Chapter 33: Successor of Cosmos Group
“Of course not. When I’m hungry, I only want to eat,” Jiabao Jane answered seriously.
“By the same token, your father was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Do you think he would like to give up his wealth and power and become a poor man with nothing at all?”
Jiabao puckered his little lips as his shoulders drooped helplessly, “Okay, I see.”
Jane was amused by his cute look. She shook her head slightly and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the doorbell sounds coming from the outside. Both mother and son were dazed. “Maybe it’s Boss Stuart!”
Jiabao Jane jumped off his chair excitedly and ran vigorously to open the door. However, to his surprise, he found a middle-aged man, whom he had never seen before, standing outside the door. This man looked like his father, Che Stuart, but was much older than him.
Ao Stuart, who came to visit Jingyou Jane, was shocked when he saw Jiabao Jane. Was this lovely little boy his grandson? He couldn’t help but bend down and look carefully at him — this boy had a beautiful face with big black eyes and a rosy mouth, as a happy smile hung on his lips, but it disappeared when the boy looked up at him.
“Are you Jiabao?” Ao Stuart lovingly reached out to pull his grandson closer to him and looked Jiabao up and down, which scared Jiabao. Instinctively, Jiabao Jane backed a few steps.
“Uncle, who are you?”
“I am…” Just as Ao Stuart was about to say his identity, he looked up and saw Jingyou Jane walking towards him. He had only met her once eight years ago. That unsophisticated girl had grown up and become a beautiful, charming woman. He stood up and nodded slightly, “Miss Jane, long time no see.”
Seeing this person standing in the doorway, Jane felt a gush of anger in her chest. She glared at him, took a deep breath to calm herself down and sneered, “Oh it’s you, Mr. Stuart, the big boss of Cosmos Group. You seem to enjoy appearing in front of me without being invited.”
Her outspoken remarks embarrassed Ao Stuart. He gave a cough to cover up his awkwardness, and then ignored her mocking smile and asked, “Aren’t you gonna invite me in?”
“I’m sorry but I have to say, my house is too small and not elaborately decorated. I’m afraid entering such a cheap house will bring disgrace on you.”
“I know you still hate me because of what I did to you several years ago. But at that time, I didn’t know you were pregnant and carried a baby of our Stuart clan…”
“So, you want to take away the descendant of the Stuart clan, and put your surname after his given name?” Jingyou Jane said in an angry tone, her eyes burning with rage, as she instinctively pulled her son to her back. “He’s my son and has nothing to do with the Stuart clan. Please leave now.”
“Miss Jane, I just want to talk to you…”
“We have nothing to talk about. Eight years ago, I left America in compliance with our agreement. Now, and later, I will keep my word and never marry into the Stuart clan. So you don’t have to worry that I will use Che Stuart’s feelings for me to climb up the social ladder.”
“But for the sake of you, my son is going to abandon his heirdom of the Cosmos Group!” Ao Stuart was filled with anger at the thought of his son. In the beginning he thought that Che Stuart had just said that to vent his anger, but Ao Stuart didn’t expect his good son to turn a deaf ear to all the business of his company after returning to Hong Kong from America.
Many companies under Che Stuart’s jurisdiction were on the brink of collapse because of his wayward strike. If Che went on like this, Ao Stuart was afraid that the whole Cosmos Group would fall into financial difficulties.
Both Jingyou Jane and Jiabao Jane were stunned by his words. They exchanged an amazed look with each other. Did Che Stuart really want to abandon his heirdom of Cosmos Group?
“I know I used to say a lot of harsh words to you, it was all because I selfishly wanted you to leave my son. Now I come here, not to ask for your forgiveness, but to beg you to persuade my son not to abandon his heirdom of Cosmos Group. He shouldn’t act on impulse.”
Ao Stuart put his palm on his forehead and felt helpless, “He’s my only son. Since he was born, I have regarded him as my only pride. Over these years, I have never stopped expanding my company. To be honest, I just want to give the Cosmos Group to him as a gift. Now the Cosmos Group has gained a firm foothold in business circles. But I didn’t expect that…”
He raised his head. Although he was still handsome, some deep wrinkles furrowed his forehead. “Eight years ago, he beat a man to disability. Now he intends to abandon his heirdom. Jane, it’s all because of you. I don’t know what kind of magical abilities you have and why my son makes a dead set at you, but…”
He looked at the lovely little boy beside Jingyou Jane and bent down to scoop his grandson into his arms, with a gracious look, “I sincerely hope that you can be my daughter-in-law. Of course, I also sincerely wish to take Jiabao back to the Stuart clan and keep him by my side. I will give him the best education…”
Jingyou Jane with a grim expression on her face, felt uncomfortable at his words. A mocking smile rested on her lips. “Mr. Stuart, in your eyes, we are lowly persons, so you treat us as your disposable toys, right?”
“I didn’t mean that…” he explained in an anxious tone, “I just want to give my grandson a better living environment…”
“I’m satisfied with my living environment now,” Jiabao Jane, who was held in Ao Stuart’s arms, stiffly pushed him away and turned around to run back to his mother.
“I love my mom, and she loves me too. We live happily together. So, you, Boss Stuart’s father, please don’t come to my home and disturb us again. Just stay out of our lives and leave now! ”
“Jiabao?” Ao Stuart couldn’t believe that this little boy would say such ruthless words to him. “I’m your grandfather…”
“You never give me love, so I don’t care who you are!” Jiabao Jane said indifferently. He thought that his parents would have been together and lived a happy life a long time ago if this old man hadn’t gotten in their way. The man was such a bad grandfather that Jiabao didn’t want to admit him.
Ao Stuart was completely shocked by his grandson’s words. He looked up at Jingyou Jane’s face and tried to find an answer why Jiabao Jane would have such strong antagonism towards him. However, her face was a cold blank mask so that he could read nothing. Did his daughter-in-law and grandson treat him as an enemy just because of his arrogance and overbearing manner?
Ao Stuart was a giant who had established dominance in business. But now he was deserted by all his family. His wife’s betrayal, his son’s abandonment, his grandson’s disgust…
Was he really wrong?
“I’m sorry to disturb you,” Ao Stuart, who hadn’t been allowed to enter the room all the time, nodded to Jingyou Jane and then turned away in sullen silence. Embarrassed, he felt himself a clown and was in no mood to stay here.
Jingyou Jane and Jiabao Jane stood in the room and looked at each other with guilty eyes. “Youyou, did we go too far?”
Jingyou Jane bent down and gently held her son in her arms. She looked at the direction where Ao Stuart’s figure disappeared, dazed. “Maybe… we shouldn’t treat him like that,” she whispered.
Meanwhile, a piece of big news shocked the whole business community of Hong Kong-
Che Stuart, the heir to Cosmos Group, held a press conference to announce that he would abandon his heirdom of Cosmos Group. This breaking news astonished all people in business circles.
At the press conference, there were pressmen almost everywhere, flash photography here and there. Every one of them was eager to get details and write a piece of headline news, so they threw questions out one after another.
“Mr. Stuart, I’m Helena, a reporter of Sunshine Daily. At present, everyone is curious to know why you are going to abandon your heirdom of Cosmos Group. What’s behind your sudden announcement? It’s due to an internal contradiction? Or your individual determination?”
“The latter!” Che Stuart answered with a cold, expressionless, handsome face.
“Not long ago, Boya Group was on the verge of bankruptcy. But since you bought this company, you have put it back on its feet. Now that you have decided to give up your heirship of Cosmos Group, from now on, will you continue to participate in management of this company?”
“No,” he gave a ruthless reply, which made the reporters sigh.
“Do you mean you will watch the company go downhill? And you won’t do anything to save it?”
Che Stuart, who was dressed in a black suit, nodded solemnly and said, “Since I decide to give up my heirship, I think from now on, all the branch companies of Cosmos Group have nothing to do with me. I won’t lend a hand in their operation and management.”