Stephen watched as Eldrich Cho exchanged fake pleasantries with Armand and his family.
The old man acted as if there was no bad blood between him and his third son, but Stephen knew better.
He thought back to the car ride from the airport to the Cho Mansion.
“There have always been families that are interested in our wealth and influence.” Armand explained as the car drove through the highways, unobstructed by traffic. “But they never attempted to do anything.”
Stephen nodded as he listened to his uncle.
Armand Cho might have been younger, but Stephen believed he might just be smarter and wiser than both Vincent a
“Now Anastasia, we both know that your situation back then was very different to Stephen’s and Vanessa’s.” Claudette Cho said, scolding her sister-in-law.Since Vincent’s arrest, Claudette seemed to recover faster. In the past she was not as active or as happy. She would normally sit down and stay silent when there was a large group.It also probably helped that everyone that had gathered that day was family.Vincent’s siblings all knew that he was not a good husband to Claudette. As a matter of fact they had all backed Eldrich Cho when he forbade Vincent from divorcing Claudette.With the combined influence of Claudette’s family, the So family, as well as Eldrich Cho’s influence, there was no way Vincent could divorce his wife.“Let me at least tell them.” Anastasia grumbled. “Who knows, they might pick up something from this story.”“Mom, just let Aunt Anastasia tell her story.” Stephen urged as he placed a hand on his mother’s shoulder. Claudette frowned, but didn’t object as eve
The meal went quite well, Stephen was surprised at how well everyone got along especially when his grandfather was merely watching.It seemed that if it weren’t for Armand’s and Anastasia’s issues with their father, the family could be quite peaceful.It was already late when Stephen and Vanessa bid everyone goodnight and made a move to leave.Stephen’s friends had left before them in order to give the family more privacy.“Stephen!” Armand Cho called out as he ran after the couple as they were about to leave the Cho family Mansion.“Uncle Armand, is there anything I can do for you?” Stephen aske
“As I mentioned in the past I will spread you all out between departments, the long term goal of this is for me to have trusted and capable people in each.” Stephen announced as Amalia slid a folder to him.The folder contained all the details for each member of his team and the department they would be moving to.“It feels like you’re sending us away.” Carissa said with a frown.“Maybe we should start with you.” Amalia teased, making Carissa roll her eyes.Over the time that Amalia had been part of Stephen’s team, she had gotten quite close to his people and they treated her like a normal employee, something Amalia valued.
“Mr. Cho, it’s an honor to meet you in person, Young Master Cho.” This was the line that almost every executive that Stephen met that day said.He could recite by heart the praises they rained on him.It wasn’t all the same, some spoke of how good looking he was. Other about how impressed they were with his presentation.They also told him how much they looked forward to working with Stephen in the future.Stephen wanted to laugh and roll his eyes at most of them. He knew that many had been loyal to his uncle and father, some even knowing that the two men had plotted against Stephen. And yet, here they were while his father and uncle waited for their trial, rotting in jail.<
Stephen, Vanessa, and Stephen’s uncle Armand drove up to the apartment complex where Charlie lived. When they arrived, both Vanessa and Armand were shocked by the sight of the residetial complex.“Uncle Armand, do you have any idea what this place is and what Uncle Charlie does that would allow him to stay in a place like this?” Stephen asked as his driver pulled up to the driveway.“I am aware of what Charlie does, but I didn’t think that he had managed to climb this high up.” Armand looked out, as he seemed to be trying to process his brother’s situation. “The only sure way for us to find out is Charlie tells us, but knowing what he does, he might never tell you.” Arman shrugged as they saw Charlie at the entrance, walking up to meet them.“Armand?” Charlie gasped as he suddenly ran towards Armand and hugged his brother. “I didn’t think you would want to see me after last time.” “Why wouldn’t I?” Armand questioned his brother as he gave him a hug. “Our relationship can survive s
Charlie stared at Stephen, he was shocked that the younger man had lost his temper. Normally Stephen was calm and collected, rarely making any rash decisions.But the Stephen before him was nothing like that. “Stephen.” Vanessa had placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder to calm him down. She knew that this topic was not something that Stephen would address normally.It was closer to his heart, it was the man who had helped him escape his uncle’s clutches that had lied to him for years. “Don’t try to intervene, Vanessa.” He hissed, not making a move to shrug her hand off his shoulder. “What do you want me to say, Stephen?” Charlie asked as he placed down his utensils and looked Stephen in the eyes. “I’m not an idiot or a child, Charlie.” Stephen hissed. “How many lies have you told me over the years? And until now you insist on lying to me.”“I only lied to protect you. What truth do you want, Stephen? One that will just hurt all of us?” Charlie questioned, his deep voice echoing
“Why did you hide it from me?” Stephen asked Charlie as they settled back down.The air in the room was much lighter and everyone was smiling, even Charlie who had been forced to tell Stephen the truth.“Stephen, at that time I didn’t even know if you knew your father had a fourth brother.” Charlie pointed out. “If you had not known about me, you would have thought I was someone trying to take advantage of the Cho name.”Stephen nodded, understanding his uncle’s reason.“Don’t think that I hired you and later on treated you as family just because your last name was Cho.” Charlie told his nephew. “You are an amazing young man, Stephen, you are th
Stephen did not utter a word as his driver took them from Charlie’s apartment complex to the Cho Mansion.Armand had not brought a car so the couple had to drop him off at home.After Charlie had given him and Armand the files on Eldrich Cho’s medical condition, the brothers got into a fighting match.Luckily, they were both adult enough to recognize that it wasn’t anyone’s fault.“Anastasia needs to know.” Armand suddenly said, breaking the silence. “He’s her father too and we need to face this problem like a family.”Stephen nodded in agreement.