The resounding words coming out of his father's mouth made Alex blink his eyes in doubt, then he spoke. "Inherit the family business? What do you mean, father?"
It had never crossed Alex's mind that he would be the owner of a company, and that opportunity was being offered right now by his father for him to manage a company! He wondered if it was a small company—not that he would mind.
"My son, you can choose any of these companies to manage." Charles Crown spoke with a hint of excitement in his voice. He finally has someone to pass on his inheritance rather than have it deteriorate in someone else's hands.
Immediately, Butler Alfred passed the tablet toward Alex, who looked somewhat confused. He neither nodded nor accepted the tablet, but started browsing through it.
At that moment...
"Huh?" Alex paused as he saw the first company on the list.
He couldn't help but tremble as he saw the documents. Celestial Trading Commerce, has a daily revenue of 1 to 100 million US dollars? Alex was dumbfounded, but he continued to browse the lists on the tablet screen.
EMP Capital Corporation—isn't that the company that had recently emerged, or was it said that the owner was a very ruthless individual who, after being insulted by the previous CEO, in her anger bought the company's stock and took control of the business, and fired the CEO? Indeed, that was quite something. That company is worth several billion dollars!
Alex, keep reading information only to find out some of the companies were world-leading corporations, recognized globally!
No wonder everything here was screaming richness.The more he browsed through the list of corporations, the more numb he became; he didn't realize that he was having perspiration on his forehead.
But then, Alex's hands froze as he read the last of the list while he knitted his brows together.
International Safety Agency? Alex was taken aback. Isn't that a private army that's still active worldwide, particularly in South Africa, where the most notorious warlords are? And to boot, those warlords were constantly at each other's throats?
How did his father get involved in such a line of work? There was also a possibility that his father had merely invested in that old agency to have some stacks, nothing more...
Nevertheless, Alex couldn't help but ask in his heart about how powerful the Crown family was.
He had numerous things he wanted to ask his father, but it wasn't appropriate for him to ask at the time. He shook his head.
The more Alex's speculation about the Crown family increased, the more mysterious it appeared, as though thick clouds were surrounding it!
And on top of that, this company was scattered around the globe! If it weren't for the fact that the documents were approved and legal, Alex couldn't believe that his father was planning to pass them to him.
"How is it, son? Do you accept my offer?" Charles spoke while waiting for his son's response.
Alex took a deep breath as he spoke in a firm manner.
"I refuse; I have to go back to work."
Despite knowing full well that it wouldn't end well after offending Bruce, who was the son of the CEO! Regardless, he still had a glimmer of hope that perhaps Bruce's father, as the reputable company's CEO, wouldn't hold a grudge against him.
Hearing Alex's response made Charles frown a bit; for him to not accept his offer, his son sure had a nerve of steel. Then he asked for a reason.
"I know my capacity, Father, and for the time being, I'll refuse the offer," Alex spoke from his heart.
Just now, Alex understood the gravity of the situation by putting his name down as the owner of a powerful company. As wouldn't everyone start targeting his neck? It wasn't because he was scared; rather, he didn't want his peaceful life disturbed unless it was necessary.
"How much is that company paying you, my son?" Charles said it with a serious countenance.
Alex hesitated before uttering. "3 grand per month..."
"I see..." Charles didn't want to push his son for a clear answer. Truthfully, if his son wanted, he could pay him ten times the paycheck his company was paying him. No, even if his son wanted him to multiply the money a thousand times, he wouldn't frown!
Alex was silent; actually, he was waiting for his father Charles to berate his decision, but that didn't seem to be the case. Just then, he felt tired; his eyelids were quite heavy.
'Now that I think about it, with all that happened, I need a proper sleep....' Alex thought to himself, and that's when he noticed Alfred taking a step forward.
"Young master Alex, I'll take you to your room..." Alfred offered his service, but he was cut short as Alex waved his hands.
"Don't worry, I just ask the maids where to sleep," Alex said after some consideration, but before leaving, he bid his father farewell for the night.
"My son, please enjoy your stay here," Charles said this with a smile on his somewhat wrinkled face.
Alex nodded calmly and left the lavish room.
At this point, only Charles and Alfred were left in the foyer, while Charles kept tapping his finger on the polished armchair and Alfred stood straight while letting out a sigh as he took a peek at Charles.
"Alfred, can you believe it?"
Alfred stroked his beard with a thoughtful expression while he spoke. "You mean the young master's salary?"
"$3000?.... They're paying my dear son with that measly amount of money?" Charles Crown almost blurted it out in anger. Even a janitor at his company would have a higher salary than that!
He was a respected elder in the business world who had his own business empire with unmeasurable wealth, yet his beloved son was underpaid?
No father wouldn't be enraged when their son's dreams were being paid for with a paycheck!
"Alfred, hire a No.1 private investigator in the city to sniff around this company; I want to know every detail!" Charles solemnly said that a flash of ruthlessness appeared in his cold gaze.
Suddenly, he coughed violently, and butler Alfred's expression changed as he hastily helped Charles.
"Patriarch, don't push yourself!" Alfred said worriedly.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, I just need to rest..." Charles said while waving his hands as though he didn't need any help.
Charles took a deep breath as he gazed outside the window as the curtain of darkness blanked the skies while the star shone. Finally, he spoke.
"Tell me, Alfred, am I being cruel by passing this responsibility to my son?" Charles uttered his words with a hint of melancholy.
Alfred was silent for a second before responding with convection.
"No, it's the right choice, and don't worry too much master Crown; I'll swear upon my name to train the young master, a worthy heir of the Crown household!"
Around 6:00 am, the morning sunlight shone right through the window inside the master bedroom. Alex could be seen sleeping soundly while the relaxing breeze caressed his face.Moments after Alex woke up, he didn't immediately sit up, as he was looking blankly at the ceiling. "I'm the Crown family heir...." Alex mumbled gibberish. He scanned his eyes around this mesmerizing room with plenty of space.Yesterday he was too tired to examine the room, but now he could see that he was sleeping in a king-sized bed; the interior and its decor were superb, and it gave off a cozy atmosphere that would make one involuntarily fall asleep! It was welcoming and comforting to sleep, and there wasn't even a speck of dust. The curtains were laced with golden threads. Alex had a complicated expression. Usually, he would sleep in a bed that was as hard as tree bark or concrete; it was just sad.... Presently, he was feeling indignant, at how the rich people would sleep in a place like this every day!I
Alex flinched as he heard the familiar voice shouting. It was none other than his ex-girlfriend, Shenna! Alex's expression fell as he turned toward Shenna, who was walking elegantly toward him with her expensive Louis Vuitton dress; it seems that she had been waiting for Alex to appear."Alex, who said you could set there?" Shenna placed her hands on her hips as she scuffed at him."..." Alex lowered his head as he returned to his work, arranging documents. It was better for him to stay silent to avoid conflict.Unfortunately, Shenna didn't think so, as out of the blue, she contemptuously snatched the documents off Alex's hands."Did you forget something?" Shenna, with a cold expression, icily stated. "Why aren't you apologizing to me?" What a crazy woman! Alex couldn't believe that he had fallen for such a petty woman. Not to mention he was ready to commit everything for her, including marrying her. That would have been insane and the worst decision of his life!At this point, Alex
After seeing Alex, Bruce's eyes went red, and he wanted nothing more than to rip Alex apart! There was no need for reason. It was unnecessary; he hated Alex's face.'It's this f*cking fellow's fault!' Bruce gritted his teeth while thinking at the back of his head. All the bad things that are happening to him must be Alex's doing; he did something behind the scenes!"Alex, you horsecrap spitting b*stard!"Unable to hold his temper, Bruce pounced on Alex; he had decided to punch him. However, wouldn't Alex just stand still and let himself be a punching bag? Of course not!Alex instinctively caught Bruce's all-out punch.Just then..."Stop!" An authoritative and powerful voice could be heard resounding inside the office, startling everyone.A beautiful woman wearing a glass and the classy outfit of a secretary suddenly appeared at the door; she immediately scolded Bruce."Although you no longer have the right to be the CEO of the company...." She scrutinized Bruce with her chilling gaze
Alex followed the pretty lady through the elevator. It never fails to amaze him to look at her amazonian waist sticking tightly on her classy Armani dress. Her skirt was above her knee, showing her pearly white long legs. Her oval-shaped face and the sculpted figure would put other well-known celebrities to shame.'I wonder who she is...' Alex thought in his heart. He couldn't help but raise a question. "Um, miss, can you tell me your name?" In response to Alex, the pretty lady gave him a long sideways glance. The look on her face... It was as if she were telling him that he was unworthy to know her name.Alex's brows twitched; this pretty lady's attitude was as proud as a peacock's! He mumbled to himself. 'Does she hate me or something?' Soon, Alex and the pretty lady arrive at the CEO's office. Initially, Alex had come to the conclusion that he would get fired as soon as they entered the CEO's office; however, to his surprise, the one sitting comfortably inside the office was....
"The worst department?" Charles Crown knitted his brows. Why would he choose a department that's been abandoned by the other managers? That's foolish... No, he's Son Alex, isn't he? Surely, there must be something in mind for him to choose that department, isn't there?"The reason?"Alex took a deep breath to compose himself as he began to explain to his father, Charles Crown, who was attentively listening to him, that he had to back his words with facts and not some random speculation."....that being said, a certain percentage of the company's revenue goes missing every year."Before Alex could finish his words, Ms. Athena cut him off."Impossible!" Ms. Athena scoffed; she was rebutting his claims; she had thoroughly examined every one of the staff in this company and also dug up the dirt that the previous CEO was trying to hide. "I already did my investigation.... No, wait." Something clicked in her mind as her gaze at Alex changed to one of amazement.Seeing Ms. Athena's reaction
Alex couldn't be bothered by her throwing tantrums at him. It was better for him to leave; if a passerby saw him, that would be an issue. He didn't want to fall for her tricks again. But to his surprise, Shenna was still following him, leaving him dumbfounded at her tenacity!"What a crazy woman..." Alex mumbled as he hastily entered the car and pressed the accelerator to leave instantly, leaving Shenna in shock."W-When did he have a car?" Shenna uttered. Her ex-boyfriend Alex was riding in a car. And it wasn't a substandard car; rather, it was an expensive luxury car that would be worth at least millions of dollars! Furthermore, it was something that famous people would be willing to pay for to add to their collections!'H-How? Didn't he say to me that he was poor?' In Shenna's mind, she was enraged because Alex was deliberately lying to her!At this moment, Alex was letting out a sigh of relief as he finally escaped her. Who knows what she would do? Next time, he should distance hi
On the other hand, Alex was frowning; he knew something was up, particularly since Kurt was the organizer of this reunion; it would be strange if Kurt didn't pick a fight with him! "Attention, now boys, take out your credit cards, and we'll pick who will be paying for this reunion party!" Andrew blurted, making the girls excited that they wouldn't have to pay and that it would be on the guys; however, Alex's classmates become worried all the more. Andrew seems to be considering something, as he added. "Don't worry, Kurt will help you "pay" the bills!" Hearing that Alex was as suspicious as his male classmates, they simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. Although they wanted to impress the girls but ended up broke, that wouldn't be worth it! With that, Kurt collected the guys' credit cards. 'Should I give my credit card?' Alex thought he was hesitant to hand over his black credit card, as he didn't know how much his father, Charles Crown, had put inside. Seeing that, Kurt's coun
Kurt was terrified, but it was already too late, as this group of notorious people had set their gaze on them! Not to mention, this second-generation young master was secretly drooling at the ladies beside Kurt! He demanded that to settle their score, he would have to hand over these pretty little ladies to him and 'have a good time with them.'At this moment, Andrew finally realized who they were up against! He became deadly pale as a result. It was the end for them....Just then..."Party is over, folks!" Young master Zhen shouted.Because of the loud music, no one seems to be listening to young master Zhen's command, which infuriated him.So he rudely grabbed the mic from the hosts and made an announcement."The party is over, folks! I've booked the whole d*mn place; now leave!"The partygoers who were supposed to enjoy themselves were at a loss, but then they saw young master Zhen's aggressive bodyguards in black apparel, who were randomly beating the dudes in their groups.With
The guests in the Golden Paradise were stunned, and then they started to hang their heads down, terrified at this group of mafia-like men. They didn't want to get into trouble themselves, so they walked a bit further from the entrance.On the other hand, the employees were intimidated, not to mention that they had just seen the guards of the Golden Paradise outside groaning in pain. Clearly, they were beaten up.The senior manager gathered his courage. "Sir, please leave you're scaring the guests; if you don't, I'm afraid I would have to call the polic-"Before the senior manager could finish speaking, Alex cut him off. "It's alright, manager Kevin; from here, I'll handle this." Listening attentively to Alex's words, senior manager Kevin immediately bowed in Alex's direction and spoke politely. "Yes sir. Please excuse my rudeness." Alex turned his attention to this fellow, who was a member of the Crown family and must likely be his cousin...Alex never imagined meeting his cousin a
Teacher Vivian recovered from her shock and glared at her husband. "What are you waiting for? Shouldn't you carry your own luggage?""Um..." Richard's face was turning a shade of red as he hurriedly grabbed the bags Alex was carrying."Y-You must be tired, junior brother?" Richard wanted to keep his dignity, so he was making excuses not to be obvious. Furthermore, he had no idea about Alex's identity; he was horrified inside thinking about offending someone he shouldn't have. However, would Alex not notice what Richard was thinking? So he feigned ignorance and stated it in a calm voice. "Tired? Not at all. I can carry it for you all the way."Richard was stunned then, his back broke a cold sweat as he felt like crying with no tears. Not to mention, his wife was glaring at him."I-I'll carry it from here, please." Richard uttered, and at the end of his sentence, his voice was the sound of a mosquito; it was barely audible. On the other hand, Teacher Vivian came forward and faced Alex
"What do you mean my credit card didn't go through?" Richard was frowning heavily. How come his credit card wasn't accepted? He was pretty sure it had some savings in it.The server rolled his eyes, although he was annoyed. Nevertheless, he still had to maintain professionalism. With it in mind, he politely explained. "With all due respect, we only accept credit cards from reputable banks, mostly VIP card holders, but we do have a beer minimum; it would be the C.F.R. City Bank."The moment Richard heard those words, he was dumbfounded. What the... VIP card holders? What's even more incredulous is that the C.F.R. City Bank was considered a beer minimum.'Wasn't the C.F.R. City Bank the biggest bank in the City?' Richard mumbled in disbelief. On the side, teacher Vivian was similarly stunned, but soon she recovered, and she was starting to worry as she uttered. "Does it mean we will have to leave?""Let me think..." Richard gritted his teeth; he shouldn't have lost his cool, yet he had
Around ten in the morning, Alex finally arrived at his destination.He got out of the car while taking off his eyewear, which caused his brows to involuntarily twitch as he felt the heat rays from the glaring sun. Then he turned his attention toward the famous property of Antonio Florence.Undoubtedly, the plantsIt was a mixture of greenery and modernity, as the villas and the mansion were surrounded by gorgeous, rare plants. Alex wondered how they managed to grow those plants that could only be seen in different countries!Indeed, the place deserves its name, the Golden Paradise.Just then, someone came toward Alex."Sir, this way, please." A young man in his late teens who looks like an employee with his white and black uniform came to Alex and led him toward where a group of visitors was.'Kate and the others are not present. They've already gone ahead; I should look for them later.' Alex mumbled while scanning the crowd, looking for his co-workers, only to fail.At this point, as
Weeks passed, and everything was back on track. Alex could be seen jogging around the plaza, as the children were playing while noticing the young man, Alex pass them by while gasping for air.Gradually, Alex slowed down. He was thirsty and dead tired from working out. He took a seat on a vacant bench, gulping down the water bottle and putting some on top of his head to refresh himself. "That felt good," Alex uttered while feeling his muscles start to relax.Just then, Alex heard his name being called from a distance. He shifted his gaze toward the direction of the voice and saw a young lady wearing a yoga outfit.Rihanna? Alex thought in surprise at her appearance."Alex..." Rihanna was catching her breath as she spoke. "I noticed you from the apartment's balcony earlier; I wanted to tag along, but you were jogging too fast... Oh, I almost forgot this is for you."Rihanna took out a small pink towel and handed it to Alex in a shy manner."Wow, thank you, Rihanna." Alex grinned as
At this juncture, the veterans were starting to incircle around Alex; one of the veterans even moved a step closer toward Shenna.Just as the perverted veteran was about to grab her, Alex suddenly blocked his outstretched hands with his body."Tell your men to stop." Alex's words were directed toward the veteran leader, who was simply standing at the back of the group of veterans.Hearing Alex's sentence, the veteran leader signaled to his group of veterans to stop."You want me dead, right?" Alex said while pushing the terrified Shenna behind him to cover him from the veterans."Indeed, we want you dead; your head will be valuable." The veteran leader's statement was very alarming."At least give me a reason why you are after me... Is it because of the Crown family?" There was no need for Alex to hide his identity at this point; most likely, they already knew him beforehand. What's more puzzling is: what was their intention?"You sure have guts." "Alright, I'll explain it to you....
Bruce was taken aback as he looked at the furious Alex and Shenna, whose eyes were burning with defiance as she glared daggers at him."Pft." Bruce couldn't hold it in as he burst out laughing, and he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes."You two are really similar! Showing such a face, how scary."Bruce stopped laughing as he continued to mock Alex. "Remember this place? Isn't it ironic? It's where your 'little girlfriend' decided to betray you because she wanted to use me to get promoted? If I were in your position, there's no way I would date such a woman, not to mention putting myself in danger!"Bruce wasn't done mocking Alex, as he proceeded to speak while leaning at the table with a grim face. "If you aren't blind, then you're certainly a fool!"In Bruce's opinion, Alex was an idiot.Alex understood that Bruce was using this tactic to play with his head. He was cleverly sowing discord between him and Shenna. But would he allow himself to fall for it easily? No!However,
The sudden interruption made Bruce's countenance stiffen; it took him a few seconds to recover as he mumbled. "Speaking of the devil!"There wasn't a doubt in Bruce's mind who the caller was! Without hesitation, Bruce picked up the call."My, my, I didn't think you'd be this fast for a fool!"Alex didn't immediately answer, making Bruce irritated. Just as he was about to yell at Alex on the phone, Alex's voice could be heard."... I'm outside, the money is already here, and I want to see her." Bruce signaled his men to go downstairs. He chuckled coldly while replying. "Showing concern, aren't we? Why don't I invite you in?""Alright." Alex replied on the phone.Bruce thought for a moment before responding in a mocking manner. "Do you want me to put your little girlfriend on the phone?" "There's no need for that; just make sure not a strand of hair is missing; otherwise, you'll regret it." Alex's tone of voice was deep.Without giving Bruce a chance to reply, the call was suddenly cu
Shenna was thinking hard about what purpose her abductors were after...Was it money? No, that shouldn't be the case, as who didn't know she didn't have anything on her name...Shenna couldn't help but think of her family, but then she smiled bitterly; knowing her family, she could easily imagine their indifferent reaction; they wouldn't lift a single finger to help her. If they knew he was abducted, they would even blame her for being careless...Unconsciously, Shenna bit her cheery, ripe lips until they bled; however, she didn't care as she ignored the pain.Although she could feel her anxiety rising, she had no idea where she was or what she should do; she was all alone in this lonely room, waiting for her abductors to do their worst...'No, I hate this feeling. I need to do something; that jerk Alex would mock me if I didn't do something. Shenna did so angrily in her heart; she didn't want Alex to look down on her. She inhaled deeply. She needed to figure out how to escape here be