Jason Cho

The sirens of the ambulance reached his ears as he rushed out of his car. There were many police cars around the crash site while photographers clicked pictures of the car. To his horror, the car was totally wrecked in the accident. His mind was numb, something he had not expected. 

How many years had it been since he saw them? He could not recall. All he remembered was being angry at his sister for running away from their family. She did not even turn up at the funeral of their parents. She had disappeared without a trace, preferring to run away with a lowly scientist instead of staying with his family.

The rage he felt had not ebbed but seeing his sister and her husband’s car in that state gave way to an ominous feeling in his heart. As soon as he received the phone call, he abandoned everything and ran to the place where the accident had taken place.

“Jason Cho?”

He turned around to find a police officer talking to him. 

“I am Inspector John Ahn,” the policeman introduced himself. “I’ll be in charge of this case.”

Jason was too numb to speak but somehow managed to nod. 

“There were no survivors,” John stated in a gentle tone. “Both your sister and brother-in-law had passed away.”

Jason did not reply. His eyes fell on a couple of body bags which were zipped tight. Inside them must be…

“They have a daughter,” the inspector went on. “I found a picture of a little child in your sister’s purse. She’s probably home alone now-”

“My secretary has gone to pick her up,” Jason finally said. The moment he received news of the accident, he had his secretary, David, look up for Sheila’s latest address. After a few years, Jason had overheard his grandparents and discovered that she had given bitrh to a baby girl. He had not bothered to find her all these years despite living in the same city. The anger and sadness over his sister’s betrayal was too much to endure. 

But now that the child’s parents were gone, she was all alone in the world. Other than Jason, there were no living relatives left for her. 

John studied the mighty Jason Cho. He was well aware of Jason Cho. His striking blue eyes were numb while his handsome features were solemn. He had heard a lot about this man. Jason was the CEO of Cho Corporations, the largest conglomerate in the country. At thirty one, Jason Cho was the most influential man in the business world. He was known for his strategic takeovers of other companies and his company was worth billions. Men envied him and women wanted to be with him but Jason was indifferent to other people. 

But that did not intrigue John. The tough businessman had a very interesting past. He lost his parents when he was sixteen and if John's memory served him right, his sister had ran off with someone when Jason was fourteen. Shrouded in mystery, there was very little people knew about the man himself.

At that moment, Jason betrayed no emotion yet, his poker face was cracking. John could sense the uncertainty brewing within Jason which was mixed with both ego and sadness. His ego was preventing him from being emotional while his sadness over his sister’s death made him even more recluse. 

“The autopsy results will be out within weeks,” John went on. “Your sister...well…”

“What happened?” Jason asked sharply. 

“Her head was badly bashed,” John winced. “To the point that it’s almost impossible to recognize her.. We think that it’s a murder disguised as an accident.”

“Murder?” Jason echoed.

He once again looked at the body bags. Just hours ago, his sister was alive. Was she happy? Was she having fun with her family? Why was she out? Was she on a date with her husband, not knowing it would be their last date? That someone would snatch their lives away from them?

Jason’s phone interrupted his thoughts. He took it out to see that his secretary David had called.

“Did you find her?” Jason demanded as soon as he answered.

“Yes, sir,” David replied. “She’s not understanding anything. At first she refused to come but after I mentioned that her parents were in trouble, she stopped crying and demanded to see them.”

Jason massaged his temple. His head was aching from the sudden turn of events. 

“I’m heading to the hospital with the...with my sister and her husband,” he said.

“What about the child, sir?” David asked. 

Jason debated for a while. He had no idea how to deal with a child in such a circumstance. He never met his niece and now, the sudden decision of what to do with her was baffling him. His brain was just not working.

“Take her to my mansion,” he finally said. “It’s better to keep her where the servants can keep an eye on her.”

“Understood.”

Jason hung up the phone and ran his fingers through his jet black hair. His sister was murdered and now he was stuck with a kid he had never met.

What was going on?

….

*Three Weeks Later*

Jason leaned back against his chair, scrutinizing the marketing team. They were looking down in shame feeling like children who had been caught doing something naughty. His blue eyes peered over them like a tiger ready to pounce on them any second.

“The promotions we had drawn up for the charity event were not carried out on time,” he asked in a calm tone. “Why?”

The employees remained silent, fearing their boss’ erratic temper. Jason Cho was a shrewd businessman who knew which venture would bring money but he was temperamental. A perfectionist to the core, he did not tolerate laziness and any disruption to his plans would ultimately end up in a massive explosion.

“W-we were late!” one of the employees spoke up. “W-we’ll be more careful sir!”

“Why were you late?” Jason asked.

The employees looked at each other, unsure of what to say. The deadlines were too much for them to handle and they had been working overtime for weeks. The CEO, as if possessed by some demon, had worked them through the hour. He himself was cooped up in the office for the past few weeks. People thought that after his sister’s death, Jason Cho would mellow down and become more compassionate.

It had the opposite effect.

His secretary, David, was also standing there. He sensed the lava brewing within Jason and was bracing himself for the attack.

“S-sir,” one of the employees squeaked. “If only we could have a little more time and rest! We’ve been working for-”

“You dare to make up excuses for your lack of initiative?” Jason demanded, his voice still calm. His scathing words silenced them. No excuse would save them from the wrath of Jason Cho.

“If the promotions are not ready within two hours, I’ll fire the entire team!” he warned. They knew that he was not joking. Jason Cho did whatever he wanted and if he said they would be fired, they would most definitely be fired. No questions asked.

Just then, David’s phone vibrated. He picked it up and listened to the caller who was speaking from the other end.

Jason was still glaring at his employees when David leaned in closer to him.

“Erm...sir,” he whispered. “Your niece suffered another asthma attack. The doctor is checking up on her right now at the mansion!”