2025-04-14 20:50:12The boardroom of Silverstone Corp. was unsettlingly silent, except for the soft ticking of the clock. Johnny Lance positioned himself at the far end of the lengthy glass table, his eyes locked on Elliot Grayson, the board chairman. Surrounding them, the other board members observed with barely concealed disdain or blatant distrust
Johnny finally broke the silence. “I’ve said my piece. You’ve seen the numbers. You’ve seen what I’ve brought to the table. Are we doing this or not?”
Elliot leaned back in his chair, tapping a pen against his knuckles. “You’ve secured a minority share, Mr. Lance. That gives you a voice in this room, but not much else. The board is still skeptical of your intentions.”
Johnny smirked, spreading his hands. “Skeptical of what? Saving your company? You’re circling the drain, Grayson. Without me, you’re done.”
Amanda Cho, seated to Elliot’s left, leaned forward. “And what exactly are you planning to do? You’ve made it clear you want to ‘rebuild’ Silverstone, but your track record suggests otherwise. You profit from destruction, Mr. Lance, not restoration.”
Johnny’s eyes hardened, but his voice stayed controlled. “What I *want* is to make Silverstone profitable again. What I *don’t* want is to sit here playing twenty questions while you nitpick every move I make. I’ve bought in. I’m here. Deal with it.”
Elliot let out a deep sigh. "Okay." You have secured your place at the table. However, I want to be clear—this board will not accept irresponsible choices or poorly thought-out proposals. “To persuade us, you'll require outcomes, not talks.”
Johnny remained standing, fixing his jacket. "You will achieve results, Grayson." "Simply do your best to stay composed while I hand them over."
As he exited the boardroom, Alan Reyes intercepted him in the corridor.
"That turned out nicely," Alan remarked blandly.
Johnny threw him a sharp look. "Save the remarks for later, Alan." "They're fortunate I didn't turn the damn table over."
Alan laughed softly. "You're not building friendships in there."
"I'm not here to befriend anyone," Johnny retorted. "I have come to triumph."
Alan sighed. “Speaking of winning, we’ve got a problem. Marcus is already moving against you.”
Johnny stopped walking. “What kind of problem?”
Alan handed him a file. “He’s blocking your supply chain deals. The contracts you were negotiating for raw materials? They’ve all suddenly fallen through. And the vendor for your main production line? Pulled out this morning.”
Johnny flipped through the file, his jaw tightening. “He’s choking me off. Bastard.”
“That’s not all,” Alan continued. “He’s also lobbying some of Silverstone’s creditors to call in their loans. If they succeed, the company could go bankrupt before you even get a chance to fix it.”
Johnny closed the file with a snap. “Of course he’s doing this. He knows I’m a threat now. He’s desperate.”
“Desperate or not, he’s winning this round,” Alan said. “We need to hit back, and fast.”
Johnny stared down the hallway, his mind racing. “We will. But first, I need to know exactly who’s working with him. Find out who’s pulling the strings on these deals. I want names.”
Alan nodded. “I’ll get on it. But Johnny… don’t do anything rash.”
Johnny smirked. “Rash is what I do best.”
---
In another part of the city, Mia Torres occupied a rundown diner, her coffee still full. Opposite her, an anxious man in his mid-40s squirmed uneasily in his chair. He looked around, his gaze shifting to the door every few moments.
“Take it easy, Eric,” Mia said, her tone steady yet resolute. “No one is observing us.”
"You can’t be sure of that," Eric whispered, his hands shaking as he grasped his coffee cup. "Marcus has eyes in all places."
Mia inclined her body forward, softening her tone. "I require you to concentrate." You mentioned that you possessed information. An item that might demonstrate Marcus set up Johnny Lance. “What is it?”
Eric paused, his eyes looking down at the table. "I'm… I'm unsure if I can accomplish this." “If Marcus discovers I spoke to you—”
“Mia interrupted, saying, ‘He won’t discover it.’” “I will keep you safe.”
Eric released a harsh chuckle. "You are unable to shield me, Miss Torres." “You’re unaware of what he can do.”
“Then assist me in stopping him,” Mia implored. “You mentioned that you collaborated with Marcus." You’ve witnessed how he functions. “If you possess evidence, we can bring him down.”
Eric moved his head side to side. "It's not so straightforward." Marcus possesses incriminating information about everyone. “He will destroy me if I speak out.”
Mia’s tone became gentler. “Eric, if you don’t step up, he will continue doing this.” Setting up individuals, ruining lives. "You have an opportunity to create change."
Eric gazed at her, his eyes brimming with terror. “I... I require some time to reflect.”
Mia let out a sigh, taking a card from her pocket and pushing it over the table. “You have limited time available.” "Contact me when you’re prepared."
Eric paused for a moment, then tucked the card into his pocket. He got up suddenly, surveying the diner one final time before rushing out the door.
Mia observed him leave, her irritation growing. She took out
---
Johnny was in his office at Silverstone when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the caller ID and answered.
“Mia,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “Didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
“I’ve got a lead,” Mia said without preamble. “A guy who used to work with Marcus. He says he has proof that Marcus framed you.”
Johnny sat up straighter. “Proof? What kind of proof?”
“He didn’t say,” Mia admitted. “He’s scared. Marcus has him spooked.”
Johnny exhaled sharply. “Of course he’s scared. Marcus probably has half the city on his payroll.”
“"I think I could get him to go out there," said Mia. "But I'll need your help."
"Me? What do you want me to do, hold his hand?" Johnny frowned.
"Not hold his hand," snapped Mia. "But if he knows you're there for him, it may be the difference."
Johnny sat quiet for a moment. "Fine. Schedule a meeting. I will talk with him."
Mia lifted an eyebrow, even though Johnny couldn't see it at the moment. "That's pretty cooperative of you."
"Don't get used to it," said Johnny. "If this guy has what you say he does, I want results. Fast."
"Trust me, I want that as well," said Mia.
Johnny smirked. "Great. So we are on the same page."
---
Later that same night, Johnny and Alan sat in Johnny's office listening to reports in progress.
“What’s the plan?” Alan asked.
Johnny leaned back and then stared through an evil glint in his eye. “We fight fire with fire. If Marcus thinks he can play dirty, I’ll show him how it’s done.”
Alan raised a brow. “And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”
Johnny smirked. “First, we secure that witness. If he has the proof Mia says he does, we use it to blow Marcus’s operation wide open. Then, we go after his allies. One by one.”
Alan sighed. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is simple,” Johnny said. “Marcus thinks he’s untouchable. It’s time to remind him that no one is.”
Alan shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “You’re insane, you know that?”
Johnny grinned. “That’s why you love me.”
As Alan stood to leave, Johnny’s phone buzzed again. This time, it was a text from Mia.
**“Meeting is set. Tomorrow night. Be ready.”**
Johnny stared at the message, his jaw tightening. “Marcus, your time’s almost up,” he muttered under his breath.
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