Noah woke up to the persistent vibrating of his phone on the nightstand.
He growled irritably, barely opening his eyes to glance at the digital clock with a grimace.
Noticing it was nearly midnight, he closed his eyes again, feeling as if weights were pressing down on his eyelids.
Hoping the call would end, but the vibrations persisted as if the person on the other end was forcing him to wake up.
"Who the hell is contacting me this late at night!?" Noah muttered in frustration. "Zoe, could you please check for me...?"
It didn’t take long; Zoe’s shooting voice echoed in his mind, ’It’s Alexander Morgan...’
Noah’s eyes snap open, fixed on the ceiling.
His brow furrowed in confusion about why the old man was calling him now.
But within seconds, a smile spreads across his face as he recalls his poor uncle, Jared Morgan.
He feels guilty because he not only disrupts Jared Morgan’s sleep but also affects Alexander Morgan’s rest.
After clearing his throat, he finally picked up the call.
"Hello..." His voice sounded hoarse and heavy.
"Sorry if I woke you up, Noah..."
Noah could hear Alexander Morgan’s remorseful voice on the other end.
He responded in a casual tone, sitting comfortably on the edge of his bed.
"It’s okay, I already woke up..." he said. Then, he asked curiously, "What made you call me in these ungodly hours, Grandpa? A guy at your age should be asleep now. Is there anything urgent, Grandpa?"
"Yes. Noah, I need your help..." Alexander Morgan paused briefly before continuing, "Have you read the recent news?"
Noah responded with questions, pretending not to understand what’s in the news lately.
"News? What news?"
He held back a laugh as he walked toward the glass window, gazing out at the dark backyard.
"Ah... It seems you weren’t aware. Noah, just hours after your cousin Jeremy’s funeral, another news about your Uncle Jared appears and dominates the media outlets..."
Noah listened as Alexander explained what happened to Jared, though he didn’t specify his uncle’s terrible act.
After a brief pause, Alexander gently asked, "Noah, could you please help me remove all the news about your uncle. I will be grateful if you help me this time."
Noah had already anticipated that the old man would seek his help, and he had his response ready.
Earlier, after dinner, he talked with Edgar and Matthew and made up an excuse to respond to Alexander’s request.
"Grandpa, to be honest with you, I had already tried to do that before you asked me. I instructed Edgar to clear the news about me and the Morgan family, but he can’t do much about it."
Noah tries to express his apology sincerely so that Alexander Morgan will believe him immediately.
"Y-you already did?" Alexander asked in disbelief, causing Noah to stifle a smile. He feels terrible about lying to his own Grandpa.
"Yes... But I failed. I’m sorry...Grandpa."
"Noah, this is Uncle Andrew..." Suddenly, Andrew Morgan’s voice echoed, surprising Noah.
’Huh? They are having a meeting at the main house now?’ Noah wonders, feeling happier to know this.
"Thank you, Noah, for trying to remove the news out there. But, can you ask Edgar if he could pressure the media to stop the news, especially on television? I know the Golden Phoenix Group has a lot of influence to pressure them." Andrew Morgan softly requests.
"Oh, first uncle, you’re also there!?" Noah pretends to be shocked.
"Yes, yes, I’m here as well..."
"Uncle, I try to help, but I am not the CEO and have not been involved in managing the company. Naturally, they cannot grant my request..."
"How could they refuse your request? You now own the company! Do you think we will believe it? Young man, how could you even try to lie to us?!"
"Shut up, Jared! Stay out of it; you’re already causing enough stress in our family," Andrew snapped at Jared, who had just chimed in during their conversation.
Then there was silence for a few more seconds before Andrew Morgan’s gentle voice echoed from the other end.
"Sorry, Noah, please do not hear what your Uncle Jared said."
"Yes, I understand..."
"Alright, we won’t disturb your sleep, Noah. I’ll try calling you again later..." Alexander Morgan’s voice could be heard before he finally ended the call.
Noah didn’t rush back to his bed, but stayed in place, trying to recheck the news online, curious to find out what exactly caused them to panic and gather at this late hour.
He didn’t find anything new; the only news about Jared Morgan was still the trending topic on nearly all social media platforms and major news sites. Just like the hype he had read before going to sleep earlier.
"Zoe, do you know why everyone sounds so worried?"
’Sir, it seems they’re a bit worried about Jeremy Morgan’s wife’s family—’
"Celestia Graham’s family? What’s wrong with that family?"
’Sir. Her father held a military position in the army. He was an influential figure—someone even Alexander Morgan couldn’t ignore or avoid without consequences. And now, his wife plans to file for divorce.’
Noah was surprised to hear that. Now he understands why her Grandpa and first uncle threw their dignity aside to beg him for help.
"I didn’t anticipate his wife coming from a military family. I only intended to teach my uncle, but it appears my decision might ruin the entire Morgan family..."
He could only laugh as he headed back to his bed, planning to sleep, but Zoe’s voice drew his attention again.
’Sir, it looks like you missed a message from that girl...’
Noah suddenly stopped his steps before reaching his bed. Countless questions race through his mind. He only has a few girls who now have his cell phone number after blocking some of his colleagues’ friends.
"The girl? Which one?"
’Alexis Moore quickly texts you after you leave the cemetery, but it seems you haven’t read her message.’
Noah quickly looked at his cell phone and was surprised to find messages from Alexis. Two texts were sent at different times.
"Noah, I’m Alexis Moore. Here’s my phone number; please save it."
"Hi Noah, are you planning to attend the business banquet at the Blue House tomorrow night? If so, I’d love to catch up with you there—please let me know if you’ll be there!"