Chapter 389: In The Eastern Country

Justin arrived in the Eastern Country, where he owned a lavish mansion and the corporate headquarters of NextEra Corp.

Upon exiting the airport, he went straight to the tallest skyscraper in the city. Through the VIP elevator—used exclusively by him—he ascended to the highest floor. At the very top of the building was a massive, hidden penthouse where Justin stayed whenever he was in the city. The rest of the skyscraper was dedicated entirely to company operations.

No one outside his closest circle even knew a penthouse existed there, let alone that the elusive CEO resided in it.

Justin sank into the black leather sofa in the penthouse’s grand drawing room. The sheer scale of the space was hard to grasp without turning to take in the full 360-degree view—floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the sprawling city below.

It was clear: this was a man who possessed immense wealth—and who surrounded himself with only the finest.

"Mr. Harper, any orders for me?" Noah asked.

"Nothing for now. You can go to your room and rest," Justin replied as he leaned back into the plush sofa, head tilted up, eyes closed.

Noah understood that ever since Justin received that photo, countless thoughts had been racing through his mind. Yet he hadn’t acted on any of them—not yet. It was as if he were waiting for something.

Noah quietly left the room.

A few minutes later, Justin’s phone rang. It was a call from Natalie. The moment he saw her name flash on the screen, he answered immediately with a soft, "Hmm?"

Hearing his tone, she asked gently, "Are you tired?"

"Not really," he replied.

"You should’ve slept," she said in a lightly scolding voice. "You knew you had to travel early this morning. I barely slept either. Had to cover up my eye bags with makeup before heading to the office."

Her sweet, sleepy complaint immediately reminded him of the passionate night they’d shared.

"I can compromise on sleep as long as I get to have you," he replied smoothly. "And I’m sure you look beautiful even with those eye bags—so don’t be surprised if I keep you awake every night we’re together."

"Then thank God you’re away," she muttered teasingly. "At least I don’t have to embarrass myself at the office."

Though her words were playful, she didn’t really mean them. If anything, she already missed him.

"You should rest," she added. "I’m hanging up now."

Justin gave a soft hum in response and placed the phone aside.

Just then, two men entered the drawing room. The moment Justin saw them, he furrowed his brows and closed his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah! Closing your eyes won’t make us disappear," said the taller of the two—a handsome man in a sharp suit, with blond hair and a confident smirk. He appeared to be around Justin’s age as he walked toward the sofa. "Stop pretending already."

Justin opened his eyes slowly. "I saw you, Hayden. Now you can get lost."

Hayden glanced at the other man beside him—seemingly younger, dressed casually in a T-shirt and denim jacket over jeans, looking every bit the university student.

"Sam, did you hear him? Do we have to keep working for this guy?"

Sam met Justin’s gaze, shrugged, and shook his head in reply.

"Good!" Hayden said cheerfully, flopping down onto the sofa. He tossed two envelopes onto the table in front of Justin.

Justin didn’t move, but his gaze shifted between the envelopes and Hayden.

"One envelope is my resignation," Hayden said, "and the other is an application for one-month leave. Since doesn’t read emails or messages, I decided to write them out personally—with my very own hands. Now pick one."

Justin exchanged looks with Hayden, then glanced at the envelopes again.

Hayden continued dramatically, "I’ve been working for , and you never allowed me a day off. My hair’s turning gray with all that work, and I don’t even have a girlfriend yet! Meanwhile, you’re married and living the good life—while keeping the rest of us here like slaves."

He added with a mock laugh, "The funniest thing? Everyone thinks Justin turned to Sam.

"I want a break too," Sam said calmly. "I’m tired of spending my youth in front of screens and handling all the technical disasters."

Just then, Noah stepped into the room, having been informed of Hayden and Sam’s arrival. He’d clearly heard the whole conversation.

Justin looked at him and said, "Cancel the arrangements I asked you to make for these two."

Hayden and Sam looked at each other in confusion, then turned to Noah.

"What arrangements?" they both asked in unison.

Noah replied calmly, "Both of your salary packages were tripled, and your yearly bonuses were increased to ten times the previous amount."

As the words hit them, their eyes widened in shock. They each glanced down at their fingers as if trying to do the math.

"Damn... I could buy that ridiculously expensive villa with a blink of an eye," Hayden mumbled.

"I could get that limited edition sports car —and still save for years to come without having to break my fingers typing code," Sam added, equally stunned.

Noah casually picked up the envelopes and looked to Justin. "Which one do you plan to approve, Mr. Harper—the leave or the resignation?"

"Resignation—"

"Wait!" Hayden shouted, rushing to Noah and snatching the envelopes from his hands. "I’ve reconsidered. I can delay my vacation plans a little. I’ll just... keep these for now."

Noah didn’t stop him. Sam chimed in next, "There are some technical issues with our new AI model. If I leave now, it could really delay the project. I’ll stick around."

Justin, listening quietly with his eyes still closed, finally said to Noah, "Whatever we planned for them—cut it in half."

"What?!" both of them exclaimed in horror.

"You two just showed you can’t be trusted," Justin gave them an impassive look. "Would you rather I cut it entirely?"

Silence.

The two exchanged glances, then quickly nodded.

"Half is good," Hayden muttered."Very generous," Sam added. "We should always listen to our boss."

Justin closed his eyes again, clearly done with them for the moment.

Then Hayden piped up once more. "Boss, congratulations on your marriage, by the way. When do we get to meet our Lady Boss?"

"You didn’t bring a wedding gift," Justin said flatly. "Never mind. I can just cut the rest of your bonuses..."

"No!" both Hayden and Sam shot up from their seats. "We’re just heading out to buy you a gift right now!" they exclaimed and hurried out of the penthouse.

Noah couldn’t help but smile. Justin truly knew how to handle people—and knew exactly where to press to get the reaction he wanted. Noah wondered for a moment if Justin understood the same way, if he knew any of weaknesses.

But then he thought, Just then, a tall and robust man in a sleek black suit entered the room—his presence instantly commanding. It was Trevor, Justin’s head of security in the Eastern Country.

"Boss, we’ve received another message," Trevor’s voice was deep and steady. "As expected, they’re aware of your arrival."

"What’s the message?" Justin asked without lifting his head.

"An invitation to come to Riverdale Estate."

"Ignore it," Justin said, his tone final.

Trevor nodded, unfazed. No one ever questioned Justin’s decisions.

"If he comes personally, let him in," Justin added.

"Understood," Trevor replied and left the room, receiving no further instructions.

Justin stared up at the ceiling, his expression unreadable.