Connivance - Name of the Game

Chapter Forty-Nine

"George and I agreed to the merger together with the marriage of my son Hyun-Ki and Julienne Simon." Announced the Chairman.

On the following day at KOR H&H, back to the Office of the VP for Finance, Han Shin Dae and his staff had finished the financial report to be presented to the Board of Directors' Meeting. While sitting by his desk, he thought of something that could save Hyun-Ki from whatever scheme his uncle had against the company and his sons. He cannot swallow the pain of his cousin's dilemma if the Chairman succeeds in his plan.

He asked for Louie, one of the secretaries on Rielle's staff, to his Office. Louie was wondering why the VP of Finance Office sent for her. Mr. Han Shin Dae's accountant led her to Mr. Han Shin's room and closed the door behind her. She was curious about this meeting when Mr. Shin Dae handed her a brown envelope and a small black pouch.

"Louie, I believe I can trust you, and I have no more time to run around the bush." Mr. Shin Dae said, and Louie became hesitant and puzzled by Mr. Han Shin Dae's remark.

"I entrust these things to keep in your custody for a while until I give you the signal to hand them over to Hyun-Ki and nobody else. You must keep this in strict secrecy and guard it with your life because this means a matter of life or death to us all." Mr. Dae was firm in his request, while Louie was nervous and scared. Shin Dae put the black pouch inside the brown envelope and sealed it, then placed it in a girl's backpack to make it unnoticeable and ignorable.

"Why are you saying these things to me, Sir? And why me?" Louie was already uneasy and nervous. She felt like walking on a thin thread of a tightrope; one false move meant her life. She began to tremble.

"Don't be afraid, Louie, because no one of the Officials would consider you a threat. They would not even look at you or search your post because you have nothing to do with me, and that is why I chose you to safeguard these documents because I am very sure there won't be any leakage. It will be among us: you, my accountants, and I alone know what I am discussing with you now. Those documents are for Hyun-Ki's eyes alone, and you must hand those to him at the right time, and that right time will be coming from me. Is it clear to you now, Louie?" stressed Mr. Han Shin Dae. Louie nodded nervously.

"You will soon hear and understand some discussions and arguments among the Board Members, which will involve Hyun-Ki, eventually putting him in deep waters. And those documents now in your hands will save him and this entire company. So, I want you to be discreet and tell no one, not even Alexis nor Rielle. It must be in your strict safekeeping, Louie. I will repay your right word someday, and you will be grateful that I chose you to be my custodian." Shin Dae assured Louie.

"Be careful as you walk out of this Office. Just walk straight ahead and keep your look cheerful; don't look around, just straight ahead as if nothing mattered but yourself." Shin Dae was giving Louie a thought of concern.

When Louie returned to her post, not one of her companions noticed her with the backpack. She was thinking and looking for a better place for the bag until she remembered a filing cabinet with the keys in her safekeeping, so she hid it there while looking around. When no one noticed her, she locked it and gave a deep breath. A little later, her mind wandered; what could be that trouble that might put her boss in deep waters? What if Rielle was in such a situation? She was praying so hard when Alexis tapped her shoulder.

"You are in deep thoughts; mind sharing it?" curiously asked Alexis.

"Oh, nothing at all. I was thinking about what to shop for once I received my salary. It's payday soon, Alexis." Cheerfully remarked Louie.

Friday night, the Chairman telephoned Shin Dae.

"Is everything ready, Shin?" intrusively asked the Chairman. When the Chairman called, Shin Dae felt mentally exhausted and whispered a curse upon knowing who was at the end of the line.

"Yes, uncle, everything is ready," he retorted concernedly.

"You have nothing to worry or be concerned about because I feel everything will come out well. Take it from me. I never failed, Shin Dae." It was the Chairman's boastful reply.

It was Saturday afternoon, and it seemed time flew quickly for Shin Dae. All of the Members of the Board were coming at random, and Mr. Han Myeong walked to Hyun-Ki's Office, but the staff locked it, so he went instead to Hwan Chul's Office. He found Hwan Chul reading some of the documents handed to him from the Hanzu Corporation.

"I have some guests coming, Hwan, and I'll let them stay here in your Office until I ask for them." The Chairman said.

"And who could those be, dad?" came Hwan's nonchalant question.

"You'll know; just be courteous, and no questions asked, understood?" demanded the Chairman. Hwan Chul gave a strange confused look at his dad. A little longer, he gathered his thoughts about the meeting and got an idea of who those guests were.

Hwan Chul stood and asked permission to relieve himself in the restroom. While walking to the toilet, he happened on Hyun-Ki and Rielle.

"Better go directly to Rielle's Office and stay there. I'll meet you later. Let your Office remain locked." Hwan Chul warned Hyun-Ki. Rielle and Hyun-Ki felt uneasy about Hwan's warning, so they did what Hwan Chul asked them to do. Hyun-Ki was pacing forth from here and from the door when Hwan Chul came in.

"I guess dad invited the Simons already, Hyeong." Remarked Hwan Chul.

"Why invite them when the discussions have not started yet, and the Board made no decision?" asked Hyun-Ki suspiciously.

"That is what I have to find out now, Hyeong. I'm going back to my Office." Hwan said.

Hwan Chul was returning to his Office when the Chairman met him and told him to go with him to the conference room since the Board Meeting was about to begin.

"What keeps Hyun-Ki, Hwan? He should be here now." The Chairman said in a worried tone. "He's on his way, dad; let us go now." Then Hwan Chul made a call to Hyun-Ki.

All the Board Members and Directors were already seated when Hyun-Ki arrived with her EA. All the assigned secretaries distributed folders and placed them on the table for each member. Hwan Chul gave formal greetings; he opened the discussion about the interest of the Hanzu Corporation to enter membership in the Members of the Board. Hyun-Ki pitched in and stressed to the Board Members that the corporation did not need additional shares for the business was doing well. He was about to elaborate more on the company's outlook when the Chairman stood angrily and irritably and demanded the VP for Finance to outlay his reports on finances and budget.

Mr. Han Shin Dae brought out the financial report and revealed to the Board that their business was slowly declining. While presenting his report on screen, Hyun-Ki became angrier and refused to accept the information because he did not believe what the report described. It was all a lie, he insisted ferociously.

"That is bullshit, Shin Dae. You gave me reports of our financial standing every month which show nothing about a decreasing growth of our business, and now you are telling me that we are going bankrupt? Where did our money go, Shin Dae? If we were losing, why keep the real situation from me? Are you selling us out?" Hyun-Ki was already ferocious, and he was about to hit Shin Dae out of dismay and anger when the Chairman stood between them.

"We have no alternative then but to merge with the Hanzu Corporation." Suggested the Chairman with a deep and authoritative voice.

"What? Do I hear correctly, dad? You were the first one who decreed against merging, and now you are the first one to agree on it?" Hyun-Ki gazed at his dad wickedly and staggered out of the conference room, but the security blocked him, grabbed his arms, and forcibly pushed him back to the conference room.

Rielle was shocked, together with the rest of those present in the room. Then the Chairman demanded one of the securities to escort the guests inside the conference room. Hyun-Ki felt disgraced and embarrassed by how he was handled by the security as ordered by his dad.

"What are you doing? It was like a coup in my company, dad, huh?" Hyun-Ki was ferociously dissonant by the Chairman's bold action against his son. All Hwan Chul did was stand by his brother, showing disappointment and dissent over their father's decision.

The guests came into the conference room, and Hyun-Ki and Hwan Chul were not surprised. The Hanzu group was led by Mr. George Simon, Julienne Simon, and Chao Lin.

"George and I agreed to the merger together with the marriage of my son Hyun-Ki and Julienne Simon." Announced the Chairman.

Hyun-Ki frowned and glowered at the Chairman, showing hatred and antipathy towards Julienne, smiling at that point, beaming with joy and pride. She walked proudly with arrogance by Hyun-Ki's side and slung her arm to his. Rielle turned upset and antagonized.

The Chairman continued, "my son here is still single, and so is Julienne Simon. Having them join together as partners in life is also an advantage as partners in business, and you cannot go against my decision. We have to save our business, and we can only do this through the merging of these companies and the marriage of my son and George's daughter.

Hyun-Ki faced his father in spite. "How do you think I would agree to such a wicked scheme of yours, dad? I truly despise you! Are you selling me now for your greed for money? Am I a commodity you can easily dispose of for your selfish ambition?" Hyun-Ki was instilling in him even a little conscience.

"And how about you, Julienne? Are you proud of what your father is doing? Do you agree with their agenda? You wanted to marry me even if I didn't love you? Where is the logic there!" But Julienne raised her head, proving conceited and arrogant about Hyun-Ki's dispute as long as she understood that she would marry Hyun-Ki, whom Julienne once loved but lost to Cecil.

"I know how much this business meant to you, son, and I am just saving your face from embarrassment to the entire business group. What will these businessmen think that your company turned bankrupt because of your indulgences in women and negligence?" remarked the Chairman, insistent on blaming Hyun-Ki for his failure to raise the company's strength as his scapegoat to convince the Board.

"That was false! You are making up lies to support your scheme! I gave all my time and effort, my blood, sweat, and tears to make this business flourish, and now with just one flick of your fingers, you ruined everything that I worked for, ha, Mr. Chairman? Look at you, dad, you are nothing but a lost dog about to be eaten up by a lion!" Hyun-Ki was fearless of the insults he gave to his dad.

"Insolent!" the Chairman shouted, accompanied by a hard slap on Hyun-Ki's face. "After everything I gave you: an opportunity, my name, my wealth, is that how you return your gratefulness to me as your dad?" putting sensibility on Hyun-Ki.

Meanwhile, in his presence among them, Han Shin Dae was so guilty of conniving with his uncle; that he never thought that Hyun-Ki would be involved in marriage as his evil scheme, which left Hyun-Ki in a miserable and powerless state. At the same time, Rielle was again in a problematic and confusing situation. She remembered Hyun-Ki's story of his father's meddling with his private life that almost destroyed him, and now, here he was again; it's like history is repeating itself.

Hwan Chul got hold of Rielle and told her to get out of here before things worsened.

"Hyun-Ki told me to bring you to his condo if something unlikely happens during this meeting, and he was right. He knew dad very well, Rielle, so please heed his request. Wait for him at his place. I'd better call Mang Ben to bring you there now." Hwan Chul implored.

"Please don't leave Hyun, Hwan Chul. Stay with him until this is over." So, Rielle left with a heavy heart, feeling fear for Hyun-Ki.

Back in the conference room, the Board Members were shocked and resentful by the Chairman's ugly solution to the problem. A Board Member approached Hwan Chul and advised him to inform them of the outcome of this commotion caused by the Chairman.

Sizing up his dad, he felt that their argument wouldn't lead to anything, and he thought of showing defeat at this moment instead, to at least appease his dad while he could come up with something to stop his dad from destroying him again.

"All right, you want this company to flourish again, dad? So do I, but give me some time to think. Getting married is difficult because I have never dreamed of marrying anyone since Cecil. I'll get back to you, don't worry; I won't run; I treasure this business as much as you do. I gave my life and time to this company. At least give me time to reflect." Hyun-Ki paused, waiting for his dad's approval; when the Chairman waved his hand, telling go, he left. Hwan Chul stayed with his dad. Hwan was considering in his thoughts what Hyun-Ki last said to them.

Hyun-Ki was in his car, thinking of the best way to fool his dad, just as his dad did to him and Cecil. He cannot let his dad win over him again. While the car was passing the mall, he finally got an idea.

"Junie, will you wait for me here? I have to look for something to appease Rielle today." And Junie parked the car and waited while Hyun-Ki went to a jewelry store. He was choosing a ring for Rielle but was hesitant because of the size of the call until he remembered Rielle's college ring still on his little finger.

"I wanted a diamond as an engagement ring for my fiancée." Removing Rielle's ring from his little finger, "will you fit this ring for the right size? I also need a pair." Hyun-Ki was pleased with his purchase and kept them in his pocket.