"You…" Vincent was furious. He felt a sudden ache, then grasped his chest and wrinkled his eyebrow in pain.
Samuel ran to his side and asked nervously, "What is wrong, Grandpa?"
Joseph thought Vincent was just trying to scare him, so he got up and walked out as if nothing happened.
"How dare you!" Vincent felt a severe heartache. He pointed at his bag and said in a broken voice to Samuel, "Pills… Pills… Get them to me."
Samuel fetched his pills out of his briefcase and hurried to get him a glass of water. He also thought that Vincent was acting, so when he asked for pills, Samuel was surprised.
"Don't be so angry, Grandpa. Joseph didn't mean it, he is actually very responsible. He will not destroy Smith Group."
"Don't mention him right now. My heart… cannot stand…" Vincent stammered with hands covering his chest.
"Don't worry, I am here now. I will try my best to ensure it succeeds," Samuel bragged, taking the opportunity to show off.
Vincent patted his shoulder and smiled, but he was thinking about Joseph the entire time. Joseph was the only he thought had the ability to develop Smith Group further.
**
At the Smith mansion later in the afternoon, Cassie panicked when she saw her father being supported by Samuel.
"What is wrong, Dad?" She asked, rushing to his side.
"Call the family doctor!" She ordered the maid.
"Your son. He irritated me!" Vincent shouted, and held his chest.
"Joseph?" Cassie could not believe it.
Samuel told her, "Auntie, Joseph bickered with Grandpa just now. He said he did not want to inherit Smith Group. It made Grandpa very angry and…"
"How can that be? Joseph is very responsible and is committed to…"
"ENOUGH! If you don't want me to be so angry that I die, then don't mention your son!" Vincent laid back on the sofa and closed his eyes.
Cassie dared not to say anything, but immediately went to her room to call Joseph but he did not answer. She decided to call Kate.
Kate was still at work when she saw that Cassie was calling. She got up from her desk and went to the washroom before saying, "Hi, Mom!"
"Kate, can you go to Smith Group and see Joseph?" Cassie asked nervously.
Kate did not understand why, so she asked, "What happened, Mom?"
"Joseph irritated his grandpa, and now his grandpa is very angry. I have called him, but he is not answering. I fear that he might make the wrong decision out of pure impulse. You have to see him, I cannot leave right now," Cassie blurted out. She didn't want to waste any time, fearing that Joseph might walk away as the heir of Smith Group.
To ease Cassie's mind, Kate agreed, "Okay, I will leave to go there right now."
Less than half an hour later, Kate arrived at Joseph's office. Before she walked in, she took a deep breath. It felt like one of the greatest things she ever had to face and it put a lot of pressure on her.
Even though she assumed Joseph wouldn't answer, Kate knocked on the door to his office. When he didn't answer, she opened the door slightly and saw him standing in front of the window, deep in thought. It took all of Kate's courage to walk in and clear her throat so that Joseph would notice she was there.
Joseph turned around, when he saw Kate, he frowned. She was embarrassed to be there, after all, they had argued and slept in different rooms but then she was there looking for him.
She rushed to explain, "Don't misunderstand why I am here. I am here because I was asked to be. I am not here looking for you on my own."
Joseph already knew who sent her here. He cast a glance at her and said coldly, "I didn't give you permission to come in."
"I knocked and the door was not locked. I didn't hear you reply, so…" Kate tried to defend her actions.
"Go away before I lose my temper!" He warned coldly.
"Lose your temper? If your mother did not beg me to come, I would not be here," Kate shouted angrily.
"You have seen me! I am alive so you can go tell her that," He said with a disgusted tone.
This man is cold, arrogant, and irritable. He is seldom gentle. Why was I in love with him before? It is a true mystery. Kate thought to herself.
"Go away!" He demanded harshly.
Kate replied with a calm tone, "Mom is worried about you. She wanted me to come over to check on you and make sure that you would not do anything crazy."
"Check on me?" Joseph approached her, and she stepped back.
She stared at him and said, "Joseph, if you dare hurt me, your mother will not forgive you!"
"You are threatening me with my mother again," Joseph forced her into a corner, then grabbed her hands, holding them over her head against the wall. He whispered in her ear, "Do you think you can manage it?"
Kate knew she sticks up for herself, but she suddenly felt her face flush and her heart beat faster.
"Joseph, I know you are a family man. You took over Smith Group to help your father develop the company and you have done an excellent job. Smith Group prospers and has a secure status in the business field. So, you cannot…"
Kate wanted to persuade him not to give up managing Smith Group, but next second, her mouth was sealed with Joseph's lips.