Kashi walked out of the Saints building just as her phone started ringing. She pulled it from her bag while the chauffeur brought her car around.
"Yes?"
"You disrespectful brat! Is that any way to greet your grandfather?" Grandfather James's voice roared through the speaker.
Kashi immediately held the phone away from her ear. For a second, she simply stood there. Then she breathed in and out, and brought it back.
"Hello, Grandfather. How do you do?" she said with exaggerated calm.
"Hmph. I really spoilt you through and through."
"You going to accept my greeting or not, old man?"
"Hey, hey. Tone, young lady. Tone."
Kashi frowned.
"Fine," James grumbled. "I accept it."
The chauffeur approached as she descended the steps. He bowed and held out her keys. Kashi took them with a smile.
"Have a nice day, ma'am."
"Thank you, Jude. How's your boy lucas?"
Jude brightened. He was a young man in his early thirties and had worked as her company's chauffeur for years.
"He's doing well. Hardly a day goes by without him asking about you."
"The little rascal." Kashi laughed. "Tell him I said hello. I'll see him this weekend."
Jude opened the car door for her. "You spoil him too much, ma'am. After every outing with you, the boy won't let me hear the end of it."
That made Kashi laugh again.
Lucas was nine.
Kashi had met him during a 'Bring Your Child to Work Day' years ago, when Jude brought him into the office and somehow managed to lose him.
The entire building had gone into panic.
Lucas, meanwhile, had been found asleep in the CEO's office.
Her office.
Kashi had walked in that day intending to rush through work and leave to see Damian, only to find a child curled up where no child had any business being.
At first, she had simply stared at him. Then she remembered what day it was. A few minutes later, lucas woke up.
Not long after that, the two of them had apparently bonded over a shared talent for stubbornness and causing inconvenience.
Jude had nearly cried himself to death searching for him and when he found his missing son asleep in Kashi Saints's arms. The poor man had looked ready to suffer a second crisis.
Since then, Kashi and lucas had spent time together whenever she was free.
She wasn't particularly fond of children. Most of them seemed to fear her.
Lucas did not.
He was stubborn, bright and entirely too comfortable arguing with her.
Kashi adored the little fucker.
She spoiled him rotten whenever he was on holiday and pretended not to notice Jude's suffering afterwards.
"Drive safely, ma'am." Jude shut the door and stepped back.
Kashi lifted a hand in acknowledgement.
"KASHI!" Grandfather James's voice tore through the car.
Kashi flinched and put the car into gear. "I'm here, Grandfather. I can hear you."
"Did I just hear you talking about spending time with some child?"
"Yes. You know him. Little Lucas." A pause. "The boy who pulled your moustache last year."
James went quiet. The memory clearly returned in full. "I remember that little urchin," he muttered. "You have time to spend with him and not me?"
Kashi bit back a laugh as she turned onto the road. "Is that why you called?"
"Well…" James hesitated. "Yes. Frank is boring and terrible at chess," he added.
"I'm busy, Grandfather. I'll come and see you when I have time."
"But—"
"You made me Acting CEO," Kashi cut in. "Don't start complaining now."
James grumbled under his breath. "Fine. Have fun with Lucas."
Kashi laughed. "He's nine, Grandfather. Don't be jealous."
"I'm not."
The line went dead.
Kashi looked at the phone, dropped it onto the passenger seat.
Ridiculous old man.
She settled back as she drove, exhaustion finally catching up with her. What she needed now was sleep. Proper sleep. A few hours where nobody called her, argued with her, presented her with work problems or demanded anything from her.
Her mouth tightened. And preferably— a way to get him off her mind.