His words left everyone in shock. How could he say something as grave as that so easily?Imelda searched the empress' face for any form of disagreement but all it held was conviction."Oh, no," she whispered.Jacob and Damien visibly relaxed into their seats. This was it. They had him just where they wanted him. He had dug his own grave and he wouldn't even need anyone to push him into it. It was certain. He was going to fail and they would personally kick him out of the family and he would go back to wherever he came from."If that's all, I'd like to be excused, grandma," Theo said and stood up when the empress nodded her approval.After him, the rest of the crowd followed suit, leaving only the empress in the large living room as she thought of ways to help her grandson come out victorious.She soon decided that she was going to have to sit back and watch. She had put him under Kim's care so she was sure he was in good hands.She said a silent prayer for her grandson before retiring
Five days passed since Theo and the empress dropped the bombshell which was their little bet on the family. Theo spent all his days in the office and all his nights studying.He put on one of the best Armani tux that morning because he had a meeting with executives and potential investors. His two weeks time framed was running out fast and this was his first meeting that would determine if he was making any progress or not."Good morning everyone," the empress greeted as she entered the dining room where they all stood in greeting the next morning. "Sit," she motioned for them to sit after she had sat down.Breakfast that morning was uneventful and Chase ate as much as he could because he knew he wouldn't have any time for lunch breaks later in the day.He was too engrossed in his food and thoughts that he missed the knowing smirk on Jacob's face."I'm off to work, grandma," Chase said as he downed his glass of water. He didn't want to be late for his presentation. Even though most of
"What took you so long?" Chase asked with a raised eyebrow when Kim returned to the office."Oh, um…I had something bad for dinner," Kim replied and chuckled awkwardly, subtly wiping his clammy palm down his pants. "Are you ready for your big presentation? They will be here anytime," Kim asked him."Yes," Chase said firmly. "Let's go over the details one more time," Chase told him with a hidden agenda."Sure," Kim clapped his hands together and sat down as Chase went over the details of the contract he had prepared for the foreign investors.He had asked Kim to sit and listen to him present, in a bid to let him redeem himself. Kim had been very helpful to him when the empress sent him to Theo back in Piliste and it would be sad if Theo had to do something drastic to him because of his betrayal. But as Kim nodded his affirmation to every nonsense Theo said, Theo confirmed that Kim had already chosen his side of the game."Perfect," Kim beamed and wiped sweat away from his forehead. He
"Did he just…." Chase, who was bewildered began to whisper to the empress but she promptly pinched his side to silence him.She cleared her throat before speaking in the deathly silence of the room."Hilda, prepare the contract," she said to one of her assistants with a very wide smile."Mr Vladimir, are you sure about this? You haven't even gone through the proposal," Jacob, who was shell-shocked, finally snapped out of his daze. He couldn't believe his ears. The biggest contract he had ever sealed on the spot all his life of working, which was a very long time, was a deal of 20 billion dollars. How was it possible that the men were ready to invest a whopping 100 billion dollars into a project that wasn't supervised by a professional."There's nothing to go through. The young man has said everything I need to hear," the man said, pointing to Theo who was still reeling from the shock.Theo knew that the presentation was good and was going to get him a contract but what he hadn't expec
The empress couldn't wait for the end of the promised two weeks to make the announcement. She already had the answer she needed. He had not only doubled the company's monthly revenue, he had raised it by three times and not only that, he had entered a life-long contract with Vladimir, the only person that competed with her in business in the whole world. Vladimir wasn't a man to be easily moved, so for him to give Theo a standing ovation, it was no small feat.Her announcement came with an uproar and surprised gasps. Everyone knew that the empress had lost her first child and his wife to a gruesome accident and that their little two-year old was nowhere to be found and was tagged dead, so it came as a shock to one and to all.Plus the fact that the position of vice president had remained unoccupied since Gerald's death and now, his son fit the shoe perfectly."I thought as much. It could only be Alcantra blood running through the veins of such an outstanding young man," Vladimir said
At the empress' voice, Kim rose to a crouched position on his knees, his eyes still focused on the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world."Mother, I think Theo has it mixed up. I mean, why would Kim do anything to sabotage anyone? You've known him for a very long time," Jacob thought it wise to remind his mother because he was fully aware of the trouble he would be in himself if Kim breathed a word to the empress about his involvement."My question exactly," Theo said with a small smirk on his face which made Jacob shudder slightly. Theo looked very scary at that point and Jacob couldn't help but be afraid.The empress bent down a bit and placed a finger on Kim's chin, using to to raise his face to meet her eyes. "Kim, is what my grandson saying the truth?" The empress asked with narrowed eyes. "Ma'am, I'm sorry. I didn't know what came over me," he said in a very small, frightened voice."You're sorry?" The empress scoffed. "I really am, and ma'am it wasn't ent
The room was in a deathly silence and the only sound that broke that silence was the sound of Kim's body dropping to the ground with a loud thud. Jacob stood with a cold look on his face that mirrored Theo's. While Theo was scared of what just happened, he couldn't show it, instead, he reached for the box of paper towels that sat in the middle of the table, pulled out a few pieces and handed it to the empress, while he vaguely thought if that was the reason the box of paper towels were kept there."Thank you, son," the empress said as she collected the tissue from him and wiped her knife clean. "Guards," she raised her voice an octave higher and soon, three hefty men were barreling into the office.Theo stood there, his eyes transfixed on Kim's body that lay on the floor in a pool of his own blood. It still seemed like a dream to him. "Clean this mess," the empress said coldly as she turned to leave the room. She was almost at the door when she stopped again and turned on her heels.
"Extreme?" The empress chuckled.Chase gave her a blank look, waiting for her to explain further."You see," she started and dropped her pen. "It's just a circle. You let him go today and tomorrow, he comes back to pick off where he left, revenge, maybe?" The empress said. It wasn't the first time that something like that had happened to her, so since then, she had learned to be extra careful.Chase relaxed into his seat as he let her words sink in. He knew that she had a point. Kim wasn't someone to take a fall without retaliating."So, most times, it's best to finish it off," the empress said with no emotion in her voice."Hmm," Chase hummed.The empress saw the need to explain more because she thought that her grandson needed to understand her decision better."If he was bold enough to try something as funny as that while still under us, then only heavens know what he would do if we sack and take everything away from him. Don't forget, a scorned man is a dangerous man," the empress