Chapter 45: These People Are Bound to Spoil the Child
"Grandpa George, what brings you here?"
Seeing George in his room with a warm, affectionate smile, Ronan was genuinely surprised.
He had met the elderly man when he was very young. George seemed to be one of the earliest companions of his father. During Ronan's childhood, George had been exceptionally kind to him, often taking him out and buying him gifts.
Though not his biological grandfather, Ronan affectionately called him "Grandpa George" due to the care and attention he had received from him during his early years and George's advanced age.
George walked over and gently ruffled Ronan's golden hair.
"It's been a long time, Little Ronan. You've grown so much. I came specifically to see you," George said with a smile. "Are you settling in well in Japan?"
"Quite well, actually."
Sitting nearby, Ishigami listened to their conversation but couldn't understand a word.
Ronan and George had automatically switched to English during their talk. As someone who struggled with academics, Ishigami naturally couldn't comprehend it. If he could understand English this well, he wouldn't have failed his listening exams.
Considering the rare reunion between "grandfather" and grandson, Ishigami put down his controller and headed to the living room.
"Ronan, I'll leave you two to catch up. I'll be outside for a bit."
"Alright, no problem. We'll be done soon," Ronan replied.
As Ishigami left, he closed the door behind him, leaving only Ronan and George in the room.
"Little Ronan, I heard you had some trouble with the Shinomiya family while you were in Japan?"
"It was me who caused them trouble... At twelve, I didn't understand anything, I just acted on impulse," Ronan said with a bitter smile. "I'd start a fight when I got angry and stop when my anger subsided, leaving a mess behind. I wasn't mature enough back then."
"Have you calmed down now?"
"Not really. I might still act out when the time comes, but I probably won't heavily utilize IW's resources."
"Why not? It's an organization founded by your father. As his son, you naturally have the right to use its resources."
"You know how IW operates—it's not hereditary. It's always been about capability. Uncle Sagara became the CEO because he was capable," Ronan explained with a smile. "I'm not yet capable enough to steer the company, so I don't think about tapping into the organization's resources."
"But if you ever want to become IW's CEO, the 'elders' would definitely support you. I believe the entire decision-making body, including all branches, would back you without objection," George said.
Many of them hoped Ronan would inherit IW, as they saw him as the rightful successor.
"Let's not worry about that for now. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"Alright, alright. Just let me know whenever you're ready to take that position."
Seeing Ronan's lack of interest, George didn't push further.
"By the way... Little Ronan, what was the reason you went to the Middle Eastern battlefield before? I heard from Sagara that it was something like... a heartbreak?"
"Something like that. I got rejected after confessing my feelings, but I've moved on from it now."
"A girl actually rejected you!?"
George was shocked, then lowered his head in deep thought.
"Alright, Little Ronan, listen up. I recently bought an uninhabited island near Panama under the guise of environmental conservation. I'll give it to you, and we can throw a party at the villa there. Socialites and celebrities will be there, and you can pick any girl you like."
"No, no, really, there's no need for all that trouble."
Ronan rejected the idea without a second thought.
"Come on, why are you being so polite with your Grandpa George?"
"I'm really not being polite."
Ronan knew that if he had gone to the U.S. instead of Japan, George would have spoiled him rotten.
"I also heard from Sagara about your past four years. Aside from fighting in the Middle East, you were also shipping goods on the high seas for a while, right?"
"Yeah, just making some extra cash."
"That's strange. Didn't the boss give you any allowance when he sent you here alone?"
"He did. Over five years, he gave me a total of 100 million dollars. After some failed investments, I managed to recoup some losses through fighting and shipping. Now I have about 23 million dollars left."
"100 million dollars over five years..."
George frowned.
"Has the boss become stingy?"
"I don't know, but as pocket money, it should be enough."
"Hmm... No, this won't do. Here, your Grandpa George didn't bring much this time, but take this."
George took out a wallet from his coat pocket and pulled out a black card with the image of a Roman soldier on it.
It seemed to be called the 'American Express Centurion.'
"Here, take this."
"No, no, no, no. Please take it back. I really don't need it."
"Take it. This card is of no use to me anyway. Just use it whenever you need to buy something."
George insisted, forcefully placing the black card into Ronan's hand.
Knowing he couldn't refuse, Ronan reluctantly said, "Thank you," and took out his wallet to store the card inside.
Truthfully, he didn't need this card at all—it was already the fourth one of its kind in his wallet.
The first card was given to him by a senior member when he first arrived in Japan. The second was from the head of the Southeast Asia branch when he left Japan. The third came from a woman in the operations department who seemed to have a close relationship with his father.
It seemed like everyone was worried he might starve.
To be honest, his daily expenses were minimal. Aside from occasionally buying premium ingredients for cooking, he usually just got by with a red bean bun for meals.
"By the way, the organization has a few oil fields in international waters. I can arrange to transfer two of them to your name..."
"No!"
Ronan placed a hand on George's shoulder.
"Really, there's no need. Grandpa George, you didn't come to Japan just to give me money, did you?"
"Of course not. I just came to see you and give you some pocket money," George said with a laugh. "After all, the boss only has one son. We can't let you go hungry."
"I'm really not going to starve."
"So, that's how things are. I'll be staying in Japan for a while, and I plan to catch up with some old friends. If anyone gives you trouble, make sure to tell me. I'll step in right away to handle it."
"Sure, sure, no problem at all. Besides, no one would dare to bully me."
"Then I'll take my leave now." George checked the time and said to Ronan, "I still have some time, and there's a dinner gathering in Japan. It seems the politicians and capitalists here got wind of my arrival and jointly invited me to attend..."
"Oh, I see. I was actually thinking that I bought too much food today and was planning to cook you a meal. But since you have a dinner gathering, then..."
"Then that boring dinner gathering can be canceled."
George immediately switched back to his warm, grandfatherly smile.
After all, what could be more important than sharing a meal with Ronan? Social engagements could wait.
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