When we walked into the company, I saw his step-uncle waiting for him. Even his expression showed why he was here today. Although he is not related by blood to Tyler or Tyler's parents, he still wants the company.
After Tyler's grandmother passed away, his grandfather married for the second time. His second wife already had a child from her previous marriage. Even though Tyler's grandfather never adopted him or gave him any share, he and his mother secretly planned and bribed some of the company's shareholders. They were truly trying their best to take over the company.
They also proposed that Tyler could take over the company only after getting married, and the chairman—Tyler's grandfather—agreed. That's why we are married now. I bet they are burning with jealousy inside. They thought they had bought time with that proposal, but Tyler and I got married just one day later. They didn't have enough time to bribe all the shareholders.
I held Tyler's hand and started walking towards the meeting room.
Suddenly, Tyler's uncle stood in front of us, smiling so brightly that one would think he was genuinely happy to see us.
Tyler's uncle: "How happy I am to see you youngsters here. Tyler, I didn't know you had a boyfriend all along, and then suddenly you got married to him. Haha."
Then his uncle looked at me.
"You were the heir of the Theerakul Group, weren't you? No wonder you look so familiar. Too bad what happened to your group. Nobody can predict the future. Oh, the poor soul."
My blood started to boil when I heard those words. They were clearly mocking me. I was about to say something, but Tyler cut in.
Tyler: "It's okay, Uncle. Thank you for your kind words. I'm really shocked to hear this from you. I always thought that only people who are heirs or who own companies can understand others' pain. But you proved me wrong. I didn't know that someone without a company or inheritance could still understand another person's suffering."
Tyler's words hit his uncle like sharp knives. I could see his face turning red with anger.
Then Tyler held my hand and said, "Let's go, Payu. We have a meeting waiting for us."
And we left.
When we arrived in the meeting room, many people were already there. Tyler's grandfather was seated at the head of the table, with his second wife beside him. Tyler and I took our seats. The atmosphere in the room felt strange. It was time to officially announce Tyler as the heir, since he had fulfilled the condition by getting married.
After a few minutes, everyone arrived. I noticed his step-uncle sitting beside his mother.
Tyler's grandfather smiled at me and said, "Payu, you've grown so much. It feels like just yesterday you were five years old, visiting our house and playing with Tyler. Haha, how fast time flies."
I replied gently, "Thank you, Grandpa. I missed you too."
Tyler's grandfather: "Ho ho. I'm really happy that we have become family. I missed you very much all these years. Tyler told me that you were managing your business, which is why you were so busy."
I looked at Tyler. How did he know I was managing a business before we even met?
Then I looked back at his grandfather and smiled. "Yes, I was busy with my company."
Suddenly, Tyler's grandfather's second wife interrupted, "But I still find it suspicious that as soon as your grandfather mentioned marriage, you suddenly got married the very next day."
When Tyler was about to reply, his grandfather cut him off.
"Marentha, you don't know anything. You joined this family much later, but Payu has been part of this family for a long time. They were childhood sweethearts. Even though Payu stopped coming to our house in the middle and they stopped seeing each other, I felt sad. Now I feel even sadder after learning from Tyler that Payu was having trouble with his business, which forced them to separate. Don't speak without knowing the full story."
His words completely silenced her.
I had expected people to question our sudden marriage, but thankfully, our childhood bond made the story believable.
Then his uncle redirected everyone's attention to himself.
"Haha. Since we're all here, shall we discuss the company?"
He turned to Tyler's grandfather. "Father, since my brother and sister-in-law passed away, I've been the one handling all the company's work. The shareholders have come to trust me. Tyler is still too young to manage such responsibilities. So, I believe I should be the CEO. Many shareholders here also support my decision."
I looked toward the shareholders and saw some of them nodding.
I nodded at Tyler, and he took out a document.
Tyler: "Grandfather, I want to present this document. It shows the company's financial records. If you look closely, you'll see that company funds have been slowly drained over the past few years. Since my uncle was managing the company, and the amounts were small each time so no one became suspicious. But over the years, thirty million was siphoned from the company.
"Not only that—I can confidently say I'm capable. Even though I haven't been here long, I've secured multiple major deals and earned several awards for the company. I believe I am far more qualified than my uncle."
His uncle's face turned pale.
He tried to cover up his crime. "Father, these documents are forged. Don't believe them."
Tyler's grandfather examined the papers, then looked at him.
"Suprei, I knew you were ambitious, but now I see that you're greedy. Tyler would have become CEO regardless of your interference. I was even willing to give you another position in the company. But now, leave immediately. Not reporting you to the police is the last kindness you'll receive from me."
Suprei's mother grabbed Tyler's grandfather's hand. "Honey, please—"
But he looked at her with red, furious eyes and told her to be quiet.
After that, the meeting went smoothly, and Tyler finally took his rightful position.