Chapter 4

Zen remained silent, his expression unchanged.

Celeste turned her gaze to Keisha. “And you, Why would a security personnel be taking a beggar upstairs? Did the executives request to speak with the leaders of the beggars?,” Celeste laughed.

Keisha didn't respond, simply pressing the button for their floor.

As the elevator ascended, Celeste continued, “It’s a shame, really. You two look like you’re headed to a costume party. The theme must be 'downtrodden and desperate.'”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to attack these people who did nothing to you,” Anna said behind the big pile of files. 

“You! Shutup!,” Celeste roared.

“How dare you talk back? Your on coffee duty for a week,” Celeste continued.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Celeste strutted out, still smirking. “Good luck with your errands. Try not to embarrass yourselves too much.”

As Celeste walked out, Anna slowed her pace right behind and turned with the pile of files , “I would bow right now but these files are too heavy, I apologize for my superior’s behavior.” She then hurriedly followed behind Celeste.

Keisha and Zen stepped out of the elevator without a word, heading down the hall. Keisha led him to the CEO’s office and opened the door for him.

Willow, the CEO, sat in her chair looking out the window when the door opened. Without turning around, she said, "Welcome, Keisha."

Turning to face them, she laughed, "You’re the only one who opens my door without knocking."

Willow's eyes fell on Zen, still in his cheap clothes. Her expression softened, and she asked, "Oh my, and who’s your hardworking friend here? He looks like he’s just coming from a job. Coffee or cookies?"

Keisha walked close to the table, her face serious. “Get up,” she said firmly.

Willow jumped up instantly, “Forgive my manners, please take a seat,” thinking Keisha wanted to sit. But Keisha dusted the chair off for Zen and bowed.

Willow looked at Keisha and the zen, she immediately understood and bowed her head, "I apologize for my oversight. Greetings, Great God of War, Monarch of Death."

Zen walked towards the chair and sat down, turning to Keisha. "You've gotten Mega a good CEO," he said.

“Sharp eyes and a good heart,” Zen said as he sat down. 

“Oh my, I never thought I would see the day that the monarch of death would praise me,” Willow said.

Zen’s eyes scanned the room as he took a seat. "Willow, what's the current status of Mega?" he asked.

Willow glanced at her watch. "We have a board meeting in five minutes," she replied. "But let me give you a brief overview. Mega dominates the city's business world, deeply rooted in real estate with luxurious high-rises and urban condos. We also own Starship Productions, an indie film and music powerhouse, and UrbanEats."

“Is that all?” Zen asked.

“Not exactly, there are others but those are sub companies, we don’t relate with them much,” Willow replied.

Zen nodded approvingly. "You've all done well."

"I never thought I'd see the day when the Monarch of Death would praise me," Willow said with a smile.

Zen turned to Keisha. "I need new clothes."

Keisha nodded and left the room. As the door closed, Zen turned back to Willow. "What’s the current state of the city?"

Willow hesitated for a moment before answering. "There are four big families in the city. They’ve strengthened their forces in both power and business. While Mega stands tall, these families are the only ones we're wary of."

Zen's expression hardened. "Being scared of these families is a disgrace. They pose no threat."

Willow bent her head, with no words to say.

Keisha returned with the clothes, interrupting their conversation. Zen took them and stood up. "We’ll continue this discussion later," he said, heading to change.

_____

The scene transitioned to the boardroom, where Willow walked in and everyone stood to greet her. 

She took her seat, and they followed suit. Willow brought out a file and looked around the table. "Today, we will not be following our regular order of business. Instead, we will be introducing the owner of Mega."

A murmur spread through the room as Zen walked in behind Keisha. 

“Huhhhh!” A voice was heard from the room.

Everyone turned to identify the voice as Celeste, “If it isn’t the guard and the beggar, How dare a common handyman waltz in here right after our CEO,” Celeste screams as she recognizes Zen.

“They even put you up in a nice tux, looks like you’ve been promoted to security,” she laughed.

“Celeste, this is not a marketplace,” Willow warned.

“Ah, sorry ma’am,” Celeste replies still giggling.

“Like I was saying, ladies and gentlemen. Please greet the owner of Mega, the infamous Monarch of death,” Willow said as she stood up.

Zen took a step forward and sat on the chair. Celeste’s expression was filled with shock.

Everyone but Celeste stood up and bowed, “We greet the owner,” they said in unison.

“H-How could this be?” Celeste uttered, still in shock

She jerked up from her chair, falling back and shaking. Zen sat down and smiled at her. Zen’s presence was commanding the room.

"Good afternoon," Zen began, his voice calm yet powerful. "I believe in having committed people at Mega. People with the strength to pursue their goals without stomping on others."

His gaze locked onto Celeste. "Which is why, Celeste, you are demoted to coffee girl."

The room was silent with tension thick in the air. Zen then turned to a security guard. "Bring in Anna."

A moment later, Anna was escorted in, looking confused. Zen’s voice softened slightly. "Anna will be taking a new position as Willow’s secretary. Willow, instruct your former secretary to teach Anna her duties. Once that’s done, your former secretary can select a suitable position for herself among the executives."

Willow bowed.

Zen’s eyes swept over the room, "Mega will continue to rise, nothing will change. I have no interest in being the CEO or disrupting your work. You have all managed to get Mega here, Well done."

With that, Zen stood up and left the room.

“No one could say a word,” one of the executives said.

“I could feel the pressure choking me, that how dangerous soldier’s are?” another said.

“Not really, I feel that it’s just people like him,” another said.

“Celeste really messed up,” a feminine voice entered.

“Yeah, she really had it coming.” 

“He looked really handsome,” another said.

Celeste was left shaking in her seat, as she refused to believe what just happened to her.

Outside the building, Keisha leads Zen back into his car. 

“Get rid of the guards,” Zen said as he walked down the stairs. Keisha replied with a bow. At the immediate wave of her hands, the security guards halted and stepped back.

“What’s the next agenda?” Zen asks as he gets into the car right in front of the stairs.

“A popular figure in the city is hosting a party,” Keisha replied.

“Is it important for me to go?” Zen asked as he looked out the window. The car began to move slowly as Keisha shut the door.

“It’s an extremely trivial matter but I advise you to go, it’s a good way to get a breathe of fresh air,” Keisha said calmly.

“That’s a good excuse,” Zen said, still looking out the window.

“Arrange some good clothes,” he continued,

“But what about invitations? Aren’t these kind of things invite only?” Zen added.

“Like I said, the party is a trivial matter. It’s being hosted by Cyrus Gryce, an insignificant figure that my lord shouldn’t care about,” Keisha said.

“So please, just focus on enjoying yourself. Leave everything else to me,” Keisha added.

“Alright,” Zen said.

“If you say so,” he added as he finally took his eyes off the view from the window.