The First Son's Revenge

6

“Raynold is my cousin. Since I was often sick 5 years ago, I represented the leadership of the Arison company to him. But it turns out that Raynold turned greedy and wanted to take complete control of the company. He wants to take over the company that I have worked so hard to build from scratch. He was very confident that he could do that because I couldn't go to the office anymore and there was no heir left to replace me. He's increasingly acting in an abusive manner at the company."

Jacob paused his sentence for a moment to catch his breath. Anger made it difficult for him to breathe. Indeed, his personal doctor said that Jacob should control his emotions better.

“Now that you are back, I hope you can take over the Arison company again. Arison Company must be in the hands of its rightful owner. Are you up to it, Reid?” said Jacob while looking closely at his grandson.

Reid didn't answer immediately. His mind was spinning.

All this time, he had been silent about receiving unfair treatment from Abigail and Liam, taking their actions for granted, thinking that if he remained silent then the problem would subside by itself. That one day his stepmother and stepbrother would come to their senses and stop bothering him. But what Reid got was just the opposite.

The quieter Reid was, the more they dared to trample on him.

But this time, Reid wouldn't be silent any longer. He will not be a coward who always chooses patience over resistance.

He will defend what is rightfully his. And that means, he will fight Raynold, regain control of the Arison company according to his grandfather's request.

Reid looked up and looked at his grandfather with a determined look. "I can do it," he answered with certainty.

Jacob smiled with satisfaction at Reid's answer. “Then from now on you have to prepare yourself. You have to learn about the ins and outs of the Arison company and also mature your skills in the business field. Charles will help you.” Jacob looked at Reid's personal assistant.

“After your preparations are complete, I will personally introduce you in front of the company officials. Before that, no one should know about your status. If Raynold finds out that Arison's heir has returned, he will definitely use various means to harm you."

***

That same day, after leaving his grandfather's room, Reid was taken to the family library by Charles.

The room was like a library in the city center because the shelves were towering and filled with thick books.

Don't forget, there is a table in the middle of the room complete with a laptop and other supporting electronic equipment.

Reid walked over to the nearest shelf, smiling when he saw the titles of the good books there. For Reid, who has a smart brain, being in a library with a collection as complete as this is like being in heaven.

Charles was seen carrying a pile of files and placing them on the table. He left then came in with another stack of files. Continue like that until the table that was previously empty now looks crowded with files.

"These are files about the background of the Arison company and also several important collaborations that have been established with the Arison company in recent years," said Charles.

Then he continued, "The files are indeed very large, but Young Master doesn't need to worry, I will help to summarize them so they can be read more quickly."

Reid cracked a smile. "It's okay, I don't mind."

His grandfather told him to study, to Reid it sounded more like being told to go on vacation. But of course Reid would still take this task seriously.

"Of course. I thought, for the Young Master this is definitely not a big deal," Charles commented, more to himself.

Reid frowned briefly. “If you were spying on me before, wouldn't you know that I was called an idiot by the Cliffton family?”

And if his grandfather received a report from Charles, wouldn't his grandfather be worried because his grandson was a "useless idiot"?

Charles nodded. “We know. But we also know the truth. All this time, Young Master has been used by your stepmother to advance Liam's career."

Turns out Charles's spy was that good, Reid thought.

“Apart from that, Young Master’s biological mother is also a genius. So there's no way you as his son are an idiot. From the start, we didn't believe it," explained Charles.

This was the first time Reid had heard anything like that about his mother. So far he had only heard bad things about his mother. And after Reid found out about his mother's origins, he increasingly doubted that her mother was a prostitute—as Abigail and Liam often said.

Reid wanted to investigate what really happened to his mother in the past, but he knew for now he had to focus on one thing first.

Reid walked towards the table, sitting in a very soft swivel chair. He stared at the mountain of files.

Alright, time to face this.

***

A few hours later, when the sky had turned night, instead of the pile of files getting smaller, it actually increased until Charles had to tell the manservant to bring a new table to put them on.

Of course it increased because when Reid studied several files about the Arison company's collaboration with other companies, it added another variable. Reid needed to know who was friend and who was foe. So while checking the names of the companies one by one, the names of other companies also appeared.

Reid even had dinner in the library room. Apart from not wanting to waste time, he also doesn't want to have to eat at a dining table and be served by lots of servants.

After dinner, when Reid opened a new file again, he didn't immediately read it, but instead tapped his fingers on the table in a thoughtful manner.

"Since this morning I've actually been curious about what Raynold looks like? Is he really that good that he can almost take over the Arison company from grandfather?” Reid asked.

"Instead of calling him great, I think it would be more appropriate for Mr. Raynold Clark to be called cunning. He initially had his own company which he managed with his three children, but the company went bankrupt due to financial problems. And when he heard that Mr. Jacob had fallen ill, he immediately came and was nice to Mr. Jacob, even though he rarely had contact before."

Charles continued, “You see for yourself that Mr. Jacob places great importance on family relations. And because Mr. Raynold Clark is still considered a cousin—even though Mr. Jacob's parents and Mr. Raynold's parents are not blood relatives—Mr. Jacob also gave Mr. Raynold the opportunity to lead the Arison company temporarily. Mr. Raynold wasn't very smart, but he brought his two sons to help him at the Arison company, and over the past five years it turned out that they slowly began to make changes to the company structure, removing Mr. Jacob's trusted people and replacing them with their own people. Even if the Young Master saw some of his interviews in business magazines, he shamelessly admit that he is now the new head of the Arison company, even though Mr. Jacob is still alive."

Reid listened carefully to Charles' explanation. It turns out there are still people who are more shameless than Nancy and Liam. And not only will Reid face Raynold, he will also have to face his two sons. And hearing from Charles' explanation, these two sons seemed to be just as shameless and manipulative as their father.

“What about Raynold's third child? Why doesn't that third child join the Arison company too?” Reid asked.

"Reportedly, Mr. Raynold's third daughter is getting married, so she will most likely stop being involved in the business world and will focus on her home life," answered Charles.

Reid was stunned to hear that. Married... That word seemed to be sarcastic to Reid.

He had imagined marrying Nancy. Reid will take Nancy to move out of town and they will start a new life there, without the shadow of Reid's cruel stepmother and stepbrother. Then Reid would stop playing dumb for Liam's sake. But the marriage that Reid envisioned ended up being destroyed. Nancy even immediately threw away her proposal ring.

Reid had been misjudging Nancy all this time.

Reid clenched his fists in anger. He turned to Charles. “Charles, I have another task for you."

Charles immediately straightened his body. “I am ready, Young Master.”

“Tell the spies to keep an eye on my ex girlfriend, Nancy. Find out when she'll see Liam again," Reid ordered.

"Yes, Young Master," answered Charles obediently.

Reid nodded in satisfaction. If his plan for revenge on the Cliffton family still has to wait, not his plan for revenge on Nancy. Reid had to do it quickly.

Reid will make Nancy realize that she chose the wrong guy to mess with. If yesterday Reid felt hurt because of her rejection, this time it was Nancy's turn to feel that way.

Reid grinned. He already had a plan.