57A week had passed, and Derek was beyond impatient. He sat in his office, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the wooden desk, the ticking of the clock the only sound filling the room. His jaw was clenched so tight it ached, his mind running wild with frustration. Ethan hadn’t found anything yet, and Derek’s patience had run thin.The office door swung open, and Ethan walked in, looking exhausted, dark circles under his eyes. Derek didn’t wait for a greeting.“Well?” Derek snapped, not bothering to hide his irritation. “It’s been a week. What the hell have you found?”Ethan sank into the chair opposite Derek, sighing deeply. “I’ve been through every piece of that contract, Derek. Every single page. There’s nothing on outside funding.”Derek’s eyes narrowed, his fists clenching on the desk. “What do you mean, nothing? Dean made it sound like there was something buried in there—something important.”Ethan shrugged, looking frustrated himself. “I don’t know what to tell you. I we
58Ethan looked at Derek intently. “And what if he’s not? You can’t keep chasing ghosts, Derek. Dean doesn’t care about you, or about beating Allvar. He’s in this for himself. We need to be smart about this.”Derek exhaled sharply, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine,” he muttered, though his gut still told him there was more to Dean’s claim. He just needed to find out how to uncover it.“I’ll give it another day or two,” Derek added, his voice low. “But if nothing comes up, we’re moving to Plan B.”Ethan nodded, relief flashing across his tired face. “That’s all I’m asking. Just don’t let this consume you. There are always more moves on the board, Derek. You just have to look for them.”Derek leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He had no idea what his next move was, but one thing was certain—he couldn’t let Allvar win. Not now. Not ever.*****The following week arrived, and with it, another scheduled meeting with th
59As Allvar stepped into the sleek conference room that morning, he noticed the familiar lineup of cold faces across the table. Mr. Henley sat at the head, his expression unreadable but with a faint hint of skepticism in his eyes. His associates, equally stiff and formal, eyed Allvar as if waiting for another failure. "Mr. Falck," Mr. Henley greeted, the words coming out more like a formality than an actual welcome. "I trust you’ve had time to reconsider your last proposal?""I have," Allvar said, his voice steady. He took his seat opposite Mr. Henley, placing the updated contracts on the table. "And I believe you’ll find this version much more aligned with your expectations.""Let’s hope so," one of Mr. Henley’s colleagues muttered under his breath, earning a small nod of approval from the boss himself.Allvar glanced at him but chose to remain composed. He had anticipated this attitude, but he wasn’t here to engage in petty jabs. He was here to win.Mr. Henley leaned forward, flip
60Allvar didn’t flinch. He met Henley’s stare with a calm, steady gaze. “You’ve been with Waterfall Corporation long enough to know we don’t make promises we can’t keep. If this deal goes through, I personally guarantee that my team will deliver everything we’ve outlined, and more. I’m prepared to put my reputation on the line for this, Mr. Henley. And I don’t take that lightly.”Henley’s eyes narrowed, clearly not expecting such a direct response. There was a long, tense silence as he studied Allvar, tapping his fingers against the table.There was a long pause as Mr. Henley and his team deliberated. Allvar sat back in his chair, watching them, but not with the anxiety he’d felt during the first meeting. This time, he knew he had given them something they couldn’t easily refuse.After what felt like an eternity, Mr. Henley finally spoke. "We’ll need time to review these documents in detail. But based on what I’ve seen today... you’ve given us something to think about."Allvar nodded
61Jake clenched his fists, visibly seething. “You’ve got a big mouth for someone who’s about to get kicked to the curb. Just wait. I’d give it a week before you’re begging for your job back.”“Begging? Oh, I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself like that,” Allvar said, a smirk curling at the corners of his lips. “I prefer to maintain a level of dignity, unlike some of us here.”“Dignity?” Edgar scoffed, crossing his arms tightly. “Is that what you call stepping on Marcus Vale's back to climb up the ladder? I guess you learned a lot about ambition, didn’t you? It must be nice to get promoted after a week while the rest of us have been grinding for years.”They were still struggling to swallow the bitter truth: just a week after Allvar’s admission into the company, he had already secured a seat on the board, a position that had taken even the luckiest among them at least five years to attain. To make matters worse, their former colleague and friend, Marcus Vale, had been fired, and the i
62Another week had passed, and Derek was at his breaking point. His office felt smaller with each passing day, the walls seemingly closing in on him as frustration bubbled over. He sat behind his desk, his jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. His eyes burned from sleepless nights, and still—nothing. No new leads, no loopholes, nothing about Allvar’s contract that could help him.The door creaked open cautiously, and Ethan stepped inside, looking hesitant. Derek didn’t even bother looking up."Don’t tell me," Derek said, his voice cold and sharp as glass, "nothing again."Ethan let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping. "I’ve looked through everything, Derek. Every possible angle. I even hired an outside consultant to go over the contract with me. There’s nothing there."Derek shot up from his chair, slamming his fist down on the desk so hard that papers scattered across the room. "So what you’re telling me is that I’ve wasted 'two weeks' chasing after a ghost?!" His voice boomed, thic
63Dean cut him off with a chuckle, dripping with smug satisfaction. "Now, now. Let’s keep this civil. I told you there’d be a little favor in exchange, didn’t I?"Derek’s jaw tightened as his teeth ground together. "You’re a manipulative bastard, Dean," he growled, voice low and dangerous. "You’ve been playing me from the start.""Playing?" Dean’s laugh echoed through the phone, calm and infuriatingly smooth. "Derek, this is *business*. Games are for children, and frankly, I thought you knew better.""You think screwing me over is business?" Derek’s voice shot up, filled with venom. "You think stringing me along is just part of the job?"Dean hummed as if amused by Derek’s outrage. "Come on, Derek. You can’t seriously be surprised. This is how the game is played. You, of all people, should know that by now."Derek’s pulse pounded in his ears, his rage bubbling over. "You think this is a game? You 'used' me! You’re going to pay for this."Dean’s laugh grated on Derek’s last nerve. "I
64Ethan sighed, folding his arms. "Look, man. I get it. Dean’s a snake. But if you start making decisions out of anger, you’ll lose sight of what’s important."Derek turned on him, his voice sharp. "And what’s important, Ethan? Because right now, I can’t see anything past wiping that smug grin off Dean’s face."Ethan held his gaze, unfazed by Derek’s outburst. "What’s important is that we’re smarter than him. We don’t let him manipulate us into making reckless moves. Dean wants you angry, Derek. He wants you blinded by it."Derek stared at him for a long moment, breathing heavily, before his shoulders slumped. "He’s laughing at me. Right now, he’s laughing at how easy I am to rile up."Ethan nodded, his voice gentler now. "Yeah, he is. And the only way to win is to stop playing his game. Focus on the bigger picture. Figure out what he meant by ‘more at stake.’ There’s something we’re missing, Derek."Derek ran a hand through his hair, frustration still simmering beneath the surface.