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"Has Mom come back?" Bryan hurriedly approached Mariana, who was reading a magazine in the living room. The middle-aged woman immediately gave her eldest son a displeased look.

"Yes, I came back this morning. What's the matter? Are you surprised?" Mariana replied lazily, deeply disappointed in her son, whom she had always been proud of for obeying her every wish.

However, Bryan didn't want to listen to her instructions this time. "I thought both Mom and Dad were coming back in fifteen days."

"That's what you thought, that's also what you wanted. But unfortunately, a mother's instinct tells her when her child isn't performing their duties properly."

"Mom, it's not like that," Argan, who was sitting next to Mariana, chimed in.

"Not like how? It's clear that you left Shabila here and handed Alesya over to Nicholas. You know, your father is currently struggling to persuade Nicholas to replace your position when you betrayed us."

"Replace my position?" Bryan was surprised. "I don't want to be replaced. The company is running and thriving because of my efforts. It's just that Dad is foolish to invest in something that's unclear. Now, you've given everything to Nicholas as you please, ignoring all my sacrifices for the company. Is this what you call love for your child?" Bryan paused.

"Despite the fact that I've been fighting hard for the company. It's just that Dad's greed for power and profit led to a decision without my knowledge, which resulted in the company suffering significant losses because Handoko used most of his shares to invest in something uncertain and ended up in fraud."

As soon as the company was in a state of collapse, Handoko simply passed it back to him. There was no way Bryan could shoulder such a heavy burden. To save the company, he was also asked to marry Alesya, have a child with her, and forget about Shabila.

Bryan was a loyal man; he couldn't bear to have a child with another woman, especially when he loved Shabila so much. That used to be the case, but perhaps after meeting Silvi last night, his love had suddenly shifted away from Shabila, who couldn't keep her dignity before marrying him.

"Just pray that your father doesn't make a decision that would make me leave the company," Mariana folded the magazine and left Bryan in the living room.

"If I am indeed ousted from the company, you can be sure that I will be the one to destroy it into pieces. Don't forget, I am the leader of that company!" Bryan retorted, attacking his mother because he didn't like being punished for something that wasn't his fault.

However, all the problems in the company stemmed from his father, not him. Bryan walked quickly to Shabila's room, who might be anxiously waiting for his arrival. Shabila hadn't left her room since she was too afraid to go to the kitchen with Mariana in the living room.

"Don't beat around the bush, and don't talk too much. I don't have much time. So let's get to the point because the sooner, the better. I also want to request that today be the day of divorce between Bryan and Alesya. I want to prepare for our wedding soon."

"Don't rush like that," Handoko offered Nicholas a cup of tea. It had been a long time since they faced each other like this, father and youngest son. Handoko couldn't remember the last time they had a conversation like this.

"I don't want to drink or talk in circles. Like I said, I came here to find out what approval you're giving me."

"You're still the same as ever, I don't know whose influence made you so stubborn, Nik. Your older brother, Bryan, was the one I hoped you'd be like."

"Being a Handoko's biological child doesn't mean you have to have the same traits as him. Because I know, Handoko, my father, is not a good person. He does whatever it takes to achieve his goals, even willing to eliminate his own friends. I don't like dirty business like that. If the company goes bankrupt, so be it. Accept it because it happened not because of someone else's fault but Dad's own mistakes."

"Alright, alright! Don't lecture me too much; you're just a newcomer who doesn't understand the business world. Your game is only in the kitchen, and of course, our worlds are very different."

Nicholas chuckled, "That's why don't beat around the bush; quickly tell me in brief what I need to do to marry Alesya. Don't discuss anything else. If you don't, I might drag this out indefinitely, so your company will collapse soon."

"Alright." Handoko took out a few sheets of paper from his desk drawer; it seemed he had prepared some points of agreement before Nicholas came to see him.

"I know you never want to get involved in dirty business, so you chose to live independently, and I admit you've proven that you can live without us," Handoko acknowledged.

"Therefore, all the agreements here are directed towards Alesya, not you, Nik!" He emphasized each word he spoke.

"What do you mean?" Of course, Nicholas didn't understand because as far as he knew, he was the one who would sign this agreement with his father. So, why was Alesya's name on the paper? Alesya knew nothing about their discussion today.

"What I mean, Nik, is that you have to keep following what I want. Just because you're the one in a relationship with Alesya doesn't mean all of my efforts should be in vain because everything has come this far."

"So?" Nicholas pressed, not wanting to beat around the bush; he wanted to get to the heart of the matter.

To be honest, he didn't want to talk much, especially not in circles, and with no results at all. He preferred a quick and direct presentation of the results.

"So, your being Handoko's descendant, the only difference from Bryan is your personality. Bryan can be controlled, while you are stubborn."

"So, Dad wants me to take over Bryan's position and seize all of Mr. Aditama's wealth?" Nicholas went straight to the core of the conversation.

"You're quick to draw conclusions; you're indeed smart in thinking about what I want from you." Honestly, in this part, Handoko admired Nicholas very much.

"Alright, if I follow Dad's wishes, then Dad also has to follow mine."

"Asking Bryan to divorce Alesya right away?" Now Handoko guessed Nicholas's intentions.

"That's correct." Nicholas rose from his seat. "I will take all of Alesya's wealth to settle the company's debts, but I want the house and land that were used as conditions for Alesya and Bryan's marriage to be redeemed first. Because there are Alesya's parents' graves there. I don't want Alesya's memories of her home and her parents' graves to be displaced someday. And don't think I don't know that Dad is targeting all of Aditama's wealth without exception."

"But, Nik?" Handoko also rose from his seat, already suspecting that Nicholas wanted the two assets that triggered Alesya and Bryan's marriage dispute.

More precisely, the two assets that were visible but only used as a bluff to get Alesya to marry Bryan.

"There are no 'buts'; what I want must be fulfilled by Dad. Only then will I follow what Dad wants as a bridge to claim Mr. Aditama's wealth." Nicholas walked away, knowing the direction of his argument, and of course, he wanted to help his father, but without taking away Alesya's memories from the past.

"If you don't follow what Dad says, Dad will make sure that Alesya won't survive all of this." Handoko started to issue threats.

Nicholas turned around. "Is that so? Dad will harm Alesya, and that means you're threatening me now. Are you sure Dad is threatening someone like Nicholas?" He stared sharply at his father; this was the second time Nicholas had argued with his father.

And this time, it could be considered a heated argument between the two of them. Before, it was just about removing Nicholas from the list of heirs; now, he wanted to fight for Alesya's rights and happiness, even though Handoko was threatening him in various ways.