Silence fell on the other side of the line, then followed by a heavy sigh, displeased with Jeremy's tone "You know, if I didn't know better, I would say you were commanding me..."
Jeremy quickly fixed his tone, it seemed the shock from his conversation with Linda still lingered, his now lowered voice was laced with remorse and fear, "Sorry Uncle Tony",
"It's okay, just don't let it happen again. So what is this about pausing the plan, have you fallen for her or John's obnoxious charm?", his tone remained cold and firm, unapproving of what Jeremy had said.
Jeremy knew that he could not disclose everything to his uncle, not yet at least. He had to get his facts straight, his aunt's involvement changes everything, but how could he tell his uncle that, the only thing he could do was to bait him with something he couldn't refuse, something to hold on to, just until he's figured everything out, "I found a way to get the galleries", he spoke with confidence, sparking his uncle's curiosity.
The man who was cold just a second ago was instantly filled with excitement, he sat up straight on his bed to appreciate the stars for such good news, the day was indeed starting on a wonderful note. With warmth in his voice and eagerness, he couldn't hide his giddiness, "Care to elaborate on the plan...", just as Jeremy predicted, 'This man's greed surpasses that of John's.', he thought hearing his uncle's child-like excitement. Jeremy remained silent on the other end of the line, contemplating his response, after all, he did not have a plan, all of this was decided based on a hunch and if he was right, how would he take away something his aunt built? This was bigger than the Kings or Tangs or his scheming uncle, this affected his very own plans as well, and he needed to handle it delicately. However, to his uncle, his silence was an act of defiance, a clear refusal, on a normal day, this could have led to unfavorable consequences for Jeremy, but since this unspoken plan could get him the galleries, he let it slide, "Very well...", but he couldn't let him go without reminding him what was at stake, in a calm tone, "Jeremy, remember this is the only way to ensure that the Tangs get everything that was taken from them and your father gets back on top. Failure is not an option. Think of your aunt.", upon saying that he hung up, not caring for Jeremy's response, still harboring a grin on his face causing the naked woman lying on his chest to raise her head and chuckle, "Must you always threaten him every after a phone call?"
He got up from the bed to put on his robe, with a smug look on his face, "Why do you care? He's not even your real son...",
The woman followed suit to put on her robe, and with a grinning face of her own, she smirked, "Ouch! That hurts my feelings, he might not be my son but I care about him, while he's still of use anyway...", she went close to Tony, threw her hands around his neck, "After that, he becomes of no use to us..."
He pulled her in by the waist, "What does your husband say when you say such things about his son? And where does he think you are when he wakes up to an empty bed in the morning?", he asked with a menacing grin
"I am on a business trip honey, besides, would you rather do this...", she planted a teasing wet kiss on his lips accompanied by a soft moan, when Tony was about to fully invest, she pulled away, and with a sinister smile, she presented the second option, "Or talk about him?"
Without thinking twice, Tony untied her robe and proceeded to give in to his desires, besides, he couldn't care less about Jeremy's father, he was nothing but a surrogate, safeguarding what was his, and that included Victoria, Jeremy's stepmother who so happened to be his adopted sister.
Meanwhile, Jeremy stood in a daze still glaring at his phone in distraught, 'His threats were becoming more and more personal', he sighed, 'he still thinks I believe that BS. I know he is not doing this for my father. I need to hurry, I don't have much time", he thought as he dialed another number and the phone didn't have to ring twice,
"Is it time?", the voice asked excitedly,
"Not yet Casey, we have a small problem...", he said diffusing Casey's happiness
"Oh, I don't like the sound of that. We don't have time, your uncle will be on the move soon."
Jeremy knew what Casey meant, but he knew that the gallery story would buy them some time, although not as much as they wished, but enough time, "Casey, I need you to look up what my aunt has been up to the past few years since I left Korea?"
"Woah! I thought the Kim family was off-limits, what changed? Di-..".
Seeing where his question was headed, he rushed to reply, "She might be in bed with the Kings..."
Casey instantly grasped the urgency of the situation, he sighed, "Oh, I now get what you mean, this will be a problem indeed. Let me get to it...",
"Thanks, Casey, and that thing with Linda....did you find out anything?", he asked calmly
"No, not yet, but the guys are searching...", Casey replied
"Okay, we must find it first before Uncle's people. With that, we will able to crash both the Tangs and the Kin-", his heart stung as he was about to mention the Kings, and he was instantly flooded with images of Linda, was he really going to destroy her?
Initially, he hated her, he despised the very sight of her. Her visits to his restaurant were like a stinging reminder of what he lost, his mother, his freedom, and whatever connection he had with his father, and that was the company. They were going to build the company as father and son, that was until Victoria convinced him to hire Tony, her adoptive brother, and he became Jeremy's mentor, but when the company went down, Jeremy became the scapegoat, and his relationship with his father strained even more. His father had no use for him anymore, the man who took him from a loving family with the promise of a warm complete family turned on him and accused him of destroying his company.
Things were much easier when the Kings were the evil ones, he wouldn't have hesitated, but spending time with them was complicating his views, and now the mission. They are not as bad as they were described and Linda is not as icy as she was made out to be, so if he destroyed them, and they are innocent, what would that make him? Especially Linda, whom he doesn't seem to despise anymore.