It was 10 years ago, Thomas began working in his father's company, the World Spectrum Enterprises Inc. The business was all about product and services advertising for which they’ll be hired as the primary advertiser depending on the years of the contract the company will offer.
It would have been a good opportunity for Thomas to be the rightful heir to the company if only a scandal his father made hadn’t come out. Thomas had a half-brother and half-cousin, Sebastian, who was a year younger than him.
They have the same father but different mothers. However, the fact that Thomas’s mother and Sebastian’s mother were siblings made everything more complicated and almost destroyed the family.
“I can't allow a bastard to be the heir to the company that we both founded and built, Tim!” Santanna, Thomas’s mother, and the legal wife exclaimed as he pointed at Sebastian.
“You have no right to call my son a bastard. Also, not because I’m not the one Tim married, he will no longer consider Seb his child.” Savanna, Santanna’s younger sister, said.
Santanna got up in anger from her seat before rudely pointing towards her most despised person in the world.
“If you hadn’t seduced my husband who was legally married to me, we wouldn’t have been in this situation!” Thomas tried to stop his mother and make her calm down. “It's all your fault because of your sluttiness, you fucking bitch! You whore!”
“Mom, mom… please,” Thomas whispered to Santanna as the latter started to cry in madness.
Savanna remained silent while avoiding everyone’s gaze inside the mansion of Hankinson. They have forgotten that they are with the Fontaine family, the closest to their family and their partners when it comes to sharing the company.
Timothee sighed heavily before asking the family’s private guards to escort both Santanna and Savanna out of the meeting room, alongside the parents of the Fontaine siblings.
Upon leaving, the four young adults were left with the company’s owner.
“This is all I can say to the four of you, especially you will soon be following in our footsteps when it comes to managing the company,” Timothee said.
“Whatever your decision may be, father, we will surely accept it without hating each other,” Thomas said.
Sebastian smirked as he looked at his half-brother, “Are you sure about that?”
They all looked at Sebastian who was leaning his back on the chair where he’s sitting.
“I mean, yeah. Sure. Maybe the owner here should assign Kat and Val to be the bosses instead of us since our mothers were initiating WW3 for almost a decade. I don’t know,” Sebastian continued.
“You call our father ‘the owner’? What has gotten into you, Seb?” Thomas questioned him.
Katerina pouted and sulked, “He even called me Kat. I hate it.”
“I am about to leave the company and the four of you deserve to take over. But only one of you can be in the position of CEO.” Timothee announced.
“What are ze conditions?” Val asked.
Timothee walked around the room with both hands on his back.
“The law I will implement starting with the term of you kids' taking over the company is to avoid letting the company employees know who you are and what your position is, except to higher authorities." Timothee explained.
"So we're playing a game now, huh?" Seb asked.
"Sebastian." Thomas called his brother and the latter's smirk faded away.
"The candidates for the CEO position will have to go through trials, one of which is to remain single. Not in a relationship."
"Is hooking up… um, included?" Val scratched the back of his head.
"Yes."
Katerina frowned, "How come? It's just hooking up. Zere's no permanent when it comes to hooking up-"
"-Avoid getting involved with anyone before becoming the official heir of the company is one of the conditions, if you want me to elaborate." Timothee cut her.
The Fontaine siblings discontinued giving questions before Katerina dropped the pen which she's been holding and playing with since earlier above the table.
"I'm out." Val said.
"Me too." Katerina added.
"That only means you both can't handle life without hooking up with someone." Sebastian insulted them.
Thomas glanced at the laughing Sebastian who was currently making fun of the siblings.
"How about you?" Sebastian went back being serious before looking at Thomas. "Can you handle it?"
"What are you saying?"
Thomas turned to his father, "I'll do it. I don't want to fail you and mom."
Sebastian felt like Thomas is going against him and everything started out as a competition between them. He might just go with the flow.
"I'll do it too. I don't want to disappoint my mother." Sebastian looked at his father.
Timothee commanded his assistants to give the young men the written agreement that must be signed before proceeding with the actual challenge of being the next CEO.
"What's this for?" Sebastian questioned as he glanced at his father.
"Read it."
Sebastian and Thomas read the agreement quietly while the rest were just staring at them, watching.
Later on, Thomas took his personal pen and started signing the paper. Sebastian watched him before doing the same.
"I've signed it. Is there anything else?" Sebastian asked as the assistants took the signed agreements.
"Why do you sound like you're excited with this one?" Thomas asked him.
"I'm not. I just want to end this soon with a decent competition with you." Sebastian replied.
Their attention went back to their father.
"The main rule for the heir's trial: when one of the candidates loses, the members in his team will be forced to lay off their jobs."
Thomas's confident reaction suddenly changed to a frown and worried reaction.
"What?"