It was none other than Darianâs trusted accountant within the company.
As soon as Darian spotted him, he promptly rose from his seat and inquired, his voice weighted with seriousness, âHowâs it going? How much funding have we managed to secure now?â
The accountant paused, just a beat, before he gave the dreaded document to Darian.
âWeâve hit the brakes on any projects we could, and pulled our investments out of everything we could.
Butâ¦â His voice wavered.
âWeâre still falling short of what we need.
â
Darianâs eyes squeezed together as he sifted through the numbers scribbled on the page.
The sums they presented were dwarfed by the astronomical figures of BRD Group.
Going head-to-head with BRD Group?
His odds were Looking worse than a snowballâs chance in hell.
Anxiety, dark and thick, sank into Darianâs gut.
He felt like a mouse in a maze with no exit.
The thought of BRD Groupâs bottomless pockets wrung an expletive from his lips.
âWhy are they so fixated on this? Itâs not Like BRD Group needs it.
â
His complaint was cut short by a knock on the door, and his secretary strolled in.
âMr.
Anderson, Mr.
Perkins is here.
â
What? Adrian was Here?
Surprise danced across Darianâs face, and he shot up from his chair to meet the unexpected guest.
Just a minute ago, he was badmouthing BRD Group, and now he had to flip the switch and play a gracious host to Adrian.
Darianâs quick change in demeanor left his secretaryâs jaw scraping the floor.
Adrian didnât even glance at Darian, sauntered right past him, and plopped himself down in the presidentâs chair.
His pride smarting, Darian clenched his jaw and held back his ire.
Standing before Adrian with a smile that was more grimace than grin, he said, âSo, Mr.
Perkins.
What brings you here without so much as a heads up?â
Adrian skimmed the room, and then waved an absent hand.
âEveryone out.
I need to bend Darianâs ear for a bit.
â
Once the office was empty of all but them, Adrian skewered Darian with his stare and got right down to brass tacks.
âYou must know that SJ Entertainmentâs stock took a nosedive recently, evaporating billions trom its market value in a blink?â
Wearing a sheepish grin, Darian bobbed his head in a nod and began to reply in a sycophantic tone, âWell, about that-â
âIâm not interested in any cover stories,â Adrian cut him off mid-sentence.
Speaking without any sugar coating, he said, âI bought into SJ Entertainment because of Theodoreâs charm offensive.
It wasnât really SJ Entertainment I was investing in, but Theodore.
And now, with him gone and SJ Entertainment in freefall, Iâm left holding the bag.
â
Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updatesâ¦
Adrianâs candid lauding of Theodore in front of Darian was as good as a slap in the face.
Shame washed over Darian, leaving him soaked in humiliation.
Inwardly, he let loose a string of curses at Adrian, painting him as an meddler, and blamed him for the present mess.
But outwardly, all Darian could do was muster up a grin and placate, âMr.
Perkins, this was a curveball, no question.
Itâs not what anyone wanted.
But you donât need to lose sleep over it.
My second in line, Jasper, heâs got the chops too.
Put your money on him, and it wonât go to waste.
Jasper will take the helm and steer the company back on course, making up for the lost market value.
â
As Adrian stayed mum, Darian couldnât quite read him.
Trying to alleviate any concerns, he pounded his chest, making another pledge.
âWhatâs more, Iâll be returning to the fray myself, taking the reins.
You have my word on it.
â
No sooner had Darian stopped talking than Adrian let out a scornful chuckle.
Darian didnât need a decoder to understand the disdain behind that laugh.
It was a dismissive gesture not only towards Jasper, but also towards him, Darian himself.
The room plunged into a silence so thick it was almost stifling.
Caught in the headlight of Adrianâs contempt, Darian fumbled for a response and came up empty.