Stay Around You Now And Forever novel (Hunter Jackson)

Chapter 428: Face It Together

“Sasha!” Emily faked Francis’s accident, but she didn’t expect Sasha to really take the bait.

However, although Sasha had showed up, Francis still made no response.

What happened down there?

“Francis! How are you? Where are you? Answer me!”

Standing by the slope, Sasha could see nothing but pure darkness from up here.

She was so worried but there was no way to get down there.

Desperate, Sasha tried to slide down the slope as the last resort, only to find Francis.

“Sasha! Are you out of your mind?”

Emily immediately grabbed her hand before she could do anything stupid.

“We have no idea what it’s like down there. If it’s too deep ...”

“If it’s too deep, then my Francis …”

That very possibility made Sasha even more worried.

So she broke free from Emily’s hand and was about to slide down the slope.

At this moment, Francis’s hearty voice came from below.

“Mom, I’m fine. It’s just a joke!”

With that, he climbed up the vine and got back there in two twos.

“Francis! Are you okay? Injured?”

Scared to death, Sasha examined her son for a long time, and only after she confirmed that he was fine did she heave a sigh of relief.

But then, something seemed to have occurred to her. Her expression suddenly changed and she turned around immediately, escaping.

Francis had long expected this. So, the moment she turned around, he caught her by her hand.

“Francis, let go of me! I don’t want to go back. I don’t deserve to go back. And I don’t want to face them!”

“But Mom, if you don’t come back, what about me? Are you gonna abandon me?”

“You still have your grandpa, your aunt and Joseph. They will take good care of you!”

If she went back, Francis would definitely get into trouble because of her.

For she had made mistakes, and he would be condemned for being the son of such a vicious and greedy woman.

She couldn’t get him involved in this, nor did she want him to look down on her!

“Mom, how much longer do you wanna hide? Don’t tell me you won’t come back forever and won’t see me anymore.”

Francis didn’t let go no matter what.

The weeds around here were basically all taller than her. As long as she was determined to hide, it would be really difficult to find her again.

“Mom, let’s go home first, and we’ll talk about it seriously, okay?”

“No, I really don’t know how to face them. And I … I don’t want to face your grandfather, either!”

“Mom, are you still feeling wronged for me? You think Grandpa doesn’t treat me well?”

Francis pulled her back. In her stunned gaze, he softened his voice.

“Mom, you really misunderstood Grandpa. It’s not that he doesn’t want to put me in an important position; it’s because I don’t want to stay in the Gale Group.”

“You don’t have to lie to me. I know what’s going on.”

Sawyer had always deemed Francis inferior to Joseph.

She admitted that her son was indeed not as shrewd a businessman as Joseph.

But her son was also a young talent. She had always believed that he was capable and competent!

“No, you don’t. You really don’t understand it this time.”

Francis held onto her wrist tightly, but his tone was so gentle.

“Mom, at that time, Grandpa offered me the position of Vice President at the Gale Group, and Joseph would be the only one of a higher rank to me.”

“What?” Sasha suddenly turned around and stared at him in shock.

Vice president? Was he serious?

She really wanted to leave that position to her son, but she knew that he was not cut out for it.

Literally.

But had Sawyer really ever promised Francis such an imperative position?

“It’s true, Mom. It was two years ago.”

“Impossible!” That was ridiculous! Francis was merely a rookie two years ago!

“Joseph was able to take charge of the Gale Group long ago, thus Grandpa wanted to give me a nudge. He hoped all of us Gale kids to be outstanding.

But I failed him. I told Grandpa that I don’t wanna stay in the Gale Group.”

“Son …”

“Mom, I’m not lying. I don’t like business at all.”

Sasha only bit her lips and didn’t say anything.

Emily stood at the side and didn’t interrupt their conversation.

Francis continued, “I told Grandpa that I like adventure and traveling around. I don’t like to sit in the company at all.

But Grandpa told me that I must consider your feelings. Because if I failed, you will be the most disappointed person.”

“I...” Sasha looked down.

Yes, Sawyer was right. She would be the most disappointed person should her son fail.

In fact, the very reason of her fighting for him was precisely because she didn’t like his current state.

She was not so much dissatisfied with Sawyer’s arrangement as with her son’s incompetence.

But how could she tell him this? It would discourage him and make him lose confidence in himself.

“But I’m really not interested in these things at all. The last thing I would do was to go to work at the Gale Group. So, Grandpa offered me a way out ...”

“What do you mean?” Sasha interrupted.

Francis smiled, “Mom, have you noticed a travel agency in City L that has developed exponentially in the past two years?”

“The Voyager Group?” She was the general manager of the Gale Group, of course she had always kept an eye on the start-ups in the business world.

“You ...” Suddenly, Sasha stared at her son in disbelief, her eyes wide open.

“You mean … you mean the mysterious boss of the Voyager Group is … is …”

“Yes, it’s me!”

Although he had previously thought that he was not interested in business, Francis didn’t expect that he would be so successful in this other area.

“Two years ago, Grandpa lent me two billion yuan to start a small company. I don’t know how either; it just grows like this.”

Back then, he was quite afraid that he would squander away this money.

Grandpa had even said that he would not give him any advice or help.

It was precisely because his grandfather had granted him so much freedom that he could keep working in high spirits for the Voyager Group in the past two years.

There was no feeling of being shackled, nor were there any rules and regulations. Everything was developing wildly!

However, because of this wildness, the Voyager Group had managed to become one of City L’s top 3 travel agencies in just two years.

Even Francis himself found the rapidity of its development incredulous.

“Son, don’t … don’t lie to me.”

Sasha choked. She had always thought her son as incompetent, but she didn’t know that he was doing better than anyone else in another field!

It turned out that her son was really so outstanding, while she had always thought that he was … incompetent.

“Son …”

“Mom, it’s my bad. I didn’t grow up in the way that you hoped.”

Francis loosened his grip and gently hugged her.

“But Mom, please, trust me. You can rely on me. When you are old, you can rely on me, completely. I will make you proud. I promise.”

Sasha nodded, choking even harder.

The Voyager Group had already proven to her that she could indeed rely on him.

And she would never need to worry about anyone criticizing her son anymore!

Her son was the best!

Emily let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t expect to see such a U-turn.

But now, instead of keeping crying here, it was better to go back first.

“Sasha,” she walked over and took Sasha’s hand gently. “Grandpa is still in a coma. I’m afraid that he would be worried if he didn’t see us when he wakes up.”

“Yes, mom, the Gales is in trouble now. We can’t stay out of this.”

Francis also held her hand and said firmly, “We are a family. So now we have to go back and face it together!”