Offer To The CEO

Wednesday, continued …

After the call with Hou Yi finished Anna turned to one of the bodyguards and said "Could one of you please help me upstairs."

One bodyguard came over and carefully picked Anna Up, and the other collected her crutches, and they went up the stairs to the bedroom level. Once they were there, Anna was carefully placed down, and handed the crutches and she headed towards the Master Suite. She carefully took her time in looking through the clothes in the walk-in robe to find clothes to go out tonight.

Feeling somewhat tired, she sat down on a chair for a few minutes when her phone started to ring. On checking the caller ID, Anna noticed that it was Amanda.

"Anna, what is the world was going on? There are all these rumors flying around the company, and some of them are scary, that Lu Corporation has filed charges that could damage Hou Enterprises."

"Calm down Amanda. By the way do you know what your husband was doing today?"

"He was at work. The one deal we have is that we do not talk about work, other than in general terms."

"Damn our husbands for keeping secrets. The only reason I know is Yi finally cracked today and let me know what they have been doing the last few weeks. The two of them have been plotting to isolate Lu Corporation, and damage it financially. I would guess my husband had meetings with executives of major companies and gave them the choice between Hou Enterprises and Lu Corporation. And they chose ..."

"Hou Enterprises."

"An my husband convinced your husband to be the one to be the public messenger of the choice to be made, with executives from nine other companies with him on the stage."

An extremely angry Amanda spat out "Damn those two. We know how vicious Lu Jinhu was to you. Where did they think he learnt that, and why did they not tell us we were at risk. The triplets, they could be at risk. Damn it …"

"Amanda, there is something you have not told me. Spill."

Amanda took a breath and in a much calmer tone continued, "I know you have heard the triplets mentioned a few times. When he was fifteen-years-old Tan got his then girlfriend, the same age, pregnant. I only recall bits and pieces as I was only about seven or eight, and the rest is what my parents or Tan have told me. I gather she wanted a termination, but as she was underage her parents refused to allow her to do so."

"Tan told me, he was willing to do the responsible thing, but she refused. Two days before his sixteenth birthday, about six weeks early she gave birth to triplets two boys and girls. She abandoned them, and Tan took responsibility for them with the help of his parents, and a large payout that took most of Tan's inheritance from his grandparents saw her parental rights terminated and Tan get complete custody for them."

"At the time Tan had a couple of weeks left of the year at school and his parents helped him with the triplets until he completed the year. My in-laws were clear that he had to be responsible for the triplets, which included being there for them, supporting them financially as well as everything else. The family wealth, and control of XF International helped him."

"He took three years away from school and started to work within XF International, in a lowly position, but his skills allowed him to work his way up quickly. When the triplets were three years old his parents agreed to assist him to complete the last two years of his secondary school, which placed him in the same class as your husband and Lu Jinhu."

"All he did for those two years was school, work and caring for the children. In his last year of school, with the help of my mother I babysat the triplets at times to allow him to work or study. Despite everything in his plate, along with your husband and Lu Jihnu he was in the top three in their year."

"Apparently other than your husband, when anyone in the year found about the triplets, they could not believe that he had taken responsibility for them. When he refused to dump them on people to go out with them, they told him they controlled him and refused to associate with him."

"When the triplets were five they started school and he went to University here, unlike Hou Yi and a number of the others in their year who went overseas. All the time he was still looking after the triplets and working in the company. Hou Yi was the only one that completed secondary school with him that has remained in contact."

"I remember Tan telling me the worst thing on their first day of school was being mistaken for the triplets older brother, rather than their father. Once they started school, and I remember it well from babysitting them, they became difficult and hate Tan for their mother not being in their lives. I do not know why that changed, but your husband and I were there to support him dealing with that."

"While we have been dating for a few years, it was only due to your husband that he eventually got over the issue he has had about asking me to take on the triplets. The boys in particular, but also his daughter Alecia until just after Christmas last year were anti, even my relationship with Tan, as they hoped their mother would come back permanently and marry their father. The change came about due to Alecia being sexually assaulted by someone I do not know, at a societal function."