New Life : A Second Chance

Mark drove the car to the underground carpark and headed straight to a special lift that Davis had told them about. This lift would take them directly to Davis's Office at the top floor. From there, they would be able to access the Convention Hall via another special lift that was not accessible anywhere else.

Kyle admired the way Davis had built the Mall. From the outsider's point of view, it was a normal Mall. However, there were many areas that were actually hidden and not accessible unless it was through Davis's Office or a secured location. Kyle took note of this for his future business building as well.

Davis was waiting for them as they exited the lift to his Office Floor.

"Shall we head over to the Convention Centre now?" Davis asked. It was about 15 more minutes to the start of the Press Conference, so Kyle's parents agreed readily.

Davis led them to the lift that would take them straight to the Convention Centre. Upon reaching the floor, the lift opened up to reveal a waiting lounge area that had some drinks and finger sandwiches.

"Please have something while we wait," Davis said as he led them to the table. He then pointed to a door at the center and said, "That leads to the stage of the Convention Centre, where we will be sitting to address the press."

As they sat, Delilah looked at Kyle intently, taking in how sharp her son looked at that moment. Being his mother, she was naturally biased and felt that Kyle was extremely handsome and would break many hearts in the future. He was also kind and virtuous so it grated her that he didn't appear to have any girlfriend at the moment despite so many girls practically flinging themselves at him.

Delilah also noticed that there was something different with Kyle right now. In fact, the moment he stepped out of the car earlier. There was a sharpness in his eyes that wasn't there before. Where was her playful son? Right now, she found herself looking at someone that looked like her son but was not?

Patrick was observing Kyle as well and noticed the change in him. He was seeing it, but he couldn't believe it. He hadn't seen his son since the beginning of the year but could a boy change that much in 10 months? When they had reunited last night, Kyle wasn't any different but right now ... it was obvious. There was a coldness around him and a seriousness that belied his age.

He had only seen Kyle with Kay, and Kyle was always the loving, protective and warm brother. He gave off the impression of being a playful and youthful boy. Now, he appeared to be a cold, indifferent boy. Patrick didn't want to admit it, but Kyle definitely showed the aura and demeanor of a CEO at this point.

A very small and young CEO.

In truth, Kyle wasn't small but in Patrick's mind, Kyle was. Kyle definitely wasn't an adult yet so his body frame - even though muscular, was not the physique of an adult man. The chest was not broad enough, the waist was not tapered yet. However, as Kyle had hit puberty early, there was no denying that he did not look like a typical 13-year-old.

Was this the true Kyle?

Just then, Harrison came to let them know that it was time. Kyle placed the last piece of sandwich in his mouth, took several chews and swallowed it quickly. He got up, looking seriously at his suit and brushed off any crumbs that may be there. Standing up, he straightened his jacket and followed them out.

Although Harrison's facial expression didn't change, he was actually rather shocked at this sudden transformation of Kyle. Yesterday, he had seen this friendly, happy-go-lucky boy that was warm and sweet to a baby. Now, he appeared to be a rather cold and distant boy that didn't seem to be bothered by anything. Kind of like Davis whenever he chaired the Shareholders meetings.

Would the suit change a person so much? Maybe he should get a suit like that, too ...

Kyle, in the meantime, was quite enjoying the looks and surprise on everyone's faces right now. Since Delilah wanted to show him off as the future CEO, then he might as well play the part, right? Putting him in this monkey suit and parading him to the public like that ... he should at least give them some shock factor.

Kyle simply went through a list of what type of CEO he should be. Arrogant? Nah, he wouldn't be able to keep a straight face while doing so. Wasn't in his bones anyway to be haughty and looking down on people. Mean was out as well. Serious type? Nah, too boring. He definitely couldn't portray a playful, easygoing CEO because no one would take him seriously in the future.

So what was left? The typical cold CEO but with a slight twist; he would be warm and fuzzy to his family.

Actually, it wasn't really hard to act that way. All he did was simply let his adult soul out - but with a mix of Kyle's natural confidence. Kylie had never been the confident sort of person but she was efficient and a very serious person. With the two combined, his portrayal of a cold CEO was spot on. He started looking at everyone through the eyes of a 40+13 year old person, which effectively made him older than most of the people there. Including his parents.

Davis was the first to walk out, followed by Patrick, Kyle then Delilah. It was obvious that the star of the whole thing was Kyle. The moment he walked through the door after his father, the camera flashes became more intense. Despite the glare of those flashes, Kyle didn't flinch and walked ahead to the seat arranged for him.

He sat down and looked straight at all the reporters who were there. His eyes scanned every single person there, committing them to memory. His eyes narrowed when he recognised that reporter Kay had gotten angry at the day before. The one he threatened.

His lips curled up to a small smirk as he locked eyes on that particular reporter for ten seconds before looking away. The poor guy was practically shivering in his seat and he felt the sweat trickle down his back and head. He kept thanking God that he listened to his instinct yesterday. Finding out that the boy was Kyle Smith had already made him nervous, realising what a close call it had been.

The Kyle right now appeared much more dangerous for some reason. A hint of it was shown yesterday but now? It was full blown. Was it the suit? It just made him look so much more adult-like.

"Thank you everyone for coming," Davis began, "Mall T would like to express our deepest regret over the accident that occurred yesterday. Investigations are still underway to establish what happened. Initial investigations showed that she had somehow crawled through the small gap inbetween the railings. As such, all barriers and railings are being upgraded to be covered by glass panels.

I would like to stress that our Mall has met with the safety standards and have not been negligent in any manner. This accident, however, did highlight the fact that we should do more than what is required. We take full responsibility and would do everything in our power to prevent such an occurrence happening ever again.

Lastly, we would also like to express our gratitude to Kyle for his heroic efforts in saving a life and preventing further tragedy. We now open the floor for any questions."

"Mr. Smith, how did you feel when you saw your son performing the rescue?"

"Of course I was worried but also extremely proud. Kyle has always been a very responsible and caring young man. I trust his judgment," Patrick replied then looked at Kyle. Kyle smiled warmly at his father, but when he turned to face the reporters, his face became indifferent again.

"Why isn't the mother of the child here?" one reporter asked, looking at Davis for an explanation, "Isn't she grateful to Kyle for saving her daughter's life?"

Kyle's eyes immediately locked on coldly to that reporter and he asked before Davis could reply, "Name and organisation?"

The guy was startled, not expecting Kyle to respond but answered nonetheless, "Larry, from Media Corp."

"Ah. Media Corp," Kyle said with a slight snort, "What is an entertainment magazine doing here? Or are you viewing this whole thing as a farce and a source of entertainment? Perhaps, that the whole rescue thing was staged? That I am seeking attention or fame? Is that it?"

The guy gulped, wondering how the young boy figured out the angle of his story - not that he was going to admit it, of course.

"Of course not!" Larry protested, "But I believe that my question about the mother is a valid one."

"In what way is it valid? Isn't this supposed to be an explanation of the accident? At the very least, the rescue. The mother and child have absolutely no connection or correlation to the point at hand. I suggest you either stick to your entertainment news or ask better questions. Otherwise, you're just showing your ignorance," Kyle said, staring at him and daring him to refute him.

Davis then spoke up, "Kyle is right. Kindly direct all questions about the accident or the rescue."

Larry sat down agitatedly.

After setting the tone of what could be asked and what could not, the rest of the press conference went by smoothly. What the reporters noted was that other than the questions directed at him, Kyle was also respond to other questions regarding the Mall and the accident. However, he only responded to those he regarded as stupid and all his comments were biting.

He would point out the flaws of the question then attack the news agency, bringing up past news that had been sensationalised. In short, questioning their professionalism and integrity. It was as if Kyle was the CEO of the meeting who did not tolerate any nonsense.

That day, Kyle got the reputation of being a competent and sharp person. Harsh and one who does not tolerate stupidity or inefficiency. The cold heir.

Little did Kyle know that this 'act' of his ... would not be an act anymore in the future ...

But that is a story for another day.