Chapter 372
Herman had an inkling that there was more to this Joseph than just a business rival. âHeâs come prepared,â Herman said. âThereâs a possibility that the data was leaked from our dad.â
Flynn chuckled. âHerman, thatâs impossible. Dad might be a bit of a loose cannon, but thereâs no way heâd let such crucial data slip. Why would he help that company? Elysian Technologies is his sonâs. The boss of that company isnât his son. Who would harm their own child?â
Flynnâs words were casual, but they gave Herman food for thought. He stared at Josephâs profile on his computer screen. A Yale graduate, born in Riverdale, was 29 years old this year. Just one year younger than Herman.
From Josephâs features, Herman noticed a few clues, and a hypothesis sprouted in his mind.
Internally taken aback, he calmly changed the subject. âWhat have you been doing at the company these days? How come you know nothing about the bidding?â
âHerman, thereâs just so much happening at the company. I canât keep up.â Flynn scratched his head. âIâm not as capable as you. One task alone overwhelms me. Thereâre so many things to do every day. This document needs signing. That one needs reading. Then there are the social obligations. My schedule is packed. By the time I get home, my brain is in a mess.â
A cold flicker passed through Hermanâs eyes. âYour workload is only a third of what I used to handle. You canât even handle that much?â
âHerman,â Flynn whined. âIâm just not born for this line of work. Now I know how hard you used to work. Now your wife is discharged from the hospital. Why donât you take over again?â
Herman waved his hand dismissively in frustration. âGet out.â He wanted Flynn to share his burden. It seemed impossible.
Flynn, relieved, made a hasty exit, looking forward to a night of relaxation after days of hard work.
Once Flynn was gone, Herman stared at Josephâs profile on the computer, lost in thought. He hoped he was wrong.
Word of Josephâs hijacking of the Elysian Technologies project reached Feiman.
Feiman was slow to react, only now realizing why Joseph had asked about the project days ago. He had casually mentioned the bidding, never thinking that Joseph would compete with Elysian Technologies for the project.
Feiman immediately called Joseph, demanding, âWhatâs the meaning of this bidding? Joseph, what are you trying to do?â
Joseph sneered from the other end of the line, âDad, Iâm just following your advice, doing good business and making money.â
âYou ungrateful punk, I gave you money to start a company, not to go against your brother. Joseph, Iâm warning you/If you mess around again, Iâll send you back to France.â
Feiman was panicking. He was afraid Herman would notice something amiss. His eldest son was too clever.
Joseph chuckled coldly. âDad, whatever you say. To you, Iâm just a stain on your life, an illegitimate son youâre too ashamed to acknowledge. How could! ever compare to your two sons?â After saying that, Joseph hung up.
âJosephâ¦â Feiman was both angry and worried.
Indeed, Joseph was a stain on Feimanâs life. When his wife, Katelyn, gave birth to Herman, the conflict between Katelyn and his mother, Anita, intensified. Caught in the middle, Feiman had a one-night stand with his secretary in a drunken stupor, resulting in Joseph.
Feiman regretted it deeply. For the sake of his family, he had to hide Josephâs existence. But Joseph was still his son. Feiman couldnât simply abandon him. He sent Joseph abroad to study.
Joseph only returned two years ago. Feiman gave Joseph money to start a company, thinking that he did good thing for his son, but Joseph was becoming harder and harder to control. Feiman feared that it was only a matter of time before the Salstrom family found out about Josephâs existence.
Just as he was thinking this, his phone rang. It was Herman calling. Feiman was too guilt-ridden to answerâ¦.