Chapter 297 - THE ELDEST SON
In another home in Mountain Ridge City, Kaito faced his grandfather in his study. The old man looked vigorous even though he was almost eighty years old. In addition, his eyes were sharp as they looked at his disrespectful grandson.
"I heard you have been in Mountain Ridge for a week. Where have you been living?" The old man asked.
"Don't you already know?" Kaito smiled.
The old man felt anger rise in his heart. He had always been in perfect health since he was a child. However, when he faced his grandchild, he feared that his good health will go up in smoke.
He remembered the first time he had met Kaito after he had grown up.
Everyone had assumed that he had died as a child in the accident that took away both his parents. The police had managed to recover the bodies of the couple from the water along with their vehicle. However, the child could not be found.
The police had concluded that the boy had probably been swept away by waves or eaten by some carnivorous fishes in the ocean below the cliff. Either way, there was no way he could have survived the accident.
However, fifteen years later, a seventeen years old boy had appeared before the Takahashi patriarch and claimed to be the child who was long thought dead.
Of course, his grandfather had been a sceptic about it. He assumed it was a random boy trying to take advantage of the situation.
He had requested the boy to provide evidence that he was part of the Takahashi family. Alternatively, he could submit to a DNA test to prove kinship.
The old man had expected Kaito to be either scared of being caught or eager to please and willing to give blood and flesh to prove the relationship.
However, the teenager just laughed in his face.
"I just wanted to take a look at the gene pool from which I came. It's nothing impressive. It seems I am the exception." The boy had said arrogantly.
The old man had been angered beyond words at the statement. He had screamed that Kaito would not get a dime from the Takahashi family. He thought the boy had to be there because he was interested in wealth.
At the time, he had been in his office because he had not retired from the company. He had called security and chided them for allowing a stranger into the office. He ordered them to hurry and remove the intruder.
When he looked up, the young man was gone. It was almost like he was never there.
He had been so embarrassed when the security personnel showed up, and there was no one. Even his secretary had not seen the said person.
Within a short time, the news had reached his eldest son. Rumours had spread around their company that the chairman was becoming senile. If the news reached shareholders, the business would lose a lot of money.
Without a choice, his eldest son had become the chairman with his support.
He had not known how wrong this decision.
How could he have known that the eldest son had been eyeing the chair for a while and had been responsible for spreading the rumours?
But again, even without his support, his eldest son would have still gained control.
When the old man found out about the trickery played by his son, it was already too late. However, he was disappointed in him. He was unwilling to give up the Yamazaki family business to the hands of the wolf.
If his eldest son led the company, the rest of the family members would suffer.
So, he had decided to take action and gather support from the board so that he could push his third son to the forefront. The third one was smart but kind, so he won over quite a few of the directors.
If things had worked as he had hoped, the eldest son could have been ousted.
However, the third son had gotten sick and died within a few months.
Elder Yamazaki had been heartbroken at the death of another son, so he had let go of his plans. However, one night, his mind had cleared up.
How could his sons have died so early? And how could he have accepted the situation without thinking too deeply?
He could not be certain about his third son who had died of an illness. But his second son's death had been too mysterious. At the time, he had been grooming Kaito's father to take over the business after him.
The realisation had been like a slap to his face.
"If you are not going to say anything, I will leave. I am a busy man. It might be difficult to find me again." Kaito spoke while smiling.
His grandfather was angered again.
He had tried looking for Kaito, but he was like a phantom. Even his best investigators had come up empty.
In the beginning, his intentions had been punishing him. Though he knew things were complicated, he blamed Kaito for allowing his eldest son to take over the business.
But now, he had better plans. He did not believe that he could not take down that heartless creature.
"You said you knew the reason I was looking for you. Did you know that I was searching for you the whole time?" The old man brought forth an issue that had been nagging him since they had talked on the phone.