The morning sun flickered through the gap of the open Venetian blind, radiating a glowing pale yellow light into the office room and bringing in the warm air to mingle with the cold air-conditioned room.

Bo was sitting at his desk, taking out the top file from a stack of similar shade folders that contained dozens of proposals awaiting his signature. Being a new president was not all talk; there were many works and responsibilities to shoulder. One wrong move not only meant your own suffering but many others as well. Thousands of employees under The Wang Corporation would suffer if he were to make even one wrong move. Thus, to make sure there was no such consequence, Bo put on this best effort and committed to working extremely hard ever since the first day he got assigned to this position. Instead of coming to work late as most high-position people did, Bo went to the office even before working time; earlier than all the employees.

Just as Bo finished reading the first paragraph of the Navy Blue folder he was holding, the sound of someone knocking on the door reverberated through the silent room. He took a glance at the digital table clock on his right-hand side and realized it was already nine-thirty in the morning.

The office must be filled with people right now, he thought to himself.

"Come in," he said in a voice that was loud enough to carry his sound wave to the other side of the door before drawing his attention back to reading the second paragraph.

"Hey, cousin," said Ben as he peeked from behind the door with just his head at first.

Bo looked up from the file with a smile as he greeted his cousin back, "morning, Ben. You're thirty minutes late; you know that?"

"Come on, Bo," Ben rolled his eyes as he walked in, holding a saucer carefully as he tried to not spill the content from the mug on top of it, "just what kind of a vice president comes to work on time?"

"So, the vice president can't come on time, but the president can?" asked Bo. His tone was half-teasing and half-serious.

Ben's face dropped slightly, but he hurried to plaster a smile back.

"Okay, okay. I'll try to come on time, alright? Geez, it's been a month, and you're still as strict as ever."

"It's not me that is strict, Ben. The ministry of labor has determined the working hours for a reason. As white-collar workers, shouldn't we abide by that?"

"Please, cousin. I'm sorry, okay? Please don't lecture me early in the morning, or my brain will be drained before I even start working."

Bo shook his head at his cousin's carefree personality and laughed at the funny expression Ben was making.

"So, are you here because you need something?" asked Bo.

"Yes," Ben placed the mug and saucer down on Bo's desk before continuing, "delivering your coffee."

Arching his eyebrow in perplexion, Bo leaned back on his office chair and looked up at his cousin, "are you here to steal my secretary's job?"

Ben guffawed and pulled back an office chair next to him before settling himself down, "Nah, I just bought this new bag of coffee last night. The taste was good, and the smell, hmm...you can smell for yourself," Ben pushed the cups towards Bo, "I know you, cousin. You like this kind of coffee."

Bo glanced at the mug of coffee and took a deep breath to inhale the aroma of the smoke that was rising from the hot, dark-colored liquid into his respiratory system. Bo liked to take his coffee black, so the alluring dark shade and the nutty aroma caught his attention.

"It does smell nice."

"Come on then. Take a sip while it's still hot."

Bo put down the folder and picked up the mug, bringing it next to his rosy pink lips. He smelled it once again before carefully taking a sip.

"So?" asked Ben as he was anticipating the evaluation.

"Good," answered Bo with a nod.

"See? I know you best!" exclaimed Ben proudly.

The two cousins spent around fifteen minutes chitchat before Ben got up and left for his office.

After that day, Ben personally kept delivering coffee to Bo every day without fail; sometimes, it was twice or thrice per day, especially on the peak season, so the two could keep themselves awake and stayed late to tie up loose ends. Bo could not be more content to have such a helpful family member by his side and helped him with work. Although he was a top student back in school, all those learnings were based only on books and theory. Ben was five years older than him and had been working at the company earlier. Bo indeed needed someone with experience to guide him.

One cloudy day, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, accompanied by sounds of thunder rumbling endlessly. Bo was discussing Ben's marketing strategy when he felt a pang of pain on his head as he was hit by a mallet repetitively. He reached for a cup of coffee to drink anything liquid before him, but before he could lift the mug from its saucer, the throbbing pain struck again, leaving the cup to fall from his hand, spilling the black content all over the desk.

"Bo, what's wrong? Are you okay?" asked Ben with his brows furrowed in concern.

"I'm fine. Just a little headache, that's all. I guessed the lack of sleep is taking its toll on me," answered Bo through gritted teeth, his hand was still clutching the side of his head in a firm grip.

"Stay put. I'll get you a painkiller."

Ben got up on his feet and rushed out of the room without even bother to close the door. A moment later, he arrived with a glass of water and a pill bottle in each hand. Still standing, Ben handed the things to his cousin and waited till the latter took his medicine before sitting down in front of him.

"Feeling better now?" asked Ben after several minutes of silence.

"Yeah," replied Bo with a weak nod.

"What happened exactly?"

"I don't know. I've been having this kind of headache for days," Bo massaged his temples as if the movement could help ease the pain somehow.

"You really need to take some rest. If I'm not wrong, you've been sleeping only three hours a day lately, haven't you?"

A sigh escaped Bo's lips before he nodded and murmured an agreement, "Hmm..."

Ben was about to give his cousin a mouthful of reprimand when there was a knock on the door. Adjusting his hair and suits, Bo resumed his posture as he sat bolt upright before giving his permission, "come in."

The door opened to reveal a petite woman in a tight black pencil skirt that showed her S-shaped hips clearly, and a deep-plunge neckline red blouse that exposed not only her cleavage but half of the lotus-like protruding white flesh around her breast. Her silver stilettos made her tall figure towering and compliment her sexy body to stand out more. It was beyond the standard dress code for an office woman, but Bo could not complain since she was one of his distant relatives. And a stubborn one at that.

"What is it, EnJie?" asked Bo the moment his secretary was within the talking distance.

"President Bo, there was a problem with the contract yesterday. Mr. Meng suddenly wanted a change, and he demanded it now."

"What?" Bo frowned in anger. The emotional rush almost split his head into two, yet he suppressed the urge to show the pain on his face. "Didn't everything go well?"

EnJie shook her head, "I don't know. That was all he said on the phone."

"What does he need now?"

"He faxed over the new contract. He said he needed this sign immediately, or else he would change the partnership to Mr. Song's company instead."

Bo slammed his hands hard on the desk; his entire body was full of rage. It was not the first time that Mr. Meng had been this untruthful while doing business. Still, the two companies had been in a business relationship for a long time, so Bo did not want to end this cooperation with his generation.

"Give me the contract. I'll look it over."

Enjie handed a black folder that she had been holding behind her back since she came into the room towards Bo. The latter flipped open the cover and began reading. However, it only took him three sentences before all the rows of words were blurred into one, turning everything indecipherable. Bo shook his head and blinked as if to clear his vision, yet he still could not get any better.

"Bo?" asked Ben when he saw the discomfort on his cousin's face. Getting up from his seat and walking over to stand next to Bo, Ben bent his knees to the seated Bo's level before placing his hand on the younger's shoulder and asking a question with a voice full of concern.

"You look awful. Is everything alright?" Ben whispered so that the question could only be heard between them.

"I-I... My eyes can't read these. I don't know why..."

Frowning, Ben took a look at the paper and said, "why not? It's our language anyway."

"No, not that. I can't make out each word at all. Everything in my vision is a blur," said Bo frustratingly before tilting his head to face his cousin, "even your face is fuzzy."

"Shall I read for you?" asked Ben.

Usually, Bo would read each contract carefully by himself to make sure no one was playing any trick. However, given his condition now, this was not possible. It made him uneasy, but still, Ben was his cousin and the one who had helped him all along. He should trust his vice-president.

"Yes, please," said Bo as he handed Ben the folder.

Standing up straight, Ben took over the folder and read every word out loud. Once he finished, he put it down on the desk in front of Bo and said, "Looks like things are fine. He just wanted to delay the supplying date."

"So, everything is fine with the contract?" asked Bo worriedly.

"Yes, so far, so good, cousin," answered Ben. "You should sign it. That Mr. Meng is impatient, and you know that."

Just as Ben finished, a phone ringing sound from the secretary desk outside could be heard in the room.

"I'm afraid it might be Mr. Meng," said EnJie as she hurried out the room to pick up the call.

After just two minutes, she came back inside, looking grim.

"Mr. Meng said he wanted your signature by four o'clock, or he'll turn to Mr. Song," EnJie reported back.

It was already three-fifty, meaning there were only ten minutes left. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Bo gave one last try to read the piece of paper before him but failed. Leaving him with no choice, Bo decided to trust his vice-president and signed the document.

"I'm going to have a talk with him about his attitude one day," said Bo once Enjie took the signed document outside the room. He leaned back on his chair and rested his head on the headrest. His hands were pinching the area between his brows as if massaging the muscle would help clear his vision.

"Cousin, you should go home. With your current condition, it would be no use to stay here. Better rest today so you can be productive tomorrow," said Ben.

"You're right," said Bo with a defeated sigh. Getting up on his feet, he asked Ben to help call his chauffeur before bidding his cousin goodbye and making his way out of the room. At first, Ben insisted on going with him, but Bo refused.

"Since I won't be here, this company will need you. Stay, Ben. I'll be fine," said Bo as he headed out of his office.

"Okay, if you say so. Have a good rest, cousin. Bye," waved Ben from behind Bo's desk.

Bo nodded as he closed the door and headed towards the lift, leaving his cousin alone inside his room. Once Ben made sure that Bo was gone, an evil smile plastered all over his face as he pulled back the office chair and sat down on what was known as 'the president seat.'

"Take a lot of rest. Mr. former President."

It had been two years since the day Bo knew the actual color of his cousin, Ben. The warm smile, the fake laugh, and the wicked thought behind that carefree personality, and innocent luculent eyes were all an act to make Bo trust him completely.

This was the first time that Bo experienced betrayal. The first time had always been the hardest; the pain, confusion, and emotional distress. And in Bo's case, it was even more painful since the first person that made him experience this was his flesh and kin. His carelessness became the stain that dirtied the rest of his spotless and shiny path of life.

The document that he signed without reading was not the contract but the transfer of its management rights. It was stated that Bo was diagnosed with Dementia and needed time for treatment. It turned out, the diligent act of personally delivering the coffee to Bo was all Ben's trick. He had drugged Bo with some toxin to make sure Bo's health was affected without the latter knowing. When the time was right, with Mr. Meng and EnJie as accomplices and the bribery to the board of directors, Ben's plan was executed perfectly. Bo got kicked out of his own company in shame. His position as a President and his shares were taken away from his possession and legally given to Ben.

After a month, the toxin and the emotional distress made Bo's health deteriorate severely, especially his mental stability. He turned a three-year-old most of the time and could not remember much of the past events. His adult mind was conscious for a short time only to become a kid again in the next few hours. When he switched into kid mode, he could neither eat nor dressed adequately, making his father, James, do everything for him.

It was said that bad things come in threes. Not only did Bo and his father lose access to their bank accounts, but they also lost two valuable members of the family. Bo's fiance broke their engagement, whereas his mother demanded a divorce. Both women said it was too embarrassing to see a thirty-four-year-old man act like a three-year-old boy, and they wished never to be a part of this mess. Throughout all those havocs, only Bo and James left within the family, and the latter decided to settle down in a simple and peaceful life with his son.

The two resided in a small bungalow in the countryside, living off the money from selling Jame's old villa in the city. Still, a simple life that James had thought of did not go smoothly. Even though he could manage to change his lifestyle from a luxurious experience into a simpler one by cutting his expense, Bo's expensive treatment was still the primary concern. The medical bill increased from one doctor to another, whereas his savings were decreasing. When James was no longer able to afford the hospital room, he decided to bring Bo back to his small house and took on the caregiver's role. Still, he never gave up looking for a better doctor to cure his son. Every day, James would stare at his son with teary eyes, yet he swallowed back both the tears and a lump in his throat, so his pain would not show to the outside. Never would he ever imagined his beloved son would suffer from a terrible fate as this at such a young age. Every time his son's awareness came back, James tried to cherish that time as much as possible even though it was just for a few hours. He would comfort Bo and told him that he would always love him no matter what, and he would always tell his son never to give up. The father and son would then burst into tears while having their bodies enveloped in each other's embrace. In the middle of many nights, James would sleep on his side, with his face facing Bo to see his son's peaceful and innocent look as he slept. He would then patted Bo's head tenderly and made an inaudible sigh to himself. If there were one wish that he could ask for right now, he would not ask for his company or his money back. He would ask for a miracle doctor to appear and help his son to recuperate. He was willing to either do or give anything he could within his power to exchange for this wish. Even if it meant losing his own life, he would not hesitate to bargain.
However, John Green's word was accurate; "the world is not a wish-granting factory." 

Some wishes could not be granted, and some could not even be made. 

<<<TO BE CONTINUED>>>