New York, USA in the Hilton Hotel.
The massive presidential suite was filled with the silence of death.
Huo Yanxi calmly stood by the black marble window, his long and indifferent figure resembled a king from hell, starkly contrasted with the ostentatious and hedonistic scene outside the window.
Smoke curled up along with his slender fingers, mixed with the intoxicating scent of cologne in the room and the unique minty coolness from him.
His secretary Shen Yu had been inside for quite a while, standing by the door, clutching the folder in her hands tighter and tighter, not daring to speak.
"What's the situation?" Huo Yanxi's voice suddenly came, low and imposing.
"Mr. Huo, since the rumors about you broke out, many stakeholders have begun to waver, and some even threatened to pull out..." Shen Yu's voice became more and more muted. She has been with Huo Yanxi for a while, but she's never learned to handle things with his composed demeanor.
The tall figure, suddenly, turned around.
Bathed in the sunlight from the window, there was a trace of chill mingling with warmth.
Shen Yu quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at Huo Yanxi's face, sharp as a sculpture.
His amber eyes glanced over lazily, like a cheetah, emotionless.
"Book me a flight back to China for tomorrow." The corner of his lips curled up, void of any smile.
If there was a thermal imaging camera, Shen Yu believed that Huo Yanxi's mouth would exhibit a blast of cold air right now.
"Going back? Isn't our company going public?"
Huo Yanxi didn't answer Shen Yu, he just elegantly stubbed out his cigarette. He rarely smoked.
Shen Yu's heart began to pace in alarm; she has poked at Huo Yanxi's restricted area.
She was fully aware of who Huo Yanxi was, a man of precision and resolve in his actions; if he chose to proceed as such, he certainly has his reasons.
As Shen Yu turned to leave, Huo Yanxi suddenly called out to stop her.
“Summon Jiang Zuo.”
Cold sweat began to seep out from Shen Yu's heart, "Jiang Zuo disappeared today, his phone has been off the grid.”
Shen Yu contemplated secretly, their company was at a critical point of getting listed in America when the scandal regarding their president, Huo Yanxi, leaked on the internet. Now the company is in such a crucial situation, and Jiang Zuo - Huo's good friend and driver - is missing in action. She has been looking for him behind the scenes for a whole day, not to mention a sighting, she can't even get through to his phone.
The situation is indeed very mysterious.
Huo Yanxi's handsome brows furrowed, he waved at Shen Yu, indicating for her to leave.
Just as Shen Yu closed the door to the presidential suite, Huo Yanxi's phone rang.
It was Jiang Zuo.
“Mr. Huo, I found out that the perpetrator spreading rumors about you is Su Zhiqing, the president of Su's company. The Su family, in an attempt to squeeze our Huo Corporation out of the picture, resorted to such despicable acts to sabotage our public listing in the U.S. I've kidnapped Su's daughter who studies in the U.S. as a warning to Su Zhiqing.”
Jiang Zuo on the other end of the phone was beyond excited, his voice even cracked a little.
Jiang Zuo has shadowed Huo Yanxi since childhood, and Huo Yanxi was well aware of his character.
Jiang Zuo's voice was loud, deafening even, but Huo Yanxi could still vaguely hear the sound of chains dragging across the floor on the other end of the line, and the sound of liquid splashing on the floor.
“Where are you?" Huo Yanxi's voice was incredibly restrained, yet it held an endless storm within.
Jiang Zuo frowned. Huo Yanxi was losing his temper. After a few seconds of pause, he finally said, "In New York…"
Having said that, he hung up the phone and picked up his car keys to leave the room. Before he stepped out, he glanced at the computer screen on his desk.
A piece of tabloid news was displayed on the screen. The black headline was exceedingly striking.
"Internet reveals that America-listed Huo’s Corporation's President, Huo Yanxi’s private life is in chaos. His illegitimate child is already five years old."
Beneath the news text were several pictures of him with other women, and then his son... A childhood photo of Huo Chen.
The growing warmth in his eyes eventually lingered on the photo of his son, Huo Chen.
In the picture, Huo Chen was smiling happily, which has always been Huo Yanxi's hope. He wished nothing but a stable and happy life for Huo Chen. However, it appears that this stability might not continue.
After all, the term 'illegitimate child' is a heavy label especially for a five-year-old child. He understood it more than anyone else, hence he was determined to prevent Huo Chen from ending up like himself.
Upon thinking about this, the suppressed anger in Huo Yanxi's heart rose up again. He could endure anything, including a potential failure for his company to be listed in America. But his bottom line… was Huo Chen!
Now he could imagine the scene in kindergarten when those kids would point at Huo Chen and ridicule him for not having a mother. How devastated would Huo Chen be then? They simply didn't understand how cruel this was for the young and innocent Huo Chen.
As his mind wandered back, Huo Yanxi's long eyelashes cast a shadow on his face under the light. No one could see the bone-chilling coldness in his eyes at the moment.
Suddenly, he closed the laptop, his hand unconsciously tightening around the car keys as veins popped out on his clenched fist. Then he closed the door and left.
The night was inky-dark.
In the distance, a large dark cloud began to slowly hover in the sky, and the air was stifling. Even the blowing evening wind carried a suffocating heat.
Oppressive.
Looked like rain was on the way.
The black Maybach sped through the streets of New York, driving towards the western suburbs of the city.
