When Chairman Alvord, Vincent and George were on their way back to Alvord Corporation, the air inside the black luxury sedan was beyond suffocating.

The weather outside was chilly, and the atmosphere inside was stormy despite the heating system working well.

The turbulent swirled between the three men seated within, leaving the chauffeur sweating in worry. His eyes were glued to the road.

Chairman Alvord sat stiffly in the back, his jaw rigid and hands clenched so tightly above his knees. His knuckles had turned white from the pressure and fury blazed in his eyes.

Beside him, Vincent stared blankly out of the window, lips parted, but he said nothing. His pale visage expressed the shock that had yet to wear off. His fingers trembled slightly.

In the front passenger seat, George sat with his arms crossed, his brows furrowing. He was still trying to convince himself the entire encounter had been a hallucination.

All of them had the same thought. All were still surprised by what had unfolded less than an hour ago.

No one spoke. The interior of the car was deathly quiet, save for their breathing and the hum of the echoes outside.

Chairman Alfonso finally snapped once he stepped inside his office.

"Ruediger," he growled, "Ruediger! That ungrateful bastard! How dare he! How dare he humiliate me like that in front of everyone!"

Vincent glanced behind his shoulder, gesturing at George to close the door. Once the latter did it, no eyes could see inside.

Everyone in the hallway outside had seen how unsightly furious their chairman was. They couldn't let the staff hear or witness any ugly scenes.

When the trio left the elevator, the staff nearby could sense something was wrong. Assistants scattered quickly, trying to avoid the exploding volcanoes in their chairman's eyes.

"Father," Vincent strode forward, his voice low, "It's hard to believe, but... he is Mr. R. We can't deny this."

"He can't be!" Chairman Alvord spat, his chest heaving up and down rapidly.

"But CEO Knowles confirmed it, and so did CEO Faulkner," Vincent said, half to himself as he faced his father, "Ruediger... he's thriving. He has built an empire."

The words settled in like stones in his chest, weighing him down as he drowned in the ocean of incredulity.

George exhaled slowly. He raised his hand, leaving it to hang awkwardly for a moment before he ran his fingers through his hair. He glanced from Chairman Alvord to Vincent.

"This changes everything, sadly. Mr. R... I mean, Mr. Ruediger earlier... he seemed against revealing his identity to the outside. The board might not hear this, but... because we failed to get Faulkner Investment..."

George trailed off, but the two Alvords fully understood what he meant. The board members could do as they wished in this nearly approaching meeting.

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"Let them try!" Chairman Alvord roared, still in denial over the cold truth, "They think they can operate without me? I built this empire to be this grand!"

Alvord Corporation was already a giant tree when Chairman Alvord took over the reigning position. His past glory was unquestionable, but even a giant tree could collapse under the continuous storm and rain.

Vincent gripped his hands into fists, eyes staring at his father, "Then what are we going to do? Father... we have no way out anymore."

Chairman Alvord didn't respond. Gritting his teeth, he was unable to reply to his son.

George left without a word, his expression unreadable as he closed the door. He didn't bother hiding the dark clouds hanging above his head as he left the topmost floor.

Inside, Chairman Alvord suddenly rushed forward. Before Vincent could say anything, he swept a paperweight from the office desk.

The fragile glass shattered against the floor, scattering its shards over a certain radius. Seconds later, a decorative lamp followed and met the same fate.

"Father! Stop!" Vincent rushed to Chairman Alvord, grabbing his father's right arm, "Calm down!"

"I will NOT accept this!" Chairman Alvord bellowed. He yanked his arm from Vincent's grasp, his bloodshot eyes exuding madness, "I was made a fool! By my own blood!"

Vincent flinched, surprised by the madness in his father's reddened eyes. Unable to restrain himself, each word coming out of his mouth was obviously tinged with blame.

"It happened. We can't ever take it back. You went to his wife. You demanded she divorce him. You made him retaliate!"

Chairman Alvord scoffed, "So it's my fault now? Huh?"

Vincent swallowed 'Yes', knowing pushing it further would just heighten his father's rage. He lowered his voice, "Father, this isn't something we can fight. He's... he's too big now. In our current situation, we can't defeat him."

Chairman Alvord stared quietly at his youngest son. Then, slowly, he backed away from the broken mess, his feet bringing him to the leather chair. His hands trembled faintly.

"I didn't think it was him," he muttered, his gaze losing focus, "I saw and heard the name 'Mr. R' so many times... never once I thought... never once I imagined Mr. R was he! That he could be..."

"Untouchable," Vincent finished, his mood plummeting further.

Chairman Alvord tightened his jaw. He said nothing as Vincent approached the desk more closely. The father and son remained in silence for a long five minutes before the latter finally spoke.

"Father... what do we do now?"

Despite asking that, Vincent knew there was no other way for his father to remain in his seat in the company. The board's patience had been stretched thin.

Came next week, the arrogant Matthew Alvord was no longer the Chairman of Alvord Corporation.

Gripping the handrests, Chairman Alvord looked up, his eyes strangely calm, "We retreat."

"...retreat?"

"For now," Chairman Alvord hissed, "I'll retreat for now. Let the board do what they want. But I'll find a way back. They'll pay a high price for offending me."

Vincent frowned, but had nothing to say. Then, he said cautiously, "Father, you won't expose Mr. R is Ruediger, don't you? If... if we do that, the board might give you a chance."

Chairman Alvord stared at him with contempt as if Vincent had just lost his mind for saying that.

"Do you think I'd ever admit that the man we've all been trying to seek is my disowned son? Do you know what that would do to my reputation?"

"But it's the truth," Vincent stated, "The board might give you a chance. Who among them will let go of the chance to know him?"

"Vincent!" Chairman Alvord slammed a fist onto the desk. The papers shook and the pens rolled, "It's a disgrace! Shut up if you've nothing better to say!"

Silence fell again and the tension in the air thickened.

What Ruediger thought before was the truth.

Due to his immense pride, Chairman Alvord wouldn't ever reveal that Mr. R was him, the son who he abandoned twenty years ago.

Exposing to everyone that Ruediger managed to achieve a spot in the summit without the Alvord family's help was akin to slapping them in the face.

He would be a laughing stock!

Everyone would applaud how blind he was to abandon the son who would bring greater merits to their family!

Vincent exhaled once again. Tugging at his tie, he forcibly loosened it. His gaze remained on his father, "Then... you'll retreat and plan later?"

Chairman Alvord looked up slowly, his expression dark as he stared back at Vincent. He said nothing for a long while. Then, finally, he waved at the door.

"Leave me. I need to think."

Vincent hesitated. A bad premonition appeared in his heart.

"Father, if you're thinking of going after him again..."

"I said leave."

Giving up, Vincent didn't speak further. With one last glance at his father, he turned and left the office. He stepped away from the broken mess on the floor. The door clicked quietly.

Chairman Alvord stood still for a moment, staring at the mess on his desk and the floor. His mind raced, not just with rage, but humiliation.

He had gambled on power and control, only to lose it all to the very son he had deemed useless.

Lariette.

The name emerged in his mind as he thought suddenly, not with affection for his daughter-in-law, but with cruel calculation.

All of this mess happened because he approached her!

So... why didn't he take another step further?

Despite receiving a warning from Ruediger, he couldn't help but think of the lady who seemed important to his eldest son.

Lariette was Ruediger's weakness. That was undeniable. And their marriage, albeit it began out of nowhere, made Chairman Alvord think if there was something deeper and hidden.

As far as Chairman Alvord knew, Lariette Elsher returned to her maiden family after over a decade of living in the countryside due to a mishap during her birth.

Perhaps, he could seize her weak points, the past as a peasant she was surely ashamed of.

Chairman Alvord sneered. He unlocked a small safe under his desk and took out a phone. He rarely used this one, but today was an exception.

With steady fingers, he dialed a number. The line clicked after two rings.

A gruffy male voice answered, "Yes, Chairman?"

"I have a task for you," Chairman Alvord spoke, his voice strangely calm, "Discreet. Make no mistake."

"I'm listening."

"There's a woman. Lariette Elsher. Look into her past before she returned to the Elsher family. I want as many details as you can get."

The man paused, and then his voice echoed in the next minute, "Okay."

"Report back within the week," Chairman Alvord smirked, "As I said, do it quietly."

"Yes, sir."

The call ended abruptly.

Chairman Alvord set the phone down, twisted thoughts pushing out from the depths of his mind.

If Ruediger wouldn't break on his own... perhaps the woman he married had a crack somewhere he could exploit.

Since it had come to this, they could fall together.