The Adulterer Loses Everything
―α Timeline (Adulterer’s Perspective)―
As soon as I arrived at headquarters, I was immediately summoned to the conference room.
Most of the executives had already gathered. The gravity of the situation made me freeze on the spot. I stood motionless outside the room, unable to take a single step forward.
“What are you doing? Get in here already!!”
My father’s angry roar reached my ears. His voice was powerful and contained unmistakable fury—so much so that it was hard to believe he was over seventy.
“What on earth have you done? This is outright breach of trust, isn’t it?”
I couldn’t comprehend what he was talking about. What on earth was going on?
“Father, what are you saying?”
When I said that, his cane came flying at me without mercy. I barely dodged it, but it crashed loudly against the wall. The cane rolled on the floor with a cold, metallic clatter, as if foretelling my fate.
“Listen carefully. The company you acquired—your mistress is listed as one of its executives!!”
“What?! I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“Then what is this? Don’t tell me you acquired the company without even checking the list of executives! Did you?”
Sure enough, the name “Yaguchi Miyabi” was on the list of directors. No way… Did they set me up?
Why is Miyabi still affiliated with that company? It doesn’t make sense. I’m certain I submitted her resignation letter. I even sealed it in an envelope along with that video data…
No, wait… That day, after watching the video data, Michitaka died outside. If he took it with him and it was lost somewhere outside, then the resignation notice might not have reached them.
Damn it. They must have exploited that… They deliberately didn’t remove Miyabi from her position.
“No, this was an accident. Miyabi clearly expressed her intention to resign, but the company’s president suddenly passed away, so the procedures weren’t completed. In truth, her position should already be vacant.”
Yes, she definitely conveyed her intention to resign. It should be fine. The problem is there’s no evidence. Michitaka must’ve taken it outside, and when he collapsed, the wind must’ve carried it away somewhere…
“Don’t think you can just walk away from this. You foolishly funneled company funds to your mistress. And for what? What exactly does the company you bought even have to offer?”
Could it be… they’ve discovered everything? I realized this was a double trap. Someone among the participants in this meeting must have betrayed me. If this went to court, Miyabi’s resignation would likely be acknowledged as valid from that day. But if I filed a lawsuit, the message from the video letter would also be brought to light. Moreover, the fact that this buyout was essentially a failure is something I could never overturn.
Even if I braced myself and took legal action, my father’s trust in me would be shattered. It would take time for a conclusion to be reached. They aren’t after legal correctness anyway. Their goal is to use that time to destroy me, already devoid of my father’s trust. That’s why they tattled to him.
“Your son betrayed you, bought his mistress’s shell company at an exorbitant price, and funneled company money to her. With the sudden death of the company’s president, there are hardly any employees left, and a huge sum of money has ended up in his mistress’s hands.” If someone said that to my father, of course, he’d explode in anger and summon me. And objectively speaking, they’d be right, which made it even worse.
Even if I tried to deal with this urgently, it would take time, and I couldn’t provide an immediate answer here. In other words, I had already angered my father.
Facing my enraged father, I knew I didn’t have any time left.
I had to come up with something in this instant.
So, what should I do? Should I claim I was deceived too? No, that won’t work. If I said that, I’d be treated as a fool who let his mistress manipulate him and squandered money, only to be discarded.
But if I didn’t convince my father, my ruin would be inevitable.
“Father, please believe me. I never intended to betray you…”
“I don’t consider you my son anymore. I must have made a mistake raising you. I can’t believe such a fool is my child. Get out of here. Never show your face to me again.”
“Don’t say that! We’re family, aren’t we? Besides, if you do that, I won’t even be able to pay my rent. Are you really going to turn your only son into a homeless man?”
“Enough! You are dismissed from all positions within this group. Furthermore, you and your mistress will repay every yen used in this buyout. If you fail to do so, the police will be involved.”
“…Please, don’t. This can’t be happening.”
If that happened, I’d lose nearly all assets under my name. I wouldn’t just fail to pay rent—I’d lose everything.
“Do I look like I’m joking, you foolish son?”
This was far from an ordinary family argument. All the executives were watching. If I refused, I’d be marked as an enemy. My father never forgives those he labels as enemies. Given that I also know some of the company’s darker secrets, he’d undoubtedly want to silence me at all costs.
It’s possible that as soon as I left this meeting room, they’d drug me, and I’d end up sinking to the bottom of Tokyo Bay. If my father was angry enough, he’d do something like that.
“I-I understand. I’ll sell the house and stocks—everything! I’ll make sure to repay it all. Please, don’t kill me!”
I found myself groveling, begging in a pathetic voice I had never heard from myself before.
“Take him outside.”
The last thing I heard was my father’s voice and the look he gave me—like he was staring at garbage.
There was no place left for me to escape to.