章節 7: This isn't what I wanted
He claims he owns half of The Empire?
Anne couldn't believe her ears.
Her blood boiled with rage as she swung open her office door. She saw Henry making himself at home on her chair, his legs were crossed and placed on her large mahogany office table.
"What the fuck are you doing here?!" She cursed.
Henry let out a smile, after realizing he had successfully pissed her off. "Relax. I just felt like checking out Great Towers today."
"I'm sure you've seen enough, you can take your leave now."
"Why are you chasing me away?"
"Because I don't want you to ruin William's Empire."
"You keep talking about how I'm going to ruin his Empire, even though I haven't done anything yet."
"Exactly. It's better to stop you from ruining his company in the first place, than to endure fixing the damage."
"The least you can do is give me a chance."
"Tell me Henry, do you have any experience in managing a company? Or have you worked a full-time job in a corporate organization to know how a company operates?" Anne asked.
Henry was silent. He had only worked part-time jobs, and none of them required a suit.
"Your silence clearly answers my question. If you don't know how a company works, how can you own it?"
"I—"
"If it's your shares you are worried about, I can assure you it is safe; so go back home and relax, let us make money for you."
It's true. Henry could go home and relax, and he would get richer by the second because of his stake in The Empire Group. But that would also mean he wasn't contributing to improve his grandfather's legacy. He wasn't going to accept it.
He stood up from the office chair. "I'm not going anywhere."
Anne was baffled. Why is he so obsessed with being involved in all his inheritance? When would his greed get satisfied?
"I'm taking on my role as co-owner of The Empire Group, that's why I will attend this afternoon Board of Directors meeting."
"Y-You can't."
"I already am."
"I challenge your ownership." Anne stated. Even though the words came out reflexively, it was still a great idea.
"You would still have your shares if you lose, but I'll be the one that calls the shots in the company." She added. She knew the only way Henry would be inclined to accept her challenge is if his wealth was secured.
"I don't mind, as long as the same goes for you when I win. I'm using my first game right to choose a coin toss. If we get heads, you call the shots; and if we get tails, I call the shots. Do you want to still continue with your challenge?"
Anne was speechless. Allowing fate to decide who has the final say in The Empire Group was something she just couldn't agree to. She of all people knew how double-edged a game of chance was.
"N-No." She answered.
"I'm glad we could come to an agreement. See you later."
Anne cursed herself for underestimating his greed, that hid under the cover of ambition. But maybe there is a bright side to this situation....
Due to his lack of experience, it wouldn't be unnatural if he breaks down during the meeting. Anne was suddenly eager to attend the meeting.
———
Reality shattered Anne's expectations during the meeting.
She shifted her gaze from her tablet to Henry once more. The calm and attentive look on his face irritated her.
How could he be so composed? How could he nod like he understood what they were discussing? Wasn't he going to break down?
As if it wasn't bad enough that he hadn't passed out, he was also contributing to the Board's decisions. He even contradicted her opinions a number of times.
"I believe we should acquire the latter, because it's cost-effective and just as efficient." Henry said and Anne cringed. She had chosen the former more expensive option, but most of the board members were on the same page as Henry.
"That would be all for today." Arnold announced the meeting's end.
Before exiting the conference room, the board members congratulated Henry for doing so well on his first meeting.
"I'm glad William left the company in such capable hands."
"Thank you for your kinds words, Mr. Yamato." Henry replied as he shook the old man's hand, and Anne couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Her hope of Henry breaking down had completely vanished, leaving only disappointment and confusion. How could he perform like that on his first meeting, without any prior experience?
Henry wasn't sure if the board members meant their praises or if they were just taking the piss out of him. This was because: Since the meeting started, he had not understood a single word.
What did they mean by they want to merge with Archaic Technologies to increase their diversity? Why are the shares down by 2%? Henry needed someone to make it all make sense.
But even though he was so lost, he tried his best to maintain his composure. He knew if the Board of Directors couldn't see his confusion, they would think he understood what was going on. Fortunately, that was exactly what happened.
"I'm surprised, Hen. For someone that doesn't have any experience in the corporate world, you weren't bad."
"Next time you want to compliment someone, try to be more direct and sincere."
Anne's pretty face folded into a frown.
"Rather than complaining, shouldn't you accept a compliment first? And who told you I wasn't sincere? Your composure aside, you didn't do well, that's why I said 'you weren't bad'. Do you think the decisions you made were actually the best course of action for the company?"
"But the board members—"
"Congratulated you? That's because all your choices were in line with their own selfish wishes. If I didn't know any better, it's like you were trying to kiss their ass."
"I'm not kissing anyone's ass! I just want what's best for the company."
"If that's what you truly want, you would leave its operation to me and go home." Anne said and in response, Henry walked out of the conference room.
She tilted her head in confusion. She waited for him to turn around and return an insulting reply but he didn't. He left Great Towers like she wanted.
Did he leave the company's operation to her? Or was he just tired of their habitual debate?
———
On her way back home, Anne still wondered why Henry left Great Towers like that. She knew how stubborn he could be. There was no way he would have left just because she told him to.
"Huh?" Anne muttered. The modern megamansion in her front had loud music originating from it.
Had she arrived at someone else's house? No. The structure and location was still the same with The Imperial Palace. But her once peaceful and quiet abode was now tainted with noise.
"Oh Henry...."
Anne opened the front door and the loud music could be heard much clearly. It was so loud, she couldn't even tell the genre it belonged to. She searched for the in-built stereo remote and after successfully finding it, she got rid of the noise.
Next, she searched round the house for the cause of the nuisance.
"Henry?! Henry?!!" She called out, but got no reply.
She finally saw a young man cooped up in the corner of the kitchen, with a wine bottle in hand. He looked at her.
"Oh, you're back."
"Henry, why are you causing a racket in my house?"
"Our house." Henry corrected. "I don't need your permission to listen to music."
Anne couldn't believe her ears. "You call that deafening noise music? What if we get a noise complaint?"
"The neighboring houses are a distance away. No matter how loud we want to be, I'm sure it would be a whisper to them."
Anne analyzed Henry as he chugged the wine, straight from the bottle. He was immersing himself in music and wine like he wanted to drown in them. Something was definitely up with him.
Anne doubted it was what she said, because that wasn't the first time they had exchanged verbal blows. Still she couldn't be sure.
She finally let out a sigh. "What's wrong?"
Henry turned to her. "I don't need your false sympathy. We both know you don't really care."
"You're right. I couldn't care less about whatever troubling you, but if it will stop you from being a bigger headache, I'll gladly hear you out."
Henry took another sip of the alcoholic wine, as he looked at the beautiful ceiling. "I almost lost it in today's meeting. I didn't understand half the terms that were used or why we need to acquire Archaic Technologies. I was just so confused."
"But you—"
"I what? Contributed? Raised suggestions? I constructed all my decisions using Uncle Arnold's decisions as a template, that's why it looked like I was kissing up to them. I just figured out that he would have made the best decision since he was William's close friend." Henry confessed and Anne was quiet.
Her prediction had partly come true. Even though he didn't break down or faint during the meeting, he didn't understand anything. The reason he's practicing music and liquor therapy is because he has finally realized he's not fit to make decisions for the Empire. Anne had finally won an important battle, so why was she quiet?
Henry shifted his gaze to her. "Why aren't you saying anything? Isn't this what you wanted?"
Anne was just as confused at her serenity. Henry finally realize his incompetence like she wanted, so why wasn't she glad? She had always imagined herself rejoicing on this day, but she would have never guess that she would relate with him as she was doing right now.
"This isn't what I wanted. I wanted you to watch behind the scenes as I call the shots, but I never wanted you to go through this." Anne replied, and Henry's eyes widened. She sat on the floor opposite him as she couldn't help but see herself in Henry. She had curled up exactly like him after her first meeting.
"My first meeting was far more worse than yours. I couldn't even manage to keep a composed face; and just like you did, I agreed with other people because I thought they had the company's best interest at heart. At the end of that meeting, William told me: 'If you can't make a decision, it's better to remain quiet than to agree with someone you don't trust. But you see that decision you thought of yourself: Fight for it till the end.'"
"How did you get better?"
"There are some business books in the study roo—" Anne cut herself off. What was she doing? Was she really about to give him tips?
"The study room, right?" Henry asked, as he stood up. He dropped the wine bottle and had a somewhat refreshed look on his face. "Thanks Anne, I feel much better now."
"Much better?" Anne muttered. Was he implying that she had successfully comforted him?
"Yes. I'm going to check out those books in the study room." Henry said, and Anne could only laugh. Not only had she comforted him, she had also given him tips on how to improve his management skills which would make him a bigger pain in the ass.
How did it come to this? He was already broken by depression, all she needed to do was laugh and chant the magic phrase: "I told you so.". Even if she didn't want to make a move as classless as that, she could simply just offer him more wine and let nature take its course. It's very possible that if she did nothing, he would've still given up. But rather than doing any of that, she unknowingly cheered him up just because he reminded her of her past self.
Anne was disappointed in the ways she handled things, but more than that, she was angry at the way Henry got cheered up from hearing her past. She hated the fact that she opened up to him, she hated that he actually listened. She was brimming with some much hostile emotions, yet there he was, staggering to the study room.
She couldn't accept this. Not when she was so close to victory. Especially because she is the one that ruined her win with her own mouth.
"Let's fight for the study room."
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