Chapter 178: Wants You Out
"Grandpa, look what Lola’s kids did to me!" Derek harrumphed the moment he entered the chairman’s study. "And even then, she wouldn’t apologize—instead, she threatened to kill me—ack!"
"You damn brat!" Chairman Lancaster whipped his cane against him, fuming. "How do you have time to argue with Lola’s kids when you’re already done for, huh?! No—how dare you even talk about her children that way?!"
The chairman raised his cane again, smacking it against Derek’s cast. "Come here! I’ll break that leg for good!"
"Ahh, Grandpa!" Derek screamed, scrambling back until he was squeezed against the end of the couch, arms and legs raised in defense. Lucky for him, he still had the cast on. Otherwise, the chairman really would’ve broken his leg for good.
"What did I do?!" Derek shouted once he was sure the cane wouldn’t reach him. But the chairman only panted and crooked a finger. "What is it now?! Are you siding with her again?!"
"Come here," said the chairman between heavy breaths. "I’m not done with you. I’ll beat some sense into you, since you’ve only been growing more and more backward."
"Grandpa!" Derek frowned. "How could you be so harsh to me?! How can you do this to your own grandson?!"
"Come here," the chairman snapped, ignoring him. "Travis, drag this brat over here so I can wake him up from the bubble he’s built around himself."
Travis, who had been standing off to the side, quietly moved a glass of water toward the chairman.
"Chairman, please calm down," Travis said softly. "Your health is more important."
Hearing that, Derek snorted at him. Meanwhile, the chairman glared at him but said nothing. Instead, he grabbed the glass and chugged it down, though it barely eased the pounding of his heart.
Satisfied for now, Travis nodded and took a seat across from Derek. But the moment he sat, Derek glared at him.
"Travis, what the hell are you even doing here?!" Derek growled. "Did Lola ask you to defend her again—"
He froze when the chairman’s cane twitched upward again. Instinctively, Derek shielded his head with his arm.
"This brat!" the chairman barked, grinding his teeth before stopping himself mid-swing. He shook his head. "Surely, the company was wrong to give you that promotion so quickly. You’re going to kill this family!"
"Grandpa, how can you say that?" Derek’s face twisted. "You’re always harsh with me, but when Lola makes a mistake, you just laugh it off!"
He slapped his chest. "I’m your grandson! Your flesh and blood! Not Lola! I even found out you bought her a condominium, and she doesn’t even help us! Meanwhile, look what her kids did to me!"
"Derek, I know you’re dumb, but this is too much!" the chairman roared in distress. This grandson of his just wouldn’t let him calm down. "What nonsense are you spouting—stop slandering Lola and her children! They’re the least of your problems right now!"
"Tch!" Derek sneered. "Grandpa, why are you always covering for her—"
"Derek."
This time, Travis cut in, realizing the shouting match would never end. It wasn’t surprising. The chairman was lenient with Derek only because he was his direct grandson.
"The chairman called you here because the Summit Partners reached out this morning," Travis said, shifting the focus. "They want you out."
"Huh?" Derek furrowed his brows and tugged his earlobe. "Wait, Grandpa’s yelling messed up my hearing. What again?"
The chairman slammed his cane against the table. "The Summit Partners wants you out. They don’t want you anywhere near the project!"
This time, Derek froze. His eyes widened as he darted a look between the chairman and Travis.
"What?" he blurted. "They want me—what?"
The chairman huffed, trying to steady his breath, while Travis watched Derek with a solemn expression.
"You’re no longer part of our dealings with the Summit Partners," the chairman said firmly. "Travis will replace you as lead, since he’s been aware of the project from the start. Derek, I’m transferring you elsewhere."
He tapped his cane against the floor. "All your files and documents, send them to Travis’s office. Do you understand?"
But Derek just sat there, stunned. Slowly, his eyes narrowed on Travis.
"You! What the hell did you do?!" he roared, limping to his feet despite the cast. He jabbed a finger at Travis. "I knew it! You were scheming to steal this project from me all along!"
As always, Travis didn’t flinch. He only stared at Derek, cold and unbothered. There was no point arguing with someone who never saw his own faults.
"This brat..." the chairman hissed, bitterness rising in his chest at his disgraceful grandson. He swung his cane, smacking Derek on the back of his leg.
"Ahhh!!"
"You brat, what are you talking about?!" the chairman thundered. "You should thank Travis you’re only being removed from this project! If not for him, you’d have been stripped of your position entirely—or sent to another branch!"
"What?!"
"Derek, I don’t care what you do with your life," Travis said solemnly as Derek turned back to him. "But when you drag this family into danger, that’s different."
Derek’s face twisted in confusion. "I don’t understand! Damn it, I didn’t do anything! Can’t you see I’m the one with a cast here?! And even then, I didn’t make a big fuss because I’ve been busy with the Summit Partners! I can’t even take my fiance on a date anymore! I’ve been doing my best!"
"Then your best isn’t good enough! It’s pathetic!" the chairman snapped, stomping his cane against the floor. "Derek, you’ve offended someone you should never have crossed. You’re not a child anymore, yet you think everyone will let you whine without consequence? There are dangerous people out there."
His voice dropped as his face darkened. "The Summit Partners are good allies. But if they turn into enemies... our family won’t stand a chance."
"The chairman of the Summit Partners himself already warned us," Travis added in the same tone. "Let’s not push our luck, Derek. Leave the project quietly and never touch anything related to the Summit Partners again—because if you do, we won’t be able to protect you."
In the adult world, it was all fun and games until it wasn’t. That was something Derek still needed to understand in his childish little world.