Lorenz chose the third floor, his study, as the meeting place.
While waiting for the counselor, he skimmed through the resume he had received.
“…Elian Bellotti.”
“It’s a pretty name, isn’t it?”
“Hm?”
Lorenz turned to look at Margaret, who was beside him.
“He’s beautiful in appearance, but his name is also quite lovely.”
“Ah…”
He was flustered.
He hadn’t even been conscious of the fact that he had pronounced that name aloud.
“It means salvation, light, and nobility. It’s a good name.”
Margaret added quietly with a pleased smile.
“Of course, I wasn’t particularly worried since Dr. Morgan recommended him, but he’s more than qualified.”
Only then did Lorenz tear his eyes away from the name and begin scanning through the counselor’s densely written credentials.
Psychology major at the University of Chicago
Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University Graduate School
Specialized track in child and adolescent counseling
Passed the NCMHCE exam immediately after obtaining his degree
Margaret was right. Even if he wasn’t from the Ivy League, it was a solid elite course worthy of comparable recognition in American society.
He had been prepared to accept even an underqualified counselor due to wanting a live-in arrangement. Aside from being a trainee counselor rather than a licensed one, his qualifications were more than sufficient.
Knock knock.
At the sound of knocking, Lorenz rose from his desk.
“Please come in.”
When the door opened and the man’s figure appeared, he had to pause mid-breath. They say appearance is merely a shell, but when that shell was this excellent, one couldn’t help but purely admire it. It wasn’t particularly meaningful. It was the same as anyone having their gaze captured for a moment before an overwhelmingly beautiful work of art or stunning natural scenery.
However, regrettably, the perfection of human appearance had absolutely nothing to do with the beauty or ugliness of the inner self. No matter how beautiful the appearance, it was merely genes inherited from parents that happened to be arranged ideally through luck. It didn’t reflect the talents or abilities, loyalty and honesty, or usefulness that he possessed. Lorenz was very well aware of this fact.
“I came up right after finishing Lucas’s session. Have you been waiting?”
The other party showed a puzzled expression at Lorenz’s behavior of just staring silently.
“No… not at all.”
Shaking his head, Lorenz cleared his voice and approached him to offer a handshake.
“Let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Lorenz Lockhart, Lucas’s guardian.”
“I’m Elian Bellotti.”
However, the moment their hands clasped, Lorenz was once again swept up in an indescribable strange emotion. Joy, sadness, melancholy, elation, favorability, unfavorability. It wasn’t an emotion that fell clearly into any of those categories. Was this perhaps the complex feelings of that moment when you unexpectedly reunite with someone who had been precious to you for a long time in the past?
He had thought that after seeing him once more, he could simply turn away, dismissing it as a mistake after all. But his expectations were spectacularly off the mark. Nothing had become clear.
“Um…”
Had he been holding his hand for too long?
The man’s blue eyes looked at Lorenz with puzzlement.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Lorenz immediately released his hand with an apology and hastily averted his gaze as he asked.
“Should I call you Mr. Bellotti?”
“Yes. Whatever’s comfortable for you.”
“Mr. Bellotti, pleased to meet you. Let’s sit over here.”
The two sat facing each other on the sofa set in front of the desk. A glass of water was placed in front of each of them. After taking three or four sips, Lorenz set down his cup and looked across at Elian.
“I looked over your resume, and you seem to be quite gifted.”
“I’ve only studied diligently.”
“You also have extensive volunteer experience at a nonprofit children’s support organization during your college years. You must have been busy with your studies.”
“The University of Chicago psychology program is of course one of the top-tier programs. However, it has a strong academic atmosphere. I considered counseling practice important, so I wanted to gain more field experience through volunteering and internship activities.”
“Then why did you choose the University of Chicago?”
“It’s also where I grew up since I was young…”
Elian, who had been answering smoothly and comfortably until then, trailed off and dropped his gaze.
Lorenz watched as his plump, delicate lips opened and closed repeatedly in hesitation.
Finally, Elian confessed the rest as if making an admission.
“And, I didn’t want to be too far away from my mother.”
“You must have a special relationship with your mother.”
“Yes.”
“Is there a particular reason?”
Elian blinked his eyelids slowly.
“That’s… a rather personal question.”
“Ah, you’re right. I apologize.”
Lorenz apologized, narrowing his brow.
It was a series of moments unlike himself. How strange. His condition was better than ever. Why on earth had he asked such an unnecessary question?
Collecting his thoughts while drinking water, Lorenz focused on the content of the resume and continued the conversation.
“But I don’t see any mention of holding a formal license.”
“A license requires 3,000 hours of counseling practice. Currently, you can consider me a trainee counselor.”
“But it says here that you’ve already passed the exam.”
“I’ve already taken and passed the NCMHCE to become a professional counselor. But as I mentioned, formal counselor certification is only granted after completing the required counseling practice hours.”
“Hmm…”
A master’s degree required, passing a licensing exam, and completing thousands of hours of counseling practice on top of that… He could understand why famous counselors in Manhattan charged up to $1,000 per hour for their sessions.
Lorenz carefully scanned the resume in his hand once more.
There was no doubt it was a considerable career for his age. A life that anyone could see had been devoted to running full speed toward his goals without looking elsewhere.
Moreover, there was nothing to fault in his attitude when answering questions. He never hesitated and didn’t appear anxious. He didn’t boast excessively about his credentials. Lorenz could understand why Margaret, who was as particular as Lorenz himself about hiring people, had employed him.
However, Elian had misunderstood Lorenz’s intentions. It was because his gaze and expression as he stroked his jaw while looking down at the resume were serious. It seemed as if he didn’t approve of his credentials.
He couldn’t back down like this. Elian added an explanation to persuade Lorenz.
“I won’t independently diagnose Lucas’s condition or set the direction of intervention. It will proceed in a manner where I report what I observe to Dr. Morgan and seek her guidance and supervision. So you don’t need to worry just because I’m a trainee counselor.”
However, Lorenz was thinking something completely different from Elian’s concerns.
Lorenz had started so-called successor training at the Lockhart Group from around the age of 18. It was different in nature from the education that typical interns or new employees received. From the beginning, he was trained in everything from the position of being the future owner.
The consequences of choices become one’s own responsibility. Sometimes they can lead to uncontrollable results. That’s why one must be cautious upon cautious. The same went for deciding on the people to keep by one’s side.
What Lorenz had realized was that being an owner wasn’t a position of domination, but one of responsibility. With that perspective, he had dealt with countless people up until now. Those who only flatter without substance, those who are capable but become frightened before great opportunities, those who betray colleagues without hesitation if a better opportunity seems to appear… After encountering all types of people, one’s eye for judging people inevitably becomes seasoned.
Elian Bellotti was someone who could be trusted in relation to his work as a counselor. Lorenz’s own intuition, which he trusted, was telling him so.
Lorenz put down the resume on the table.
His gaze, having crossed his long legs and neatly placed his clasped hands on them, directly faced Elian.
“Lucas is scheduled to enroll in Ashford next September.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately corrected his own words.
“No, he must enroll.”
