“Are you sure about this?” Stephen asked Vanessa as he held her hand and looked her in the eyes.
They stood outside one of the courts where they could register their marriage. It glistened in the morning sun, making it look more imposing than it actually was
Vanessa smiled at Stephen and nodded.
“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet?” She teased as she pulled Stephen ahead towards the court.
Stephen knew that once they headed in this direction, his grandfather would know that he had married Vanessa.
He didn’t mind his grandfather finding out, he just didn’t want the old man bothering his wife too
Stephen couldn’t focus on work the entire day, he kept thinking about what would happen after Friday.Every time he looked at this team, he couldn't help but wonder what they would think when they learned the truth.Would they hate him for the lies?Or would they welcome him with open arms, more than happy to accept the positions he had prepared for them."Stephen?" Michael called out as he knocked on Stephen's door.Stephen took a deep breath and leaned back."Come in!" He told Micahel as he moved away the documents on his desk.
“I was quite confused when my brother-in-law asked me if one of my cousins was trying to establish himself as a Mafia boss in Marina City.” Cedric Reyes told the younger man as he handed Stephen a drink.“I hope it didn’t cause you any trouble.” Stephen told Cedric as he accepted the drink.Cedric laughed and shook his head.“The identity of the head of the Essen Mafia is as difficult to find.” Cedric told Stephen as he stood next to him.Cedric Reyes was the CEO of a very rich and old family in another country, he influenced almost every part of their country’s economy.He stood a head talle
“Who are you?” Cedric Reyes asked as he pushed Cookie Ye away from Stephen.Liam was quick to catch his mom, who was exaggerating and acted as if she was about to fall over.“You asshole! How dare you hurt a woman!” Liam shouted at Cedric, but the man seemed unbothered as he looked down at Liam.“You didn’t have to come help me.” Stephen crossed his arms on his chest as he looked Cedric in the eyes.Everyone was shocked when Stephen spoke in such a familiar tone with Cedric Reyes. Many of those in attendance actually knew who Cedric Reyes was, so seeing him defend a nobody confused them.“I d
As the charity event wound down the most important items were brought out for auction. Stephen never planned on placing a bid on anything, he knew that if people saw him fighting for an item, they would figure out that his identity was not as simple as he let on. Unfortunately, one of the items caught his eye.A diamond and ruby necklace that made all the women in the room swoon. He couldn’t help but imagine Vanessa wearing the item on one of the many events they would have to attend on behalf of the Cho family in the future.Noticing his odd behavior, Andrew leaned forward to speak to his boss.“You’re interested in the necklace?” He asked Stephen. Stephen nodded as he handed Andrew the card his grandfather had given him.“Bid on it in my grandfather’s name. I’m sure he won’t mind.” Stephen said.Andrew nodded and took the card.He quickly stood up and vanished, heading over to the VIP section. A card with Eldrich Cho’s name on it was more than enough to gain him entry into that a
Stephen pushed Alona away from him as he scrambled to get to the other end of the room. He needed to get as far away from her as possible. He knew exactly what this drug did to people, and he had no plans on spending his wedding night with his wife’s cousin. He could feel as his body began to burn, it begged for release in the most intimate way, but Stephen would never let that happen. “Alona, who brought you here? Who did this?” Stephen asked as he managed to crawl around the room, avoiding Alona. He knew who could potentially be behind it, but he needed to hear it from Alona. He needed that confirmation that it was who he suspected. “I don’t know.” Alona cried out. She was clearly in much more pain having been there much longer than Stephen had. “Stephen, please help me, I need you.” Stephen continued to keep his distance despite his own pain and the screams coming from Alona. He knew that he had to stay in control, he couldn’t allow the drug to compromise him. Eventually he
Stephen hadn’t fully yet recovered when John arrived with Andrew.Both men were concerned about their boss and wanted to make sure that they could be of service to him.When Stephen saw the two men arriving, he frowned.“Don’t worry, all your commands have been set in motion.” John said, raising his hands. “I’ve delegated a division of the Essen Mafia to be under Andrew’s command. He will need it for when you come back as the heir to the Cho family.”Stephen frowned, but nodded.He didn’t want to complicate things by mixing the two aspects of his identity. He had always wanted the Essen Mafia to re
When Stephen regained consciousness, he felt more rested than ever. He was so energized that it shocked him. He tried to sit up, but for some reason he still felt weak. It was as if he hadn’t moved in days. “Stephen!” He heard Vanessa shout as he tried to sit up again.He looked at his wife and wanted to call out to her, but for some reason he couldn’t. His throat hurt, probably dried up from the lack of use.“Here, drink some water.” Vanessa told him as she lifted a glass to his lips. After a few sips, he did feel better.“We were worried about you.” Vanessa cried out as she wrapped her arms around Stephen’s neck and sobbed.“How long was I out?” He asked in a hoarse voice as Vanessa released him from her hold.“A day. It’s Thursday night.” Vanessa answered. She seemed unhappy to tell him, probably because she knew he would insist on attending the presentation the next day, something that would definitely do.“Alona?” Stephen asked, concerned about his wife’s cousin.“She’s doing
Stephen paced across the room, he was anxious. “Thirty minutes.” Andrew said as he entered Stephen’s office and handed him a glass of whisky.Stephen raised his eyebrow, wondering why Andrew was handing him a glass of alcohol before the biggest presentation of his life.“It’s to help with the nerves, you can’t deny that you are anxious.” Andrew insisted that Stephen take the glass.Stephen sighed, shook his head, but took the glass.He finished the contents and slammed it on the table.It didn’t matter if he broke anything, at the end of the day everything in the building would become his.His identity as the Stephen Cho would be revealed and the name of his murderer would be known by everyone.“I know you are doing the presentation, but I did a run through, just in case you decided that you weren’t ready.” Despite having only known Stephen for a short time, Andrew could already read him like an open book.He could already somewhat anticipate what Stephen needed. He was prepared to f
“The Lu family is working with the underworld?” Hans asked as he glanced at his cousin in disbelief. Over the years the Underworld was one part of Marina City that both families had failed to control. If the Lu family managed to pull into their fold the leaders of the Underworld and Stephen was not the head of the Essen Mafia, they would have easily crushed the Cho family.“They don’t, sir. At least not yet.” John clarified as he spoke to the cousins over the phone.“What do you mean?” Hans asked.“No one person can rule over the underworld of Marina City, let alone this country.” John told Hans. “The city and this country is too diverse for any one person to take control. There is also the matter of people like the Lu and Cho families that make taking control even more difficult.”“Isn’t the Essen Mafia powerful enough to get them to follow?” Hans asked as he looked at his cousin.“Not as just the Essen Mafia.” Stephen said with a smile on his lips. “Huh?” Hans was now even more
When Stephen declared the changes when it came to who would inherit the Cho family fortune in the future, Ina was no longer able to keep the reporters in line.Stephen decided to end the press conference there and move on.He, Vanessa, and Hans all left the stage and returned to Stephen’s office at the top floor. They were greeted by Paolo’s laughter as they entered the room, he was playing with Amalia and Robert. “Shouldn’t you be putting out the fire I just started downstairs?” Stephen asked as he gave Robert an amused look.His friend was never big on children.As a matter of fact, Robert was probably the one that was most against having children in their friend group. So it was quite the surprise for Stephen to see Robert happily playing with a child.“They don’t need me to put out that fire.” Robert chuckled as his phone began to ring next to him.“Shi-” Robert began to curse.“Language!” Both Hans and Stephen shouted, making Robert jump in surprise. “You two are going to scar
Paolo Cho was a handsome child, it was something that the reporters couldn’t deny. He had received amazing genes from the Fredrikson, Ong, and Cho families, making him probably one of the best looking children around.But when Paolo Cho smiled he won the hearts of everyone in the crowd, even those that wanted to speak badly of the Cho and Fredrikson families.They might have been bribed by the Ong families and their allies, but there was no denying that Pablo Cho was happy.Pablo waved at the crowd and smiled. He then hugged his father as he shied away from the crowd again.People couldn’t blame the little boy, he had lived his entire life in hiding and now, all of a sudden he was in front of hundreds of people. Every single one of the reporters wanted to snap a photo of him or his father. It was obvious that Paolo was already getting uncomfortable with the situation.“I’ll bring him in.” Amalia volunteered as she took Paolo from Hans, allowing him to stand straight and glare at the
Tell me in the comments guys, which you would prefer Daily Chapters or Minimum 7 Chapters Once a Week? Tell me what you think in the comments or send me a dm! I would very much appreciate if you would tell me what you would prefer. As a reader I honestly prefer the second one hehe. I know many of you were shocked by the mass update last night but just think of that as me trying to make it up to all of you on the missed out chapters thoughout the month. Also, don't forget to follow me on my socials for updates.
“Ah, I see you’ve noticed it.” Stephen said as he saw the confused expression on some of the reporters' faces.Not everyone had seen a DNA test in the past. Normally when businessmen and actors were trying to prove they were not the father of a child, the match would be much lower compared to what was flashed on the screen.“Allow me to explain for those who are seeing a DNA test for the first time.” Stephen said with a smile. “The report you are seeing behind me says that I am somehow related to Gabrielle Ong’s child. Now for those that are familiar with the genealogy of the Ong and Cho families, we are not in any way related.”The members of the media nodded as they slowly absorbed the information that Stpehen was telling them.Most were genuinely surprised at how kind Stephen sounded and at how willing he was to explain the situation to them.Normally, leaders in the same position as Stephen had little to no patience to explain trivial thing such as these, but Stephen took his tim
The parking lot of Philip Tower was filled with people chatting among themselves.It was no mystery what the Cho family was about to announce, they all knew that the biggest issue of that time was if Stephen Cho did or didn’t have an illegitimate child.Many people claimed that it was just a ploy of the Ong family to get their members out of jail.Others said that there was truth to it, especially since Gabrielle Ong was Stephen’s ex girlfriend.No matter what rumor people believed they all still wanted to be there. They all wanted to hear the truth and they all wanted to report it first. Inside the lobby of Philip Tower, Stephen looked out at the crowd that had formed.He had never expected that these many people would be interested in their personal lives. He thought that mostly gossip columnists would appear, but it seemed that every kind of reporter stood in their office’s parking lot.“You can’t seriously be surprised.” Hans said as he stood next to his cousin.“I just didn’t th
“We need to make a press release, the media will not leave us alone if we don’t.” Amalia told her brother as they sat around the meeting table in his office.Among those Stephen had invited were people he believed were crucial when it came to the matter of Paolo Cho’s identity.“Have you gotten the Ong family under control?” Stephen asked as he looked to his cousin.He knew that only a few days had passed and that Hans had his hands full watching over Paolo, but they needed to make sure that the Ong family wouldn’t cause them problems.“Almost, there are still some who are trying to question my ability.” Hans said with a malicious grin. “My people are making sure they understand who I am today.”Stephen nodded, impressed by Hans’ efficiency with dealing with the matter of the Ong family.“So we can schedule a press release today, the news agencies will publish it tomorrow and everything will be settled.” Amalia said as she thought of the timeline in her head.“No, we won’t just releas
Miguel and Manuel might come from a weaker family than the Cho’s but they had begun as Stephen’s friends, so Stephen decided to accompany Miguel to the airport the next day.He had offered for Miguel to use his private jet and the younger Villanueva brother happily accepted the offer.Stephen and Manuel stood on the tarmac with Miguel as they said their final goodbyes.“I’m guessing I won’t see you for a while, boss.” Miguel teased him.Technically now it was true that Stephen was their boss. With the trade to protect their family name, they were more like his henchmen doing his bidding rather than his partners through a treaty.“Most likely.” Stephen said with a nod.His wife was pregnant and he had no intentions of leaving her alone for too long. “I just wanted to say, thank you.” Miguel told Stephen. “You helped us back then and you helped us again now. Jacob would have ruined our family if news got out about his cases.”Stephen nodded, then he realized something, he forgot to as
Stephen had been exhausted by the night before.Paolo had woken up in the middle of the night and cried out for both Hans and Stephen. Stephen had been sleeping with the little boy at the time, but he refused to calm down unless his Daddy Hans was there.It seemed Paolo had settled on what to call them.Hans was Daddy, and Stephen was Papa. In the same way, he called Vanessa his Mama. When Stephen had asked a maid to call for Hans, his cousin seemed like he was about to burst into tears because his son had called for him.“Boss?” Andrew called, waving his hand in front of Stephen. “Sorry, Paolo had a hard time sleeping after yesterday’s incident. What were you saying Andrew?”Stephen asked as he tried to focus on the discussion at hand.“The bidding for the latest piece of land that that government has put up for sale starts in a week. The procurement director wanted to ask if you wished to purchase it.” Andrew informed Stpehen as he handed him the details of the piece of property.