CHAPTER 220: CHAPTER 219. SLIPPING MASK

The first time Chief Secretary Park suspected that Sarah wore a mask was during the monthly family dinner. He wasn’t there, but he heard what happened from the chairman and a staff member present at the dinner.

Others might think Sarah was just being a trashy, spoiled brat after returning from abroad--which might be true. But that wasn’t the kind of ’trash’ the chief secretary expected from what he heard; just an angry daughter whose mother was insulted by the very person who messed up her happiness in the first place. That wasn’t a spoiled trashy brat; that was a little tiger baring her claw for the first time.

He understood why others wouldn’t see it that way, though. The members of that family also acted that way if they didn’t get what they wanted. But Sarah...Sarah used to be so meek and obedient that a little rebellion made her look like a problem child right away, just like a tiny smear was enough to deem a pristine white cloth dirty.

But Chief Secretary Park was one of the few people who saw Sarah when she was studying, when she was practicing a presentation, when she was leading the student council of her academy. He knew the girl’s earnest and brilliant side, which always got pushed down inside the mansion. When he observed the way Sarah talked to the chairman, he could see a glimpse of it: the old second Young Miss who had shed her fear and inferiority.

He became even more sure when the assault happened. To be exact, during the ’negotiation’ where Sarah asked for Mason’s assets--especially the shares--to be given to her, and in the way she seemed to subdue the mistress before leaving the compound.

It became even clearer during the New Year, when the prosecutor came. While the young miss acted like she was playing around, eating canapes while a serious conversation was happening, Chief Secretary Park observed her sharp eyes and high focus. She was the one who reacted quicker than anyone, sending her own bodyguard--well, lover--to warn the pregnant lady, and kept her calm throughout while still doing something worthwhile.

And...was it because she returned to her original hair color? It was easier to see her as the tougher version of the old Sarah.

Exactly what the previous chairman wanted.

Chief Secretary Park couldn’t help but think that, had the previous chairman still alive to guide the young miss himself, she would have grown up exactly like this, without waiting for a tragedy to happen.

Looking at that weirdly self-satisfying smile in the old man’s face, Sarah grumbled inwardly. Indeed, she had been careless after leaving the mansion; perhaps because she didn’t need to act on a daily basis anymore.

Still, the desire to act defiantly had been planted too strongly in her newly born mind. "What if I refused?"

"You’ll cause an internal fight," the chief secretary said dryly, almost like a soft threat.

"You’re trying to guilt-trip me, now?"

The chief secretary smiled, a little bit helplessly. "A servant only has so many tricks, Miss."

Sarah hummed and quietly drank her spicy milk in contemplation. She took a deep breath and stood up, walking to the window, staring at the darkening winter sky. The day was about to end, just like her journey of retribution. Could it roll into the night peacefully, quietly, like always, without people thinking too much about it?

Her hatred lay on someone else, but she couldn’t pretend to say that she didn’t harbor resentment toward those who had shaped her into an empty puppet who had nothing inside but the desire and expectation of the adults around her.

It was probably her biggest enemy; the big wall that prevented her from seeking any cooperation from the executives.

She was afraid of being used again.

Through the window, Sarah could see the reflection of her lover, her puppy, someone who didn’t mind being used by her. She could see his smile, a confident shine in his soothing grey eyes that told her he would never let someone use her.

Sarah took a deep breath and shifted her gaze, looking at the reflection of the old man on the couch, who was waiting for her response patiently. "Let me ask you something, Mr. Park."

"Please."

"Did you know the truth behind my accident?"

Chief Secretary Park stiffened. From his position, he could barely see Sarah, as if the last light of the day was trying to swallow her. The darkness in the middle of the orange light looked like a portal of the abyss; like the darkness inside the girl’s heart that he had never realized before.

"Tell me, Mr. Park," Sarah turned her head slightly, so the side of her face could be seen. "If you want my cooperation, don’t make me feel like you are using me."

Since there was no need for her to wear a mask anymore, Sarah could unleash her resentment all she wanted. The disappointment she had piled from her first life was reflected clearly in her dark eyes.

"I...know that someone was tampering with the evidence and had created a story to be given to the police," the chief secretary said; struck by those cold black eyes, he found himself unable to defy her. "It came out to the public before I and the chairman even heard about it, and Daesung’s team was already on the move to gain the right for the project."

"And you said nothing?"

"The chairman was angry for days, and...when I asked a police acquaintance about it, they said I shouldn’t dig more," The chief secretary lowered his head, fingers interlocked nervously. "That was when I had the hunch that whoever it was behind the tampering must have had considerable authority."

He might be the chairman’s right-hand man, but he was actually more like a butler in the company, just running around doing what the chairman told him without any real authority. Even if he could be considered an executive, he would be in the lowest rank.

"I’m ashamed to admit it, but I had no power to face that kind of person, Miss. I couldn’t risk my life or career," he said with a sigh. "Not yet anyway."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "But now you can?"

Chief Secretary Park raised his head. "If doing it would make you agree to save the Group, then I’m ready to do a thorough investigation, Miss."

"Pfft--"

Chief Secretary Park attempted with sincerity to persuade the young miss, but Sarah responded with laughter instead. Hard, loud, until her shoulder shook from the intensity. She had to grab the windowsill to balance herself as her laughter filled the living room.

And when it stopped, it stopped abruptly.

"It’s too late, Mr. Park," Sarah turned around, leaning against the window. The only thing Chief Secretary Park could see was her deep smile, illuminated by the last light of the day. "I have already taken care of that."

Chief Secretary Park widened his eyes.

"If that is the only thing you can offer me, then you might leave," Sarah said dryly.

Chief Park wanted to ask who it was, but his mind went to the two people with enough authority to bury the truth about Sarah’s accident. Two people who, perhaps not coincidentally, had gone missing.

It was a simple conjecture, but looking at those dark, cold eyes filled him with fear.

"Is there...something you’d like me to do, Miss?" The chief secretary found himself slightly breathless. He never thought he would feel scared of a girl half his age.

Sarah tilted her head, as if contemplating the offer, before smiling. It didn’t lift the sense of dread the chief secretary felt, however.

"Let me confirm something," she said, pushing herself away from the window and slowly pacing across the living room. "What you want to save is the Group--or rather, the companies and their employees--not necessarily the family, correct?"

Chief Secretary Park did not reply immediately, thinking hard about what Sarah was implying. Did she reject becoming the heiress because she wanted to be the chairman right away? Did she plan to sever her ties with the family?

Chief Secretary Park nodded. "That is correct, Miss."

Sarah stopped walking and smiled. "If you help me, I’ll make sure to do just that."

The chief secretary perked up. "Does that mean--"

"Only--" Sarah interjected with a raise of her finger. "--in my own way."

As expected, it would be something other than being the heiress. At any rate, it was getting clearer for Chief Secretary Park that Sarah already had a plan in mind.

He straightened his back and nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"How many shareholder executives can you persuade to give their support?"

The chief secretary thought deeply for a while. "As long as you guarantee that they’ll still have their position after...whatever changes you planned to make, I can rally at least four people."

"Their stakes?"

"I assume you’re talking about HS Stone? That would be...six percent, including mine."

As expected of the key company, most of the shares were distributed among the family and the executives. But even combining what they had, it would never be higher than what the chairman personally held--as long as Joseph was out of the equation. The chief secretary was lucky to receive one percent from the previous chairman as a sign of gratitude, included in his will.

"Hmm...not bad, I guess," Sarah tapped on the floor to calculate, although she was sure Austin was actively doing that inside the laundry room. "Do you know how many that wretched uncle of mine had?"

"It’s five percent, Miss."

"I see..."

Sarah twisted her lips in contemplation. Even without calculating it in detail, she knew she was still a few percent short of having the biggest share--and thus the biggest vote--if the rest of the executives and the family members lined up behind the chairman.

That damn prosecutor!

In that case, she had to try something else.

"Is it possible for me to decide the date for the next board meeting?"

The chief secretary nodded. "As long as it’s around the end of this month, I think it’s possible, Miss."

Around two weeks. Not really a lot of time, but...oh, well.

"One last thing," she turned toward the chief secretary.

"Yes?"

Sarah walked to the couch and stopped in front of the chief secretary. You don’t mind betraying the chairman?"

She stared at the old man’s eyes, who stood up after a few seconds and bowed politely. "My loyalty has always been to the previous chairman and the Group."

"What if it’s no longer HS?" Sarah asked.

Chief Secretary Park looked up and looked straight into those brilliant, but mysterious eyes. "As long as you keep your promise, Miss Sarah."

Sarah smiled and finally, offered the chief secretary a handshake.