The evening sun dipped behind the towering building as I exited the branch, my steps echoing against the polished tiles in a repeated manner. Another mess left by the former chief executive, another group of criminals within the board, all that chaos-now resolved.
As I walked through the company's expansive lobby, I caught the familiar sight of the silver lacquered logo just above the receptionists desk.
'NEXUS CORPORATION.'
This wasn't my biggest asset, not nearly. Despite it being a player in the business world, I couldn't consider this company to be as important as most of the others I owned.
And yet, it gave the most headache.
There were three receptionists at the lobby desk, they all looked confused as I walked past trailed by some members of the board, each whispering and casting wary glances in my direction.
It's not everyday one gets to see the usual conceited boss running after theirs.
Those in question were now in a predicament of their own, hoping for answers, resolutions, or at least, reassurance that their positions were secure, afterall the Ceo of this branch was removed from the premises barely an hour ago.
Looking at them whispering among themselves with trembling voices, you'd feel sorry, think I'm the cruel one even.
That's good, I intend to keep them running.
Exiting the building, I maintained my pace, my footsteps echoing as I made for the stairs. Their hushed conversations followed me like a shadow.
Albeit a noisy one.
"Mr Lakota, hold on for a moment please!"
One of them finally gathered the courage to request this of me again. I recognized their texan accent without having to glance back, it was Nancy Osteen so I decided to humor her.
I paused and turned to face the half dozen people who also stopped in their tracks, clearly none of them were expecting me to actually wait.
"Yes?"
I questioned stoically.
"You have to believe Sir," she pleaded with desperate eyes.
"They did this. They forced me into changing the documents and working with them."
The others looked at her dumbfounded. They clearly weren't expecting Osteen to throw them under the bus to save her own skin.
"SHE'S LYING SIR! I swear to God she's lying."
Mendez half screamed, bead of sweat running down his face and the folds of his neck.
"You're the one who staged the entire thing."
He continued, his eyes pulled in an angry scowl and his face flushed red with anger.
The six of them were ready to break into another argument when I turned to face them, my cold gaze slicing through the air like a knife.
"The investigation is over, you're all guilty. Now have some self respect and GET out of my sight."
Their faces paled, expressions shifting from concern to anxiety. I could practically smell the fear coming off them in waves.
A few hesitant glances were exchanged, but none dared to appeal to me any further. I turned on my heel and headed toward the waiting car, leaving the board members behind without so much as a parting glance.
"Langston, update me on the schedule," I commanded, putting the mess of the past two hours behind me.
Langston, my loyal personal assistant, fell into step beside me, smartphone in hand.
"Sir, your next meeting is with the executives from TechCorp, followed by a dinner engagement with Senator Rodriguez. We've also got the press conference on the sustainable initiatives."
My jaw clenched at the mention of the Senator. Politics has always been a tedious game.
"Fine. Let's get to the airstrip."
The car door opened, and I slid inside, Langston did the same in the front seat, handing me a tablet that held data on my oilfields in Alaska.
My frown deepened the more I read through the details. I thought this week couldn't get any worse, I didn't ask it to.
There was a shipping accident and an oil spill in the space of a week.
Tedious.
Everything was neatly kept under wraps as expected of my subordinates, it wouldn't be good if the press caught wind of this, at least not until I had it cleaned up completely.
If it all goes well, I should be leaving for Alaska come morning.
"You know, one of these days, you might actually smile, Sir."
Langston's words cut through my train of thought, he knew better than most why I was frowning but that didn't deter him from his usual attempts at small talk.
I shot him a glance.
"Smiling won't get things done or give you the ridiculous paycheck you receive at the end of the month."
He chuckled, undeterred. "Maybe, but it won't hurt your image to look less like a brooding wolf sometimes."
How irritating.
Noticing my disinterested pause, he decided to change the topic.
A good decision as the thought of throwing him out of the moving vehicle crossed my mind more than once.
"Your sister called earlier. She insisted I remind you about the family dinner next week. You know how she is."
That one hardly calls. A rare smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.
"Tell her I'll consider it."
That would alter my plans for next week, but I hadn't been home in a month, so it wasn't particularly a bad thing.
"How did the meeting with the board go?" Langston questioned, attempting to breach my stoic demeanor.
I grunted in response, not particularly fond of idle chatter. He persisted.
"That bad huh. Should the boys take care of it."
"Don't get involved. I'm going to let the human authorities have this one, otherwise they might end up like Declan."
"He deserved every bit of what he got."
The late afternoon sun bathed the city in a warm, golden glow as the sleek black sedan navigated through the bustling traffic, flanked by two escort vehicles. The distant hum of the city's activities reverberated against the tinted windows.
As the car swiftly sped along, my eyes observed the urban landscape.
Skyscrapers stretched towards the skyline, casting long shadows that danced across the pavement. The city's heartbeat echoed in the distant honks, and endless mutterings.
Langston who'd been making attempts at small talk eventually fell silent as the roads stretched on for longer. He held a tablet similar to mine in his hands, where he glided through and updated the details of my schedule.
It's soft digital glow contrasting with the ambient warmth of the car's interior.
I finally broke the silence.
"How's the situation in Alaska?"
My assistant replied almost immediately, as if he was waiting for the question.
"Not as bad as it looks. Two tankers almost collided, it would've caused a larger accident if they had, however they merely grazed."
My gaze remained fixed on the passing scenery, I'd read all these already but most of the details were left out. Causing such a ruckus though, the workers must be very bold or too damn stupid, they've forgotten their place.
"The extent of damage?"
I asked, my expression unreadable.
"Environmental impact assessment is still underway," Langston replied. "But initial reports suggest that it could affect some of the local wildlife and disrupt operations."
Subconsciously my fingers drummed a steady rhythm on the armrest, an old habit that surfaced every once in a while.
"Coordinate with the response teams. Ensure containment measures are swift and thorough."
Langston nodded, seamlessly adding my directive to his ongoing tasks.
The cityscape soon faded into a more industrial terrain as they approached the outskirts, the looming silhouette of the private airstrip on the horizon.
I shut my eyes, thinking of how much of a rowdy week it'd been.
And it's just Wednesday.
