Joseph was all too aware of Derrick's condition. With him lying like a lifeless leaf on the bed, Joseph
only had Frederic to rely on now.
"How dare you call your brother's name!" Frederic chastised, then turned to Charles. "What did you
want to tell me?"
Joseph raised his head cockily.
He radiated pure arrogance, like a man certain of his victory.
Charles shrugged. Every seasoned businessman knew that such conceit would not take anyone far in
the world of business.
"Grandpa, aren't you worried that no one will take over the TS Group? Why don't you hand it over to
Joseph?"
he suggested nonchalantly
Angelina and Frederic gaped at him at his words.
"Charles, what did you just say?" they blurted out in unison.
"It's exactly as you heard it," Charles answered, unaffected by their evident shock.
"You can't be serious!" Angelina shouted. Her anger rose, making her head throb with small pulsations.
"Charles, it took you so many years to develop the TS Group to what it is now. I know it wasn't easy,
but are you really just handing it over to others like this?"
Angelina's voice shook as frustrated tears fell from her eyes.
The TS Group was her lifeblood. When she heard that Charles was going to give it to Joseph so easily,
she wanted to tear at her own hair and scream.
"I have already discussed about this issue with grandpa. There's nothing else to say now that we have
resolved this. Now, I think I should take the children home," Charles excused himself and walked to the
lounge.
Bobby and Nadia were slumped on a chair, having fallen asleep just now. All he wanted to do was to
take his kids out of here. They shouldn't be involved in the messy issues of the adults.
In truth, he had no plans of giving TS Group up. The scene earlier was just a strategic retreat.
He had laid out the groundwork. Now, all that there was left to do is wait.
The TS Group had already suffered a great loss. It didn't matter if it lost a little more.
After all, the Fu family was rich, wasn't it?
"Charles, listen here. This was your decision!" Frederic shouted angrily after him.
Was Charles that same ambitious man who ruthlessly took down his opponents? Frederic could almost
not recognize the resemblance with the present.
It was as if he had become an entirely different person. Meeting Nancy had changed him for good.
Now, his head was filled with only thoughts of her and their children.
Frederic would have slapped Charles hard, if not for the weakness brought by his own old age.
"Yes. I meant what I said." Charles brushed his anger off with indifference.
Frederic gritted his teeth as he watched him.
Taking the children, Charles said, "Let's go."
"You… Don't take them away!" Frederic yelled again.
"I know you like them grandpa, but we have to go home now. I won't go to work tomorrow anyway.
Don't worry. I'll take them to see you again. Have a good rest." With that, Charles walked out with
Bobby and Nadia nestled in his arms. When he was at the door, he stopped and turned around.
"Grandpa, don't forget to teach Joseph well. He has a lot to learn about running a business."
"That's none of your concern now, is it?" Joseph spat. "Why don't you just mind your wife and children!"
"Father, are you really giving TS Group to Joseph? Charles was the one who took care of the business.
It was his own blood and sweat that turned it into a success. You should think about this again..."
Angelina cried and tried to plead against his decision.
"Did you not hear him earlier? It was Charles himself who abandoned the TS Group! That bastard.
Take a good look at your excellent son, Hardy. Not so excellent now, is he?" Frederic spoke, his every
word sharp with anger. He was panting when the tirade ended, clutching his chest as he heaved for air.
Hardy was beside Frederic the next moment, gently stroking his back to ease his breathing. "Dad, you
know very well what Charles meant. He wants to marry Nancy. If you give him your approval, he will
definitely go back to the TS Group. You have also found the truth about Derrick's car accident. It had
nothing to do with Charles, nor with Nancy, nor Edward. Why are you still stubbornly refusing him? Is it
so hard to admit your own mistake? What good would it do to cling to your pride?"
"I…" Frederic started, but shook his head angrily once again. "Humph. That son of yours has grown too
arrogant for his own good. He thinks the TS Group can't live without him? Joseph, you have to do well.
Let that damn Charles have a good look at it. You have to prove that the company will survive even
without him. No, it should be even better than before. Don't let me down. There is no room for mistake.
You won't let Charles mock you either, will you?" Frederic encouraged Joseph.
These words were a mask for the truth. Even he himself knew that it was not a good idea to hand over
the TS Group to Joseph. However, Charles had set his conditions, and Frederic was left with no other
choice.
He would not be backing down so easily without a fight. It would be an opportunity to train Joseph as
well, who had just been sitting idly for so many years. He could only pray that Joseph would do even
half a decent job as Charles did. Frederic had no one else to bet on.
If worse came to worst and Derrick wouldn't wake up, the company would be in Joseph's hands. It
would be very easy for the whole group to fall into ruin if he didn't manage it well.
Among all of them, it was actually Joseph who had the least confidence, but now that Frederic and
Derrick were backing him up, the only way was forward. The war had begun, and there was no longer
any possibility for a peaceful retreat.
"Yes, Grandpa. Don't worry. I will do my best not to fail you," Joseph said with determination.
Frederic hummed in acknowledgement. "You just haven't worked hard enough. You have to study more
and observe your surroundings better. And don't even think about following your damned father's steps
and playing dirty tricks," he warned.
"Grandpa, father is still in a coma. He is in the brink of life and death. Please take it easy on him." With
how things played out, Joseph couldn't tell anyone that Derrick had woken up.
"Humph, he's lucky he's unconscious. I'm going to teach him a lesson when he wakes up.
Unbelievable. He's already so old, and he still doesn't think..."
But before Frederic could finish his words, Angelina interrupted him, "I disagree with what you said,
Father. Not thinking? Is Derrick the kind of person who will do things without thinking? He was targeting
Charles. He knowingly schemed and framed him. Are you just going to overlook that with the flimsy
excuse of saying he wasn't thinking?"
Angelina couldn't stop herself. Since earlier, her emotions had been running amok, especially when
she heard that Frederic was about to give the TS Group to Joseph. His words were like thorns growing
in her chest. Now, it was all clear to her. The whole accident was a farce directed and staged by
Derrick, and even with this fact, Frederic was still trying to downplay his involvement. She could not
simply just stand back and quietly accept his words. It was as if everything had turned into a big drama
and she refused to participate in this playacting.
"Stop this now. It has been a tense day for all of us. Let Dad have a rest," Hardy said trying to prevent
another volley of arguments. He looked at his watch and said, "Joseph, go home and ask the servant
to cook black chicken soup for your grandfather. You're going to sleep in your father's ward tonight,
right?"
"Yes, Uncle. You're right. Today has been stressful. Thank you for being the voice of reason." Joseph
smiled triumphantly and went out, relieved to be let off the hook.
Angelina wanted to wipe of that grin from his face with her fist. "That bastard," she muttered. "And
you..." She turned to Hardy and continued, "Since you're 'the voice of reason, ' then please enlighten
me, because I'm going crazy here. You just defended that man who tried to destroy your own son's
future. Is that what you call reasonable?"
"It's not finished yet. Don't worry," Hardy answered vaguely.
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