Chapter 1065

“You still consider me your father? Is this how you talk to me?” Harold’s voice was heavy with disappointment.

Joseph answered flatly, “Dad, if there’s nothing important, I’m hanging up. I’ve got things to do.”

That only stoked Harold’s temper. “If I’m still your father, go ahead–hang up on me. You’ve barely closed a handful of minor deals, and already you think you’re big enough to talk to me like this?”

It was like a bucket of cold water over Joseph’s head.

He glanced around his office, suddenly remembering that everything he had came from his father.

Without him, he was nothing.

Even those “successful” projects were minor ones, far from the company’s core business.

What right did he have to speak to Harold like that?

His tone softened immediately. “Dad, that’s not what I meant. I was just dealing with some issues at work, so my tone wasn’t great. I hope you won’t take it to heart. By the way, what did you call about?”

Hearing the shift in his son’s voice, Harold’s anger eased.

After all, he was still his son–there was no such thing as a lasting grudge between them.

And lately, Joseph’s performance hadn’t been bad, except for the whole hospital incident, which had caught him completely off guard.

“I called to ask–what happened that landed you in the hospital?”

Harold hadn’t been keeping up with his son’s updates over the past few days.

When he found out, it was through someone else’s mouth.

From what he’d seen before, Joseph had been doing reasonably well in the company, enough for Harold to hand over a small branch for him to run.

But it had barely been any time at all before something like this happened–it was embarrassing, to say the least.

Hearing the question, Joseph wasn’t sure how to answer.

After all, he hadn’t expected Aurora to react with such force.

They’d originally agreed to simply discuss a potential partnership, but things had taken a turn he never saw coming.

That said, he had to admit–it was him who’d provoked the situation in the first place.

So, he chose another excuse. “It’s nothing, Dad. It’s over now anyway. I promise it won’t happen again. Don’t worry, I’ll work on making up for the company’s losses.”

Harold let out a cold snort. “Don’t think that just because I’m not breathing down your neck, I don’t know what you’ve been up to.

“Remember, I only handed you a marginal branch of the company. I’m very clear on your every move there.”

The words left Joseph with a sour taste, but he didn’t argue.

“Mm. Got it, Dad.”

“If that’s all, I’ll hang up now–I’ve got other things to do.”

With a father so calculating, whose eyes only ever seemed to see the company and its profits, Joseph didn’t feel like wasting breath. All he wanted was to end the call quickly.

But Harold’s voice cut in before he could. “What’s the rush?”