The first board member, who was also the first to go down, started stirring just as the last pamphlet was laid out in front of the last member. I was definitely going to bed with him tonight; those skills were hard to pass up. My baby Henry would have to wait. The board members finally all woke up in the same order that they fell in, with the last ones finding themselves on the floor. As if by design, each one went through the exact range of emotions and had identical reactions. They would come to realize they must have been drugged, rush outside, only to find the door barricaded and a line of bodyguards stationed just outside the door visible from the small opening that had been left for this very purpose. This realization had them backtracking to their seats, their situation clear.
Well, now that was something I said conversationally while closing my laptop, having caught up with the remaining material that Kelvin hacked into their devices, which had been confiscated from them.
" I believe my father has been too good to you, so much so that you have forgotten your master and how you should behave. In front of you are your personal files. I will wait while you go through them. I am actually impressed by how far some of you are willing to go for next to nothing."
I watched as their weary faces turned shellshocked as they perused through their crime portfolios, and some of those documents were the stuff of policemen's wet dreams. Most of their crimes could earn them jail time; only a few exceptional ones had committed crimes that would have any jury unanimously agree on a death sentence. No wonder the leads managed to blackmail, too bad I was planning to do it first.
"Now I don't know about you, but that is information I got while you were napping. Imagine how much damage I can do given time." I paused, giving them time to take it all in. Most of them had their eyes trained on me, finally taking me for the serious threat to their lives that I was, while a few flipped the pages back and forth as if not believing what they were seeing.
"So here is the deal. I feel entitled to at least one percent of each of your shares because I have enough material to bury both you and your families. Unlike most of you in this room, I value loyalty, and as such, I will keep copies of your transgression to ensure your loyalty, along with one percent of your shares, because actions should have consequences. I intend to legitimize this business and make it the greatest anyone has ever seen. My goal is for just one percent of our stock to be equivalent to a billion dollars. You are either with me or you are not. If you feel like I will not be a good leader, this is the time to walk away. It's a one-time offer."
At first, there was a lot of commotion, but the noise quickly died down under my intense glare. One of the board members finally got up. All I remember from Lisa's memory is that he had ten percent shares in our company. That number was too high, and I needed the extra capital anyway. The old man spat in my direction, his spit barely leaving his lips before falling onto his potbelly. He yanked the door back, and this time it gave way, ushering him to the corridor where he was silently executed in full view of the board members still in their seats.
"As I am sure you understand, there is a lot of sensitive and incriminating information you are all privy to that could destroy our company. While I am trying to legitimize operations, there can be no loose strings or potential cracks. Everybody seated in here today plays a vital role and owns shares in this company. While you are essential, that does not mean you are irreplaceable. We are either all in this together or you leave, but I can't guarantee you will remain alive for long after that." I finished pointing to the former Mr. Ten percent, whose body was currently getting dragged outside.
I had foreseen many more people standing up when I tried the soft touch, thanks to my seer card, and was fully prepared for the outcome, but this was the best-case scenario. The cards the system had given me were hidden treasure that would ensure my place at the top of the food chain in this fictional universe. No one else said a thing, so I concluded my speech.
"I will be expecting those shares transferred as soon as tomorrow. Feel free to add more if you think you have something to hide, so that I can use the shares to blind myself." I gave them a wink before walking out of the freshly cleaned corridor. The men who had been lining the passage feel instep behind me. Even if the rest of the workers did not scurry from the main floor as we entered, I still would have felt like a villain, which was exactly my thing.
Mathew had his own business to take care of, leaving Kelvin in his care, which worked out perfectly for me. Given their reaction to me sleeping with Ben, it seemed like a less stressful idea to book a room, and given that my day had just opened up, I suggested to my unsuspecting husband that we go for a meal at a famous restaurant, but my goal was the world-class hotel that was on top of the restaurant. After a delicious meal, I accidentally poured wine all over myself, and that's when I suggested that we get a room and get cleaned up while we took a break. He agreed without any objections, which showed how innocent he was and how he didn't see through my obvious proposition. The room was white. That was all I managed to note before I dove into Kelvin's lips, having left all pretense at the door.