Never Judge

"As much as I would love to hear more about this love quarrel, I don't think this is an appropriate conversation for this moment." A man, around five years older than Ian said.

Ian looked at the man carefully, he was familiar, but Ian couldn't quite place how he knew him. Then it struck. Ian smiled and the man frowned, taken aback by how Ian had reacted to the realization of who he was.

"Bernard Juan." Ian said slowly as every letters slipped through his lips as if he were savoring the torture he was about to sever.

"Yes, that's my name. Do you know me?" The man asked Ian as he looked closely to see if Ian knew him.

Ian laughed and shook his head at how silly the person in front of him was acting.

"I am the very reason why your branch of the family isn't the most hated one." Ian said with a grin as he recalled his first ever act of vengeance.

"What are you talking about?" Bernard asked as he glared at Ian, studying the younger man before him.

"Ian is behind the fall of your cousins and uncle." Jasmine explained as she continued to glare at Ian.

"Then I owe you my thanks, Mr. Lim." Bernard chuckled, unbothered by the fact that Ian could change the course of his life.

"You are welcome, Mr. Juan. I hope you remember who placed you on your glass throne." Ian said, as he threatened Bernanrd Juan with his name, position, and wealth.

Ian was not bluffing when he told Bernard that he sat on a glass throne. The Juan family always had a rocky position among the elites ever since Ian took down the head of the family and his children.

Unlike other revenge schemes, Ian's first was not public knowledge. He chose to keep his involvement in that one as quiet as possible.

Ian had enjoyed the fact that the people he sought revenge after were clueless as to the true power of a family as old as the Lims.

"I'm surprised you are involved with the Rajas." Ian pointed out as he observed Bernard's actions.

"Mom's side." Bernard simply answered. "The Juans are too young a family to be involved in this." He chuckled.

"Can we move on? You are simply distracting us from the topic at hand, Mr. Lim." The man Ian recognized to be Jasmine's uncle said.

He knew the man quite well. Roland Ortega had been very much against him and Jasmine's relationship, citing that his family was too poor for the Ortegas.

"Still in a rush to get rid of me, Uncle Roland." Ian said, calling him uncle to further anger the man. "I think I am quite happy sitting here. I do own this place after all and I can have you thrown out of the island at any time. Or even worse, I could have your lifeless bodies thrown into the sea where no one will find them until it's too late."

"You wouldn't." Jasmine gasped knowing that some part of Ian was that ruthless.

"Of course not, but first a lesson you all must learn." Ian said as a cold smile crossed his lips.

As if on cue, their phones began to ring, one at a time.

Ian couldn't help but chuckle at how perfect the timing had been.

He had just threatened them and their people began to call. As they began to panic, Ian sent Cedric a list of names, the names of people he was currently meeting with.

He knew that if things took a turn for the worst, Cedric would need to do something to their businesses, and if needed their family names.

To people like them, nothing mattered more than their reputation.

Their businesses could lose money, their companies could close, but god forbid should anything happen or taint their family name.

"What did you do?" Roland Ortega asked as he looked at Ian.

Ian laughed and shook his head as each of his guests ended their calls.

"Can we do anything to save their companies?" Jasmine asked in a desperate tone. Her voice shook, shocked by what lengths Ian was willing to go to just to prove his point.

"No." Came Ian's simple reply.

"Why not?! You made this happen, make it stop!" Jasmine shouted, making Ian consider that one of those first people that he had met meant more to her than he initially thought.

Ian made a mental note to have someone investigate the matter, but for now he had to keep his eye on the prize and convince the Rajas to make him their leader.

"I don't have to explain things to you, Miss Ortega." Ian smiled, making Jasmine even angrier.

"Jasmine!" Her uncle scolded, clearly worried about what Ian would do if his niece made him any more angrier.

Ian chuckled at their disagreement, he reveled in it.

"I'll be kind to you six today and tell you what just happened." Ian smiled as he took a sip of wine and leaned back in his seat.

His guests eagerly waited for his next words and Ian made them wait.

"I control Cedric Reyes and his people. He will believe every word I say and right before I left his sheltered mansion, I told him about five companies that are conspiring against him." Ian explained to them.

"And he buried them." Bernard hissed as soon as he realized how bad the damage was.

"What do you want, Mr. Lim?" Roland Ortega asked as he gritted his teeth waiting for the worst.

"I want you to see my value and to understand that the Rajas will not thrive if I am not in it." Ian explained to his guests.

"You are part of the Rajas, what more do you want?" Jasmine asked, unhappy with what Ian had done.

"A seat at the table with the six of you. I am asking for a very small and simple thing in exchange of your name, your title, your businesses." Ian waited for them to respond, he knew from the very beginning that it wouldn't be easy. But maybe, just maybe they would give in quickly.

"No." Bernard said as he observed Ian, waiting for his next move.