Sebastian had walked out the lift, heading through the lobby of his floor, greeting the receptionists at their desk with a curt nod.

His mind was on board meeting that he was supposed to be having in two hours, and the another meeting he had to attend to before that.

This wasn't the first board meeting that he was going to be attending, but it was going to be his first time leading it and most of all, he didn't want to disappoint his father.

Being only twenty-six, he was one of the youngest members of all the executive, but in his young age he'd managed to achieve quite a lot, working harder than ever.

Sebastian always knew that he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and make something of himself that he could be proud of, just like his father.

There were still doubts from other members, higher on the payroll than him, wondering if he were the right choice sometimes and maybe if he was given these opportunities because of his father.

However, Sebastian just always worked harder than other to prove that he was more than just his surname. He didn't rely on his father to help him, but rather did his own work. It's how he gained the respect of the people around him, who began to realise that he wasn't just 'the son of Richard Carter,' but had his own identity.

Sebastian tapped his card on the door, entering through to the office floor.

This floor was among the ones mainly for the people higher-up in the company. All senior staff members had their own offices, and only ones for their private assistants. This floor included and open floor plan in the middle, with seating area, should anyone get bored of being in their office.

"Alright?" Sebastian nodded to one of his colleagues who was sitting on one of the couches, coffee in one hand and tablet in the other.

"I'm good, man. You ready for the meeting later?" His colleague asked.

"Of course," Sebastian replied, as if there was no doubt about it.

When it came to the business, Sebastian always remained confident. There are no room for mistakes, he would tell himself and work accordingly to that.

He nodded at his colleague, and carried on to walk to towards his office, only stopped when he noticed his assistant's office door was open.

Sebastian peered inside, and saw Sophie leaning back on her chair, rubbing her hand over her well-rounded stomach.

"You look ready to burst, Soph." He said, leaning against the doorway to her office.

Sophie was the only persons in the office that Sebastian had a more playful relationship with, whilst remaining more stern and curt with others. She was like an older sister to him, and broke past his usual colder exterior and made him smile.

She was never afraid to poke fun at him or smack him upside the head for when she deemed him to be too cheeky with her.

The peaceful expression that Sophie had on her face, quickly morphed into a deep scowl at his words.

Sebastian watched as she grabbed a pen from her desk and launched it towards him.

It probably would've hit him straight in the face, had he not caught it in time. His lips tugged upwards in to a slight smirk as he twirled the pen between his fingers - that only seem to anger Sophie more.

"Shut up," she narrowed her eyes at him.

Sophie rubbed her stomach again, as a way to calm herself down, also reminding herself that she was nearing her maternity leave and was so close to having a break - she really couldn't wait for that.

Sebastian on the other hand didn't want Sophie to leave. He was selfish in that way. He knew she needed the break, but he was too used to her and didn't know how he'd cope without her.

"Your father is waiting in your office," Sophie then told Sebastian, and the playful smirk on his face vanished in an instant.

She saw the change in his expression and gave him a comforting smile in return. Sophie knew how hard Sebastian worked to prove himself, she was right by his side as he did, and she also knew how much it meant for him to see his dad proud of him.

Sebastian walked towards Sophie's desk and placed the pen on the surface, before nodding at her and leaving to go to his own office.

He wasn't all too surprised to find out that his Dad was in his office. Even before presentations, or anything important that Sebastian would do, his Dad would always be there in the morning to wish him luck.

Approaching the wooden door of his office, Sebastian walked right in, to see his Dad standing by the large glass window, observing the view of the city.

His office was one of Sebastian's favourite places to be. The large glass window gave a panoramic view of the city, that stretched for miles on end. After midday, the sun would light up his office with a golden shine, it was calming and serene. He could peer out and see the entire city basking in the light.

"Dad?" Sebastian called out in a questioning tone, which then caused him to turn away from the view and look towards his son.

Sebastian couldn't help but smile slightly when his Dad turned around, mostly because he spotted the dark-green tie he wore. It was dark green tie that Sebastian had first bought for him on father's day with the first wages he'd ever earned back in college.

His Dad kept it safe and always wore it during Sebastian's big meeting, he was going to be present in. It was not unlike cheerleaders wearing their uniforms, although his dad refrained from carrying pom-poms and doing a cheer.

A wide grin came over Richard's face as he looked to Sebastian.

"Sebastian, my favourite son. How are you?" He asked.

"Unless you have something to tell me about Lizzie, I'm pretty sure I'm your only son," Sebastian responded as he walked around his desk and began to take off his coat and scarf.

"That I know of," Richard joked and Sebastian shook his head.

Richard couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his son's serious expression, knowing he was never really one for jokes.

He then moved to take a seat opposite Sebastian's chair. "Oh, don't be like that."

Sebastian took a seat in his chair. "Did you need something?" He questioned.

"Charming and subtle as ever, son." Richard replied with a cheeky smile and then shook his head gently. "No, I just wanted to wish you luck for today's meeting. I look forward to seeing you take charge."

Richard was always filled with pride when it came to his son, watching him from the little boy he was, to the man he had become. He just wanted his son to be happy.

His daughter, Elizabeth, Sebastian's younger sister, wanted to stay as far away from business as possible. The choice of who would eventually be taking over the company when he would step down was obvious, but that didn't mean Sebastian was ready yet.

Richard loved his son to no end, but knew there were still work to be done. Sebastian was so serious when it came to his work, which was great, but sometimes a little too much. His determination had made him great, but he still had this arrogance about him, that Richard liked to see less of.

A good character, helps to make a good man, and Richard wanted his son to be a man of the highest standard.

"Don't worry, I've got this," Sebastian said, with a little too much pride in his tone for Richard's liking.

Richard knew his son was good at what he did and was also proud of that, however he was still a father, and worried about his arrogance.

"I'm sure you do," he then nodded, choosing not to mention anything about the conceited tone - especially not before a meeting.

"Was there anything else?" Sebastian then asked.

Richard grinned. "Have you got any plans for lunch?"

Sebastian cocked his head to side, eyeing his Dad suspiciously for moment with a brow raised.

"Is this your way of asking me out, Dad?"

"Don't be daft." Richard snorted.

"Is this a normal lunch?" Sebastian asked, still giving his Dad a weary look.

"Oh, come off it," Richard waved off his son's suspiciously expression, as he were some kind of mastermind. "You want to take your old man out for lunch today?"

Sebastian scrunched up his face a little, as if pondering over the question. "Want to?" He asked playfully.

Richard narrowed his eyes, but with a smile still on his face. "I've already asked Sophie to add it into your calendar," he stated.

He knew that his son wasn't going to say no to him, and so had Sophie add it into his calendar anyway. Richard found that it was fun being both a father and a boss.

"I'm not surprised," Sebastian replied, shaking his head. "You do know she's my assistant," he then pointed out.

"And yet I hired her, for the position," Richard retorted.

Sebastian didn't exactly have a reply towards that, since it was actually true.

As Sebastian's role in the company grew, it was clear he would be in need of an assistant at some point to help with things, and so Richard had asked him to start to looking for one.

Not many male candidates had applied for a secretarial role and among a few good candidates, there were also some women who didn't seem to have as much of an interest in the job, than they did for Sebastian himself.

Richard was a little apprehensive if Sebastian would end up choosing someone who was more a pretty face than someone to fulfil the role. He knew that Sebastian favoured hard work above all, but there was a chance of being swayed.

Before Sebastian's judgement could clouded by the beautiful line of women who wanted the role of his assistant, and more accurately, wanted him, Richard spotted Sophie in midst of them, her professional manner and demeanour making her stand out from the rest.

Her application was impressive and he knew she was the best choice, so without asking Sebastian, he hired Sophie.

Initially Sebastian was mad at his Dad for interfering with the decision, and choosing someone he hadn't picked himself. He assumed Sophie had gotten the job through favours, something that Sebastian despised. Despite being the boss's son, he worked extremely hard to get where he was, and didn't want someone working through favours.

However, Richard showed his son Sophie's application and credentials, not to mention the glowing references she had, making her more than qualified for the role. Soon after, Sebastian and Sophie developed a playful working relationship, and she was the best assistant he could've asked for.

"I like the girl, she keeps you on your toes," Richard then stated.

"She's great," Sebastian smiled.

"She's going on maternity leave soon, yes?" Richard asked, and Sebastian nodded. "Have you thought about someone to replace her?"

"I've asked Sophie to find a replacement for herself, she's probably got a better idea of who I need, than I would," Sebastian replied.

He trusted Sophie's opinion a lot, and thought who better to look for someone to replace her, than Sophie herself. She had been doing the job for years now, and was extremely good at it.

If she could find someone who was close to her level, then Sebastian would be happy.

"Any luck?" Richard then asked curiously.

"According to Soph, if I was looking for a girl to hook-up with, she has a never ending list," Sebastian told him, remembering Sophie's frustration.

A workplace romance wasn't something Sebastian was looking for, he couldn't have someone working for him that wanted him like that. Thankfully, Sophie knew to not go further with those applications.

"Perhaps I could help? What kind of assistant do you want?" Richard asked Sebastian, thinking he could maybe work his magic once more.

"I need someone like Sophie. Qualified, experienced, good at their job," Sebastian said.

Without Sophie, he would probably be lost and a complete mess. Despite being pregnant, Sophie was still always on top of things, the pregnancy hadn't effected her work one bit. He wanted someone like that, someone that could manage things without him saying, following through without him having to say it.

Of course, Sebastian knew that Sophie was one of a kind and a very rare person. No one would probably be able to do what she did, but nonetheless he needed someone who could manage the workload whilst she was away for those months.

Richard hummed in response to his son's words.

For him personally, experience didn't matter so much. When he himself started out, no one had faith in him, yet he proved everyone wrong. When Richard looked for employees, he looked for passion and a personality, experience could always be developed.

"By all means, if you find someone like Sophie, I'll have her as my temporary assistant," Sebastian then said.

"You've said it now, son. No take backs," Richard grinned.

Sebastian shook his head, and then looked down at his desk, the files sitting on his desk.

"I got to prepare some things for my next meeting," Sebastian then said to his Dad, not so subtly hinting for him leave.

Richard shook his head at his son lack of subtlety. "I'll take my leave then," he said getting up, and straightening his suit. "Good luck for the board meeting," he nodded.

"Thanks, old man," Sebastian replied with a lazy smirk, and Richard flipped him the finger, causing Sebastian to let out a little chuckle.

After Richard had left, Sebastian looked down at his desk and let out a deep breath.

"Let's get to work," he muttered to himself, getting to it.