Whoever had called the corporate world a jungle had been very wrong. Corporate was beast made of steel. It had no heart, no soul. It merely chewed up those who dared enter it and spit out paper work at the end of it.
At least that was how Nate was feeling at the moment. His loss of temper in the last meeting had not been forgotten, nor was it forgiven.
"Stocks are down, zero point two percent, what do you intend to do about it,"
"The new shipping project is taking too long, a few backdoor handshakes would have made thing run smoother. Why are you insisting on the longer route?"
More nonsense complaints followed, and Nate let them wash over him. Basically asleep with his eyes open, letting the people around them exhaust themselves. He would have liked to continue doing so, but then a topic that he had to be present for came up and he blinked into awareness.
"Next month, we have to have a CEO, not just a stand in?"
"Right now, the candidates are you Mr Kiriakis, and your cousin Charles,"
"We as the board, will be making the decision based on merit,"
" Had you been married the position, would have automatically been yours. But since you are a bachelor, the post is still free game,"
"Unless of course- you and the lovely Miss Melanie have decided to tie the knot," Nate straightened, so the board knew about him and Melanie. But given that they were being a bit indirect. They probably did not know how long they had been together, or when they had broken up.
Sensing a trap but having nowhere to hide, he decided to just bite the bullet.
"Miss Melanie and I are no longer together" Vague on the time frame, but still giving them juicy gossip. He might as well have dangled a steak in front of a pride of lions.
"Ahh, so it was not serious then. I could have sworn I had rumors that you were engaged," Again, another attempt to get him to admit to something. In the eyes of the board, the only thing worse than being single, was having a failed relationship. If word got out that he had been cheated on days, days, before what would have been his wedding. They would kick him out in a heartbeat. A man who could not handle his woman, would have no hope of running a conglomerate successfully.
"That is why rumors are just that, rumors," He leaned back against his chair, feigning nonchalance.
"Now that I have cleared the air when it comes to my marrying Miss Melanie, can we carry on with actual business," He tried to steer the conversation away from himself and towards work. But rather than looking disappointed, the board still looked like they were sharing an inside joke he knew nothing about. His unease sky rocketed.
"Funny you should mention business," There was old Viktor again, looking so smug that Nate instantly put up his walls. Whatever they had up their sleeves, he could not afford to show any reaction when they played their hand.
"We as the board have someone, who is very interested in seeing how things are going here," Lead pooling in his stomach, Nate stared at the old man, face impassive.
It could not be.
Chuck had not come back to Athens in years. All the threats to use him to replace Nate were nothing more than the board using a fake stick to keep him in line. Chuck did not care about the family business, all he cared about was drugs, alcohol and women who were not his wife. But even as he thought of all the reasons Chuck could not be in Greece, the door to the boardroom opened, and Nate's vision blacked out for a second.
Not quite believing his own eyes even as watched his cousin saunter into the room.
Charles Kiriakis in the flesh.
The trademark Kiriakis storm grey eyes flashing as he walked. The board members standing and clapping like they were welcoming a hero. His cousin giving them his million dollar smile. Meeting Nate's gaze across the room and holding it, a clear challenge. Were he anyone else, the shock arrival alone, would have rattled him to the core. But even stunned as he was, Nate still kept his game face. Getting up, he walked to his cousin, pulling him into a hug that ended in a hand shake. Both their holds a bit too firm, edging on painful.
"Chuck, glad to have you back," Nate said, cool as can be.
"Good to see you too little cousin," Chuck's eyes were as cold as ice.
With the meeting well and truly over after his cousin's entrance. Nate made it back to his office in record time, Ron a step behind him. The moment he entered the office, he shut the door and closed the blinds. Head against the table, stress ball squeezed hard, Nate let himself process.
Chuck was back.
Chuck was back, that meant Nate's days as CEO really were numbered. He could not let the board just kick him out, throwing away like a used napkin. He had to fight, and to do that, he had to get himself under control. After a few more controlled breaths, he called his assistant into his office. The man coming in looking like a soldier ready for war.
"Cancel all things pertaining to the wedding. From the clothes, to the venue, and the food. I want all evidence of the failed nuptials gone before anyone thinks to look," Nodding Ron took out his phone, a few swipes later he looked up.
"It's done, boss,"
"Remove my name from the marriage registration office list. And bring me another list of potential brides, there will be no time to get to know them this time. So just pick the ones who are likely to keep their mouths shut," Orders given, he turned back to his work. Pulling up their most recent project files and arranging them according to profitability.
He needed to arm himself probably, show the board in terms of statistics, just how awful of an idea it would be to let him go. He was just about done when Ron came back in.
"I have already sent you the new list boss, but there is a problem," Great, another issue, just what he needed.
"The marriage registration office will not let me cancel on your behalf. Your name was used to reserve the slot, so you have to be the one to go in personally to cancel," By now, Nate was worried he would burst his stress ball.
"When do I have to be there?" He asked, the sooner he got it over with, the better. Massaging his temple, he waved Ron away, a sudden headache assaulting him. He had a feeling the near future had plenty of them in store for him.