President Lee returned home when it was already dark. He ordered Elena"s favorite pastries in advance and left them on the table in the kitchen. Also, he brewed her favorite Chinese tea, mixed from different varieties, in a proportion known to him alone. She was very fond of his special tea, the recipe of which was pa.s.sed on in the Lee family for many generations, and Chen modified it a bit so that it would not be so strong flavored.At one time, he brewed it in the mornings for his wife when she was preparing for the next of her exhibitions. Her paintings still hung all over the house. They created a feeling of comfort and warmth, but for him, they added the feeling that she is still somehow present in his life.
Whenever his eyes fell on one of her paintings, he remembered with what excitement and perseverance she painted it, and these memories allowed him to move on. Moreover, now he was not alone.
The antic.i.p.ation of his daughter returning soon caused a smile on his face. He poured himself a cup of tea and went to his study with it.
After two days of hard work in the office, he wanted to stay in silence and calmly wait for his daughter"s arrival. He sent home a maid who wanted to cook dinner for him and a security guard because today was the birthday of his youngest son.
Son. Chen looked at the photograph on the shelf opposite his desk. The faces of his wife and son froze in a happy smile as if it was just yesterday. But the years inexorably counted out their time and moved him further and further away from them.
He took a photo and set it on the table. Stroking the surface of the gla.s.s with his fingertips, he took a few sips of tea and thought. If Jun were alive, he would now be twenty years old.
He tried to imagine what he would look like, but the image of a little boy was forever stuck in his head. It was surreal and too painful to imagine him as a grown up.
The man dropped the sad thoughts, which had no sense. It is possible to bring the dead to life only in science fiction films, and his life was a harsh reality. Although, thanks to one caring girl, it was not so harsh.
Chen looked at his watch. According to his calculations, Elena"s plane was about to land. He put a cell phone next to him to answer immediately when she calls.
The man opened the laptop and began to look at various options for family recreation. He had not gone out with his daughter for a long time, and the idea of going on some small trip with her seemed very inspiring to him. The only thing was to determine the direction. South America, Europe, hmmm? Maybe Asia is better? In any case, he can choose several options, and then consult with Elena.
For some reason, he wanted to pamper his daughter, as if she was still a child. But she was already a beautiful grown-up girl who at any moment could come and say, "Dad, I"m getting married."
Chen"s face flinched from these thoughts, "Well, no, I wouldn"t give her to anyone."
The man looked at the empty cup of tea and returned to the kitchen to add a new batch. Suddenly, something knocked from the side of his study room. He looked out into the corridor but did not notice anything.
"Hmmm," Chen took a cup of tea and walked toward the study with slow steps. If it were Elena, then she certainly would not sneak like a mouse. Maybe it seemed to him?
He entered the study room and saw a photo frame which lay upside down on the table. The man glanced at the curtain that was flying in the wind.
"d.a.m.n, I forgot that I left the window open. Apparently, the wind knocked the photo down." Chen approached the window and closed it. In this moment,
Click.
The man froze in place. He didn"t even have to turn around to understand what that sound was. "d.a.m.n, why exactly today?"
President Lee turned slowly, and there was not a drop of fear or surprise on his face. Opposite him, a young man was standing, dressed in all black, with a gun aimed at him.
Chen went to his desk, trying not to make any sudden movements, sat down on a chair and raised a cup of tea to his lips, "Young man, are you sure that what you are going to do is a wise decision?" Chen raised his eyebrow and threw a defiant look at Yun.
The latter flinched. He did not expect such a calm reaction from President Lee. "f.u.c.k, I had to shoot when he was standing with his back to me," the young man thought to himself. Under Chen"s gaze, his determination began to waver.
"This is more than a wise decision, Mr. Lee," Yun replied with maximum firmness so as not to show his worrying. "You must pay for your sins."
"And what sins are we talking about exactly?" Chen asked him, continuing to drink his tea calmly. His indifference caused even more anger in the young man.
"Do you have so many sins that you do not even understand what is being said?! Then I will remind you! Ten years ago you killed my mother! She was ill, and your company deceived us by offering poison instead of medicine! You have no idea how she was screaming in pain, dying before my eyes!"
Chen"s face became more serious. He recalled the case of a decade ago, which he demanded to study in detail. So this is the same boy who attacked him in front of the entrance to the office of Lee Pharmaceuticals? Then Mr. Lee was taken aback and could not utter a word, because this child by his sudden appearance reminded him of his deceased son.
"Did you attack me with screams before entering the office then?" He asked Yun to be sure of his guesses.
The young man shuddered in surprise. Just think, did this man remember him?
"Yes, it was me. So what? Did you feel omnipotent before a defenseless child, huh?" Yun answered with irritation. "I no longer need your explanations or your apologies. The price of death can only be death."
"Are you sure you chose the right target?" Chen got up from his chair and was about to go to the book case with the folders of doc.u.ments.
"Sit! I did not allow you to move!" Yun commanded. He did not like the feeling that the leader in this situation was not he, but this man.
"If you want to know the truth about what happened to your mother, then let me show you a couple of doc.u.ments," Chen continued on his way, making sure that the young man takes the pause. After all, if he really wanted to kill him, he would have done it right away.
Mr. Lee pulled one of the folders out of the book case and handed it to Yun. The young man took a step forward and took the doc.u.ment. With one hand he held a pistol aimed at Chen, and with the other hand, he opened the folder and began to read the report.
His face was serious at first, and then a malicious smile flashed on him, "Ahaha, you decided that you could fool me in this way? I am not an idiot! I saw these papers many years ago; only your company was indicated guilty of them. Did you think I would believe in this outright falsity?!"
Yun threw doc.u.ments on the floor and c.o.c.ked the trigger.
Mr. Lee realized that the situation was more serious than he had imagined. At that moment his phone rang.
"This is my daughter; she just flew in and should be home soon. You had better leave before she returned, and I will forget about what happened here," Chen suggested.
Yun grinned, "Well, no, President Lee. Will not work. But I will show respect for your composure and let you remember the face of the person who came to take your life."
The young man raised his hand and removed the mask from his face. As soon as Chen saw him, the man"s heart stopped. He felt his hands grow cold, and the name sprang from his lips.
Yun heard this word, and for some strange reason for him, he seemed to be struck by lightning. The young man"s hand shook.
Bam!
. . .
When he went out onto the porch of the house, it was quiet outside. No one noticed what just happened.
Yun"s face was pale and showed no emotion. He pulled a phone out of his pocket and turned it on. And again the [Open attachment] b.u.t.ton was highlighted on display.
The young man, like a robot, pressed this b.u.t.ton, and before his eyes opened a copy of the doc.u.ment that Elena had sent him.
His whole body shook, and the phone fell from his hands, hitting the concrete floor with a crash. A wave of nausea rolled up to his throat, but his stomach was empty, and in his mouth he felt only the bitter taste of bile.
The young man wanted to scream, but his voice seemed to be gone. He tried to inhale, but even his breath was knocked down as if the air refused to fall into the lungs.
His legs buckled, Yun fell to the ground, clutched at his head, and wept bitterly at the top of his voice like a little child.
Next to him, on the cracked screen of the phone, a doc.u.ment was opened,
[DNA test results. Chen Lee and Yun Ming. The probability of kinship is 99.9%.]