The next morning, Mr. Stephen woke up earlier than usual. His new role as acting CEO of Miles Empire is demanding. He got dressed in a black suit and tie.He remembered the brief conversation he had with Franklin the night before, where his nephew handed him the reins of the company and told him to be security conscious.Mr. Stephen arrived at the company's headquarters just before 8 AM. The building was bustling with a lot of activity as employees hurried to their works, greeting each other with smiles and nods.Mr. Stephen walked through the lobby, acknowledging the friendly greetings from the staff."Good morning, Mr. Stephen!" one of the employees called out with a bright smile."Good morning," Mr. Stephen replied warmly. "How's everyone doing today?""Great, sir! It's nice to see you here."The elevator doors opened, and he stepped out onto the executive floor. As he walked down the hallway, he noticed the few changes Franklin had implemented.He reached the CEO's office and paus
The presentation began with Julia, the head of the marketing team stepping up to the front of the room and her team gathered around her. She started with a brief introduction, greeting Mr. Stephen and the rest of the attendees. "We're excited to share our new marketing campaign with you all today," she began, her voice clear and confident. "This campaign is designed to highlight the unique features of our new product line and set us apart from the competition."Julia then clicked a button on her laptop, and the first slide appeared on the screen. It showcased the target audience for their campaign: young professionals aged 25-35, tech-savvy, and environmentally conscious."These are the people we're aiming to reach," Julia explained. "They value innovation and sustainability, which aligns perfectly with our new products."Next, Julia's colleague, Mark, took over to discuss market trends. He highlighted how the demand for eco-friendly products was growing and how their new product lin
Mr. Stephen left the meeting room, his mind already shifting to the next task at hand. Ms. Deborah followed closely behind as they headed to address complaints and prepare for a conference call with their previous investor.As they made their way through the office, Mr. Stephen spotted Mr. Russell, who had just arrived at the company. The two men greeted each other warmly."Good morning, Russell," Mr. Stephen said with a smile. "How are you today?""Morning, Stephen. I'm doing well, thank you. How about you?" Mr. Russell replied, shaking his hand."Busy as always," Mr. Stephen chuckled. "There's a lot to handle with young Franklin away."Mr. Russell nodded. "I can imagine. How's everything going so far?""Well, it's a bit of a mixed bag," Mr. Stephen admitted. "Franklin made some nasty decisions before he left. One of them was halting partnerships with other companies, which has caused quite a stir."Mr. Russell raised an eyebrow. "Halting partnerships? That seems risky. Why did he do
Avalon Tech is one of the most prominent companies in the state. They've never lost a legal case before."100 billion dollars!" Mr. Stephen exclaimed.Mr. Russell shook his head in disbelief. "This is serious."Ms. Deborah's hands trembled as she held the email.Mr. Stephen frowned. "This has to be addressed quickly."Mr. Russell said. "We can't afford to lose to them. Let's make sure we have a plan to mitigate their losses and reason with them."Ms. Deborah continued, "Next, from Stellar Innovations: 'The suspension of our agreement has caused a major disruption in our supply chain. We expect Miles Empire to cover the additional costs incurred. Failure to do so will result in legal proceedings.'""Stellar Innovations is one of our main supply chain," Mr. Russell said. "We can't ignore their demands too.""Then we have to negotiate with them," Mr. Stephen replied. "Find a way to cover those costs or at least share the burden."Ms. Deborah read the next complaint, "This one is from Hor
The next day at Blue Hill College the students and faculty gathered in the auditorium. Whispers and murmurs were heard through the room as everyone awaited the start of the hearing.The administrators sat at the front, their expressions serious as they prepared to address the accusations against Franklin Miles.The dean of students, Dr. Robertson, stood and called the meeting to order. "Thank you all for coming. Today, we are here to address the serious accusations made against Franklin Miles. This is an important matter, and we intend to handle it with the utmost fairness and integrity."Franklin was called out first. As he walked to the front of the auditorium, the students erupted into a mix of boos and whispers."Cheater!" one student yelled."How could you, Franklin?" another shouted."He's just another poor kid who thinks he can get away with anything," a girl in the back muttered to her friend.Franklin was confident as always, trying to maintain his composure despite the hosti
Franklin was calm but resolute.The auditorium fell into a stunned silence as the bank representative's voice confirmed that Franklin is innocent. "The account was temporarily deactivated by Mr. Franklin, but the money is still there. The account is now reactivated, and the balance remains intact."The administrators exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from suspicion to contemplation. The head administrator, Dr. Robertson, cleared his throat and addressed the crowd. "It seems we have received clear evidence regarding the joint account issue. Franklin did not steal any money."The students began to murmur among themselves. Some looked shocked, while others seemed relieved. A few still wore skeptical expressions. One student whispered to her friend, "I can't believe it. Daisy's been lying this whole time?"Daisy's face turned red as she stammered, "But... but he still deactivated the account without telling me!"Dr. Robertson raised his hand to quiet the room. "Miss Daisy, Mr.
After Casey Ford and Mr. Gerald made their accusations against Franklin.The students, administrators, and Daisy watched with bated breath, waiting to see how Franklin would respond.Dr. Robertson, the head administrator, cleared his throat and addressed Casey and Mr. Gerald. "This is a serious accusation. We need to handle this matter with the utmost care. Ms. Ford, Mr. Gerald, please present your evidence."Mr. Gerald stepped forward, holding up the thick folder. "We have documents here that suggest that Franklin used unauthorized means to pass his examination, including the original exam results of Franklin, as well as the fake ones.”The students began murmuring among themselves, their whispers growing louder. Some were shocked, others skeptical.One student leaned over to her friend and whispered, "Do you think it's true? Franklin doesn't seem like the type to cheat."Another student shook his head, "I don't know. This is getting out of hand. First, the thing with Daisy, and now
The auditorium fell silent again as Franklin gestured toward Conor, who was seated near the back of the auditorium.Conor stood up and approached the front, carrying a briefcase. He handed it to Franklin, who opened it and pulled out a stack of files.Franklin turned to face the administrators and the students. "These documents include pictures and proof that Casey Ford and Mr. Gerald here tried to frame me for examination malpractice. Additionally, we have evidence of communication between Casey Ford and Mr. Gerald discussing plans to frame me."Gasps echoed through the room as Franklin held up the documents. Dr. Robertson's eyes widened, and he exchanged a shocked look with the other administrators. He motioned for Franklin to hand over the papers, which Franklin did.Dr. Robertson and the other administrators examined the documents.Casey Ford's face turned pale. She glanced at Mr. Gerald with a question expression. He seemed equally uncomfortable.The students watched the unfoldin
The door creaked open, and Conor stepped inside. His look was serious, and his eyes glanced around the room, quickly locking onto Franklin.The room was quieter now, with just Franklin, Vera, Deborah, Mr. Hughes, and Ashley seated around the table.Franklin stood up immediately, his hands resting firmly on the table. “What did you find out?” he asked.Conor crossed the room and stood beside Franklin, lowering his voice but still loud enough for everyone to hear. “The Insider met Bill Ford. They’re working together, as we suspected. He gave Bill a full update. Told him we’re on to them, mentioned the CCTV footage and the fingerprints.”Franklin’s brows furrowed. “Did they say anything about their next action?”Conor nodded, his jaw tightening. “Bill Ford is angry, but he’s not giving up. He’s planning to cover his tracks, maybe destroy the evidence we have against them. He’s got Viktor, Igor, and Ivan in on it, and Professor Arjun is helping him figure out the technical side. They know
Franklin's hands were folded in front of him. The room was filled with a few people that had been there for hours.Conor had just left, taking the responsibility of tracking the Insider. Now, it was time for Franklin to make the next move.He glanced at the faces of Vera, Deborah, Mr. Hughes, and Ashley. The group was waiting for him to speak.Franklin inhaled deeply, gathering his thoughts before speaking.“I’ve made a decision,” he said quietly, his voice carrying an undercurrent of urgency. “We’re locking down the building. I want everyone out. No one gets in or out until we’ve figured this out. We can’t afford to take any more chances. If we’re going to settle this, we need complete control.”Vera, always the first to act when things got serious, nodded immediately. “Understood. I’ll see to that. details. Everyone will be escorted out, and we’ll make sure the perimeter is secure.”Deborah didn’t say anything, but Franklin could see the gears turning in her mind. She, too, knew the
The day had been full of tension, even as the Insider walked out of the meeting room, he felt a sense of fear.He had convinced the others that he was just Paul, a simple logistics employee, and for now, it seemed like they believed him still.But as he made his way out of the building, he had no idea that Conor was silently following him. Franklin had ordered him to keep a close eye on the Insider.Conor stayed far enough behind to remain unnoticed but close enough to follow the Insider’s every step. He saw the Insider turn into a narrow alley, change the face mask and clothes he was wearing and pull out his phone.Conor stopped and crouched down behind a parked car, straining to see him changing and to hear the conversation.The Insider was speaking to someone on the other end, his voice low and hurried.“I don’t know how they found out,” the Insider was saying. “But the son of Mr. Miles is back. He knows about the plan and they have footage and fingerprints of all of us. I’m on my
The Insider stood at the center of everyone’s attention, his face calm but his eyes darting nervously around the room.Franklin watched him closely, noting every twitch, every sign of unease.The room was still except for the quiet hum of the laptop, which had just finished playing the damning CCTV footage.“I don’t know who this person you’re talking about is,” the Insider said, his voice steady but with a hint of defensiveness. “You’ve got the wrong man. I’m Paul. I work in logistics. Check with my team—they’ll tell you.”Franklin narrowed his eyes, his fingers tightening on the edge of the table. Paul? Is that the best he could come up with?Conor exchanged a glance with Franklin, then stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest. “Paul, huh? If you’re so innocent, then how do you explain the fingerprints on the server equipment? They match yours.”The Insider shrugged, trying to look unconcerned. “It’s not uncommon to have similar fingerprints in large companies. Maybe someone
The light from the overhead lamps made the space feel brighter. Franklin, who had arrived earlier than the usual time, took a seat and his hands rested on the table, fingers lightly tapping as he waited for the others.His mind raced with thoughts about what was going to happen today. This is the time. No more hiding. It’s time to face Bill Ford and his evil schemes.The door creaked open, and Conor stepped inside, carrying a laptop bag and a small black case.Behind him was Mr. Hughes, who looked serious as always.Then came Ashley, her expression calm but her fingers nervously clutching a folder.Vera and Deborah entered last, talking quietly between themselves.Everyone greeted and took their seats around the table.Franklin stood up, clearing his throat. “Thanks for coming, everyone. We don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to it.”Conor placed the black case on the table and unlocked it, pulling out a small stack of papers and a flash drive.“We’ve gathered enough proof to
The executives sat frozen, each man consumed by anger or fear. Papers lay scattered across the table, evidence of the evil scheme Bill had stirred. He stood at the head of the table, his presence commanding, his eyes scanning the room like a hawk.Franklin Miles, seated in a secret room around the corner, watched everything unfold with a tight jaw. Something about the whole ordeal didn’t sit right with him, but he kept his expression neutral. He glanced at Conor, who was standing by the wall with his arms crossed. The two exchanged a subtle look before Franklin’s gaze returned to the table. He had other plans to figure out what was really going on, and those plans required patience.Bill tapped the table lightly with his fingers, the sound breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Gentlemen,” he said, his voice calm yet piercing, “it’s clear we have a serious issue here. Investors like me don’t appreciate seeing their money vanish into thin air.”Lee leaned forward, his face pale. “I didn’
The morning sun shone brightly over the grand headquarters of Bill Enterprises. It was a day of high pressure, as Bill Ford and his entourage were finally visiting the Miles Empire. This wasn’t just a casual meeting. Bill had been well articulated about his evil scheme with the way Miles Empire handled investor money, and today he planned to address it.Bill stood in front of his mirror, adjusting his tie. He was wearing a sharp black suit, his expression calm but cold.His assistant knocked on the door.“Mr. Ford, your convoy is ready,” the assistant said.Bill nodded and grabbed his briefcase. “Let’s not waste time. Today, we will finish what we started.”Downstairs, the convoy waited. His entourage, including Professor Arjun, Ivan, Viktor, and Igor, stood by their separate car. Each of them wore a similar grim expression and had their own different role to play.“We’re ready when you are,” Viktor said.Bill looked at them, his lips curling into a small smile. “This is going to be q
Franklin sat at his desk, staring at the laptop in front of him. His office was quiet, but his mind wasn’t. The things Jake had told him about Daisy’s plan and now his worries about Miles' Empire wouldn’t let him rest. He ran his hand through his hair, leaned back in his chair, and picked up his phone. It was time to act.“Conor, come to my office,” Franklin said after Conor picked up.A few minutes later, Conor entered. He was dressed casually but moved with the ease of someone always on guard. “What’s up, boss?” he asked, sitting down.Franklin leaned forward. “We have a problem. I installed surveillance cameras in critical areas of the headquarters—quietly, without anyone knowing. I need you and Mr. Hughes to check if they’re working properly. Don’t let anyone suspect what you’re doing. I have a feeling something's going on.”Conor nodded, his brows furrowed. “You think someone’s trying to mess with things there?”“I do,” Franklin said. “And I want proof before we act. These camera
Daisy pushed the door open and stepped into her apartment, kicking off her shoes by the entrance. The place was quiet, but not the comforting kind of quiet. It felt tense, like the walls were holding their breath. She dropped her bag on the couch and ran a hand through her hair.“Sophia?” she called out, her voice echoing in the stillness.“In here,” Sophia’s voice came from the kitchen.Daisy followed the sound, her steps slow and careful. When she got to the kitchen, Sophia was leaning against the counter, arms crossed, her face tight with frustration. A cup of tea sat untouched in front of her.“Hey,” Daisy said, trying to sound cheerful, though her stomach twisted at the sight of Sophia’s expression. “What’s with the look? Did something happen?”Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “You tell me, Daisy.”Daisy froze for a second, her mind racing. “What do you mean? Did… did something happen with you and Jake?”Sophia let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. “Oh, yeah. Jake happened.