Chapter 158 - 158: The Mastermind
The controversy surrounding Net International had spread like wild fire in the internet and a lot of people were talking about it. Even Nathan's other companies were getting affected as well.
Nathan didn't imagine that it would go as big as this.
Because of this, all of the shareholders from these companies were demanding for his explanation. But Nathan was missing in action.
Even though they had successfully taken down the topic from the hot searches later that day and had issued a formal statement according to what Nathan instructed, the doubt in the hearts of the public was already there.
And this result didn't satisfy the shareholders.
And it would be so hard to extinguish.
So, even if they had taken the topic down, the public still continued to talk about it in private forums and group chats.
Inside a private room in one of the famous restaurant in the US, two men were having their dinner together.
"I never thought a day will come when the mighty CEO of Net International would ever face this kind of scandal." A man who looked like he's on his fifties told the person across him.
"Well, he dared not to listen to me. So I have to teach him a lesson." The guy nonchalantly said.
"It's so clever of you to do that. Do you think he would not find out that you are the mastermind in all of this?" The man asked him.
"Well, even if he did, it'll be over for him. I shouldn't have picked him as my apprentice if he would not listen to me."
Nathan would surely be stunned once he saw the face of the man the person was talking to.
"I still could not understand you though. What has changed? You didn't even chose your sons to be your heir and now that you had your brother's grandson taking over Net International, you wanted to throw him out from the position that you had given him from the very beginning."
"You don't understand Jack. That brat had just grown horns and fangs and he really thought he's better than me. News flash! I am the one who taught him everything. How dare he bit the hand of his master after what I did. So, I won't just sit back and let him do his ways. He had chosen to disobey me, then he'll lose everything."
"Gosh Andrew! You're unbelievable!"
"I'm only looking after the well-being of the whole clan. You know that Jack."
"But you're putting the entire Net International in a dangerous position. Do you think Mega Tech will honor their promise to you?"
"Jack, I didn't come unprepared when I started this plan." Andrew said in reassurance.
***
At the end of the dark tunnel, which also looked like the inside of a cave, a muffled cry of pain and help could be heard. If one would take a look at him, he's indeed in a pitiful condition.
Both of his hands and feet were swelling because they were full of burns. His eyelids were no better a as they were full of bruises as well.
His body were full of blade cuts and some of the wounds were even bleeding with fresh blood.
"Doc, are you still not going to confess as to who sent you here?" Derek asked him.
He had been torturing the guy since the guy was brought in this place and he was already close to losing his cool.
No matter how many times he inflicted pain on the latter's body, the doctor continued to keep denying the allegations and insisted that he's innocent.
"I told you, I am innocent!" He weakly said.
Darren who came to the torturing chamber to check on them could only shook his head because his cousin seemed to go overboard.
"If I were you, I'll choose to confess on who sent you here before Lady Boss or Master Boss would come here and torture you instead of us." Darren chimed in.
"I told you, I... am innocent!" He cried one more time.
"I don't know the *cough* name of the person as I have never met him once before."
Derek scoffed upon hearing this.
"Do you think we are damn idiots who were easily fooled by your mere words?! If you knew who we're working with then be good and tell us what you know!"
Derek then stood up as he slowly paced back and fort in front of him.
"Is it the Bai?" But then he ruled out the theory as after Nathan took over the Bai Corp, all of them were under Master Boss' control. If they planned to do something stupid, Master Boss would be the first person to know."
"I told you, I...I don't know who the person was. I am innocent!"
"Shut up!" Derek snapped and immediately rushed to the guy as he fisted the collar of his already torn polo shirt.
"Stop insisting that you're innocent! The fact that Lady Boss caught you talking to someone already means you aren't!" He paused as he inhaled deeply then continued, "So better confess if you still want to keep your life."
He then let go of the latter's collar after that.
"But I... am tel-ling the truth... I on-ly... received an ano-nimous... email the night af-ter... I got a notice that... I was being assigned... as Ma-ster Bai's on-standby phy-sician." He barely managed to say that as his breathing fastened.
This made Derek and Darren to be alarmed.
They then took him out of the chair and decided to lay him down on the surgical table on the next room.
"Did we go overboard?" Derek said as he placed an oxygen mask on the latter and checked his vitals.
"I don't know. You're supposed to be the doctor here. You should have known better how much torture his body could bear before he'd collapse." Darren nagged as he helped him hooking on the medical tubes and machines on his body.
"Correction. I am no longer a doctor after I lost my license a year ago."
"Yeah fine. Hurry! We have to save him before Master Boss and Lady Boss scold us for letting this man die in our hands."
While they were helping him, the man somehow opened his eyes and his mouth opened.
"Promise me...plea-se save my sis-ter...They *cough* have her." The doctor faintly said.
"If I were you, I'll save all the remaining energy that I have and shut up. Save her yourself later, okay?" Darren said in annoyance.
"No...they placed a chip in my body. To make sure that I won't con-fess no mat-ter what. The mechanism was somehow triggered and made me like this."
"Damn it!"
"Then...who sent you here?" Darren asked him one more time.
"I only knew... him as Mr....Su." With that, the doctor coughed a lot of blood and he breathed his final breath.
The monitor also showed flat line which meant he was dead.
When Nathan heard of the news, he ordered him to not talk about it especially when Kim Eunji's around.
"What are we going to do with his body Master Boss?"
"Cremate his body so that his sister could have him when we save her." Nathan instructed them.
"Are we really going to save him Master Boss?" Derek asked.
"No. Not me but you." Nathan answered him.
"Eh?"
"He asked you both to save her in ex-change of the little information he gave us."
Was the information really little?
"Mr. Su... I wonder who's henchman was he?"
Nathan was lost in a deep thought.
He hadn't heard of the name ever since he came into this circle.
He wondered if one of the Johnson elders was behind him. But he had made quite a lot of enemies so it was hard to pinpoint who.
"Derek, assemble our men in the base. Tell them that we'll have an emergency meeting anytime by now. Also, I want you to hack his email and trace the location of the sender of that anonymous email."
"Right away Master Boss!"
Nathan then looked at his watch and saw that it was already past six in the morning.
He had grown a few beard on his face maybe because he hadn't had any sleep last night. Since he ordered to cut off the internet connection on the resort since yesterday, he could only wait for Marco's call for update.
Also, he would be going to the US to attend the emergency shareholders' meeting and the press conference that was scheduled tomorrow.
Therefore, he somehow hoped to see her before he left.
He hadn't seen her since yesterday morning which made him to miss her so badly.
He was about to knock when the door opened and An Qi together with Manang Ines went out of the room holding an empty cup.
"Good morning Master Bai!"
"Nate."
Manang Ines and An Qi greeted him respectively.
"How are they?" Nathan asked them.
"They are doing great. Her nausea and morning sickness was still there but I believe it was getting better. The good thing was that she's not bleeding anymore." An Qi told him which made Nathan to heave a huge sigh of relief.
Relief that the latter had no idea about what was happening in the world outside this island. Which also meant that Kim Eunji was the same.
On the other note, Nathan still could not believe that pregnancy symptoms could be this serious. No wonder his first brother, Mo Jing-sheng, was being overwhelmed during the earlier stage of Kelly's pregnancy.
"If this continues, she may be able to go out of that room for a couple of hours the next day." An Qi added.
"Yokatta. Domo arigatougozaimasou!" Nathan suddenly uttered which made An Qi and Manang Ines to be confused.
"English only, okay?" An Qi demanded.
Nathan could only scratch the back of his head as a response.
"So, can I visit her?" Nathan asked them.
"Can't contain your longing for her, can you? If you can bear to be thrown out of the room again over and over again, go ahead. May I remind you that she hated your smell. Your presence may brought discomfort to her. And besides, get yourself some sleep. You don't want her to see you like this, do you?" An Qi didn't hold back in warning him.
An Qi thought that Nathan was just overwhelmed because of Kim Eunji's morning sickness and he didn't got any sleep because he's not used to sleeping without Kim Eunji beside him.
Which was partly true. Kim Eunji had been his source of comfort since then but because she could not tolerate being around with him, it greatly affected him as well.
Nathan looked at her and then into the door a couple behind him.
"You're right." Nathan then walked away from them.
He even face-palmed himself for not thinking straight.
If his wife would see him in this state, she would only worry for him. Which was not good for their health right now.
He had to be strong for the sake of his family.
Nathan had no other choice but to go to his study where some of his clothes were there for him to wear.
While choosing for his outfit to wear, Nathan paused when he a thought popped up on his mind.
He only wanted to have a week of peaceful honeymoon vacation with his wife.
Whoever ruined this beautiful plan of his he would make sure to let the person pay a ten fold!