❝ Sometimes I need a break from
my own thoughts. ❞

CHAPTER FORTY TWO

IDENTITY CRISIS; THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO CALL OUR SITUATION. I mean it's cliché how the world treats you when you you're at your lowest. Targetting you, pushing you and constantly reminding that your best may be someone else's worst. Debatable. But true. Your 9 to 5 could be someone's nightmare.

That's is why almost all of us now think we're supposed to be in a certain way, attain certain goals. Live a materialistic life, do bullshit what all for money? Why is it so important? Why do we desire the things we can't have, why are we not satisfied with what we have? There's only one reason.

Money is our identity.

We live dwell in the idea of money, the comfort of it. The worth of it. Yet, we still want more.

           “Stop!” Slamming my palms against the conference table I stood up abruptly, knowing over a few pens, as within few seconds the room just stopped. Everyone present just stopped. As if the yelling , the arguing they were doing for three hours was never there.

“Ivy—” Jungkook tried to calm me down, but I withdrew my hand from him and stepped forward, walking towards the center of the room, it was a room full of men, with no woman in sight, all except for me. And that thought alone would've crippled me, a few years back but not now. It's not happening anymore. Gulping, I straightened my back, squared my shoulders and, raised my chin up. Sitting in front of me were my uncles and the their sons, all of them wanting to be the next president, to snatch each and every opportunity to shame me, to insult my husband. All because they were there when I lost my father, they witnessed how my marriage crumbed. They have seen everything, my worst and most dreadful phases in life. But,  this person that is standing in front of them right here; she has the power to shut up a room full of men,  she is capable of showing them that whatever baggage she wore she's above and she's invincible.

There's nothing that can hurt me anymore than what I've already suffered. They don't have it in them to harm me.

    “Stop, talking. Do all of you even hear yourselves talk? Probably not because all I hear are egoistic men trying to put each other down,”Turning to face my uncle I smiled bitterly, “All of you bringing in your lawyers, your advisers thinking it's going to work. Let me tell you it won't.——How about I  give you an alternative take your shares and leave. Start your own company, I'm sure since you all believe yourselves to be so capable this would be a piece of cake for you.”

The silence that filled the room was deafening, there were a few uncomfortable, gulps. And a little uneasiness. It was expected. Some were even staring right back at me with smugness like I've just said what they wanted to say.

Letting out a dark chuckle I clasped my hand twisting my wedding around, “Be my guest and start your company, but before that be sure to pay me 20 billion won, if you all remember clearly my father was the one who started this company, this brand he's the one behind everything. And he knew one day, his brothers would want to leave take out their shares and leave, but you're forgetting there are only called your shares because that is the part of business you take care of.”

          “In paper I own them. The net worth you earn is the salary I pay you. Every penthouse house you bought, everyone investment you made is under company's name.——A company that belongs to only one sole person. Ivy.——Jeon Ivy.  So, go ahead and try to start your own company, I have no problem in purchasing million other shares that you just spent your whole life earnings to buy. I mean, if you live in the illusion of thinking that just because I don't participate, I've forgotten my worth.”

“What is she talking about?” It was Sunghook my cousin, who asked this question, turning to face his father who didn't even bother to look at him, he dismissed his son with a terse gesture and stared right back at me. He seemed bewildered to witness me, to actually see me doing something that I should've done ages ago.

This was the hidden secret of our company, everyone in the business world thought that it was company founded by five brothers but no, there was just one man. My father. And, the rest of them were just his employees, and they still are. I could fire them, ruin their careers, do anything I want.

The worst mistake my uncles made were raising their sons and feeding them with the delusion that one day they could own this, be at the top. But that's never going to happen, even after I die, if I have no biological offsprings the company would go for auction but never in their hands.

“What are you suggesting? Are you ordering us to leave or this a threat?”

My uncle, Hunseok certainly had a way for being simply realistic. He was the youngest, uncle. The best in the game, the only person in this room who had the power to turn tables, he was good. People feared him. But he was also stubborn, impatient.

And that was unaffordable. If you want to be at the top, there's a certain amount of patience you must posses.

“Why, do you think I'm mentioning this? Maybe because it's been years since I've let the four of you, control me, rule me. And be-tittle me, now that uncle Byunsik is gone. I've decided that it's enough. I was twenty when father died, uncle Byunsik forced me to sign the papers he wanted to be the next president, he manipulated me. It's was not right then it's not right now. I am done with this charade. I want real progress, I don't want my fortune to be in the hands of unworthy, ungrateful people. Why should I? When I can simply be the next president?”

“What!”

“Ivy!”

“This is ridiculous—”

It was chaos. No person present was quiet anymore, all except my husband who was sitting there staring right back at me, his face has become an unknown emotion it resembled nothing that I've ever seen, I could see one thing his eyes they were blazing, staring at nothing but at me. His wife.  And for a brief moment, the world around us just disappeared, it was just us and our language, the way our bodies spoke to each other.

The longing in his gaze and the yearning of my heart. It was beyond this world, this room. And it proved only one thing even if you put oceans between us, we would still be bound to each other.

This thing between us was permanent.

Shaking my head tenderly, I brushed my fingers against my lips to hide my smile, and took a deep breath.

“I've said what I wanted to say. And just to be clear I wasn't asking, it's not something open for discussion, it's the final verdict I'm the next president. If you don't approve of it, not my problem. Learn how to deal with it. This is the way things are going to be now,  there are no other options. It's this, or prepare yourselves for the worst.”

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note:

I've lost all my aesthetic stuff literally that is why this chapter might seem a little different in style. I'm sorry. I literally no energy to do anything extra anymore you know start writing, so that's what I did.

I'm apologize for taking this long and keeping this story on hold. But I hope you're still sticking around. I also hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.

This was the chapter that was just there for so long. I've been trying to arrange this in a certain way but never mind it is done now. So, please don't mind my mistakes. I was kinda exhausted when I wrote this.

Thanks for reading <3