Nathan forced a smile. Seeing the sadness in Wendy''s eyes, he felt a surge of fury. This damn woman, was she really going to leave him with nothing after all this?
He had to get at least eight or nine billion out of this to make all his years of effort worthwhile.
He already had control of his second son''spany and assets.
His eldest son''s were now in his hands too.
Colin and Benson didn''t havepanies, just shares. Useless.
The Don family had so many assets. Selling just one building would bring in not just two hundred million, but several billion.
"Wendy, you... you''re not staying home tonight either?" Nathan suddenly realized she hadn''t slept at home in a long time.
Wendy shook her head. "I have to work overtime at the office. We have to fill this two-hundred-million-dor hole as soon as possible. If we can''t, thepany''s cash flow will be severed.
"Our buildings and properties aren''t in the best locations. I''ve already put them on the market, but who knows if they''ll sell?"
With that, Wendy left.
Colin was speechless.
Something felt very wrong.
He''d only been gone for half a year, and the family was going bankrupt?
"Dad, doesn''t yourpany have profits every month? Give some to Mom to help her through this. I can''t live without my allowance! How about this, you can give me two hundred thousand a month."
At these words, Nathan flew into a rage, grabbing a cushion from the sofa and hurling it at him.
"You useless piece of trash!" he roared at Colin. "You''re a grown man still mooching off your parents! Can''t you go out and earn your own money? Do you have any idea how worthless you and your brothers are?"
"Look at Matthew, at Marshall! They''re from prestigious families too, but they run their ownpanies, earning tens of billions a year. Then look at the four of you— each one more useless than thest."
"Your eldest brother is a washed-up racer. Your second has vanished. You''re obsessed with racing. And
your youngest brother is off somewhere, refusing toe home, chasing some dream. Who knows what any of you are really doing out there?"
"And you want me to give you two hundred thousand a month? I''m an old man! Why
isn''t anyone giving me two hundred thousand a month?"
After his tirade, Nathan stood up to go upstairs.
Colin was stunned into silence. So, in his father''s eyes, he was just a failure.
"But Dad, Mom was always so strict with us, controlling everything. You were the one who let us do whatever we wanted, you said we could pursuejour dreams. Weve beek pursuing our dreams this whole time. Why are you calling us failures now?" Colin didn''t understand why his father was yelling at him like this.
Being called a failure by Natalie tonight had already upset him. Now he had toe home and be called a failure by his own father?
Suddenly, Nathan saw the figure of an old man in a long, ck burial robe floating at the top of the stairs, staring intently at him.
Nathan looked closer and his jaw dropped. It was his grandfather.
His grandfather had been dead for years. Why was he standing on the staircase, watching him?
"Ah! Ah!" Nathan screamed in terror.
The grandmother and Colin jumped, startled by his shout.
"Dad, what''s wrong?"
"What is it?"
They both spoke at once.
Nathan pointed a trembling finger at his grandfather on the stairs.
The
"Mother," he stammered, "Grandpa.. he must be out of money in the
underworld. Quick, burn some offerings for him! Tell him to stop haunting me! He''s standing right there and its terrifying He
always most afraid of you when he was alive. Make him go away!"
The grandmother stared at her son''s terrified face, a jolt of fear running through her
as well.