Chapter 11 - 11

"Ian Vicente Lim, return that money now." Ian's father suddenly said, shocking Ian. He didn't think his father would greet his good news with such animosity.

"Ric, not here, not now." Constance Lim said as she placed a hand on her husband, trying to calm him down. "We are in public." Constance had always been quite conscious of their image to the public. She knew that they had long fallen from grace, but some old habits died hard.

Richardo looked at his wife and frowned, he didn't like being corrected in public, especially in front of their son.

"Dad, aren't you happy I was offered such a good opportunity?" Ian asked as he struggled to understand his father. "Isn't this everything we've spoken about, everything we planned and dreamed? I got a good job so that we could build the company back up."

"Ian, you will not take handouts from the Reyes family." Richardo Lim said in a low but angry tone.

"Dad, how is this a handout?" Ian asked. "This is literally a job I worked for. I never asked you to put in a good name for me with the CEO. I worked hard for this."

"How did you know that I knew the CEO?" Richardo Lima asked his son. He looked shocked that Ian had found out that he knew Emilio Reyes.

"He told me, dad." Ian said with a sigh, shaking his head. "He told me that he wished he could have done more for you, more for us. He didn't know what we had to go through and he only found out after he had his people investigate me."

"Emilio told you this?" Richardo Lim asked his son.

"Yes, dad." Ian said with a nod. "Dad, I earned this. He chose to hire me even before he found out that I was your son. This isn't some sort of handout because he pitties us. Aren't you guys happy?" Ian asked his parents.

"Of course we are happy, son." Constance said with a smile as she looked tenderly at her son. "Your father and I are more than just happy to hear that you have found an incredibly well paying job."

"I'll call your sisters." Richardo Lim said with a nod as he took his phone out and left to call his daughters.

"Ian, be patient with your dad, the past years haven't been easy on him." Constance told her son with a sad smile.

"I know mom, it hasn't been easy for any of us, that's why I thought that this news would be a relief for him." Ian said with a frown. Nothing could have prepared him for how his father had reacted.

"You know how he is." Constance said with a frown. "He doesn't want us begging for help. He doesn't want to owe anyone anything, we've been burned too much over the years."

"Mom, you don't need to remind me." Ian said as he saw his father coming back.

"Well, your sisters are on their way." Richardo Lim said with a smile. "It will take them a while though, there are less buses at this time."

"It's alright dad, I don't have to report to work till tomorrow moning." Ian said. "Actually, why don't you order our lunch and I'll go home and pick my sisters up?" Ian suggested.

The couple looked at each other, waiting for one to say something first. This time it was his mother, Constance, who made the decision for them.

"Go pick your sisters up Ian, I'm sure they will be extremely excited to see the new car." Constance told her son with a smile.

Ian nodded, got up, and gave each of his parents a tight hug and quickly left the restaurant.

The Lim family lived in an old ancestral house that had been with them for generations. When they had lost everything the family tried to sell the property, but no one wanted to buy it. In the end the Lims decided that it must not have been meant to be for them to sell off the old house.

Ian drove up and slowly opened the rusty gate, they had been so poor the past years that they couldn't even have it fixed.

As he drove the car inside, he spotted his sisters quickly running out.

Ian had two sisters, the older one Karina, who was three years younger than Ian, and their youngest sibling, Sam, who was five years younger than Ian.

Karina looked more like Ian, taking after the Lim side of the family, the only part she inherited from their mother was her light brown wavy hair.

Sam on the other hand looked more like their mother, she had a much lighter complexion than her siblings, but rounder eyes. Unlike her siblings her hair was straight and brown, like Karina.

"Is this Jas' new car?" Sam excitedly asked as she ran up to her brother.

"No." Ian said with a smile as he waited for Karina to come closer.

"This is my car." Ian proudly announced when his sister arrived.

"Ian, since when could you afford a car?" Karina asked as she eyed her brother suspiciously.

"I got a job today." Ian proudly announced.

"So you spent money you didn't have yet?" Karina said as she gave her brother a judging look.

"Of course not, Karina." Ian said with a laugh. "This car is one of the perks of my new job. It's in my name, together with several other things."

"That's crazy, what kind of company would give you so much? Ian, stop lying." Karina said in a harsh tone to her brother.

"Why don't you get into the car and let me explain?" Ian asked his sister as he opened the door and invited them in.

Sam quickly hopped into the back seat, while Karina climbed up in front.

Ian smiled when his sisters got in without a protest.

As soon as he was sure that they were wearing their seatbelts he drove the car out of the property.

When they finally entered the main part of the city Karina finally spoke up.

"So what kind of a job is this?" She asked as she eyed her brother suspiciously.

"I'll be working at the Reyes Group and it's a crucial role for the company's future." Ian said with a shrug.

"The Reyes Group? Wow? Really?" Karina asked with an amazed look in her eyes.

Karina was very much interested in business, if Ian was into it to return their family's fortune, Karina simply enjoyed the concept of thinking of ways to make money.

It wasn't that she was greedy, she was very generous, she was just a business genius.

"I got to meet your idol." Ian said with a grin.

"You met the CEO?" Karina said with a gasp.

"Yup, I'll be the assistant to the future CEO, so my job is to train and prepare myself for when the Reyes Heir takes over." Ian explained quickly.

"So that's why they gave you this car." Karina said as she looked around the brand new car.

"Yup, I'll even show you around my new place." Ian said with a smile. Words couldn't explain how happy he was at the moment. "They also gave me some money, and it's more than enough to survive on for the meantime."

"Wait, do you mean -" Sam began to ask as she sobbed with tears of joy in the back.

Ian pulled over and he and Karina got into the backseat with Sam. He pulled his little sister into a hug. All three of them had been through so much that he wasn't surprised that his sister was not crying at the thought of having some money.

"Yes Sam, you don't have to skip lunch any more, and you don't need to walk to school. I'll take you to school everyday and I'll even give you an allowance for lunch and some snacks." Ian said as he held his sister tight.

Sam began to cry even harder as they stayed parked at the side of the road.