Rise Of The Disgraced Heir

Ian drummed his fingers on the table as he sat in the corner with Jake. He was somewhat annoyed that he had to be the one to tag along as Jake met with Manuel Juan and his father.

It was bad enough that they didn't get along, now he had to sit and watch as the Juans made a deal with the Reyeses. 

He might have said that he was willing to give up his revenge, it didn't mean that he liked it. As a matter of fact it hurt something deep down in him, his pride.

Ian had lost it so many years ago when he had to endure all of the shame and torment that came with losing his family's wealth. And now, he was going to sacrifice all of that just for the Reyes clan.

A part of him was hesitant, it wanted to tell Emilio Reyes that he was not willing to give that revenge up. But Ian was smarter than that, he was hot headed but he wasn't stupid. He knew that down the line it would be a bigger advantage for him to be on the good side of the CEO.

"I know you don't want to be here." Jake said in a low voice as he glanced around, looking for Manuel and his father. The pair were already running late as it was. 

"That obvious?" Ian asked with a silent laugh.

"Yeah, look Uncle Emilio and Marco didn't send you here just for fun." Jake explained. "They sent you here to test you and to prepare you for the future."

"What do you mean?" Ian asked as he glanced at Jake.

"In the future you will meet people that you hate even more, you will have to do the Reyes Heir's bidding even if it's against your better judgement and you will need to trust him." Jake told Ian. "I won't lie, I've seen all the bullshit Marco has to deal with and this is nothing."

"I know I need to be more professional." Ian said with a sigh as he shook his head. "I just need to gather myself."

"Well do it quick, because I see the father and son duo approaching us." Jake told Ian as he nodded towards Manuel and his father's direction.

Ian didn't miss the proud grin on Manuel's face as he approached. He knew the man felt like he had won again. And in a way he had, but not completely, at least not the way he won years ago. 

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm himself, of all times today was the most crucial day for him to keep his temper in check.

It wasn't just his future that was at stake, it was the future of an entire company with thousands of employees.

Part of him cursed at the fairness that the Reyes Family tried to stick by, but he knew it was there to protect the employees that couldn't protect themselves.

He knew that what was a thorn on his side served a greater purpose to more people.

"Mr. Laurel, Ian." Manuel greeted as he shook hands with Jake and Ian. 

"I'm glad you could come." Jake said with a nod as his expression remained placid, not showing any emotions at all.

Ian knew that Manuel was trying to read how Jake felt, but Jake was much more experienced and even better trained than Manuel.

He was brought up to be an unmoving CEO, one that could not be caught off guard or rattled. Someone that could stay calm despite the storms that they passed.

Ian couldn't help but admire how well Jake kept his emotions in check. He had heard how Jake cursed the Juan family after Ian had told him everything that had happened.

As a matter of fact, Jake felt guilty for even trying this plan, he was the one that wanted to abort, not Ian.

"Mr. Laurel, you wanted to strike a deal with us?" Manuel's father asked as he tried to push Jake's buttons so that they would have the upper hand.

"I'm merely asking for your cooperation to help the Reyes Group bring to justice an offender." Jake said in an intimidating yet calm tone.

The calmness in his voice scared Ian, it was like Jake was ready to explode at any moment because nothing seemed to tick him off.

"You have to understand Mr. Laurel, if we go up against Mike and Armand, we are in a position to lose many things." Manuel explained.

"And you want compensation for that?" Jake asked Manuel.

"No, no, not compensation." Manuel said as he shook his head and looked at Ian.

At that moment Ian knew that Manuel was going to ask for something that involved him. He slowly began to regret that he had allowed for this to happen, but it was too late. 

If they backed out now they risked losing much more than just a valuable way to find out the truth. Manuel could, at any moment, leak the fact that he met with a high ranking member of the Reyes Family.

He could spread rumors that would drag the Reyes Group down, and Ian had no intention of being the cause of that.

"So what do you want?" Jake asked.

Ian knew Jake was aware of his distress, the man simply chose not to show it.

"As you are probably aware, Ian Lim and I do not get along." Manuel said as he glared at Ian. "As a matter of fact, if you gave us the opportunity, tonight's meeting could turn into a wrestling match."

"I'm not uncivilized like you." Ian said, rolling his eyes.

"You see Ian, I think I made the mistake of underestimating you, so I won't do that this time." Manuel said with a grin as he already sensed his victory.

"Name your price." Jake said, ignoring the banter between the two.

"The Reyes group will not help Ian Lim in any way to hurt my family or our interests." Manuel said as he declared his terms.