Zayden strode into the conference room, his footsteps sharp and deliberate, reverberating through the long marble corridor behind him.
His eyes scanned the room, filled with those old hags he often called his nemeses.
The room itself exuded power and authority; the high ceiling loomed above, casting shadows on the pristine white walls.
He took his place at the head of the table, his chair slightly centered. He placed one leg atop the other.
Around him, the board of directors shuffled into their seats in two neat rows, their chairs perfectly aligned, their nervous rustling barely audible against the ticking of an ornate clock mounted on the far wall.
The air was thick with tension, nearly stifling, as though the walls themselves were holding their breath along with the board of directors.
Zayden's gaze roamed the room, and he could tell there were twenty-nine in attendance.
"Let's make it short," Zayden said coldly, his hands on his ring as he twirled it around.
The silence in the room was suffocating, almost as if it threatened to drain the life out of them.
The weight of the silence pressed down on them like a heavy shroud, each person avoiding Zayden's piercing gaze as if afraid that even a glance could provoke his wrath.
Some were trembling, their palms and foreheads damp with sweat from the building tension.
One was peeling at their fingers to the point where blood was visible, while others silently prayed they would walk out of here on their own two feet.
Some were unsure whether to speak or remain silent.
They knew that if they said nothing, he would still question them, but if they dared to defend themselves, it would be worse, as none would escape unscathed.
While they remained absorbed in their thoughts, cowering in fear, Zayden's cold, low voice echoed in the room, sending a shiver down their spines.
"I'm in a good mood today. Don't ruin it," he said, his eyes darting up, casting a warning gaze upon them.
From the moment Zayden stepped into the boardroom, the atmosphere had shifted immediately.
The board members sat frozen in their seats, their breaths caught in their throats, like prisoners awaiting a sentence.
A few exchanged quick, nervous glances, trying to decipher the reason behind Zayden's unusual choice of attire—a wedding suit.
Whispers of speculation were drowned out by the pounding pulse of their fear. The boss who had always toyed with flings was not the type to settle down. Some had even tried to match him with their daughters, only to have their hopes crumble like sand.
Zayden's brows furrowed deeper as the silence stretched on. His gaze swept over the table, catching how some of them averted their eyes, fidgeting with their pens or wringing their hands under the table.
He knew their type—selfish, arrogant, always scheming behind closed doors.
His lip curled in disdain, the question still gnawing at him: why had his father tolerated these old hags for so long?
He knew they didn't want him to take over his father's company, especially his uncle, who would go to any lengths to satisfy his greed. The hall wouldn't be this quiet if he were here.
But where was he, though? Zayden thought to himself, and, talk of the devil, his uncle arrived at precisely the wrong moment.
"Zayden, you should take it easy on the board of directors. After all, you haven't been declared the CEO yet. You're just a facade," his uncle, Leonardo, sneered, his 42 year old eye piercing into Zayden.
"Are you afraid I'll become the CEO too soon?" Zayden retorted, a smirk playing on his lips, though anger simmered within him.
"Don't worry, I don't like rushing the process. I love it slow, watching how heartbreaking it will be for you and Ethan," he said with a sinister smile, and Leonardo couldn't help but gulp.
"Stop trying so hard. You're incompetent even of your company is doing so well. Your father gave you a project to handle, yet you couldn't even do that," his uncle's voice rose, his anger flaring as he pointed at Zayden.
"Well, you came at the right time. You would have missed the fun if you'd been one minute late," Zayden said, clenching his fists under the table, the smile that had just been on his lips faded as his brows furrowed, an expression of disdain settling on his face.
"What else can you do? You need to step down from your position and let Ethan take over. He'll do a better job than you," Leonardo continued, swiveling in his chair with a grin creeping up his face.
Zayden glanced at his watch, tapping the table with an air of urgency.
"It should be any minute now," Zayden said with a smile as the time struck.
He signaled with his hand, gesturing to his secretary. With a swift motion, his secretary went to the projector behind him and immediately connected it.
The board of directors, including his uncle Leonardo, watched him with a mix of curiosity and dread.
Immediately, his secretary turned on the projector with what looked like a remote. An image was displayed on it.
"This was the plan we made concerning the launch of InfiniSoft," Zayden stated, a calculating calmness in his voice.
"So?" Leonardo said, his eyebrows raising, skepticism laced in his voice.
"You should understand, Leo, since Father told you about the software design," Zayden said, his voice steady yet tinged with anger.
"So, what are you insinuating?" Leonardo said, his brows furrowing, angry that Zayden hadn't shown him respect.
"There are only five days remaining until the launch, and suddenly there's a delay, isn't that right, Mr. Johnson?" The man, who was the head of the design department, tensed up immediately when he heard his name. Unable to speak, he nodded.
"So, isn't it suspicious that five days before the launch, it was reported today that the design has a bug?" Zayden said, swiveling his chair playfully as his eyes landed on the huge screen.
"It's normal to experience that. And you are too young to understand this," Leonardo retorted.
Zayden scoffed, "A twenty-seven-year-old man is too young? Then what makes Ethan competent? He's twenty-five years old."
"Ah, I see. The fact that he went behind my back and plotted with you to delay it, right?" Zayden said, and the executives went into an uproar, their fear morphing into a chaotic murmur.
They murmured to each other in whispers, unable to summon the courage to speak loudly.
"W-we didn't do that," he stammered, adjusting his tie as panic set in.
Zayden didn't say anything and only signaled to his secretary to play the video.
The executives, including his uncle, leaned forward to watch the video, eyes wide open, and were stunned at what they saw. It was unbelievable.
In the video, they could see Leonardo and Johnson, who was later discovered to be the design manager, hacking into the system.
"Doesn't that person look familiar?" Zayden taunted, relishing the moment as Leonardo's hands trembled, the color draining from his face.
"You want to frame me," Leonardo shouted, standing up in fright, his hands shaking as he buttoned his suit. His forehead was becoming sweaty, and all he wanted to do was leave the conference room to hide his humiliation.
"You don't need to hurry. You should at least hear what I have to say," Zayden said, standing tall, hands slipping into his pockets.
The tension in the room was electric, every gaze fixed on Zayden, awaiting his next action.
"What is that?" Leonardo asked, his gaze drifting from Zayden to the floor.
He could feel the people staring at him, and he couldn't bear the humiliation of those mocking stares.
Despite looking down at the floor, he could imagine the look on the board of directors' faces.
"You're fired," Zayden uttered, the words rolling off his mouth smoothly like a melody.
For a moment, the boardroom froze, a collective gasp hanging in the air. They waited, hoping Zayden would retract his words, but with each passing second, the weight of his decision settled over them like a suffocating blanket.
Leonardo's chest tightened as his heartbeat drummed against his ribcage. He was sure that even Zayden could hear his heartbeat.
Did he mean it? That question passed through their minds.
They all had heard and seen how Zayden was quick to throw out people who couldn't serve their purpose, but they didn't expect it to happen to his relative.
The disbelief in the room was palpable, rippling through the stunned faces.
Who would ever do that? Well, Zayden does.
Even Ethan dared not kick his relatives out of his company since he still needed them, but not Zayden.
He had started his own company after leaving home, and it had now become the No. 1 in City Y and all over the world.
Leonardo's breath caught in his throat as Zayden's lips curled into a slow, chilling smile—a promising smile that sent an icy shiver down Leonardo's spine.
He was about to walk out when he heard his uncle hurl insults at him, "You incompetent fool! You can't even manage your home, and you think you can manage the company?"
Zayden turned back and said with a smile, "Didn't you hear? I got married."
Shock and whispers filled the air once again at Zayden's revelation. They couldn't believe their ears.
The mighty Zayden got married—those were the words flying around the room. Leonardo was left stunned, too, as he was escorted out of the company.
Zayden walked back to his office with a smile. He didn't know why, but he felt very relaxed when he said that he was claimed by someone. He walked back in a rush to see Zara.
"What should we do about Mr. Johnson, the product manager?" the secretary inquired, keeping pace with Zayden as they walked toward his office.
A note of surprise tinged his voice; Zayden's decision to simply fire Leonardo. If this had happened before, things would have ended very differently. Leonardo was fortunate to witness Zayden's surprising restraint today.
"Leave him. Ethan might still need him," Zayden replied, his grip tightening on the sleek handle of the office door.
As he pushed the door open, a wave of anticipation washed over him. But upon entering, he found the office empty.
His gaze swept across the room, searching for Zara, but she was nowhere in sight.
A mix of anger and concern knotted on his face.
"Where is Zara?" Zayden's voice cut through the silence, a note of urgency creeping into his tone as he turned to his secretary, whose steps halted abruptly.