"Mum," he greeted the person at the other end after placing the phone on his left ear, then came his stepmother's soft voice.
"Son... are you in City X already?" She asked in a soft tone.
"Mm," Carl replied with a slight nod then silently listened to the woman's soft sigh.
"Son... If you have time, can you go and see them, please?" The woman muttered softly while sighing again from the other end.
If it was in the past, she wouldn't have had the courage to ask him this, but she had come to realize that family Is very important, and no matter what happens, resentments are not supposed to be kept and all misunderstandings should be resolved before it becomes too late.
Those were her father's words before he died. She sighed heavily after sniffing back her tears then listened silently to her son's soft breathing.
"Son," she softly called out after some seconds hearing no reply from the other end.
"Mum..." Carl trailed off then chuckled sadly and sighed again. "Mm." He slowly nodded, some seconds later, and after hearing his stepmother's reply from the other end, he bid her goodbye before hanging up the call.
******
Meanwhile, at the other end, in City M....
After hanging up the call, the woman also breathed out a soft sigh and turned to face her husband who was sitting beside her on the bed then gave him a hard glare. She couldn't believe what he had just told her.
"Henry, you're really too much, I can't believe you could do that." She muttered with a scoff and the man gazed at her apologetically.
"I thought it was for the kids' good," he muttered with a sigh while trying to grab her hand.
"Henry, do you even know the meaning of a family? They're the kids' grandparents for goodness sake... How would you feel if this is also done to you?" The woman sighed again and knowing that scolding the man is futile, she gave him another glare then stood up and walked out of the room, to find out where her naughty daughter had run off to.
******
Meanwhile, in City X....
After hanging up the call, Carl stared down at his phone's screen while his eyes flashed with so many emotions and a sad smile slowly crept up on his face. He walked away from the large window then placed down the phone on the table which was in front of the couch.
He slowly removed his suit jacket then sat down on the couch before picking up one of the briefcases which were placed beside him.
Opening the zip, he took out his laptop, then carefully placed it down on the table which was in front of him, before opening it and instantly started working.
Some hours passed by as he worked tirelessly, and he finally stood up from the couch after glancing down at his wristwatch.
He walked inside the bedroom, then into the bathroom and several minutes later, he came out freshly bathed and in a new set of a business suit.
Hearing sounds of knocks coming from the living room, he carefully arranged his necktie then walked outside and opened the door for his assistant as it was almost time for the meeting, knowing that the business partners would have arrived already.
"S... Sir... " David greeted anxiously, immediately the door was opened. And he flicked away the sweats that had formed on his forehead while watching his boss with fear evident in his eyes which were slightly red.
A small frown slowly settled on Carl's forehead as he watched the assistant's expression and he muttered, "What is it?"
"S... Sir, It's my wife..." David quickly answered while trying to calm his erratically thumping heart then continued. "She__ she had gone into labor and it had been many hours now. I just received a call from my mother," he added hurriedly while thinking back to what his mother had told him on the phone. It was no wonder that his wife kept bugging him with so many texts. However, the poor girl did not inform him that she's in pain.
Carl watched the assistant who was on the verge of breaking down. "You can go back," he muttered with a slight nod then started walking back to the living room.
David sighed in relief and quickly thanked his boss before dashing off from the place to catch the next flight back to City M.
Glancing down at his wristwatch again after the assistant had left, Carl picked up his phone where he had left it on the table, then shoved it inside his pants pocket and walked out of the suite toward the elevator which took him to the floor where the meeting with the business partners would take place.
After coming out of the elevator, he strode toward the room whose doors were already opened by the securities.
It was like a small business party where he would get to know each other with the new business partners from overseas as the real meetings would commence tomorrow. And when he entered inside, the place was already bustling with their laughter and chatters.
The few older men and young men inside were sitting on the many couches inside the large room, with wine glasses in their hands while some girls dressed in clothes that barely concealed their bodies were clung tightly to their sides.
When they noticed the guy who had just walked inside the room, all the men stood up hurriedly and walked toward him excitedly.
"Mr. Cha, you're here... It is so nice to meet you," One man said while extending his hand for a handshake.
"I've heard a lot about you and also seen you several times on the TV... Seeing you now in person is a great honor." The other men also started, while taking turns to shake hands with the guy.
"Yes, Mr. Cha... Being able to remain at the top in the business world for so many years. I really admire your perseverance, even as a CEO myself."