Chapter 10

WHEN HUA YONG found out a year ago that Sheng Fang was involved in some shady underground activities, he knew it was just a matter of time before the old man dragged everyone down with him. Shao You the worst affected.

He could have told CSRC. He didn’t.

They found out themselves.

A month ago, he acquired the largest share. Tender offer. Stocks were plummeting. The shareholders had their backs to a wall.

It was a walk in the park. Even when it cost him twice the market bid, it cost them everything.

He’d watched just because he thought it wise to trust Shao You and how much he could take.

He wasn’t some damsel in distress and would hate to treat his man as such.

But over the past month, he’d really seen what twelve years hadn’t really shown him. That Shao You was as vulnerable as he was prideful.

With the company crashing down, his father behind bars and everything going on in his life, he had only his dynamic to fall back on.

Being an s-class alpha and even that was starting to waver in the face of mere omegas and betas.

Shao You was the heir in the company which meant he was in line to take over if his father stepped down or was no more one day. Now due to the old man’s incompetence, he was going to lose both.

The company and the respect that came with being a Sheng.

When Hua Yong walked into the conference room of ShengFang Biotech, he didn’t expect to be received with warm smiles.

Or hugs.

Because he wasn’t doing this for those two faced old men in the room.

He was doing this for him.

His assistant, Chang Yu was the first to walk into the room. Then Hua Yong followed, one step at a time, carrying a strong, undeniable presence to him.

Silence enshrouded the room the moment he stepped in, the whispers dying with their pride. Everyone immediately shot on their feet, bowing him in. Hua Yong almost rolled his eyes at the fake warmth.

He was buying out a dying company. He wasn’t their friend. He was the man saving them from shame.

And there was a big difference.

Hua Yong did not care to spare anyone else a glance as his eyes naturally snapped around to find his. The dark ones of the man he loved.

Shao You was at the end of the table, getting on his feet when their eyes met. He didn’t look too well now either. But that was besides the point.

Something passed through his features. Confusion. Took him a while to process. Then something tenser. Anger.

His nose flared, fist clenching hard by his sides.

But everyone else was too engrossed in the essence of the meeting to notice.

Except Hua Yong, who didn’t look away. Couldn’t.

“Mr. Hua,” one of the men, presumably the board chair, stretched a hand out to shake him.

Hua Yong frowned at the audacity.

He did not even turn to look at him. Nor did he take his outstretched hand, the already suffocating tension in the room upping to a one hundred.

Beside him, Chang Yu hurried to shake the man while the enigma stepped forward.

“Sit.” He commanded, taking a seat at the head of the table first. His eyes remained fixed ahead.

All the way to the end of the table where bloodshot eyes glared back, mouth pressed into a thin line.

It was intense. The kind that could burn a hole through your eyes.

But he didn’t budge.

Shao You remained standing, fists pinned tightly to the table. As if to anchor himself. Or better still, stop himself.

Because if history was anything to go by, Hua Yong knew it was just a matter of time before Shao You would snap. And his split bottom lip from the morning was evidence enough.

Hua Yong leaned forward in his seat, addressing him with a finger.

“Please sit, Mr. Sheng.”

Seven pair of eyes glanced at him and followed his gaze. The murmurs that followed continued to rub him the wrong way.

Too loud. Too unnecessary.

“What are you doing, Sheng?” one of the board of directors asked, eyebrows cocked arrogantly. “Sit down.”

His tone carried so much malicious bite to it that Hua Yong’s whole body tensed. His thumb tapped the table. Twice.

No one talked to his alpha like that. Not him, not seven greedy men with big stomachs.

Shao You’s eyes narrowed to slits, lips parting to argue but stopped himself and took a deep breath instead. In the end, he lowered himself into his chair without a word.

He turned his head away, mouth pressed into a thin line.

Hua Yong saw the way his eyes shot daggers. The rapid rise and fall of his chest like he couldn’t breathe properly. The clenching of his fist so hard against the dark wood his knuckles whitened.

Sheng Shao You was furious. Raging. A ticking time bomb.

And maybe he needed to nuke him before he did any irreparable damage to himself.

“Silence please.” Chang Yu called from beside him, the entire room turning their attention the head of the table. The silence that followed was palpable.

At their undivided attention, Chang Yu cleared his throat and continued, “Good morning. Thank you all for coming on such short notice.” He paused and glanced down at his boss for permission, and Hua Yong without looking at him, nodded.

“As of 10:00 am today, HUA CORP. holds 68 percent controlling interest in Sheng Fang Biotech…

Some of the board of directors turned to whisper to each other but he continued regardless. Not that they had a choice anymore. Mr. Hua had made sure to leave them incapacitated with little to no means of voting against it.

“This meeting is to outline immediate reconstructing of the entire company. Effective immediately and by a unanimous decision, Mr. Hua takes the role of the chairman. Which means ShengFang Biotech is going to operate as a subsidiary of HUA CORP.”

More murmurings.

But none loud enough to distract Hua Yong from his only object of interest. And said man was still turned away, jaw clenching and unclenching at each syllable. It hurt him to watch but he had to.

Hua Yong could feel Shao You break with every word as his Secretary moved on to talk about current liabilities and what was going to be done about it.

It was a feeble amount of three billion that he could settle in just a second and return this insanity back to its original hands.

But he wasn’t here to make it easy for anyone. Not the old geezer Sheng Fang, not the old man secretly harbouring spite towards him, not Shao You.

Not yet.

He was going to absorb it alright but there was no escaping the claws of HUA CORP or its ruthless leader.

It came with terms. Oh, and they were non negotiable.

Finally, Shao You turned to face them as Chang Yu laid out the terms in clear language.

One by one he spat out the inescapable terms to the entire board while Hua Yong waited. Patiently. For it to be over.

The last term meant Chang Yu was closer to talking about the Chief Executive Officer position and mentioning the former and that made Hua Yong straighten out in undiluted interest.

The same CEO position which was previously held by Sheng Fang before being detained.

That was the part Hua Yong had and anticipated the most. Reason his eyes hadn’t left the alpha even once. He knew it was same for the Shao You whose lips were pressed together at the moment, trying to stop the tears that glossed his eyes from spilling over.

And maybe that was the real reason Shao You was still here. They didn’t have much left.

But Hua Yong saw it. The subtle glint of hope in his eyes. Like he was hoping there was still something he could hold on to after everything he’d worked his entire life for was slowly slipping from his grip. No matter how hard he tried to hold onto it.

Fifteen minutes passed like that. The ground rules had been laid, gathering no single objection but cowardly men who kept mum and watch everything they worked for over the years taken away. There wasn’t much to say in all honesty.

Well wasn’t that what was expected to happen?

The board members were here to listen to him. As the highest shareholder of the company now, his word was going to be law.

LAW.

After what seemed like eternity, Chang Yu finally hinted at the inevitable. Hua Yong’s jaw ticked. Shao You’s half closed eyes snapped open and he sat up straight waiting to hear the fate of his own father.

And at this point, Hua Yong knew he was the least of the alpha’s worries. Because he hadn’t spared him another glance since earlier. Like he wasn’t there. But immediately he father was mentioned, life slipped back into those almost empty gaze of his.

A situation that tugged a faint smirk out of the enigma. How cruel.

He’d gone this far just for the man he did all this for to regard him with thin interest. He tried to ignore the dull, gaping ache in his chest.

This was still far from over. Because when it was, Shao You would belong to him.

“Regarding the CEO position which Sheng Fang previously occupied, since he remains in federal custody facing indictments for corporate espionage and wire fraud,” Shao You did not move a muscle, the veins threatening to pop from his neck from holding in too much. “he is incarcerated. His entire assets have been frozen. HUA CORP is cooperating fully with investigations into him and anyone else involved with after further probings will be dealt with accordingly.”

That was it. The final breaking point of Shao You who pulled back, shutting his eyes tight. Still the tears spilled over, rolling down his cheeks, his body spasming at the intensity.

Hua Yong held his breath, resting his hands casually on the table as he waited for Chang Yu to deliver the final blow.

The cue to end this all.

Chang Yu did not hesitate in his assigned role. Hua Yong chose him because he didn’t trust himself to not throw everything else and hand Shao You the position in a breath if he as much as breathed wrong.

The secretary made it easier.

“For the role of CEO which is left vacant,” Chang Yu paused for an obvious dramatic effect, which he got because the room could not have gotten anymore silent as everyone held their breath. “Mr. Hua will act as an interim president for now until the compliance review is over. The identity of the new CEO will be shown at the next meeting.”

A wave of defiance swept around the room, even though no one was bold enough to counter the decision.

Cowards, Hua Yong thought.

That wasn’t what he was worried about.

What he was worried about was seated at the end of the table across from him, gripping the edge of the table so hard his knuckles paled. His nose was scrunched, teeth clenched tight together, while one arm clutched his stomach tight.

Hua Yong could see each and every drop of sweat snaking into his dress shirt, drenching it. The strands of hair sticking to his forehead.

It was sexy when it was. This time was different.

Shao You.

He shot up. “Shao You-” he drawled.

Chang Yu shut up at the sound of his boss’s voice, all seven pair of eyes turning to the aforementioned with him.

At the sudden attention, the alpha looked up, eyes sweeping across their faces in an unsteady wave as he struggled to pull himself up.

His knees buckled, face morphing into a scowl.

But Shao You didn’t make it up fully before his eyes widened, face going uh-oh and then he tipped over the edge.

Hua Yong shot across the room, catching him in his arms before he could hit the floor. Then he growled for an ambulance, while already running out of the room, Shao You nursed safely in his bosom.

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HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

Posting late cause I spent so much time on this chapter again. Am I like the only one that hates sloppy writing? That’s why I don’t mind spending a year on a chapter if it means doing the proper research.

-WILL EDIT LATER.

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