothing." He knew that no matter how he tried, given the fact that everything about him was dangerous looking and intimidating, Jonathan wouldn't bend to easily call him by his first name
At the corner of his eye, he saw a movement dash past the window, making his head turn to it in slight interest. He was only met with the view of the many workers that went about their daily duties. Sometimes, he wondered just how it was to manage the livestock and the orchard at the same time. He knew this particular investment was in good hands, which is the more reason why he was particularly frustrated with the accountability problems. Jonathan was one of the people he trusted and the piece of land that harboured the apple orchard and the livestock farm was one place he knew he'd get his returns.
"The new security system, what's the operation like? Functionality?" Cyrus asked, taking off his suit jacket as he stood
Jonathan felt his shoulders relax and nodded his head in the direction of the window.
"I could show you. The operators pretty much know what they're doing. We finished installations a few weeks back, test runs and all. I think you might like it, sir."
As they walked out of the house, Cyrus allowed himself to breathe in the fresh Texan breeze and allow his ears to capture as many tranquil sounds as he could. He never got this kind of luxury in the city and although he hadn't been back to Sunny Hill Valley in a long time, he felt at home. Together, they walked across the ranch, Jonathan showing him the security cameras that were placed in strategic positions along the fence. He had noticed some when they drove past the gate. Given the high rate of theft, despite the area being somewhat remote, the ranch, as well as the orchard, had to be secured tightly enough, with state-of-the-art security systems. Cyrus had given the go-ahead as he appreciated the tenacity and observing nature of Jonathan, as well as his need to protect what he was spending his money on.
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erebiogun
erebiogun Hello! Welcome to my book and thank you for checking it out. Please feel free to add to your library if you like itand to comment as much as possible. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it and also hope you fall in love with the characters as I did.
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