It's been three hours, but no food has come. Ross thought it was weird. The delivery man was supposed to arrive two hours ago, but it was now past three in the afternoon.
Contemplating that maybe the chef was swamped with orders from other VIP patrons, Ross heard a light knock on the door. He presumed his food had finally arrived, but to his disappointment, Sarah came empty-handed.
"What is it, Sarah?" He does his best to keep calm and suppress his irritation. However, Sarah still notices his disappointment.
"Sir, I received a call from CEO Brandon's assistant. He wanted to relay the message from your father. Please call him when you're done with the meeting."
Ross frowned, inquiring, "Is something wrong? If it isn't important, then I'll do that later."
He thinks his dad will only summon him to his office so that he can eternally scold him after he walks out in the middle of their discussion.
Sarah pondered momentarily, hesitant whether to share Assistant Andrew's remarks. But maybe it's best to speak up. "Sir, Assistant Andrew mentioned your father was hurried to the hospital for immediate treatment. And so, he wanted you to follow them there."
"Hospital? What happened? Why were they there?" They simply had lunch and were scheduled to visit Eastern Aurora Academy, so he wondered what possible incident they would encounter.
'Has father had a heart attack?' Ross couldn't stop himself from making absurd guesses. He recalled how his father suppressed his anger. Maybe it leads him to have discomfort in his chest. 'Wait, what am I doing?'
Disappointment and a loss of respect for his father overcame him, which is why he had that kind of thought.
His father is his hero. He admires how formidable a businessman he is…
But now he could sense that a crack had appeared in his beautiful relationship with his father.
Could it be because he is against his plan? Or is it because he is frustrated, as the girl he wants to marry is someone who could not become his, and so he wants to vent his anger to his father?
He knew that his father wanted to give them a good life. But the problem is his ways. Something about Ross will definitely contradict his old man's plans.
Ross shook his head to dismiss these thoughts. He was actually afraid that they would become rooted inside his heart and that the almost unnoticed crack would become a massive hole. Ultimately, he didn't want a conflict between him and his father.
"Did they encounter an accident?" Ross assumed, and Nana's safety was the first thing that came to mind.
"I don't know the details, sir. I'm sorry," replied Sarah. "Right. Would you like me to find out more details?"
"It's alright. I better call Dad directly." Ross left his chair at the long table and retrieved the phone he kept inside his drawer. He usually put his phone away so that no one, not even his family, could disturb him.
Ross swiped the screen, and several messages in his inbox and missed calls were registered in his call log history. He also receives chat messages from Shaun.
Ross was taken aback as he read Shaun's chats. Immediately, panic creeps into his chest.
"Meeting adjourned! I will call you again when I'm available." He dismissed his team with no explanation. He then looks at Sarah. "Postpone all my appointments this afternoon, including tonight."
"Note, Sir."
After a quick instruction, Ross left in a hurry. Thinking of being stuck in the traffic again, he drove his big bike and took the alleys for shortcuts to reach the hospital faster.
~
Meanwhile, at the hospital...
"Who the hell do they think they are? They had the audacity to harm my princess? Oh, my princess Isabelle..."
Tony choked, remembering how pitiful his youngest daughter was. He then added, fretting...
"She just signed a contract yesterday to host the cosplay festival. The sponsors personally invited my princess, and she will be on the livestream that will be broadcast worldwide! How can my daughter appear before millions of spectators with that wound on her beautiful face? I won't let them off! That woman should be in jail! I will sue her for attempted murder!"
Although it sounded exaggerated, Brandon understood Tony's feelings. He would indeed utter the exact words if one of his sons got hurt because of someone's malicious intention.
"I'm sorry this happened to Yonah. Don't worry, Tony. I will ask Ross to investigate the matter immediately and teach the Johnstone family a lesson," Brandon said assuringly.
However, Tony didn't find Brandon's words helpful in calming him down.
"Of course! I will ensure that their company goes bankrupt! Wait… I think I remember now. Gregory Johnston approached me and asked for collaboration. I promised to set up a lunch meeting with his team. Hah! Gregory didn't discipline his daughter!"
Tony would no longer collaborate with them, so the Johnstons were oblivious that their lavish life was about to end.
"Celia must apologize publicly. I understand how much she loved my brother, and so she was too jealous of sister Sheena. However, it was so wrong that she hurt Nana. I will ask Kuya Ross not to forgive the Johnston family!" Shaun chimed in, which even caused Tony to explode in anger.
Listening from the side, Ross wasn't happy with Shaun's remarks.
Why would he have to emphasize that Celia likes him? Ross glared at his brother.
For the first time, Shaun had become a pest in his eyes.
Ross appeared from the corner of the hallway. He could no longer hide from listening when Shaun blamed him for what happened to Nana.
"What is this all about?" he asked. Immediately, the three men turned their heads toward him.
Although he admits he was initially the cause, he still doesn't like Shaun's explanation. It makes him look like he was a scumbag and a playboy in the eyes of the Villegas family.
Brandon glanced sidelong at his eldest son, and Ross could sense his father's indifference.
"It's good that you are here now. We've been contacting you for the past couple of hours."
"I'm sorry, Dad. I was in a meeting, so I put my phone away."
"What meeting?" The way Brandon looked at his son was like asking him if his meeting was more important than a Villegas princess.
Sensing the unsaid irritation, Ross explains himself.
"I called my team to plan out the Sheldon project. If no one opposed my plans, I wanted to propose establishing Nana's exclusive agency on Sheldon Land and a filming studio. Medusa Entertainment was already packed with artists, and the competition was great. And so, I've decided to establish a sister company. Since she is the sole owner of it, I will let her name her own company."
Listening to him, both Brandon and Tony were pleased. For a moment, they forgot Nana was hurt.
"Brandon, you raised your son well." Tony laughed as he approached Ross and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "I knew it! I didn't make a mistake in trusting you. I am assured that my daughters are in good hands."
Ross smiled stiffly. He felt slightly guilty. Tony's statement was like a slap in his conscience. It would be a massive scandal if anyone knew he fell for the younger sister while dating the oldest sister.
He knows it isn't about his dream because he feels differently toward Laura, Yonah's carbon copy. Before he meets Yonah, he feels awkward and uncomfortable seeing Laura.
But Yonah is different. At their first meeting, he fell in love immediately. His heart was beating for the first time, and he was sure it was love.
However, the society they were living in was too unfair. He must consider certain aspects, such as the fact that he could only marry Shenna, as both were the heir and heiress.
Yonah is the bright star in the sky that he shouldn't covet.
"Brother, what are you saying that you will build Nana's studio?"
Shaun was surprised to hear this. He also had plans to build Yonah's studio as a betrothal gift. He's the one who should build Yonah's company!
But then, his brother had already taken the plan's first step.
As Shaun ponders, an inexplicable feeling creeps up in his chest. For the first time, he is infuriated with his brother for stealing something from him.
Moreover, he also steals his thunder! He also had grand plans for Nana, but Tony only praised his brother!