Coram sat down and waited in anticipation of what his Old man wanted to bring up.
"Your Younger brother has been staying at home doing nothing all this while. He's getting quite bored at home."
When Coram heard this he could already guess where his Old man was going with this.
"That's his problem and fault, who asked him not to complete his college education?" Coram asked mockingly.
Charles bowed his head in shame when this was brought up. Anytime he thought of that matter, he would always blame himself for being foolish,
'how could he have trusted that girl's words?'
It was because of that stupid bet he made with that woman, me had never thought that he would lose at all.
"Yes yes, and I think your brother has served his punishment by staying home these few years... So do you think you could arrange a place for him in the hospital?"
"Tish... How can an unlicensed doctor be employed into an hospital?" Coram mocked again.
All these while, Sheril had her hand fisted as she silently endured Coram's words of mockery. All will be worth it as long as Charles does something meaningful with his life. She couldn't just stand-by and watch her son become a medicore, especially when the son of that woman was already established. In her life, she would never had expected that she would beg that woman's son but what could she do, she was a mother afterall.
"Coram dear can't you help out your little brother? You are the company's Executive director afterall. It's just a small thing for you."
*Scoffs*
"It was this woman who asked you to call me here for her son's sake, right?"
When Coram heard the way she pronounced his name, he got goosebumps all over his body.
"Can you not call me like that... Look" Coram pointed at his skin.
"I got goosebumps all over because of you. You are already a old woman what makes you think that all those make up is covering anything... tsh"
"If she was or wasn't, what does it matter? Coram, are you going to let your brother join or not?" Rogers asked his son. Indeed he was the CEO of the hospital but it was all just in name. He had no actual power over the hospital, but Coram did. The Hospital was indeed started by himself and his ex wife back then but it was his ex wife who studied modern medicine, he was just the one in charge of the accounting and finances.
When he sent her packing he had poached a very brilliant doctor then, whom he thought was better than his ex at treating patients, and the hospital then had grown so much, that's was why he was so confident of sending her packing.
Afterall, his ex-wife was too dumb then and trusted him completely, back then inorder to gain her full trust, he gave her 49% shares of the company and he took 35%, his first son Coram was given 3%, the remaining 13% was shared out to the public. How foolish was he then, yes he had considered the amount of shares that she had on her when he decided to divorce her but he had thought that she really wasn't the type to consider taking revenge or being in power. But to reassure himself, he had some "accompany" her to the country he sent her too, she accepted it because he promised to send information about Coram to her through the person he sent.
But few years back when Coram left home, re-established himself and even built a bar which he run with his friends, his men that were in the country with his ex sent a message that she had escaped from them. He ordered them to find her, but since then no traces of her could be found anymore. He hasn't told anyone about this since then.
Then, when Coram was 20, his ex- wife's lawyer came to him and informed him that she had left a document that all of her shares will be transferred to Coram when he comes of age. So now his first son had 49% shares of the company plus his own 3%, Coram was currently the highest shareholder of their Sherman hospital. All this while he was constantly living in regret of what he did back then. Alas, it was impossible to turn back time.
Coram, on the other hand looked at his aging father and at his Stepmother.
"It's not as if I can't help him but it's just that no matter how you try to help a person but if he can't be helped, nothing can be done." Coram said, he sat down comfortably on the couch.
"What can I do to help myself?"
At this moment, Charles who had been silent all this while suddenly asked this question.
"Hahaha" Coram laughed.
Charles blushed in shame.
"You? I'm afraid you have nothing that I want?" Coram said, he looked at his Old man meaningfully.
*Sighs* Rogers sighed and said to Coram,
"What do you want?"
Coram smiled and sat up straight, "Now you are talking"
"Where's my mother?" Coram asked seriously.
Rogers seemed to have expected this kind of question.
"Why don't we talk in private?" Rogers suggested.
Coram nodded in approval, and stood up.
Sheril started wheeling Rogers to his study.
"Stop"
Coram who was already moving ahead paused in his steps and turned back to look at his Old man.
"Not you" Rogers said and looked at Sheril.
"Me?!"
"But Rogers darling, I just want to help you to your study"
"Coram can help me with that" Rogers looked at his son with hopeful eyes.
Coram looked at his Old man and said, "It's better you allow her to wheel you in, then she can see herself out"
After he said this, he continued walking towards the Study.
Rogers bowed his head down in disappointment, 'Well, what was he even expecting? After how he had disregarded his first son'
Sheril was about to continue wheeling Rogers, when she heard him say,
"Didn't I say to stop?!"
"I can do it by myself." Sheril looked at his retreating back and tightened her fists.
'You sick old man, how dare you dismiss me like that, if not because you still have some uses, why do you think I'm still keeping you alive?'
Sheril had long noticed Rogers changing feeling towards her, even though he doesn't say it aloud, she noticed that he spaced out a lot these days and kept a lot of things away from her - that was when she started...
In the Study
"So where is my mother?" Coram asked Rogers again.
"I'll tell you what I know. But then you have to promise to give Charles a job at the company."
Coram squinted his beautiful hazel eyes, he was a business man of course, so he said,
"It depends on how useful your news is"
"Okay, after your mother left us back then..."
Rogers started but before he could continue, he was interrupted with one great bang.
"My mother didn't leave, you betrayed her, pushed her out of her own house and worst of all, you made her to leave her child in the hands of probably her most hated nemesis."
"Do you even ever care about me back then?Did you care to find out how I grew up all those years?!" Coram happened to be shouting near hysteria. He calmed himself after shouting out loud.
"Ok fine I chase her out!" Rogers shouted back.
"Don't think because you young that this old bag of bones wouldn't have anything in him anymore."
Sheril who tiptoed to listen outside was both happy and worried that Father and son, were quarrelling.
'What if they are too mad at each other to talk about Charles job?"
Right in the study, both Father and son were just staring at themselves.
"I don't have time for all this... just tell me where my mother is."
When Coram said this, Rogers became silent.
Seeing this, Coram became worried,
"Did you do something to her" He whispered on low tone, his voice was already turning dark.
"No nothing like that" Coram heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this.
"So?"
Rogers sighed, he knew he was about to break a terrifying news to his son.
"She disappeared." Rogers finally said softly.
"What?" Coram could not believe his ears but Rogers repeated it again, "She has disappeared."
"I've tried to look for her but to no avail, she seems to have not existed in this country at all..."
Rogers stole a peek at Coram's expression, surprisingly he was supposedly calm... too calm.
"When did this happen?"
"About a few years back" Rogers answered.
"And you didn't contact the police, you just felt that you just keep it to yourself huh?" Coram was silently livid.
"Don't worry, I know that she's still alive, for her information to be wiped off, it only means that there's someone helping her out."
Coram looked at this selfish old man in front of him and felt like he couldn't be bothered to deal with him. Coram had long started investigating his mother's whereabouts, but he has been unable to find out anything at all, except for the location his father sent her to in the first place. That's why he wanted to ask his Old man this question.