Page 2 of Mr. Hotshot CEO
She nods. “And then he had a heart attack.”
That was three years ago. My father had planned to retire at sixty-five, but after the heart attack, he figured he’d better take it easy, so he handed control of the company over to me a little earlier than we’d planned. Now he spends his time golfing and traveling the world with my mother, both of them wearing ugly T-shirts and multi-colored fanny packs.
And this is the man who built Fong Investments from nothing and wore a suit every day.
“We’re worried you will have a heart attack, too,” Po Po says.
“I’m not going to have a heart attack. I’m young. I’m in excellent shape.”
“I’m worried about your health in general,” Mom says. “What if you burn out? That’s why I want you to take two weeks off work.”
I must be hearing things. “You want me to take two weeks off?”
“That’s right. You need a break.”
“It’s not possible. I have too much to do.”
“I’ve talked to Raymond.” Raymond is one of the vice-presidents. “He said the next two weeks would be the best. Actually, it’ll be more than two weeks, since you’ll take tomorrow off, too. Eleven workdays and three whole weekends without any work. Seventeen days.”
I look at my mother in horror.
Asian mothers aren’t supposed to tell you that you’re working too hard. They’re supposed to tell you that you’re not working hard enough.
“What am supposed to do for seventeen days without work?” I ask.
“You can relax,” Vince says. “Like me.”
“You’ve been relaxing for a full year.”
“I know. It’s wonderful.”
I’m the oldest of three boys, and Vince is the youngest. He started a tech company soon after finishing university and sold it for a lot of money last year. Since then, he’s been chilling in his swanky bachelor pad, eating and drinking like a king, jetting around the world, and chasing women.
I’m under the impression there have been alotof women, but I try not to ask questions. I have a feeling I’m better off not knowing the details of my brother’s life.
“It’s only seventeen days,” Mom says. “Seventeen days without coming into the office.”
“Locksmith will change the lock so your key won’t work,” Po Po says. “See? Didn’t I have great idea?”
Hmm. I can still work from home. This won’t be too bad, actually.
“And you can’t work from home,” Vince says, holding up my laptop, tablet, and phone. “Because I’m going to put these in a safe forsafekeeping.”
I hurry across the room and try to yank the phone out of Vince’s hand. He dodges me and rushes to the opposite corner.
“Aiyah!” Po Po says. “You act like little boys.” She stands up and gets between us.
Dammit. I can’t go after my brother when my grandmother is in the middle.
“You can read a book,” Mom says. “Maybe go to a resort and hang out by the pool? Or go on a date?”
“Yes,” Po Po says. “You work too hard, and now you’re thirty-five, still single. All three of you in thirties, no one married, no great-grandchildren for me. Very sad. All my friends have many great-grandchildren, and I have none.”
Her face scrunches up, and it looks like she’s about to cry.
I suspect she’s trying to manipulate me.
Mom pats her shoulder. “My friend Violet—do you remember her? She’s two years younger than me, and she also has three children. She’s already planned three weddings. Her fourth grandchild will be born next month. Four grandchildren, and I don’t even have one.”
