RISE OF THE UNDERDOG SON-IN-LAW: DRAGON'S POWER UNLEASHED

YOU DON'T BELONG HERE

Everyone in the conference room suddenly became tense, as all eyes were fixed on the representatives from Tarlose Group.

The atmosphere was thick with anticipation for the potential collaboration. Whereas Julian sat quietly at the back of the room, his presence almost unnoticed by most of the Steel family.

He’d been treated like a shadow in the past, his worth dismissed by the family, yet today, something felt different.

Dominus Harvey, as always, sat at the front, eager to prove himself in front of Santiago Tarlose, the representative from the powerful Tarlose Group.

His eyes shifted toward Julian, a smirk crossing his face as if he’d just thought of something that could further humiliate Julian.

As the meeting progressed, Dominus stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor, as he went straight to Julian, and pulled the chair from beneath him. "Move it, Julian," Dominus said with a sneer. "This is a meeting for serious people, and you don’t belong here, if you understand it, just get lost from here."

Julian's eyes remained cold and indifferent. He didn't flinch or say a word, but the subtle tension in the room was undeniable. The Steel family exchanged awkward glances, unsure of how to react.

Before Julian could even rise from his seat, Santiago Tarlose’s voice interrupted the growing murmur. "Dominus, stop it," he said firmly, his voice carrying an authority that silenced the room. "Mr.Julian will be staying right here, in fact," Santiago continued, glancing at Julian, "I would prefer him to sit next to me."

The entire room froze for a minute, Dominus stood, stunned, as if he hadn’t heard properly. He turned slowly to face Santiago, who met his gaze with a look of quiet intensity. For a moment, the air they breathe became heavy, since the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

Julian, equally surprised, stood slowly and moved to sit next to Santiago. The whispers from the Steel family grew louder, some clearly annoyed while others exchanged confused looks.

Dominus, visibly irritated, returned to his seat without saying another word. His pride was already bruised, seemed to shatter at this unexpected turn of events.

Santiago, ignoring the discomfort in the room, smiled warmly at Julian. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

The silence that followed felt like a blanket, suffocating the room with an unspoken question, "Why had Santiago Tarlose taken such an interest in Julian? What's going on in between them?"

Zora Steel, ever the tactician, quickly tried to regain control of the conversation. "Now that everyone’s settled, let’s focus on the reason we’re here."

She cleared her throat and turned to Santiago. "Tarlose Group is interested in collaborating on the new electronics project, correct?"

Santiago nodded, his gaze shifting between the Steel family members before landing back on Julian. "Yes. We believe that Steel Group has the resources to make it happen. However, the key to this project’s success lies in having the right leadership." He paused, letting his words hang in the air, so that everyone would understand what exactly he was trying to say.

Dominus stood up, eager for the approval he thought was coming. "Well, of course, we agree with you," he said, his voice dripping with self-importance. "I’d be honored to take the lead on this project. No one knows this business better than I do."

Before he could continue, Santiago held up a hand, silencing him. "That’s true, Dominus, but we believe that leadership should be dynamic, and we need someone with a different perspective. Someone who can see the project in a way that others can’t."

The room was now fully focused on Santiago and Julian, the air electric with curiosity.

Zora Steel, eager to keep things moving, quickly said, "Well, in that case, we nominate Dominus Harvey as the project manager." The words were almost an afterthought, but they carried weight.

The rest of the family nodded in agreement, none of them eager to oppose Zora’s decision.

Santiago, however, didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he turned his attention to Julian, his voice calm yet laced with a certain challenge. "Julian, what do you think of this nomination? You’ve been quiet up until now, but you have a seat at the table, I’d like to hear your opinion as well."

A collective gasp rose from the family. Julian? Speak up? Everyone had come to see him as nothing more than an accessory, a man who lacked ambition or substance, just tags along his wife.

But Santiago’s question was genuine, and the room waited with nervous breath for Julian’s response.

Julian also didn’t react right away, took a minute and glanced around the room, noticing the discomfort in their eyes, the unease in their posture. He could feel their disbelief, their shock, but he also sensed something else, a certain expectation that his answer would be inconsequential.

With a slow breath, Julian met Santiago’s eyes, his voice steady and clear. "I think," he said, pausing for a minute, "that leadership doesn’t come from titles or positions, but from the ability to execute. If Dominus truly believes he can lead the project, then I have no objections."

Santiago’s lips twitched upward in a slight smile, as if he had expected this answer. "Interesting," he murmured, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "But is he capable of seeing the entire picture? Or is he only looking at what’s right in front of him?"

Dominus’ face reddened. "What do you mean by that?" he snapped, leaning forward in his seat.

Santiago raised an eyebrow, his tone matter-of-fact. "It’s clear that you’ve been running Steel Group for some time, Dominus, but from what I can see, you’ve missed something important. This project is bigger than any one person, it requires someone with vision, someone who can push boundaries and think beyond the obvious, do you still think that you're capable of leading this project?"