CHAPTER 60: GUIDE & GROOM

The large clock on the wall ticked steadily as Raymond sat in his chair with his fingers loosely folded. The sound of a knock echoed from the door.

"Come in," he said calmly.

He didn’t need to ask who it was. His secretary had called him moments ago to say Alex was on his way up.

Alex stepped in and sat down carefully as he held a slim file in his hands. Raymond leaned forward slightly, noticing the firm grip Alex had on the folder.

"What’s up, Alex?" Raymond asked casually. "How are you doing?"

"I’m good," Alex replied with a smile. "Been a while since I heard from you though."

Raymond gave a tired chuckle. "Yeah. Things have been hectic over here."

Alex nodded. "I understand, it’s as expected"

Raymond raised an eyebrow. "So... what brings you to my office today?"

Without another word, Alex gently placed the file on the table between them. He slid it forward. "I wanted to show you something. The project I’ve been working on. The blueprint is ready."

Raymond glanced at him, then at the file.

There was a moment of silence as he reached for it slowly. He opened the cover and read the title out loud.

"Guide and Groom..."

He said the name softly, letting it sink in. Then his eyes scanned the first page.

A surprised "Wow..." escaped his lips.

He flipped through the next few pages, his expression changing. He was marveled as he read line after line, occasionally nodding, his eyes lighting up.

"This is good," he said finally, flipping another page. "This is really good."

Alex watched him closely, his heart beating faster with every second.

"This is beautiful, Alex," Raymond said again, still reading. "It’s clean and professional. It makes sense. You’ve got a good structure here. The goals are clearly mapped out. You’ve even broken down the phases and impact."

He closed the file halfway and looked up.

"How did you pull this off?" Raymond asked, clearly impressed. "I mean... this looks like something prepared by a full business development team. And here you are, just you."

Alex gave a small smile, finally allowing himself to relax a little. "A lot of research, to be honest. And... I got help from someone."

Raymond leaned back. "Really? Who?"

"Elliot."

Raymond blinked. "Elliot?

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I asked him to come on board as part of the project. I didn’t expect much at first, but he surprised me with ideas and clarity. You know he’s been in tech for a while, and honestly... he cleaned up some parts of this plan I didn’t even realize were weak."

Raymond smiled and gave a thoughtful nod. "Wow. That’s beautiful to hear. And unexpected, too."

Alex laughed softly. "Yeah. You know, sometimes it’s the people you least expect that show up when it matters most."

Raymond tapped the folder. "But this right here... this isn’t just a random hustle or some online trend. Though it’s real and well-structured. But... it feels personal, too personal.

Alex nodded thoughtfully, his eyes still fixed on Raymond.

"Yeah... I know Guide and Groom might not be the kind of business you’re used to. Maybe it’s not focused on profit at first or sales-driven like most startups. But it still needs funding. It needs better planning and structure. And you sir..." he paused "...you promised to support me."

Raymond looked at him, steady and quiet for a few seconds. Then he gave a small smile and leaned forward.

"I did," he said with a calm voice. "And I will. But listen, since it’s not exactly a traditional business model, the company itself may not take full ownership or place it under our official portfolio. But... I will invest in it personally. And yes, the company too. I’ll make sure of that."

Alex’s heart almost burst with relief. He hadn’t realized how tense he was until those words hit his ears.

"You... you mean it?" he asked.

Raymond nodded with a grin. "I do."

"Thank you, sir. Really. Thank you so much."

"..."

Just as the room relaxed into a warm silence, there was a knock on the door.

Raymond looked up. "Come in."

The door opened, and Finch walked in, with his usual brisk walk. He stopped short for a second when he noticed Alex.

"Oh, look who we have here," Finch said with a half-smile. "Didn’t expect to see you today."

Alex stood and offered a polite handshake. "Good to see you, sir."

Finch took the handshake but his eyes moved quickly to the table, where the file labeled Guide and Groom still lay.

"What’s this?" he asked, walking toward the table.

Raymond handed him the file without saying a word.

Finch opened it casually... but as he began reading, his expression changed. He flipped a few pages, then paused, looked at Alex, and said:

"I’m definitely investing in this."

Alex’s eyes widened.

Finch closed the file slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. "I knew you’d come up with something good, but this..." he looked up. "This is beautiful. This is different. This is needed. The market is full of distractions, but what you’re building here is on a different level. It’s unique."

Alex could barely speak. All he managed was a soft, "Thank you."

Finch looked at Raymond. "This will go big. You can quote me."

Raymond nodded, clearly proud.

Then Finch straightened. "Now... down to the main reason I’m here."

Raymond adjusted in his chair. "Yeah, hit me."

"The cars and bikes," Finch said, now fully in business mode. "For the e-commerce expansion. They’re not enough. The delivery arm is going to struggle if we don’t double the fleet before launch."

Raymond didn’t flinch. "I got your report. We’ve already placed an order for more. You asked for thirty bikes and ten utility vans. We’re going to get exactly that, even if we have to stretch logistics."

Finch gave a small nod. "Good. Because delay is not an option."

As they spoke, Alex’s phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen. Unknown number.

He frowned and declined the call. Probably a spam number.

But then, just a few seconds later, it buzzed again. Same number.

This time, both Raymond and Finch looked at him.

"Could be important," Raymond said. "You should pick it."

Alex hesitated, then stood up and stepped into a quiet corner of the office. He answered the call.

"Hello. Who’s this?"

There was heavy breathing on the other end. A panicked, trembling female voice came through.

"Is this... Alex? Emma’s brother?"

Alex’s heart skipped a beat.

"Yes. I’m her brother. Who is this? What’s going on?"

The girl’s voice cracked. "Your sister... Emma... she collapsed. We... we’re at the hospital. She just fainted. We don’t know what happened."

Alex froze. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe.

"What?" he shouted.