Revenge of the Abandoned Heir

Escape

When Stephen came to, everything around him was white, the ceiling was white, when he turned his head the walls were white, even the sheets that covered him were white.

He groaned as he tried to get up, but a strong hand pushed him back down. 

“I wouldn’t do that, nephew.” A deep intimidating voice said, making Stephen shake his head and look closer.

“Uncle William!” Stephen tried to struggle from the elder man’s grasp, but found himself too weak and unable to get up on his own. “Let me go!” He shouted.

“Stephen, will you calm down! I’m not here to harm you, I saved you from dying.” William Cho said as he tried to calm Stephen down.

Stephen stared at his uncle William as he tried to process what the man had said.

He recalled leaving the hotel, then nothing after that. 

Seeing the confusion on Stephen’s face, William sighed and shook his head as he lifted his hand from his nephew’s chest.

“I was driving home, when I just so happened to see you crawling on the side of the street, barely alive. How did you even manage to escape that accident?” William Cho carried a grave expression as Stephen looked at him in disbelief.

Stephen looked closely at his Uncle William, he was confused as to why the man would help them.

William Cho was his father’s younger brother and only full sibling. He looked like a younger version of Vincent Cho, the same oval shaped face, neatly cut black hair, the same tanned skin due to hours of playing golf for business. 

The most striking difference was their eyes, Vincent Cho had hazel eyes, which Stephen inherited, while William had the same soul piercing eyes as Stephen’s grandmother.

This younger brother never cared about Stephen, as a matter of fact, he treated Stephen’s side of the family quite indifferently. He wasn’t mean to them in any way, it was just that he didn’t show an ounce of care or concern towards his nephew, niece, or sister-in-law.

Stephen had always suspected that it was because Stephen would someday inherit the Cho business empire. He knew that his Uncle William was ambitious despite being the second son. 

“Are you alright, Stephen?” William Cho asked, bringing Stephen back from his thoughts.

“The driver, how is he? And my mother and sister? How are they after father’s announcement?” Stephen looked very worried, making William frown.

“The driver didn’t make it. They thought he was you and declared you dead from the accident, too bad I liked that one, that’s why I asked him to help you. Your mother and sister are fine. They are at my house, with my wife, resting. You should focus on yourself first.” William Cho told his nephew. “When you are better we will talk, for now, focus on healing yourself.”

Stephen was confused by his uncle’s statement, but nodded nonetheless. 

“I’ll be by tomorrow, rest well.” William Cho told him as he left the room. 

Stephen looked around, searching for his phone or a TV to entertain himself, but was disappointed to find neither.

The hospital room was bare except for some books on a nightstand.

They weren’t even the entertaining kind, they were all business books and science books, making Stephen gruble. 

But what choice did he have? He was stuck in that room until his Uncle came to visit him again. He picked one up and began to read.

Stephen Cho had no idea how many days had passed or what time it was. There were no windows in his room and he only assumed the number of days based on the number of times his uncle had visited him.

By his count, it had been five days.

“Your father thinks you are dead.” William Cho suddenly broke the news to him on his sixth visit. “It’s not just your father, it’s everyone. I am the only one that knows you are alive.”

“What?! Why?!” Stephen demanded as he shouted at his Uncle.

“Calm down, this is for your protection.” William Cho explained to Stephen as he handed him a manila envelope. “If you had survived, your father would have found other ways to kill you. We found out when he divorced your mother and declared his illegitimate son his heir.”

“My father did this to me?” Stephen asked, unable to believe what his uncle was saying. 

He opened the envelope and read through the contents, there was no evidence, it was all just suspicion. Circumstantial evidence, but one thing was true, the car was rigged so that the driver would lose control and crash, then it would explode for good measure.

“It seems so.” William Cho told his nephew as he sat down at the foot of the bed, acting like family, something he never did in the past. 

“Grandfather will not stand for this!” Stephen roared, making William Cho shake his head.

“Think Stephen.” William Cho told his nephew in a stern voice, making Stephen freezed for a moment. “My father is not as young as he once was. Your father and I are practically running the company for him. Your grandfather will not be able to help you. This is the only way.”

William Cho pointed once more at the manila envelope on Stephen’s lap, making him pick it up and examine the contents.

Inside were several IDs as well as a deed to a house named to a Stephen Sy.

Sy was his mother’s maiden name, before she married into the Cho family. The Sys were a respectable upper crust family, but the surname was common enough that there were people from all classes with that surname.

“What’s this?” Stephen gave his uncle a look of confusion as he pointed at the contents of the envelope.

“Stephen Cho is dead, everyone you know thinks you are dead. You need a new identity, you need to move away. Don’t make a mistake by turning this down.” William Cho told his nephew as Stephen looked down and considered his options.

He knew in his heart that William Cho was right, this was his only option.

“I have also included a bank card, it has more than enough to pay for university fees as well as to get you started in life.” William Cho continued to explain as Stephen sighed and shook his head.

This wasn’t the life he was supposed to live.

He was the eldest son of the Cho family. He was meant to be groomed to take over the family business in the future.

“Stephen, this is not the end.” William Cho said, making him look up at his Uncle. 

Not the end? He was saying goodbye to his identity as Stephen Cho. How could this not be the end?

“A bastard like Liam cannot be the next head of the Cho family. My father banned him from even taking the Cho last name. When the time is right, I will let you know, then you can return. But we need to be smart about this. Do you trust me?” William asked.

Stephen slowly nodded, as his heart beat a little bit faster with the hope that he could someday return as Stephen Cho.