At Villan Enterprise.
The atmosphere was filled with an eerie sensation and an artic cold that sent chills down everybody's backs.
"I-I can e-explain." The middle aged man stumbled on his words as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Oh you can? Then please enlighten me. How is it that you and your team had a month to come up with a project that would launch the new clothing line into the market, yet managed to waste a ridiculous amount of resources, to only come up with this joke of a proposal?" Jacob said as he raised his eyebrow in curiosity while he threw the papers in his hand. Making them scatter around the floor. "On top of that you've already offered a ten million dollar deal to a single model?" His voice was laced with annoyance.
Aiden and Jacob were in one of Villan Enterprise's meeting rooms. The more they listened to the company's new clothing line's head supervisor, who couldn't manage to speak without stuttering, the colder the temperature got.
Just five minutes into his presentation, Jacob had stopped him. He couldn't waste another second listening to their proposal which was mediocre at best. Although other people might have thought it was a decent presentation, the term decent had long been beneath Villan Enterprise's standards.
Aiden didn't speak his mind even once since the meeting had begun. His aloof and disinterested expression was the same as always, but the continuously dropping temperature was a clear indication of his fowl mood.
None of the other dozen employees present dared to utter a word as they watched their superior and colleague make a fool out of himself. Nervously sweating as much as the man who was currently receiving Jacob's stabbing comments, they kept to themselves in hopes that their submissive silence would grant them some kind of pardon from screwing up so badly.
"P-President Villan, she's c-currently the top m-model in the business. Having her would b-boost our-" The man tried to explain himself but was snarkily interrupted.
"You mean to tell us that this walking stick figure is worth ten million dollars?" As Jacob sneered, an image of an unhealthily thin model appeared on the meeting rooms presentation screen to which he gestured towards. "I won't waste any time commenting on your taste in women as it interests me very little what you do beyond your role in this company. However, next time you're looking for a pitiful soul to put your hands on, I suggest you avoid sleeping with people you can't even afford to please."
The man widened his eyes in shock. The fact that he was bedding the woman wasn't something anybody was supposed to know. Fearing that he was caught red handed, he worriedly tried to fix his situation. "I-It's not like th-that! I give you my wor-"
"Careful now." Aiden's deep intimidating voice was finally heard. The simple sound of it made the men in the room tremble. "A person's word is a heavy oath not many have the strength to carry."
Aiden sat at the head of the large oval shaped table in the center of the meeting room. His head was tilted to the side as he rested it on his closed fist. Jacob stood beside him while they both cringed at the stupidest group of people they had seen all day.
Sighing, Aiden stood up from his leather chair. He straightened his suit jacket before placing both his hands in his pant pockets and started to walk out of the room. As he did, he addressed everybody in the room without sparing them a single glance.
"You're all fired." And without turning to look back, he left.
Everybody, with the exception of Jacob, turned pale. Not being brave enough to speak up, they all started at each other with blank faces as their CEO's personal assistant also made his way out. And just like his boss, he addressed them one last time.
"Being an idiot who wastes opportunities is one thing, but following one without even saying a single word? Even worse." Jacob said as he shook his head.
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In Aiden's Office.
"Have the model, her agency and everybody from the fired team blacklisted. Let human resources know of the situation and instruct the legal team to take action on the matter pertaining the money. After that, bankrupt all of those idiots who tried to steal from me." Aiden dictated instructions to Jacob as he signed paper work. He didn't bother giving details since he knew it wasn't necessary.
"Have a meeting scheduled with the marketing team for next week. There are three late submissions on the Lockwood project so have the secretaries take a look into that. Let the advertisement department head know that I want his explanation about last week's faulty television add for the Summer Side Resort. I expect it in writing in twenty minutes. If he fails to do so then fire him too."
"Anything else before I go?" Jacob asked as he sent orders to the pertinent people.
"How is the project around the house going?" Aiden asked as his mood finally started to improve.
He had instructed for some modifications to be done and couldn't wait for it to be finished. There where things he needed to personally asses before he could fully approve of them. The very thought of what those improvements could lead to made him happy.
"Well your first two orders were completed. I'm currently perfecting a few details before I finish with the third one." Tapping on his tablet screen he continued. "And the thing you asked for is currently on it's way to the base. It should get there within the next hour."
"Good." Lifting his head, Aiden closed the last folder he finished reviewing. "Then let's both call it a day from our day jobs."
Jacob felt like his eyes had bulged out of their sockets so much in the last couple of days, that he feared they might actually fall out of his head soon. Call it a day? It's only three in the afternoon!!
The Aiden Villan everybody knew was the definition of a workaholic. He would be the first one to arrive in the whole building and the last to leave. His schedule was always being redone thanks to his lighting fast way of working. And although it's thanks to his style of getting things done that they were always at least a month ahead of schedule, he would always keep going without any fear of burning out.
Aiden was a ruthless, unrelenting, unforgiving, chill inducing and a non-stop working genius that made Villan Enterprise a true empire. And that was only the half of it since the same applied to his underworld persona.
Although the Blood Raven was ten times as intense.
But ever since his eyes landed on Claire, he had slowly started to act like a normal person. Something that was completely abnormal for those who knew him well. Like Jacob who still found what he just heard hard to believe regardless of how he had noticed the change in his friend throughout the entire week.
"Whatever you say Sir." Jacob simply smiled in agreement as he made his way out of the office with Aiden.
They crossed through the all male secretary floor to reach the elevator. Standing up, all of the employees bowed in Aiden's direction as he strolled across the hallway with both his hands tucked inside his pockets. Looking like royalty as he did.
"I almost forgot to tell you that Lucas is back. He'll most likely get back to work tomorrow, so get everything he needs ready." Aiden said as the elevator went down into the sub-level parking lot. Jacob simply nodded in response.
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After they parted separate ways, Aiden was sitting inside his car as it made it's way to the city border. About thirty minutes later, they entered a private property that was surrounded by large pine trees. It almost looked like a forest which contrasted greatly with the rest of the city's more urban landscape.
Passing by a few security posts, the car finally stopped when it reached a building the size of a one story high house. The driver got out and quickly opened Aiden's door.
A large number of bulky and menacing looking men were already lined up to each of the entrance door's sides. As soon as Aiden stepped out, they all bowed their heads towards him in greeting.
"Welcome back Boss." They all said at the same time as he made his way inside the building.
No matter if all of the men there were big, strong, intimidating and lethally dangerous, none of them considered themselves an equal to the man passing by them.
They knew that there was no other soul on earth as tainted and deadly as Aiden Villan's.