[3 Arrogant son, enough to cause a heart attack!]
The man who had just spoken felt a surge of anxiety. He, like nearly everyone in the room, was a victim of the unruly behaviour of this young man who had entered their office life out of nowhere a few months ago. Since then their office life has been a mess.
The terrifying thing was that the President, Ethan's grandfather, had a soft spot for him, and there were rumours that Ethan Han even held shares in the Han Corporation.
As a result, no one wanted to come to bad terms with him, but they couldn't ignore the fact that starting the meeting without the CEO would be a serious breach of protocol.
"Mr. Ethan, we can't just start a meeting like that. We need to ensure all necessary parties are present. It's a matter of protocol and respect for the decision-making process of the company. Please be patient and wait for the CEO to arrive."
An experienced employee, who had been with Han Corporation for a long time, stood up and spoke in a calm and composed tone, as if he were trying to persuade a stubborn child.
Ethan's frown deepened as he disliked repeating himself, but he also didn't want to yell at the old man. He suppressed his irritation and asked, "Didn't you hear me earlier?"
"That..." the old man's smile froze. He had thought that even though Ethan disliked his father, he would at least show some respect to others. But it seemed that was not the case.
"The gardener left and we didn't find one. Your honourable CEO is currently watering his flowers. I fear… he won't come." His words left the old man and the others speechless.
They didn't know how to respond to such a weird remark from the CEO's son.
The old man nudged his glasses, his expression frozen in confusion. Ethan's words and tone were full of ambiguity. It made him wonder, 'Could it be… the CEO is with his side chicks now?!
He was stuck in a dilemma. Despite the scheduled meeting time being long overdue, the urgency of the matter kept them all at a standstill.
"Why isn't the CEO still here yet?!"
"Is it true…"
"His son won't lie…"
"But, it's hard to believe…"
People started to whisper in the meeting room. The old man silently observed Ethan and saw him smiling. He frowned and suggested, "Let's wait a little more. Sir may be caught in the traffic…"
Ethan Han threw a sharp look on his way which shut him up.
"We don't need employees who are late! Let's begin!"
The people exchanged glances; can the CEO and general employees be treated the same?
Never!
The CEO's approval is required for any major decisions. They couldn't simply initiate the meeting with Ethan Han, who was just a general manager, and exclude Han Boyaung, the CEO.
Doing so would be ridiculous! If they followed Ethan's suggestion, they would undermine the CEO's authority!
Ethan visibly enjoyed the scene. He tapped on the tabletop, smirking without a worry in the world.
The pressure mounted until, finally, they heard footsteps approaching the door, and some people walked in. Finally, Han Boyaung, accompanied by Secretary Fan, entered the conference room, much to the relief of everyone present.
However, the CEO's demeanour was far from calm. His eyes locked onto Ethan who had blatantly occupied his chair. His temple throbbed as he let out a sharp yell, "Rascal! You're just a general manager of the HR department! Who allowed you here?!"
The thing was… who would dare to block his path?
"Heh!" Ethan Han stood up and faced his father. Unlike the old man, he had a playful smile but the eyes hidden by the sunglasses were colder than ice.
"This is my company too, FADDHER. Nobody has the audacity to stop me. Not even you." Ethan Han said and grinned as he played with the head seat.
Then, he turned towards the people in the room and said meaningfully, while targeting Han Boyaung, "One day, this company will be mine, so there's no need for you all to work so hard and come every day," he declared in a tone that dripped with arrogance.
"You unfilial brat!... Impossible!" Han Boyaung spoke angrily, his face turning red with fury.
The other people in the room avoided looking at the tense confrontation happening between the father and son, their eyes darting nervously around the room.
Ethan Han's expression changed, and he challenged his father, "Try me, father."
As Han Boyaung looked at his son's confident face, an ominous feeling gripped his heart. 'No, it's impossible! Father won't give him my company! This company is the result of my whole life's hard work,' he thought to himself.
The others in the room continued to avoid looking at the confrontation between father and son.
As Han Boyaung stared at Ethan's arrogant face, his fear and anger intensified. He couldn't believe that his own son would dare to threaten him like this in front of outsiders.
He lost the face he built over the years. The man with a 'weak heart' couldn't control the rising blood pressure and began to fall backward while white foam began to leak from his mouth.
"Sir Bo!" Secretary Fan rushed to catch him, but struggled to support him because of his massive weight.
"Someone save the CEO!"
People got worked up when they saw the pessimistic situation. Some people rushed ahead to check on the old man while someone called an ambulance.
The young man to blame for causing this mess remained unfazed. Indifferently, his long legs passed by them, and he left the conference room silently.
Unlike the earlier arrogant look on his face, it was cold as he walked out. There was satisfaction in his eyes, knowing that the motive he had come for today was successfully achieved.
…
Han Residence.
Ethan walked into the last villa of the three buildings. The moment he entered, he saw the entire building was empty. As he walked towards the garden, he finally spotted the figure he was searching for.
An old man, in his seventies, was watering the flowers. In the entire place, except for him, there was no one else. Ethan walked up to him directly.
When the old man realised there was someone behind him, he paused for a moment. Right after he continued.
"You are here," he said.
"Grandfather, let's get inside," Ethan said as he tried to snatch the watering pot from him. However, the old man swiftly avoided him.
"Did you go to the company?" Han Erlang, his grandfather, asked instead.
Ethan Han retracted his outreached hand. The old man gave him a side glance and continued watering.
Ethan sighed and leaned against a nearby pillar, watching his grandfather with a complicated expression. "Yeah, I did," he replied after a moment of silence. "I caused a little trouble there."
Han Erlang chuckled, "As always, you can't sit still." He paused, looking at his grandson with a scrutinising gaze. "What's your plan now?"
Ethan Han pushed himself off the pillar and replied, "You know me too well, grandfather." He smiled wryly before continuing, "I want to take over the company, but I need your help."
Han Erlang's expression turned serious as he put down the watering pot. "I don't interfere with the company's affairs anymore. That's your father's responsibility."
Ethan Han's smile disappeared, replaced with a cold expression. "Father is incompetent."
Han Erlang sighed and placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "I know you're capable, but you can't just take over if you want to. You have to earn it. If I knew your grandpa would let you return, I would have never given the company to others…"
Ethan Han's eyes glinted with hidden hatred, "I will take it back. And when the time comes, I hope you stay like this..."
In short, Ethan didn't want his grandfather to interfere with whatever he would do in the future.
The old man sighed. They owed him too much. His son could forget everything but he wouldn't.
He got a sudden call and listened for a while. Right after the old man looked at Ethan and asked, "Someone called me to go to the hospital, and said that you caused trouble again. What did you do?"
Ethan Han's confident demeanour faded, and got replaced by a sense of embarrassment. The once-arrogant and cocky person was nowhere to be seen.
"He fainted." The young man whispered.
"Who?" Grandpa Han asked. He paused and looked at him directly. However, watching the cold look in Ethan's eyes, he guessed something, "Boyaung?"
"Yes," Ethan Han nodded. However, his expression didn't falter, and there was no sign of regret. Instead of focusing on what he had done, Ethan Han seemed more concerned about his grandfather's response.
However, the old man simply gestured for Ethan to accompany him for a walk in the garden.
Ethan Han handed his grandfather his cane and held his left hand. As they strolled together, Ethan couldn't help but ask while looking straight, "Grandpa, aren't you mad at me?"
Han Erlang spoke out loudly, "My son won't die easily. There is nothing to worry about."
'Bad people don't die easily.' Ethan Han chuckled as he had the same opinion.
However, he didn't voice out his thoughts to his grandfather, knowing it wouldn't be appropriate. Instead, he kept walking with him, enjoying the peaceful scenery of the garden.
After a long time, Han Erlang suddenly stopped and shook his head. "You're still young and foolish. Try to learn and find the true value of things as you grow older. Until then, I hope you'll reconsider your priorities and think about what's truly important in life."
The old man knew Ethan always went against Boyaung out of grudges and it was his own son's fault. He didn't want to see both of them become enemies but he was helpless.
Ethan listened to his grandfather's words and gave a small smile, "I will try."
"Good," Han Erlang replied before continuing their walk. This little assurance was enough to give him peace.
…