Rise Of The Disgraced Heir

Ian was caught in a dilemma as he leaned back against the tree, trying to process what he had just learned.

His mother's family was not the best, they had abandoned the Lims in their time of need, but not everyone was part of that.

Ian's cousins were innocent to their parent's crimes, they simply couldn't do anything. They were brought up in a family where children were meant to be seen not heard. It was only Ian and his sisters that had been allowed to be involved in the business. 

They were only involved because Ian's mother was set to inherit the business in a few years when his grandfather died, making Ian next in line after his mother. 

She insisted that all her children be brought up knowing what it was like to run a company, she wanted them to be prepared for the future.

Ian and his sisters would spend their summers working in both of their grandfathers' companies, learning what it would take to run both.

On the Lim side, the siblings were the only heirs, but on their mother's they had cousins. 

When their mother's father passed away, Constance Lim's family was quick to push the Lims out of the picture.

At that point the wealth of the Lim family was already dwindling and they had no resources to fight back.

When his mother didn't get the position as CEO or President of her father's company, she had at least expected some help coming from her siblings.

What happened next shocked her. It seemed that she had been cut off based on the new will that had appeared out of nowhere.

This left the Lims struggling to survive.

Ian decided to simply head home and rest for the night. Too much had happened, first Josephine had challenged him to question Jas, and second his mother's family seemed to be in dire need of help. 

As he drove home, his phone began to ring, it was Jas.

Ian wanted to ignore the call, but he knew that if he did she would simply drive over to Solaire Towers in search of him, so he decided to pick it up.

"Jas." Ian said in a downtrodden tone.

"Ian, where are you? Everyone is looking for you. You've been missing for a while now." Jas nagged, not giving Ian the opportunity to speak. "Is it your cousin, did she upset you? She's talking to people now with her boyfriend, I doubt she would notice you if you came back."

"Will you let me talk?" Ian grumbled as he turned a corner. 

This call was not a good one to have while driving. He quickly found an area where he could stop his car and took a deep breath. Jas was still speaking, it seemed that she hadn't heard what he said.

"JAS! CAN YOU JUST LISTEN!" Ian shouted, unable to hold back his temper. He hated it when Jas was like this, she acted as if only her voice mattered.

"What?!" Jas asked in an annoyed tone.

"Really? You're the one that's annoyed now?" Ian asked as he tapped on his steering wheel. She was testing his patience. 

"Just say what you have to say and tell me where you are or just get back here." Jas hissed.

"First of all, I'm not at the hotel anymore, I left, I'm on the road home." Ian told Jas.

"What?" Jas asked in shock. "You left without saying goodbye or telling me? What will I tell my dad? What will I tell the guests? Dad wanted to introduce you to so many people, Ian. Isn't this what you wanted, for our relationship to be public?"

"What use is our relationship being public if I can't trust you?" Ian asked.

"What did you say?" Jas said, stunned by Ian's question. 

Ian hadn't realized that he had just told her that he was having trust issues. By the time he realized what he had said it was too late. 

Jas had heard it and now he had to explain himself.

"Look, it's just the whole betraying me for Mike part, I just need to cope with it." Ian came up with an excuse as quickly as he could. He knew it wouldn't hold water, but it was the best he could give on the spot.

"He had my sister." Jas said in an angry tone. "He had her tied up and beaten, I had no choice!" She said.

"I understand that, Jas. I just need time." Ian said with a sigh as he placed his head on the steering wheel.

"You are being unreasonable." She pointed out. "And dad? And the guests? What should I tell them?" She asked.

It seems that the way others would perceive them mattered to Jas more at this moment than their relationship, something that disappointed Ian. 

"Just tell them that I got called for work, they will believe that. I mean it's the CEO of the Reyes Group, they need to believe it." Ian grumbled.

"Oh yeah, that's good." Jas said in an excited tone, something that disappointed Ian. "They will even praise you for being such a dedicated employee, yes yes, that's good." She said over the phone.

"Can I keep driving now?" Ian asked.

"Ian, if you think I don't care about our relationship, you are wrong." Jas suddenly said, catching Ian off guard. "I just think some things need to be discussed in person rather than over the phone."

"So do you want to speak in person? Not tonight, but on a different day, maybe this weekend?" Ian said, hoping that every doubt and fear he had with their relationship would be pushed away.

"Yes, I'd like that." Jas said in a kind tone. "I'm sorry if I sounded like a brat that didn't care. I love you, drive safe." She said as he dropped the call.

Ian took a deep breath and sighed.. It seemed that things might not be as hopeless in their relationship.