"What's wrong with him?"
"Does he want to harm Rafe Harlow?"
The whispers, along with Chad's continued erratic behavior as he tried to approach Rafe, made his aide turn to him, advising out of concern.
"Sir, it appears we've called on an insane person. Say the word and I'll have him removed and barred from ever setting foot on the premises ever again."
His words had just fallen when the door was suddenly pushed open and someone waltzed in.
The aide naturally raised his eyes, ready to lash out at the person bold enough to intrude when all staff had been clearly ordered not to disturb until the interviews were all conducted.
"Have you lost your… s-sir?" The rest of the words stuck in his throat the moment his eyes landed on the middle-aged man who stepped in and he promptly lowered his gaze apologetically.
"F-forgive me. I didn't know it was you, sir," he stuttered fearfully.
Hearing his trembling voice, the applicants realized something was wrong and turned to look at the man as well.
He seemed to be in his mid-fifties, with noticeable gray hair, but what stood out most was the realization that he was…
"Henry Harlow!"
One of the applicants suddenly blurted out upon recognizing him from the many interviews on the internet.
At that moment, Chad's screaming stilled as the system's voice came up again with information of Henry Harlow.
[Name: Henry Harlow.
Age: 52.
Height: 183cm.
Eye Color: Brown.
Occupation: President & Founder of Harlow Electronics.
Net Worth: 18.4 billion USD.
Reputation: Ruthless, calculating, influential in both political and corporate spheres.
Known For: Eliminating rivals through hostile takeovers and covert scandals.
Offspring: Two sons — Rafe Harlow (eldest, blind) and Samuel Harlow (youngest, healthy)
Public Perception: Titan of industry.
Privately: feared by employees and competitors alike.
Threat Index: High. Especially toward Rafe Harlow.[
Chad gritted his teeth at the information.
Thinking the system was about to assign him another ridiculous task, he sneered, "Screw you. Is this the next person you want to turn me into a dog for?"
The system was silent for a moment before the task writing appeared before his eyes.
[Task generated. Defend target. -2 Love Sickness.]
The task had just dropped when Henry Harlow began striding quickly toward Rafe.
Rafe'/ aide saw this and gripped his own wrist tightly, his entire body trembling as the man got closer.
"What is this?!"
Rafe was silent for a moment before answering.
"Father. My help resigned yesterday, so I'm on the hunt for a new one."
The words were barely out of his mouth when…
Smack!
Clank!
One moment they were speaking rationally; the next, Henry's palm abruptly connected with Rafe's cheek.
The force of the slap whipped Rafe's face to the side, his glasses hitting the floor with a sharp crack as they broke in two.
"Didn't I warn you not to chase her off this time? Do you know how hard it is to maintain your image as a normal person when you've gone through seventeen helpers in two months? Do you think the Harlow family is a joke, or do you intend to make us one?"
Blinking, Rafe Harlow's jaw ticked, but he didn't raise his hand to his burning cheek.
Slowly, he simply adjusted his head back into place, facing forward like though nothing happened.
"It's not my place to hold back someone who doesn't want to stay, father."
Rafe's unbothered reaction to the slap jabbed at Henry's ego just like always and he huffed angrily.
"What? You're still mouthing off to me?"
When Rafe didn't respond immediately, the man's irritation spiked and he raised his hand again, ready to bring it down on Rafe's face when a shadow suddenly appeared beside him, and a hand caught his wrist.
The applicants froze. The bodyguards, who had thought they had the man restrained a moment ago, stopped in shock.
Staring into the steel blue eyes, Henry's eyes narrowed and he parted his lips to say something when Chad's grip on his wrist tightened.
"That's enough!"