August smiled as he approached the hall where the banquet would be held."August Sullivan? Are you acquainted with him?" Allen approached Dave unexpectedly, causing Dave to turn around and find the butler staring at August before shifting his gaze back to Dave."He is my worst nightmare," Dave hissed, folding his arms."I see," Allen nodded slowly. "So is he looking to acquire ABC Constructions too?""Obviously," Dave replied with an irritated tone. "Why else would he be here in the first place?" He added, tucking his hands into his pockets. "No matter what, I need to acquire that company, Allen. August must not, or I'm really done for," Dave said, his voice carrying a hint of fear. He had never voiced his fear aloud like this before, but he somehow felt it was okay because it was Allen. The man had given him hope when he had lost all, but their cooperation was born out of mutualistic benefits."You shouldn't worry, Dave. With your gift, Pa Satya won't look at other candidates.""You
As the evening progressed, the host in charge of collecting gifts for Pa Satya took center stage, his voice commanding attention as he announced the arrival of each distinguished guest."Good evening, esteemed guests," he began, his voice resonating throughout the hall. "As we have all been briefed, we are gathered here tonight to honor a man of great wisdom, kindness, and generosity. Pa Satya has touched the lives of many with his compassion and guidance, and on this auspicious occasion of his eightieth birthday, it is our privilege to present him with tokens of our appreciation. Not only that, his successor will be chosen based on the gifts presented."With a flourish, he gestured towards the first guest, a renowned philanthropist known for his tireless efforts in uplifting the underprivileged."Our first gift comes from Mr. Rajesh, a man whose philanthropic endeavors have transformed countless lives," the host announced, his words met with warm applause.Mr. Rajesh stepped forward,
The whole crowd turned in the direction of the sound to find August approaching Pa Satya. Pa Satya had a slight frown on his face, while Dave looked like he would strangle August at any moment, more like he was terrified. For one moment, he thought he had won the round, thinking August had bluffed."What are you doing?" Dave seethed under his breath, trying not to lose it in front of Pa Satya. August chuckled and diverted his gaze to Pa Satya, as if he didn’t hear Dave."I am sorry for interrupting like that, Chairman. But I am yet to present my gift to you," August said respectfully, despite the cold gaze the old man shot him."I don’t….""I present to you, Amaya, your long-lost estranged granddaughter," he stretched his hand towards the door as the crowd separated for them to see whom he was pointing at.Standing at the door was a little girl, a doll in her hand, as she stared with an unsure gaze at the people looking at her. She was about ten years old, with golden hair cascading d
“But I….”“I said not another word from you!” Pa Satya raised his finger in warning as Dave pressed his lips in frustration, while the old man diverted his gaze to Allen, who was now trying to hide his face in shame.“Is that it? Is my company all you’ve ever wanted? The reason why you’ve stayed by my side all these years?” Pa Satya directed the question to Allen, who was still ashamed to look at him.Pa Satya shook his head and turned to the crowd. “To everyone around…” he announced. “From all the gifts I have received tonight, Mr. August’s gift is the only one that has been able to move me. The young man’s thoughtfulness is commendable! And only people like this are needed in my ABC constructions!” Pa Satya said, while narrowing his eyes angrily at Allen. “That’s why I will be giving him my shares of ABC constructions until my granddaughter here turns 21!”A gasp erupted in the crowd as August smiled. “Thank you so much, Pa Satya,” he said.“You deserve it, Mr. August Sullivan. I wi
“How... How is that possible?” August found it hard to believe as the CEO of Pasta stared at him.“I got a call from him last night. He proposed a huge sum. I know we’ve spoken on the phone about you acquiring the company, but he gave me a deal that was hard to reject. Something I'm not sure you could ever match,” the man said as August sighed and tried not to show his frustration.He took the next flight back to New York and headed straight home to calm his head. After he took a shower and lay on his bed, his mind roamed. Then his phone rang, and he picked it up to hear Dave’s voice.“How does it feel to be concerned, August Sullivan?”August didn’t say anything for a while, then responded, “You had spies in my company, Dave Arizona. Has it gotten to that level? Are you so threatened by me now?” August asked, trying to maintain a confident tone despite feeling down.Pasta was the only way to finally make Arizona Group invisible in the business world. But with Arizona Group acquiring
“August! August!” Dan barged into his office as August turned around to look at him from the window he was gazing out of.“I can’t believe this! I just came from the finance department and I got the revenue Trillion Dollar Shopping has gathered in the past few weeks. It's massive, August,” his eyes shone with excitement as he spoke.“Now, do you take back your word?” August asked him with a confident smile.“Damn. I do, August. How the hell do you always turn out to be a genius every time?” Dan asked as August chuckled and shook his head before saying, “Our revenue is still 30% away from what Pasta is making. The job isn’t done yet.”“What the hell are you talking about now, August? Don’t ruin this because you’re obsessed with a trillion dollars,” Dan warned.“The main reason I set up Trillion Dollar Shopping in the first place is to make the company worth a trillion dollars,” August said, as Dan stared at him in disbelief.“So what do you plan on doing? Acquiring more startups?” Dan
A young man in his early twenties, dressed in denim trousers and a jacket, walked in as he waved at August. “Hi, Boss,” he flashed August a smile, which made him look incredibly attractive with his dark wavy hair that matched well with deep blue eyes. “And hello to you, my lady.” He walked over to Lila and picked up her hand, drawing it to his lips. Before his mouth reached her hand, August came in between them. “Focus, Cole,” August called him to order. Lila, who seemed stunned by the situation for a moment, withdrew her hand as her cheeks grew red. “Who is he?” Dan was already annoyed enough, let alone with someone devilishly attractive acting like a flirt walking into an important meeting. “This is Cole, the head of the Anti-Trillion Dollar Community,” August introduced, as Cole still smiled. “Anti-Trillion Dollar Community? What is that supposed to stand for?” Dan asked. “Exactly what its name denotes,” August replied, then continued. “Everything was planned from the start. I wa
“What the hell have you been up to in the last five years, August?” Lila asked as they walked into her spacious office, which was obviously the biggest room in the building.August took note of the beautiful decor of the room. It was simple but elegant, just like Lila herself.“I’ve been around,” August said with a smile as he took his seat on one of the long sofas in the middle of the room and crossed his legs, watching as Lila took her seat on the other sofa opposite him, a curious look on her face that was half-filled with admiration. That admirable look she always had on her face whenever she looked at August was still there. She still liked him, she realized.“Where? No one has seen you since Trillion Dollar Company officially surpassed all other companies in the world. You know it is rude to have abandoned us like that.” She stood up and headed to the left wing of the room where a shelf filled with exotic wine stood.“I don’t know if your taste has changed over the years.” She p
“I think you’re mistaken, Miss. I hope you can check through again in case you missed something….”“Are you trying to teach me my job?” The receptionist snapped, shocking Aliya with her abrupt outburst.A mere receptionist was talking to her rudely, and there was nothing she could do. They weren't in the same league, but if she caused a scene with this secretary here, what would the trillion-dollar company think of her?She pressed her lips together for a while, trying to suppress the growing anger within her.“I am not trying to teach you anything, Miss. I only want a chance to meet the chairman,” Aliya managed to muster in a calm tone.“And I am telling you right now that there is no room for you, Miss. Please leave, or I will have security drag you out,” she hissed impatiently and shifted her attention to the system in front of her.Aliya wasn’t sure how to behave afterward. Even from the beginning, this whole thing had worn her out. Pushing through was something she was barely cop
“I can’t believe you agreed to it just like that, Grandfather.” Simon walked into Pa West’s study room later that evening to vent. Even though he had looked calm when everything was concluded earlier, deep down he was pissed.“Don’t be such a fool. Didn’t you realize the stunt that loser was trying to pull? He is trying to delay the vote to take down his wife.” Pa West took a gulp of his liquor while seated on the luxurious leather seat in the room. He relaxed backward and gave a satisfied groan as the liquid went down his throat.“If we had dismissed his suggestion like that, the shareholders might start to think we only want to remove Aliya due to personal reasons. These people don’t give a fuck about sentiments. All they care about is profits. And Allen, that weird pauper, knew that and played his card well.” He placed his hand on his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. “I wonder how he got the idea to bring in the trillion-dollar company into this. He talks about the company like
“The both of you could compete for who could bag the contract with the trillion-dollar company,” August suggested with a confident look. “I am sure the owners won’t mind if they see that the West Corporation is enthusiastic to work with them.”“Don’t be ridiculous,” Simon chuckled as he tried to wave off the suggestion. “They would think the company is divided if my sister and I submit different proposals to them for the same company.”“And who said you would be the next chairman if it isn’t Aliya? What do you take me for?” Landon immediately cut in as Simon shifted his gaze slowly to meet his enraged brother.“Shut up and stop embarrassing yourself, Landon.” Pa West seemed to be pissed too as a deep frown formed on his face.Landon gritted his teeth as he tried to hold himself from speaking again. But he knew better. His grandfather, who was his only backer, was solidly behind Simon. It felt like all he had been working hard for was a waste. He had been fighting Aliya all this while
“This is why I keep talking about the importance of marrying people with brains. How could you just suggest something like that?” Landon spoke up, immediately seizing the opportunity to humiliate August again while August maintained his calm and composed look.He stared straight ahead without sparing Landon a look. He knew Landon was dying to see him crumble. Too bad he was done being a punching bag to them. This would be the beginning of their sorrows.“You always end up saying nonsense whenever you open that mouth of yours. What the hell do you know about business, huh?” Pa West asked.“Do you truly care about my sister? Do you actually want her to lose her position deep down?” Simon asked with a cocky grin. As always, he was the only one who made a point.Normally, they were supposed to just agree to it and watch Aliya fail because bagging a deal with a trillion-dollar company is like an ant trying to move a mountain. The West Corporation is a small company and not among the top th
Simon noticed how Aliya entwined her fingers together. He could already see how tense she was, and he would definitely use that to his advantage. He was always like this—watching with sharp eyes like an eagle and pouncing on his prey when they let their guard slightly down.“Are you tense, sister? If you’re uncomfortable about the whole arrangement and would prefer not to go through with it, you can just step down willingly. Everyone would understand that you’ve grown wary over the years and would like to focus on your family now,” Simon said with a cool gaze, making a face as if he was truly looking out for her.“Don’t be ridiculous, brother. Just because I am a married woman doesn’t make my career hopeless. Forget about stepping down—I dare you to say you are capable of handling West Corporation half as well as I have,” Aliya said in a cocky tone, causing Simon to clench his fist, which was placed on the table.It wasn’t always easy to get her brother to lose his composure, but when
“Did the beating affect your head? What the hell are you saying?” Aliya laughed, not taking his words seriously. He didn’t blame her. He is a pauper with nothing to his name. How could he possibly help her?“You will see how I will make everything easy for you.” August sat up, brushed away the hair covering her face, and placed a peck on her forehead. Aliya watched him, unsure how to react.She pressed her lips and watched him in silence as he lay back. “Could you get me an apple, please?” he asked politely.Aliya, who was deep in thought, shook her head as she came back to reality. She flashed him a smile and nodded. “Sure,” she said and started to walk out of the room.“Babe,” he called when she grabbed the doorknob and was about to open the door. “Make sure to take your time,” he said with a calm smile.Aliya gave him a half-suspicious look before nodding.Immediately after she left, August located his phone by the bed stand and dialed Lila.“That was quick,” she commented the mome
“I will do neither, and none of you has the right to make me do any of it if I don’t want to,” Aliya said stubbornly.“You are testing my patience, girl,” Pa West gritted his teeth. As Aliya made to say something, August held her hand. She turned to look at him, an almost helpless look on her face. August shook his head.“I don’t care,” Aliya still turned around to say. “You all should go to hell for all I care!” she blurted in annoyance and made to leave when Landon rushed after her and grabbed her other hand.Aliya swung around to find Landon staring deadly at her. He raised his hand to slap her. “How dare you speak to Grandfather like that!” he berated.August couldn’t believe what had just happened. He stared wide-eyed at his wife’s now reddened face. He grabbed Landon by the collar. “How dare you!” he fired at him.Landon had never seen August like this. August rarely spoke, but now he looked like an enraged lion about to pounce on its prey.“You crazy psycho. Get your hands off
“What! No!” Aliya blurted out almost immediately, glaring at anyone who dared to look at her.“Are you glaring at me right now because of this piece of trash?” Pa West asked, a disgusted look on his face as August's fist clenched. This wasn’t him. He wasn’t used to people treating him like trash. In the past, he would usually put whoever tried to cross him in their place. Dave's case was a perfect example. At that moment, he felt a sudden urge to reincarnate that part of him that he killed years ago.But he couldn’t do that. He had managed through all this while. Besides, he barely cared about insults as long as Aliya was still very much in love with him. But what he wouldn’t tolerate was anyone trying to take her away from him.“She is feeling like a big shot because Dad made her the CEO, Grandfather. Uncultured people like her, who are raised by nobodies, will always act like they want. It’s so disappointing,” Landon chipped in, indirectly insulting her mother.“How dare you insult
August walked into the room that seemed as quiet as a graveyard. It was the exotic living room of the Wests. They were among the wealthy people in the country, more like among the second tier when it comes to ranking from top to bottom. But theirs was the best of the second tier. They were not to be trifled with at all. With the kind of achievements Aliya had made for the company, it had grown significantly over the last five years. Besides that, August used his secret connections with influential people he had worked with in the past to help Aliya secretly.“Babe, you’re here,” Aliya said, walking toward him the moment she noticed August standing in the doorway.August was carried away by the sight of the familiar yet unfamiliar man sitting on the single-seat couch in the middle of the room. He suddenly realized why nobody bothered to use that particular seat in the room. It was reserved for someone.Pa West. The head of the West family who had been away from the family for the past