Justin sat in his car, just few meters away from the building. He had wanted to check out some company file, but his nosey ex in-laws interrupted him, and almost ruined his day. He wasn't in his best mood, but good enough, he wasn't in his worst mood either. His eyes were fixed on the phone in his hands, and just then, a call came in."Hello." He answered the phone immediately without changing the look on his face."Hello sir. Please, where are you?" It was his assistant, Mark."Why are you asking, Mark? What is it?""I just arrived at the headquarters but you aren't there. I wanted to...""Something happened there so I decided to leave. I couldn't stay there or do what I wanted to do anymore. But I am not far away. Just come outside the gate, my car isn't parked far from there.""Okay, sir. I'm on my way." Mark nodded and ended the call. Immediately, he walked out of the building and out of the gate. Once outside, he looked both ways and sighted Justin's car, about two blocks to the
"Hello, sir," a voice came from the end of the line. Justin picked the call while staring outside at Mark, his assistant, who stood there as if waiting to be given a task to complete once again. The person calling, was the manager of one of the Drogonuv's company. Alumity. An aluminum making company."Yes, hello," he said. "What is going on?""A lot, sir," the voice said, anxious and seemingly out of breath. "There is something going on right here in the aluminum fields. A bunch of people are outside staging a protest for whatever reason. I can't tell why exactly they are doing so." Justin panicked for a bit of time but strived not to show it, as he maintained a calm voice. "Why? What exactly happened? Who are they?""I cannot exactly tell, sir. The protest seems to have a lot of causes, but the main problem according to their spokes person is that they are customer who have brought products from us before. They are all complaining that the aluminum we use is fake, and all our pro
"What did the boss say?" A staff member asked the anxious manager who kept staring every now and then through the window, restlessness as clear as day on his face. He seemed to have not heard the first time, so the staff asked again."I have told you, god damn it!" The manager burst into anger. "He did not say anything. Nothing useful to tell these people. You all should cut me some slack. I am just the manager. I am not the one to tell you what to do."The face of the staff members and the other workers looked as pale a death. One could tell just how worried they were of the outside situation."But then what are we supposed to do?" The staff member asked once again. This time the manager turned to face him with anger. His eyes were red, as well as his face. Any moment more and it was almost as though smoke would be expelled from his ears. Saved by the bell, all of a sudden telephone rang. The manager's anger subsided as picked it."Hello sir," he said at once. "What's going on now?
The entire staff thought that the manager would go down on his knees at that instant to apologize, but the reverse was the case. Rather, the manager, as if to take Justin's words seriously, to go on with his charade, turned his back to stare at his boss rather defiantly. Soon he did what no one would have ever though he would do. "Yes, I stand by my words, sir," he continued with fiery passion. "I called you incompetent because that is what you are, dear sir. You are not fit to be the heir of this empire. That is if I am afforded the right to say what I want to say." Justin could only watch this happening right in front of him. He was not surprised. For years he had been through far worse things, being called far less than incompetent, and have been treated very much like a pig, betrayed and stabbed at the back. There was nothing the manager was saying that sounded different or unique in some sense to Justin. He was just rehashing every word that have been told to him over the yea
Justin smiled dryly, in a very mocking manner and moved from the door. He stretched both arms towards the exit, ushering him out like the king he thought he was. Justin didn't know what exactly to expect but he knew that talking to the protesters in such provocative and boastful manner would only end in chaos. The rest of the employees watched in total anticipation of the unknown as their manager matched out of the building. The disbelief and shock didn't leave their faces, especially because of the grin on Justin's face. His mocking expression was priceless, a firm of pure cinematic gold.The manager mounted a little podium just outside the building, facing the crowd of protesters. The chanting reduced gradually as they saw him, and in no time, the place was totally silent. The protesters watched in utmost concentration at the man in front of them, all waiting for his speech."It's a good thing you noticed my presence." He started slowly. His calm voice marinated the air, but there w
The manager breathed in, feeling fulfilled with himself. The silence of the once chanting crowd gave him the idea that they had listened to him, and were terribly scared."And what is that supposed to mean?" One of the protesters said suddenly, penetrating the silence that once ensued. "Are you threatening us?""You can take it as whatever you want. An advice, a warning, a threat. It all depends on you. But I won't change what I said, neither will I mellow down for you, noisemakers. But I want you to remember what I said about the owner of this company. He is extremely rich and I am absolutely sure that one with such power will never cower because of the masses. And I absolutely support that. If I wasn't in so much sync with him, do you think I would have this position? Well there, you have your answer.""I think he's doing it. I think it's working." One of the employees in the building remarked. Her eyes shone with glee as she beheld the drama taking place outside. The other employee
The staff members watched in confusion as he was lifted off the podium. They had genuinely thought that he had it all under control, that he had been able to silence them. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case. He was taken away by some men, while the others continued chanting their initial words. Justin laughed silently as he looked on, but he didn't do anything just yet. "Where are they taking him?" One of the employees asked. Her question directed to nobody in particular since they were just as clueless as she was. The clock was ticking already, leaving the staff members in suspense. None of them had seen Michael, since he was led away just moments ago. They were beginning to fear for his safety. Outside, the chants got louder and the people, angrier.Almost immediately, Michael ran in, panting heavily. It was as if he was sneaking up on them, but it was the exact opposite. He was running for his life. His face was badly bruised and his eyes were bloodshot. The neat suit he had
As Justin walked to the podium, the chanting intensified. The protesters thought that he was just another puppet sent to try and silence them with threats, just like Michael. But Justin was not intimidated by the excess noise, he flashed a warm smile at the audience as he positioned on the podium before he began speaking. And that simple act provided them with a different conviction about him. But they couldn't quite conclude yet. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." He started calmly, in a stern voice. His poise and confidence filled the air. And almost immediately, the whole place was extremely quiet. "I am Justin Drogonuv. And today, I have heard your complaints. I understand that this protest was necessary for you to be heard. And I apologise for the stress and discomfort it may have put you through.""Are you finally going to listen to us?"One of the protesters yelled."What will be done about it then?" Another protester added. Justin took a deep breath before he answered."Aga