Ex-wife, Please Come Back novel Chapter 403

The atmosphere suddenly felt hot even though the AC was on. The assistant swallowed hard. Then, he wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead. He was obviously afraid because of his boss' outburst. But he had to do something to quell this anger.

"Sir, I don't think you are worse than Mr. Jacob. You're far better than him. During the time that the Shi Group was running at a loss, he didn't slash the salaries of the staff. Instead, he mounted pressure on the directors. I think that was a very stupid move. I mean who gives preferential treatment to ordinary employees at the expense of the stakeholders in the company?"

The assistant wiped the sweat on his forehead again. It was obvious that he was flattering Jonathan. Even a blind man could see that.

But Jonathan seemed to believe what his assistant had said. He nodded in agreement. "You are right. I would never be as stupid as Jacob. I am a wise man. And I take the bull by the horns. I have just taken over the company. And it's currently in a mess. This isn't my fault but Jacob's. He made the company plunge into recession before handing it over. If not for this, I would've made a difference before now."

Jonathan's anger quelled a little. But his hatred for Jacob increased. It is a known fact that Jonathan hated Jacob with all his heart. He also disliked being compared to him.

'No one can stop me from succeeding. Not even Jacob. If he tries it, I will squash him like a mosquito.' Jonathan narrowed his eyes. His current expression was very sinister. And he smiled devilishly. After he moved into the office, he had changed everything that was in it. He didn't want to use anything that Jacob had used before.

However, while these things could be changed, the memories couldn't. Jacob had been working at the company for so many years. He was known as the face of the Shi Group.

Nevertheless, Jonathan couldn't let go of this. He had always thought of ways to kick Jacob out. He felt that his belonging had been taken away from him for so many years. To Jonathan, the company was his. And he was supposed to be the president. But for so many years, Jacob called the shots. Thinking of this, Jonathan's blood began to boil again. His eyebrows furrowed and he clenched his fist.

He wasn't ready to end the competition with Jacob. In fact, it had just begun. Jonathan was ready to go into the battlefield. And beating Jacob was his sole aim.

Meanwhile, after Jacob finally drove out of the company's premises, he felt relaxed. It was as if a burden was lifted off his shoulders. This matter was finally over. He had severed ties with the Shi Group. And he was on his way into his future. Now, he would do the things that he had interest in.

The road to his future wasn't going to be a smooth one. Jacob understood this. So, he needed people who would work with him. As a matter of fact, Jacob wanted to find someone who had the same views as him. He needed people with whom he would work with to execute his plans.

One of such persons was his former assistant, Cindy. For the time she had worked for him, Jacob had been convinced that she was a hardworking and trustworthy employee. However, he wasn't sure if she would agree to work with him now. Jacob wanted to try his luck by asking her. He wouldn't know if she would agree or not if he just assumed her response.

When he got to the compound of Cindy's apartment, he called her to say that he had arrived. Then, she told him to come upstairs.

Jacob received a shocker after he knocked on Cindy's front door. Kim was the one who answered the door. Jacob had thought that Cindy and Kim were no longer dating. In fact, he reasoned that they weren't on talking terms at all after that nerve-racking fraud case at the company. He never knew that their relationship grew stronger after that episode. The lovebirds had worked it out. They remained together despite the huge strain that the episode put on their relationship. That's wonderful!

"Mr. Jacob." Kim greeted Jacob who was staring with his mouth slightly open in shock. At that instance, Kim flashed a smile at him. Jacob saw that the smile was sincere. And he immediately came back to his senses.

Jacob maintained a straight face. But he wasn't embarrassed. Then he said, "I'm no longer the CEO. So, stop calling me Mr. Jacob. You should address me simply as Jacob."

Kim just smiled the more. He didn't argue with Jacob. There was no point anyway. He just ushered Jacob into the living room.

Just then, Cindy looked into the living room from the kitchen. She was putting on an apron and her face was sweaty. She was obviously working magic in the kitchen.

"Sir, you are already here. Welcome to my home. Please wait a little longer. I'm still cooking. The lunch is almost ready." Cindy smiled at Jacob as she spoke. This warmed his heart. He felt comfortable at that moment.

As he looked around, he noticed that the whole room was filled with tender colors. The sofas were made of light blue material. The curtains were made from a fuchsia pink and brown material. A multicolored flower vase was on the center table. The peace lilies were visibly fresh. Although the apartment was quite small, it was warm. The air was also fresh because there was proper ventilation. The arrangement of the apartment suggested that Cindy was a neat and romantic lady. Her taste was unique.

Jacob sat on one of the sofas. Then, the throw pillows caught his attention. They were decorated with beautiful embroidery.

With surprise in his eyes, Jacob took one of the pillows and admired it. He had never seen any pillow as beautiful as that one. He then looked up at Kim.

Kim nodded, "Yes, you guessed right. Cindy made them all. She's excellent, right? She tidied everything in the apartment well. I always feel so lucky to have such a good woman as my wife. I don't know what I would have done without her."

Kim looked with pride in his eyes. And Jacob just smiled at him. He could see that Kim was happy.

Jacob decided not to counter a man's opinion of his beloved woman. Besides, he also agreed with Kim. All that he said was true. Cindy was indeed an exceptional woman. She was studious even at work. As expected, her nature reflected in her home.

"Wife?" Jacob asked immediately it dawned on him. At first, he didn't notice that Kim had addressed Cindy as his wife. But when he came to his senses, he couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, we got our marriage certificate a few days ago. We are legally married now," Kim said as he smiled from ear to ear. He was clearly happy that Cindy had agreed to marry him.

He would be much happier if Cindy didn't demand many requirements from him.

But he knew why Cindy always mounted pressure on him. She just wanted him to be a better person. And Kim was happy that the love of his life was intentional about his growth.

Of course, he understood the angle she was coming from. But sometimes the pressure was much on him.

"Congratulations! I haven't given you a red envelope yet. Don't worry, I will bring it soon." Jacob grinned happily as he continued to clutch the pillow.

From this gesture, it could be deduced that Jacob felt very comfortable in the apartment. Perhaps he didn't want to let go of the pillow because it was so soft and beautiful. Living in a big house guaranteed that there would be enough space. But living in a small apartment was warm. Both of them had their own advantages.

Jacob stretched out his leg in front of him. He also relaxed his back.

"How have you been? Do you have any plan for the future?" Jacob looked at Kim as he asked that question. The purpose of his visit was fresh in his mind. So, he had to get on with it.

Besides, Kim had lost his job because of him. Although Kim had done something wrong, Cindy also had a hand in the issue. She knew that the document wasn't lost. But it was stolen.

Kim probably blamed him for making a fuss about it. And then causing him to lose his job at the company. As he thought about this, Jacob felt embarrassed. He regretted making a mountain out of the issue.

"I am good, sir. Don't bother yourself about me. I used to blame you for making me lose my job. But Cindy has made me reasons why I shouldn't. And I think she's right. I need to man up and take responsibility for my actions. After all, I got myself into this mess. I shouldn't be blaming others."

Kim patted his chest. At that moment, he looked adorable. His features could be likened to that of a stuffed doll. At least, he wasn't a rascal. Kim was a responsible man.

Looking at him, Jacob felt more ashamed. He hadn't explained himself for the way he behaved during that case. But now, he felt as if there was no need. Kim had already moved on.

"Well, I feel honored that you think so. I have resigned from the Shi Group. But I want to continue my career. And I would need capable individuals like you. I want you to join my team."

Jacob simply stated his mission. He had come here to ask Cindy to join him.

Suddenly, Kim burst into laughter. The laughter was so loud that it echoed around the whole room. This made Jacob very confused. His eyebrows arched in worry.

"Sir, I know that you are a reliable person and that you are nice to your employees. So, Cindy and I will work for you. As long as you don't mind, we are willing to follow you every step of the way. You have our support."

After Kim finished speaking, he glanced at the kitchen. Actually, he and Cindy had already discussed this before Jacob's arrival. They both wanted to work for him. During the time he was still the CEO of the Shi Group, Jacob was very nice to them. So, they knew that he was a good boss. Now, Kim was just relating the outcome of their discussion.

"It feels great that you could think like this. Actually, I am flattered. But I have to apologize to you. I didn't do well in the past. I shouldn't have blown things out of proportion." Jacob immediately stood up and bowed to Kim. He was really sincere with his apology.

Kim was shocked by his action. He quickly reached out to him and helped him take his seat. He felt embarrassed that someone like Jacob was bowing to him.

"Sir, this is too much. You don't have to bow down to me because you are apologizing. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I did something wrong. And I feel ashamed of myself. You can be rest assured that I hold no grudge against you. I think you are better than most people. Just that you are often misunderstood. Amongst all the influential people I have met, you're the most humble and welcoming,"

Kim said with sincerity in his voice. He trusted Jacob very much. And he was ready to work with him. At least, unlike other CEOs, Jacob never used his power to oppress others. He always gave room for them to express their feelings. Even though they disagreed with him, Jacob never forced it down their throats.

Cindy had already told him of how Jacob treated everyone fairly. Honestly, he was impressed that such a person still existed in the world.

If Kim was asked to make a pick between Jacob and other influential people, he would surely choose Jacob. There was no doubt about that.

Cindy leaned over the kitchen door and listened to their conversation. Noticing her presence, Kim smiled affectionately at her.

"Don't worry, darling. All that I have said is in accordance with our earlier discussion. Trust me, I didn't subtract or add anything." Kim looked as if he was reporting himself to Cindy. At that moment, he looked more adorable than before.

Cindy burst into laughter after she saw Kim's facial expression. 'What a funny man!'

Her face radiated with happiness. Anyone could tell that she was at peace. Even though she didn't have a source of income, she was joyful because Kim was with her. She wasn't happy just because Kim listened to her, but because they reasoned alike. They could see through things around them the same way.

The thing that made her the happiest was that Kim respected her choices. He didn't try to lord over her.

"Sir, don't mind him. He looks simple and honest. But he's really something else. So troublesome! And about that incident, it was all his fault. I have already discussed it with him. And he understands now. So, don't worry yourself about it anymore."