Chapter 4- Meeting with Mr Reid

• Charles continued acting, “Oh… you are so sweet. I can’t wait to taste the food you prepared for me. Love you, honey. See you soon.” He put the phone down and looked at Abigail, who was also looking at him curiously. He smiled and said “My girlfriend. She is missing me.”
• “Then go back home. Don’t keep her waiting.”
• A glimmer of sadness flashed through her eyes. Abigail felt pain in her heart, and it could be seen on her face too. She had been dating Aidan for five years, but Aidan seldom had time for her. He was always occupied with his job. She thought their relationship would probably improve if she stayed away from him, so she went to country B for further study. But Aidan had not changed at all during these two years. He was still indifferent to her and preferred work over her. Bitterness spread within her, and a self-mockery smile surfaced on her face.
• The sorrow on her face had not gone unnoticed by Charles, and he felt a twinge in his heart. He was about to say something, but before he could utter a word, he heard Aidan’s voice from his back, “Hey, beautiful. Did you have to wait a while for me?”
• Abigail raised her head to look into the source of the voice and saw Aidan grinning from ear to ear. A wave of happiness spread inside her, and she smiled brightly. Standing up, she rushed to him and threw herself to him. She smiled and said, “Aidan, I missed you so much.”
• He hugged her and said in a gentle voice, “Oh, darling. I missed you too.” Then, he lowered his head and peck her lips. He cupped her face and asked, looking at her dotingly, “How are you?”
• “Now I am fine.” She hugged him again, placing her head on his chest.
• He laughed softly and pulled her a little closer to him.
• Charles was looking at the lovely couple with a faint smile on his face. Now that Aidan was here, he had nothing to do here. He stood up and said, “Okay, then I will leave first.”
• Aidan released her and asked, “Why don’t you join us for dinner?”
• Abigail was a little unhappy to hear that. After so many days she had got the chance to dine with him, and she didn’t want to be bothered by anyone. She looked up to Aidan and said, “Let him go. His girlfriend is waiting for him.”
• “Is that so?” Aidan frowned deeply and looked down at her and then again looked at Charles suspiciously. When did he start dating? This was the first question that appeared in his mind. As far as he knew, Charles was not dating anybody. From where did this girlfriend appear all of a sudden? His eyebrows creased even tighter as this thought crossed his mind. He asked again, “You didn’t tell me that you have a girlfriend?”
• Charles laughed awfully, rubbing his neck. What would he say to his boss? Could he say he was just acting in front of Abigail? “It’s a secret.” He finally found his voice and said those words. “Can I go back now?”
• “Yeah.” Aidan nodded in a trance. His expression was not good, but neither Charles nor Abigail noticed that.
• After saying ‘goodbye’, Charles walked out of the restaurant and drove directly to his apartment. When he reached the apartment and stepped out of the car, he was encircled by five tall, sturdy men in black suits. Charles was startled, but when he realized who they were, he just rolled his eyes and said in a commanding tone, “Step aside.”
• But they didn’t budge. “Master, Sir wants to see you.” A middle-aged man stepped forward amidst the five bodyguards. He was wearing a tailored grey suit and had a noble temperament. He approached Charles and bowed a little, saying, “Master, please follow me.”
• Charles chuckled bitterly and shook his head. He said sternly, “Tell your boss that I don’t want to talk to him and also tell him not to waste his valuable time on a TRASH like me.” He emphasized the word ‘trace’. He pushed one of the bodyguards away and snapped, “Get off my way.”
• Just as he lifted his leg to go, he heard the middle-aged man say again, “Master, don’t make thighs difficult for me. Otherwise, I have to force you.”
• Charles turned around to look at the middle-aged man and sneered, “Are you going to kidnap me?”
• “I dare not, Master.” The middle-aged man lowered his head. “But I am obligated to follow Sir’s order.”
• Charles shrugged and sighed deeply in distress. Then he said, “Alright. Lead the way.”
• The middle-aged man started walking ahead while Charles followed him quietly. They walked up to the limousine parked diagonally opposite the apartment. One of the five bodyguards opened the door for Charles. After hesitating for a while, Charles got into the limousine and saw a man in his fifties sitting on the seat like an emperor. He was wearing a black tailored suit. His grey hair was combed back meticulously, and underneath that, his chocolate brown eyes were sharp and cold. His aura was domineering. His perfectly symmetrical face and angular jawline were very similar to Charles’s. Even the color of their eyes was similar.
• Charles had a bitter smile on his face. Sitting down beside him, he asked indifferently, “Mr. Reid, what makes you come here this time? Have you forgotten that I told you not to come here?”
• “Charles, give up your stubbornness and come back home. Everything I have is all yours. I am getting old, and my health condition is no longer good. The Reid family business needs you.” Owen Reid spoke in his deep authoritative voice.
• “I don’t care.” Charles immediately brushed him off. “I have nothing to do with Reid’s family business. If you are going to say the old things over and over again, I have nothing to say. You already know what my answer is.”
• “Charles, you can’t be ignorant. This is your ancestral property and your family business. You can’t abandon them just because of your stubbornness.” Owen Reid raised his voice slightly. There was a tinge of frustration in his tone too.
• “My family?” Charles sneered. “I think Mr. Reid has forgotten that my last is Shaw. How could Reid’s ancestral property and business be mine?”
• “You can’t deny the blood running through your veins,” Owen said coldly, his expression somber. “Many problems will be solved if you come back home. You can also fulfill your mother’s dreams easily. Come back, son.”
• “Don’t call me ‘son’. I am not your son.” Charles snapped loudly in a frenzy. “Back then, when you cheated on my mother, didn’t you remember us? Where were you when my Mom was dying? You are a selfish man, Mr. Owen Reid. Now that you need an heir for your business and property, you remember me. Don’t you have any sons or daughters from your mistress? Go and hand over everything to them. I don’t want anything from you.” He was about to leave soon after he finished speaking, but Owen pressed him down on his shoulder and said, “You are the only son I have. I am sorry for the mistakes of the past. I am ashamed of it. I know I have wronged Charlotte. But believe me, I realized my mistake the moment Charlotte left me, and I have been searching for you two everywhere in country C. After so many years of searching, I have finally found you, and you are telling me to go back without taking you with me. I can’t do that, son. Give me a chance to correct my mistake.”
• The commanding tone of Owen was gone now, and he sounded more like begging. His dominating aura had also vanished, and it had been replaced by helplessness. But this didn’t affect Charles. He looked at him contemptuously and asked, “Can you return my Mom to me? Can you take me back to the past and give me the fatherly love and care I have missed over the years? If you can, I will happily go back with you.” With that, he stepped out of the limousine and strode to the apartment in a haste. He could hear Owen calling him from behind, but he didn’t stop his steps.
• Owen slammed his fist on the seat in anger and frustration. The middle-aged man came inside and sat beside him. He comforted Owen, “Sir, don’t get agitated. Master is upset, but he will understand you slowly. Give him some time.”
• “How long, David, how long? I have waited for twenty years. How long should I wait?”
• David patted his back and said, “Owen, I am not only your assistant but your friend too. I know you are in pain, but he has also suffered a lot. It will take time.” He sighed and asked, “Anyway, what do you want to do now? We have been here for over two months. The company needs you. You can’t stay here any longer.”
• Owen sighed and leaned over the seat, closing his eyes. He had a slight headache and pressed his nose bridge with his fingers. He didn’t respond immediately. A couple of minutes later, he said, without opening his eyes, “I know. We should go back.” He sighed deeply before continuing saying, “Appoint some people behind him to look after him. Don’t let him face any problems.”
• “I will arrange that.” David took out his phone and made a call. After giving orders to the person on the other side of the phone, he asked the driver to drive and within a minute, the limousine ran away from there.