Chapter 31: Questioned Authority
The morning was dark and cold, the clouds were crying profusely. Loud thunder rumbling and crackling in the background. The glass walls showed the purple sky flash with lights. Luna was currently listening to the board of directors ranting about the new project she was still looking into. Walters Inc. was mostly catered to buildings and properties that is why if Luna was ever to approve a project it had to be carefully and meticulously inspected—leaving no stones unturned.
There was a time that Luna approved a project that turned out to be a fail when the land was suddenly sucking the whole building's frame down under. Workers were luckily not badly hurt but the buildings and the funds were all lost in the a flash. The whole building collapsed as the ground was unstable and too soft to build such a heavy property.
The whole thing was blamed on Luna as she approved the construction. At that time, Luna was new in the CEO position, she knew she had looked into it but didn't really go to the site as she had trusted her then assistant to have had checked it throughly. Lesson was that if you want things done then make sure to do it yourself.
When the news broke out, the whole board of directors and investors were planning to pull out their shares. But when the problem was easily solved they decided otherwise. That incident almost cost Luna's position as the CEO. All were expecting the new CEO to be demoted but it never happened. With luck and resistance Luna was able to defend herself. So far that was the only major problem she had had from the years she stood as the head of the company.
Though she had never shown her face to the press and common employees, the higher ups who haved signed nondisclosure agreements did know. Rafael was not one of them as his position was merely a manager of the managers. His position was still considered common which was a good thing in this case. If he had known about it then Luna would have long been robbed more than she had already been.
•••
Now being stuck in this long, tiring, and boring meeting, Luna's back pain was beginning to become unbearable. The arguing men in the room were like children fighting over candy. The meeting should have been only two hours long but it has already been four and yet they still have not reached a decision.
These past week has been so hectic for Luna that she hasn't even been able to sleep with all of her over time. And to think that she is now stuck in this meeting. If she didn't have to be polite to these board of directors she would have had long slept on her chair.
Yawning silently, she asks her PA to get her coffee which was given to her right away. Taking the aromatic and warm cup she voices her opinion once and for all, "If you want to fight all day, you don't need me here to listen on. My time is being wasted for such trivial things. Time is gold and you are spending mine."
Taking a sip of her coffee, Luna stands and walks to the door. "Meeting adjourned, if you you can not come up with your final answer then we will all agree that I will make the decision,"
"But Ms. Walter!" one of the directors stood up making Luna sweet but fake smile falter. "This is not acceptable! You had just taken a long vacation then you expect us to just keep quiet as you just approve projects like you are signing autographs. We don't want to let history repeat itself again do we?" the man sarcastically said gaining the approval of the other men in the room.
"Is that a threat Mr. Alvarez?" Luna had enough of these men. She closed the half-opened door and walked back to the table and leaned forward. "Do you think I need you here? Do you really think I need you to run this empire? I built this up and you dare question my authority?! Tell me Mr. Alvarez, have or haven't your prior investments in this company triple in the past 5 years? And have or haven't your family's net worth grow just this year because of MY company?" The rumbling of thunder was heard in the background like they were in a horror movie. The purple sky suddenly becoming darker as the temperature in the room became colder than the Antarctic ocean.
The prior confident Mr. Alvarez could not answer in time making Luna smirk. 'You think you can boss me around? Let me watch you do so,'
"Answer me! Have or have you not earned from my family's blood and sweat?!" Luna banged her hands on the wooden table making the sound bounce of the walls. The boom made the men jump in their seats as the temperature in the room seemingly began to decreased again.
"I-it has..." Mr. Alvarez nervously answered.
"So do you still question me, Mr. Alvarez or maybe you want to find a different job for now on? Let me see if you don't rot in the streets. I even heard your wife bought a new yacht just a month ago. It would be a shame to return it to the bank for your awaiting debts to pay for, don't you think?" Hearing her words made Mr. Alvarez's eyes widen. Fear was written all over his face. 'I never come to war unprepared Mr. Alvarez, you dare question me?! Let me see how tough you really are when you are directly facing-off with me!'
Suddenly standing up and getting down on his knees, the man begged Luna to forgive him. "Ms-s. Walter please forgive me, I didn't mean to question your authority," he spat as he tightly clenched his jaw and fist as he humiliated himself to beg the woman in front of him for forgiveness. If he didn't need this job he would have already pushed his woman to the side to make way for another CEO.
Seeing his clenched jaw while seemingly apologizing Luna smiled at him. The smile was both sweet and haunting, one that can only be seen in your darkest nightmares. She took her already cold coffee, opened its lid and poured its contents on the guy under her. "Oops! My bad! Are you okay Mr. Alvarez?" Luna's sweet voice held mockery and sarcasm as she found joy in humiliating the fool below her legs.
Bending down to his eye sight she repeats her question, "I said, are you okay Mr. Alvarez?" Hearing no reply from the suborn man, Luna takes his hand and swiftly turns it. Hearing the bone snap she successfully breaks his hand making him scream bloody murder. Seeing such a horrendous act, the other directors look away. "I'll take your hand away for now. Be thankful that I like your green eyes —they remind me of someone, or I would have already taken it away permanently. An eye of an eye Mr. Alvarez, always remember that," Luna whispers in Mr. Alvarez's ear making sure the whole room can still hear it.
Looking at the scared chickens still on their seats Luna gave them her most haunting smile of all and laughed hysterically. "Let this serve as a lesson to you all. I don't need you, matter of fact YOU are the ones who need me! So never, ever! Double cross me or you'd wish you where dead before I even get to you..."
Abruptly standing, she sways her waist as she walks out of the room still laughing all the way out which made the men sit still in their seats and immediately rush out when they were sure she was already gone. All of them left Mr. Alvarez to bare his pain all alone. The poor man had to slowly make his way up from his knees to reach his phone on the cold, wooden table to call his wife for her to fetch him.
In her office, Luna immediately locked the door and looked at her PA. "Did I do good?"
Her assistant made two thumps up and smiled, "Yes Ma'am you did very good. Where did you even learn to do that Ma'am? I also want to learn how!" The young PA had long admired Luna and even idolized her but seeing her idol break a directors hand just like that made the young girl even more amazed.
"Oh you mean how to break his hand? I just learned that from my mother. She said it was to protect myself if ever. She even said she had tested it on Dad and he cried for a week,"
"Sir Arthur cried for a week?!" Her assistant laughed with her as the idea of seeing her father cry was impossible. That is why her mother was the best, even been deemed the "Queen" while her father was the "Beast". Her father was once a die-hard bachelor but when he meet Luna's mother he suddenly changed his ways to gain the attention of the "Queen". And seen then he has been so UNDERstanding.
Luna's very loyal assistant was the daughter of her father's former assistant when he was still the CEO. The young girl that begged her father to recommend her and due to her skills and determination she was chosen not by her father's recommendation but because of her competence, being the daughter of Arthur's also very loyal assistant was just an add on but not the key factor.
The young girl had long idolized Luna since she was a child. Even though she had read hundreds of articles saying that Luna was retarded and useless she never once doubted her idol. There was one time, a very long time ago, Miya (Luna's PA) was being bullied by local street bullies when Luna suddenly appeared to give them a good beating making them promise to never bother Miya again. At that time, Miya was just a young girl, but seeing such a brave teenager rescue her without fear in her eyes, she immediately formed a likeness to her. She had her life to payback the kindness of her savior so even though she saw countless article and even heard people on the streets gossiping about her idol she did not doubt her idol. Even if Luna did turn out to be retarded as they claimed, she would still idolize her role model. Being smart does not make you a person but compassion and the will to help others even if it does not benefit you does.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
alter_ego_princess
alter_ego_princess 2 chapters again for this week! Yehey! (*´∇｀*)