Soon he arrived at his parent''s house, this time he did not park the car away but near the curb of the house.


    Opening the door, he found no one inside the living room.


    "Dad! Hello!"


    The house was quiet, ncing around he found nothing suspicious.


    Slowly making his way whilst calling for his dad, he heard a shout.


    "Noah! I''m showering! I can''t hear you well," His dad shouted, from inside the bathroom.


    Sighing in relief, he went back to the living room and waited for his dad to finish.


    The bathroom door creaked open, and David stepped out, rubbing his damp hair with a towel.


    His pyjamas hung loosely around his body.


    "Noah?" David looked up, eyebrows raised in surprise. "What are you doing here so early?"


    Noah grinned, barely holding back his excitement.


    "I''m here to pick you up."


    David gave him a puzzled look, still rubbing at his hair.


    "Pick me up? For what?"


    "We''re opening the teahouse today!" Noah''s grin widened.


    David''s eyes went wide, and the towel slipped from his head, falling to the floor. He scrambled to pick it up, looking flustered.


    "What! Today? When did you decide this? Who''sing?"


    Noah chuckled, taking his time to respond to his father''s questions.


    "Just a few businessmen—connections me and my friend made along the way."


    "There''ll be some journalists too, for the media coverage. Figured I''d get you all set up in a sharp suit, make sure you''re ready for the big day."


    David blinked, taking it all in.


    Explore more at empire


    "Wait… What media coverage? Journalists? Businessmen? You''re putting me on the spot here!"


    "Well, someone''s gotta be the face of the ce," Noah teased.


    "Might as well be you, right?"


    David shook his head, chuckling nervously.


    "Me? Why me? It''s your teahouse, Noah, not mine. I''m just… I don''t think I''m cut out to be the face of anything."


    Noah patted his father''s shoulder. "You''re perfect for it, Dad. Besides, having you as the face of the ce broadens our reach. Tea is your speciality, after all."


    David seemed to pause, processing his son''s words before a gentle smile broke.


    "Well… if you say so. But still, I''m not sure about being in front of cameras."


    "You''ll be fine," Noah said,ughing lightly.


    David looked at him sceptically but nodded in agreement. "Alright, alright. Let''s just get on with it."


    "We don''t have much time left." He began to head back to his room.


    "I''ll just change out of these pyjamas real quick…"


    Noah held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks.


    "No need, Dad. You''re just going to put on the suit at the shop anyway. Might as well go like that."


    David nced down at his pyjamas, then back at Noah,ughing. "Going out in my pyjamas? Alright,"


    The two made their way to the front door, and as they stepped outside, David''s eyesnded on a menacing ck G-ss parked on the curb, its aura standing out on the street. His mouth dropped open.


    "What in the world? Did someone in the neighbourhood win the lottery?" He looked around, bewildered. "Who drives something like that around here?"


    Noah''s smirk gave him away. "That would be you, Dad. You''re the lucky one today."


    David turned to him slowly, eyebrows furrowing in suspicion. "You… you''re telling me that''s your car?"


    Noah chuckled, shaking his head. "Not quite. I''m not that rich yet. It''s my friend''s car. He lent it to me for the day since, you know, it''s a special asion and all."


    David let out a low whistle. "Your friend, huh? This is some good friend you got."


    "Only the best for today," Noah said, grinning as he hit the key fob, and the car unlocked with a soft beep.


    David gave him a look of amazement, but Noah just gestured to the passenger door. "After you, Dad."


    David slid into the leather seats, ncing around the interior with wide eyes.


    "This is insane. I don''t even know what to touch."


    He ran his hand over the dashboard, feeling the smooth leather, and the polished luxurious wood.


    "Do people really drive these every day? It''s like a spaceship."


    Noahughed, getting in beside him. "Yeah, some people do. When the teahouse takes off, you will be driving one too."


    David''s face softened as he leaned back, watching his son with a look of admiration.


    "You''vee a long way, Son."


    Noah met his father''s gaze, his grin softening to a smile.


    "There is still a long way to go," He muttered silently, as he thought about the main quest.


    David nodded, a glimmer of pride shining in his eyes as he settled into the seat, still checking out at the car.


    "Alright, let''s go. But don''t get too used to all this luxury, okay? you are only driving this temporarily."


    Noahughed.


    "Wouldn''t dream of it. How could I forget the daily beans and toast."


    He started the engine, and the soft purr of the G-ss entered their ears as they pulled away.


    Their stop was the mall around 20 minutes away.


    As the G-ss came to a smooth stop outside the mall, Noah''s quick, graceful parking made his dad look at him in shock.


    "How did you learn to drive so well? That was good." He asked curiously.


    Noah shed a smile. "Dad, seriously? I''m your son. Driving is in the genes."


    Davidughed, giving his son a yful nudge. "Alright, fair enough."


    They exited the car and locked it, heading into the mall. Noah walked with his father towards the Armani store, but David''s hand suddenly reached out, stopping him.


    "Wait, where do you think you are going?" David asked, eyeing the Giorgio Armani sign above them with visible hesitation.


    "Do you even know how expensive this ce is? Those suits cost around a thousand dors! We don''t need anything that fancy."


    "Dad," Noah chuckled, patting his father''s shoulder reassuringly, "we''ve got enough for a nice suit."


    "Besides, you know that first impressions are everything—you''re going to be representing the teahouse. We need you to look sharp and sophisticated."


    David''s eyes softened, though he still looked hesitant. "Alright, but only if you let me pay you backter."


    "Sure, Dad, sure," Noah replied with a light chuckle.


    Once inside, Noah and his father began looking through racks. Noah leaned in, ncing at his dad.


    "So, what colour are you thinking? ck? Gray? Maybe a dark blue?"


    David''s eyes lit up as he ran his hand over a sleek, ck suit.


    "ck," he said firmly. "Formal and ssic. You can''t go wrong with that."


    Noah smiled and called over an assistant. A well-dressed man approached, offering a polite nod.


    "How can I help you, sir?"


    "We''re looking for a ck suit for this gentleman," Noah said, gesturing to his dad. "Something formal and ssic, suitable for big events."


    David gave his son a slight nudge, smirking at Noah''s yful tone, but the assistant merely nodded, showing them the options they had avable.


    After showing them several styles, David stopped at one, admiring its sharp cut and elegant finish.


    "This is the one," he said, touching the fabric. "How much does it cost?"


    The assistant smiled. "This suit is priced at $899, but with our ongoing discount, it''lle to just $799."


    David let out a reluctant sigh but nodded, his gaze flitting back to the suit. "Alright… It''s a good deal."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Thanks, Noah."


    Noah smiled, handing over his card to the assistant. "It''s not a good deal... it''s a steal, Dad. We''re definitely getting this one."


    Watching his son handle the payment, David''s face was a mix of appreciation, gratitude, and a tinge of hesitation.


    "Thanks, son," he said softly, his voice a little choked. "You really didn''t have to do this…"


    "This is nothing, Dad," Noah replied, looking his father squarely in the eye. "Compared to what you and Mom have done for me? Even if I gave you the whole world, I still wouldn''t be able to repay you."


    David''s eyes misted slightly, and he turned his face away, clearing his throat. Noah noticed, but he chose to act oblivious, respecting his father''s quiet dignity.


    "Alright, suit down. Next stop…" Noah nced around. "The barbershop, of course."


    Arriving at the barbershop, one of the customers was luckily just leaving so they had a spot.


    "Could you trim the hair, I want it to be suitable for a professional setting. Could you also line up the beard?" David said as he sat down on the barber''s chair.


    Around 20 minutester, the barber was done with the cut.


    Moving the second mirror around near David''s head, the barber asked.


    "How is the cut? Is it to your taste? or you do want me to fix anything."


    "Nope, it''s perfect," David said, as he moved his head around whilst checking the cut from various angles.


    "Could you also give me dad a hair shower, we don''t have much time to go back and shower again," Noah asked, the barber.


    David nodded, agreeing with his son.


    "Yes, of course!" The barber nodded, as he adjusted the seat to the sink.


    it took an extra 15 minutes to dry David''s hair and style it.


    "How much?" David asked as he got his wallet out.


    "Just $35." The barber smiled.


    "Alright," David said, as he tapped his card on the POS reader.


    Noah did not try to interfere in the payment, as he knew it would hurt his dad''s ego so he left him pay with a smile on his face.