"The moment everyone is present, we can begin. Can everyone get to page 3 of the file?" James Mason Junior made the pronouncement as he opened the file before him. No one else opened the file, even though everyone else had the same one. James raised his head and observed that nobody was doing anything; everyone was sitting there and staring at him. "Can we?" An icy voice interrupted him as he began to speak.
"We are not here to discuss ways to generate revenue for your firm; instead, we are here to discuss ways to help your company recover. I put a significant amount of money into this endeavor and lost ten times as much as I came in, so please save me the unnecessary talk." In disbelief, everyone turned their heads to stare at Xander Gomez, but he gave them a glance that dissuaded most of them from returning home. Except for David and Zoey, Zoey was staring at him with wide eyes, and David returned the glance with enormous power.
"I have to agree with Xander over here," he said. When David spoke, he did so in a commanding manner, keeping his gaze fixed on Xander Gomez. Zoey stepped back, looking at him with surprise and inquiry. "Mr. Mason, there isn't much to talk about here, James," the speaker said. James tightened his teeth, but David did not even bat an eye as he looked at him.
"Mr. Mason is your father." The response came from David, and Xander smiled. David said, "As I was saying," and then turned around to face the other people in the room. "James was ultimately responsible for the company's downfall. He spent millions of dollars on a structure that was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. James showed no remorse for his actions and gave him a stern look. It is possible that he compensated the relatives of those who had lost loved ones by paying them, but at the end of the day, business is the most important thing. I have spent most of my life serving as Mr. Mason's attorney, and I am familiar with the people he works with and the amount of money he makes." After David had finished explaining, everyone in the room stayed silent and listened to what he had to say. "Seventy-five percent of his clients have left the company, and he has lost a lot of money."
"If only you could open the files I gave you, you would understand the strategies for getting them back." James Mason expressed his exasperation, stating that the mere reminder of the amount of money he had cost the organization was like a blow of icy cold to his chest.
"You're mistaken in that regard." Once Xander Gomez concluded his speech, he once again became the focal point of attention. "You invested millions in a building and bought cheap materials; the building collapsed and killed hundreds of people, and then you paid billions to the affected families to cover it up."
"Xander is saying that there is no Mason Construction." "You are Mason Construction, so everything you do will backfire."
"People will step back for every step you take forward," the speaker said. This is the assertion made by the media, and you know their behavior. "According to their claims, you are trying to protect your father's business by buying the silence of the relatives of the deceased individuals. Even though it is normal for someone your age to believe that money can heal anything, paying them was not a good decision. However, further action is required. As a result of the fact that you are bringing down every other firm in existence, your sponsors no longer want to collaborate with you. Certain stores no longer want to sell your building products or participate in your business." As Xander spoke, David frowned at him for interrupting and cutting him off. You can devise a hundred different tactics to adjust to this. "No way! Only one solution exists; there are a thousand ways to survive." Before delivering the fatal blow, Xander shifted his attention to David.
"You have to step down as the chief executive of Mason Constructions." After David's statement, there was a moment of stillness as everyone turned their attention to James, eager to see his response.
"WHAT?" James emphasized every single letter in the word when he asked the question.
"It is the only way." "I am sorry," Zoey replied, flashing James a look of remorse. His harshness does not make him less human. In the annals of human history, losing your job in less than six months was a crushing blow.
"This is not the reason I called you here; I called you to negotiate."
"What is it? You can help us navigate our businesses through a variety of challenges." When David asked, James Mason gave him the most icy and resolute look to convey his loathing for David. Even though James's father had been comparing him to this man daily throughout his entire life, the fact that he was sitting there and acting as if he were superior to David only intensified James's hatred for him.
"What exactly are you doing here? I submitted a request to speak with Miss Miller, not you. James growled, and Zoey let out a scream of sudden astonishment.
"My sister is away on business; even if she were here, she would have said the same thing." James scoffed in response to David's solemn statement.
"Like hell, she would have!" James let out a bark, and David let out a sigh of exasperation. "You are just a lawyer, and she is a businesswoman; she would have come up with a better solution than this." Fury flushed his cheeks as he made his statement.
David stood up to retrieve his backpack. "Fine, if you want to meet with Olivia, go ahead."
"David!" At that moment, Zoey suddenly sprang up and grabbed his hand. "But, David, that's in a month, and I don't have the time." She expressed her opinion, but David responded with a harsh laugh and shook his hand away from her grasp.
"After that, he should be allowed to leave and let his company go out of business. My work is now complete; you will inform your father that I tried." In a threatening tone, David whispered the final portion of his statement, leaving the boardroom while the meeting was still in progress.
"What exactly are you all holding out for? Get out!" James snarled and walked out of the room angrily.
Zoey took in the many faces in the room until her gaze finally settled on her brother, who was staring intently at the entrance. When he turned around, it was as if he had picked up on her gaze, and their eyes locked. Zoey wanted to say many things to him, but looking at him brought back memories of what he had done to her a few days previously. She smiled at him in a dejected manner before leaving the boardroom.
"Zoey!" After hearing him call after her, she sped up her pace and entered the elevator. Before she realized it, she was already outside the building, where David awaited her. David had been waiting for her for quite some time. Just as she was about to say anything to him, her brother suddenly emerged and grabbed her hand, saying, "Zoey, wait!" Without pausing for breath, he declared that it was evident he had been pursuing her. "Can we talk?" Upon hearing his question, Zoey switched her attention to David. She couldn't abandon him at a time when he needed her the most.
David appeared to be able to read her thoughts because he looked up at her and smiled slightly. "Don't worry about me; talk to your brother."
"But."
"No buts; that was an order." He spoke it in a commanding manner, and Zoey immediately stopped her mouth. David turned his gaze to Xander Gomez, remarked, "And you," and then continued. "Just dare and hurt her." There was no mistaking the menace that he uttered in his voice.
David got into the car and instructed his driver to take him back to the hotel after Xander gave him a quick nod. Xander then gave him a thumbs up. Before Zoey knew it, the car had started, leaving her alone with her brother, from whom she had been apart for a long time.
Within a few seconds of David's departure, another vehicle drew up in front of them, and the driver stepped out and opened the door for them.
"Shall we?" With one hand, Xander gestured toward the car, and with the other, he held her back, preventing her from escaping in any way. Without saying a word, he followed Zoey into the car, and she did the same. As they drove in the opposite direction of David's car, an uncomfortable silence consumed them. The driver closed the door and got into the driver's seat, and within seconds, they were going in the opposite direction.