Jason..
I groaned as I ran my hands through my hair frustratedly.
What the hell is going on?
I quickly dressed up and dashed out of my room straight downstairs. I looked around for my mom but I couldn’t find her until I got to the kitchen and there she was with Eve laughing about whatever.
I have to tell her about this.
I cleared my throat drawing both their attention.
“Oh Jason, you’re here, I didn’t know Eve could cook, look at all she made on her own this morning.” My mom said smiling as she looked at Eve who looked away blushing.
I wanted to coo at the sight but this wasn’t the time to do that.
“Just see.” My mom said seeing that my gaze hadn’t left Eve.
I turned to the table and my eyes fell on the different kinds of food on it.
There was Chick-fil-A tortilla soup, chicken potato, pea and corn, broccoli casserole and peach pie.
My mouth watered at the sight of food but this wasn’t the time. I looked away and turned to my mother.
“There’s a problem at the company.” I said immediately so she wouldn’t make me falter once more.
“What do you mean?” Mom furrowed her brows.
I turned to Eve and asked her to leave of which she obliged without arguments.
And then I turned to face my mother.
“I signed a contract with MI mobility.” I said and she nodded because she was aware.
“But it was a fraud.” I said quietly.
“What?” She said loudly.
“I have no idea, we traced it but it was real and now it’s a fraud, something is definitely wrong, oh mother.” I rambled but she pulled me into a hug.
“Shhhhhhh” She shushed me.
“This is not a time to panic, you’ll be fine.” She assured me.
“Everything will be alright.” She said soothingly before we disengaged from the hug.
I looked at her but I could tell from her eyes that she wasn’t sure that everything would be alright.
I felt good while the hug lasted though. The last time we had the mother and son hug was when my father died and she was trying to comfort me.
“Our stocks are plummeting.” I said with a weak voice.
“You’ll go to that company now, and you’ll make it right.” She said assuringly and I nodded before going out of the kitchen and outside the house.
I saw Clinton waiting by my car and I walked briskly towards him.
“Not now, when we get to the office.” I noticed he wanted to say something. Then, I entered the car. He entered the driver’s side, ignited the engine and we were ready to leave.
We drove straight to the company in silence and all kinds of thoughts were running through my head.
How would I possibly get through this?
We soon arrived at the company and there was a fleet of reporters just outside it.
I came down from the car and they all swam round me as Clinton went to park the car in the garage.
“Mr Coleman, what’s your stance on this claim that you were scammed by MI mobility?”
“Do you know you’re going to be sued for defamation and accusation by MI group?”
“What’s Jason’s tech stance on the current stock price?”
They all asked different kinds of questions but I pushed through and entered into the company.
There, I saw Patricia and Clinton waiting for me inside.
“Brief me.” I said quietly but sternly.
“Apparently, the board got their hands on a fake contract you signed with MI mobility.” Patricia began and I shot her a look.
“The boards?” I asked and she nodded.
“Tell me about this fake contract.” I said.
“The picture was leaked online however we’re yet to find the source at which it got on the internet.” Patrician explained.
The elevator opened and the three of us got in and it closed behind us.
“A picture?” I asked.
“Yes, the picture of the contract.” I said.
“In the contract, you signed the contract to sell off the company.” Patricia said and my head almost exploded.
“Sell off the company?” I snapped.
“Yes sir.” She said and I frowned.
“Even if that was online, it shouldn’t have affected the stocks, companies get sold out or merge all the time.” I said angrily.
“That’s not the problem sir.” She said and my heart sank even more.
“What’s the problem then?” I asked.
“A rumour is going around that you knowingly signed the contract with Mr Seo even when you know he’s a wanted criminal in Seoul.” She dropped the bomb.
“A known criminal?” I asked with a fallen expression.
“Yes, they say you both are in it together to sell the company and embezzle funds.” Patricia said and I looked away staring intently at the numbers in the elevator.
All these made absolutely no sense.
I couldn’t even piece them all together.
It sounded just like a storybook to me or perhaps a movie?
I embezzled funds? From a company that my father fought to keep for years?, A company named after me?
I want to sell the company? The company that I married an unknown person just so I could be in charge?
I signed a fake contract?
I wish this was all a dream.
Just yesterday, we held the anniversary party and then we’re facing a crisis almost immediately.
The elevator dinged and we all got out and headed for the conference room where all the boards of directors were said to be in.
The moment I entered inside, all sorts of questions were thrown at me.
“What would you do about this?”
“We’re about to go bankrupt!”
“Did you embezzle funds?”
“How much did you steal?”
“Shouldn’t we strip him of his rights?”
“No, he has the largest share in the company, he’s the biggest shareholder.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t throw him out.”
“If we all make a conclusive vote, we can remove him and do something before the company falls for good.”
I tried to ignore all these words as I walked to the front until I got to my seat but they were getting even louder and louder that I felt my head might explode.
“Silence!” I yelled and everyone shut up and looked at me.
“I have never embezzled funds.”
“I had no idea that Mr Seo was a criminal who managed to flee abroad from Seoul.”
“If I knew, I would have handed him to the police myself.”
“Not that I want to play righteous citizen but because that’s the right thing to do.”
“However, I will not condone any spite thrown my way.”
“This was done by an insider and when I catch you, I won’t sit still because the jab you’re throwing my way isn’t just affecting me but the entire company that my father struggled to build on his own.”
“And atlas, MI mobility will not be suing us because we’ll be doing that instead.” I said concluding my speech.
I didn’t even practise all those things but with the chaos inside me, I bet opening my mouth to speak was enough to get the words flowing out.
“Have you gone mad?” One of the boards asked.
“We can’t sue MI group with what we’re facing now, we’ll definitely go bankrupt.” The man continued to talk.
“You’re really trying to run us down, aren’t you?” Another person said.
“Shutup!”
“Just shut up!”
“If you’re not going to add reasonable things to this meeting, you might as well walk away right now.” I yelled angrily as I banged my hands on the table.
I pointed at the two of them and yelled angrily.
“You don’t even have up to six percent shares and yet you were made board of directors, I wonder what my old man was thinking before he died.”
“Don’t let good memories be ruined with bad ones, know your place.” I said frowning deeply before I stood up properly and fixed my clothes.
Silence took over the entire room and the two men looked pale.
“Meeting adjourned.” I said coldly and walked out of the room.
I went straight to my office and slammed the door angrily.
I picked up my phone and directed it straight to the MI group’s chairman.
“Well.. well.. well”
“You white people must hate each other declaring a war against each other.” He said using a Korean accent.
“Mr Park Jin, what business do you have with me?” I asked.
“Not at all, I have no issue with you.” He said and I hissed.
“Then why are you throwing jabs at my company?” I asked angrily.
“I’m not the one who scammed you now, am I?” He snickered and I almost slammed the phone on the table.
“I called you to confirm if Mr Seo was legit and you said he was, why are you trying to screw me over to get to your own employee?” I asked with gritted teeth.
“I’m not screwing you over, I’m not the one who released that picture on the internet, I had no idea that Seo was a thief who embezzled my money until few days ago, I was going to call you to tell you , however, someone from your company said you knew and you both joined hands to screw me over.” Mr Park Jin said.
“Someone from my company?” I asked.
“Yes.” He said.
“Who?” I asked and he told me.
I fitted my hands in anger.
What a piece of shit!
How could he possibly try to screw me over like that?
“Why did you believe him?” I asked.
“Well, why wouldn’t I believe him?” He threw the questions back to me and I understood.
After all, it was easier to believe someone from my company who worked closely with me.
“I won’t be suing your company anymore and since your lawyer was there the day you signed that contract, it can be nullified.” Mr Park Jin said.
“Thankyou.” I said quietly.
“Don’t thank me, after all, we can’t continue the project with what has happened.” He said before hanging up.
I groaned loudly in frustration.
“How could he?” I mumbled quietly to myself.
I checked the time and it was almost six in the evening.
I took my phone and my wallet and went out of my office.
“Should I escort you sir?” Clinton asked the moment he saw me.
I looked at him with an unreadable gaze before I shrugged and left the building.
I took my car and drove out of the building.
I found a bar a bit far from the company and I parked my car.
I came down and entered the bar.
“Two scotch.” I said as I sat down on the stool by the counter.
“Two scotch coming right up!” The bar man said and served me my scotch which I downed in seconds.
“Another.” I said and he gave me another.
“What’s your strongest drink here?” I asked and he gave me a bottle of wine.
“Charrier Margaux” I said reading the scribbles on the body.
“I don’t think this is a strong drink, just give me vodka.” I said returning it to him.
“It’s not strong but it will get you drunk, it has a sweet taste after all.” The bar man said giving it back to me with a wine cup.
“After all, that is what you want.”
“To get drunk.” He says as he opens the wine and pours it into a glass for me.
I drank the wine until I was tipsy.
I managed to call a designated driver who took me home.
When I got home, the lights were out and it seemed as if no one was home.
“Hello..”
“Is anybody home?” I called out but I got no response.
I checked my mother’s room and Grandma Nini but they weren’t in either.
I went to Eve’s and opened the door to her room and there she was seated on her bed.
“Eve..” I said in a sultry voice.
“Jason..” she said, getting up from her and coming to meet me since I wasn’t standing properly.
“I was scammed.” I said in a croaked voice.
I wanted to cry but I couldn’t. Not now at least.
“I know, I’ll make you feel better.” She said,
“You’ll make me feel better?” I asked like a child asking for sweets and drew me into her room and closed the door behind her.
“I’ll make you feel better.” She said but her voice came out like a whisper.