Chapter 8 My Mirror Copy

EVANDER “Mr. Miyagi canceled the meeting at the very last second,” my assistant, Rui, said. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. “Did they reschedule?” I asked. The meeting was long overdue. Mr. Miyagi, a designer from Japan, was someone we couldn’t let go of. Astor Empires had just launched its luxury designer brand, and it has been entrusted to me by my dad. Mr. Miyagi had expressed his interest to work with us, but the past two meetings didn’t go as planned. Fortunately, Rui nodded. “Yes, sir,” he responded. “I believe his daughter is going to give birth, and he couldn’t miss it.” I held in the urge to click my tongue. Why was everyone having children nowadays? It was like the world was mocking me for not being able to produce an heir. “Anyway, what’s the next agenda?” I asked, glancing at my watch. “Nothing, sir,” Rui said. “You have a meeting after lunch with your dad and the Maison family. You can go back then.” I sighed and shook my head. My dad called for that useless meeting once again. “Whatever,” I muttered. “I’m heading out then.” Rui seemed hesitant, but with one look from me, he merely nodded. With that, I grabbed my keys and went to the parking lot to take my most modest car. I knew that my sister wouldn’t like me making a scene in her workplace. “It’s been a while,” I muttered with a small smile. It has been two? Maybe three months since I last visited Ellie. After she left our family, my parents didn’t want anything to do with her. However, we still shared a bond as siblings, so I visit her from time to time–much to her dismay. I went to a drive-through to get some food. Ellie would also hate if I visited her empty handed. I arrived at the humble place–Sunflower Daycare. I waved at the guard, and he immediately recognized me. He bowed and gestured for me to lead myself inside. I opened my phone and texted Ellie to alert her of my presence. However, she wasn’t responding. “They’re going to have recess soon,” I muttered, knowing she was probably still teaching so she couldn’t attend to her phone. Just then, I felt the call of nature, so I decided to go to the restroom while waiting for her. Although I hadn’t been here many times, I already knew the routes in the back of my mind. I walked to the men’s restroom and sighed when I found it was occupied. Why was it that they only had one restroom for their male faculty? I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. Just then, the door opened. I was fully expecting a fully grown adult man to be standing in front of me. However, much to my surprise, I had to glance down to see who it was. A small kid? However, that wasn’t the only case. I had to take a step back since it felt like I was looking at a reflection of myself. Well, my child form, that is. I found myself unable to speak as I continued to look at him. For some reason, my heart stopped for a second. However, with his utterance, I was brought back to reality. “Sir?” he asked in a wary voice. “You're blocking my way.” I was surprised by how mature he sounded. I cleared my throat and stepped to the side, suddenly not feeling the urge to empty my bladder. The boy slowly walked away, but even then, I could see that he was curious about me, too. I genuinely looked like an older version of him. Then, his eyes strayed to the bags of food in my arms–especially to the french fries and sundae on my left hand. A small smile made its way to my lips when I saw how his eyes slightly brightened up. I cleared my throat and lifted it a bit. “It’s recess time, right?” I asked, trying not to sound like a creepy stranger. He slowly nodded, his eyes darting to the bag and to my face from time to time. “Do you want to eat this?” I asked. It was my guilty pleasure food, and I was planning on taking it back to the company, but it seemed like this kid liked it as much as I did. There was some hesitation in his eyes, and it really did seem like he wanted to eat it. However, at the very last second, he shook his head. “I’m fine, sir,” he said in his cute voice. “My mommy told me not to take anything from strangers.” I chuckled in amusement. “Well, your mommy taught you very well. You seem like a very smart boy.” He couldn’t hide his smile, and at that moment, I found myself wanting to pinch his cheeks. I didn’t even like children all that much, but this kid was pretty cute. “Anyway,” I continued. “I’m a friend of your teacher’s. Miss Ellie. Do you know her?” He nodded. “She’s my favorite teacher.” “That’s good to hear.” Just then, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I retrieved it and looked at Ellie’s multiple texts. Gorilla: Why are you here? Gorilla: Go away! I told you to inform me beforehand, right? Gorilla: Gosh, where are you? Aren’t you a busy man? What are you doing here? I only sent in one word–’restroom.’ With that, I focused my attention back to the little boy in front of me. “I promise, you can take this,” he said. “You can even share it with your friends.” It seemed like he was slowly getting convinced. However, just before he can take the bag from my hand, the sound of someone running was heard in the hallways. Then, it was followed by a familiar voice. “Andy!” Ellie exclaimed. My back straightened as I looked at my sister, who had horror-filled eyes. My eyebrows furrowed as I stared at her. “Andy?”