After Arthur took a sip of his coffee in complete silence the was deafening that it filled the entire meeting room, everyone gulped quite hard and looked like deers in a prison with a lion.
It made them want to run out for their lives.
Though the meeting was sudden, some of them quite understood why their boss requested it, but they didn’t want to think about it because if so, then their lives would end here.
For a fraction, they thought that it might be a simple meeting to discuss new plans and strategies to improve the company’s growth or an introduction of a new product. And they hoped it to be so.
Sigh.
With a sigh that was heard by everyone making them sweat, Arthur looked at the employees of his company sitting around the meeting table with indifferent yet cold expression that made them feel slightly cold for some reason as if the temperature of the room dropped several degrees.
"Gentlemen, thank you for attending this sudden meeting despite your urgent responsibilities, but please understand that this meeting is extremely important." He said with a deep voice while observing their expressions with keen observing eyes.
’Those damn eyes of his, they are like a death reaper looking straight at your soul.’ One of the people sitting around the table, the head of the financial department, Mr. Collens, thought while looking at Arthur’s pink/purple eyes.
’I’ve never felt afraid or threatened no matter the situation I might face until I met him. The more I looked at them, the more I feel as if death looking straight at me.’ He thought deeply shaken by the eyes that Arthur had.
"Not at all boss, if anything, as long as it was your call we must obey." A person said with a fake flattery dripping off his mouth that Arthur didn’t buy it at all. He only nodded at him before looking away.
’Freak!’ The same person thought before looking down at the document in front of him. This person was from the purchasing department, Mr. Decker.
"Gentlemen, let me explain the purpose of this sudden meeting as I don’t like beating around the bush. Today, I gathered you to discuss some things that threaten this company’s stability and reputation." Arthur said drawing all of their attention.
"As you all know, we are a company that revels in the technological field. We already have a great market share among our competitors, and we also have a very good reputation and image that make the company stands on top."
The people listened quietly without interrupting him wanting to know what he was hinting at by saying all of this.
’What does he mean by all of this?’ Mr. Collens thought as felt quite confused by this while Mr. Decker looked the same.
It was until someone talked.
"Excuse me sir, but what do you mean by all of that?"
Arthur looked over making the person who spoke tremble slightly in his place before looking down.
"Let me be blunt and say it directly to you all, so you could understand what I mean."
"Simply, looking at the company’s recent improvements, it was great and promising. But recently, looking at our competitor in New York City, the Blu company, I found something quite unsettling." Arthur was talking with a deep cold voice that carried a hint of threat and irritation making everyone feel so pressured that they sweated bullets.
Some even were trying to loosen their ties a little feeling the suffocating atmosphere.
Gulp.
But then Arthur continued.
"Their sudden rocket like improvement made me confused and suspicious, so I made some investigations on my own and what I found gentlemen is in the documentary report in front of you. I encourage you to take a look."
Immediately, everyone opened the document and started reading it in the deafening silence of the room.
And during that, Ava who was standing behind Arthur looked at those sitting around the meeting table with disgust and scorn as if looking at some filthy insects you could step on without looking.
She hid everything behind her glasses that she always put whenever there was something serious that demanded her utmost attention like the meetin of now.
’These disgusting pests, how dare they breathe the same air as my Arthur, they need to be burned down to ash, or simply cut them down to pieces before feeding them to the dogs, maybe like this they will serve a great purpose and give their pathetic lives a commendable value.’
And as if her dark thoughts got out of her head, everyone shuddered and felt a coldness spreading so deep in their bodies as they felt a great pressure falling upon them for some reason.
"As you can see, what I figured out was so...shameful to say the least. The same technology, the same improvements as if they suddenly copied us. Isn’t that strange?"
"You know that the secret of our technology can’t be copied that easily, it’s complicated and hard to understand for most, also it is protected by law at the same time. Even if they tried to buy our products and try to copy out technology, it wouldn’t be as perfect as ours, but looking at what they made, it was like a perfect copy."
Arthur’s words were like a sharp sword cutting through their skin effortlessly.
"What do you mean by that. Sir? Are you accusing us of leaking the company’s secrets?" Mr. Collens said with slightly indignant voice as he looked fiercely at Arthur.
"Please look at the second document." Arthur didn’t reply, completely ignoring him.
Then all of them looked at the second document.
In it, they found evidence confirming that Mr. Decker of the purchasing department stole the company’s secrets and gave it to the other party, aka the Blu company.
And not just that, Mr. Collens cooperated and helped in this beside embezzling the money of the company while giving fake financial reports.
Also, the head of the purchasing department knew about that and didn’t report which confirmed his collusion in the process.
All of that in exchange of working for the other party with high salaries than now.
Everything was in detail accompanied by photographic evidence to seal the deal.
Looking at all of that, no one talked, no one could breathe especially Mr. Decked whose face looked ashen as if already dying. After all, he had been exposed completely.
Slam!
"That’s false, I’m sure this evidence is fake, everything is fake. How can I possibly betray the company that made me how I am?!" Mr. Collens stood as he slammed his hands on the table showing indignant and angry expression as he looked straight at Arthur.
"You say so, but the evidence isn’t false. They were all taken after carefully examining the records and the cash flows by external sources that won’t show any favoritism. I think you know what does that mean, Mr. Collens." Arthur said with his voice taking another tone that made him look more intimidating.
"I won’t accept this! If it was the previous owner he wouldn’t show such disrespect to me or even accuse me of such thing! It seems you are still short-sighted due to your age, Arthur Vane!" Mr. Collens said as he looked straight at Arthur showing no respect at all which made Ava clutch onto the tablet in her hand so tightly that her fingers drove holes into it.
Her eyes looked at Mr. Collens with deep rage ready to be unleashed.
’This—this disrespectful worm, how are he talk like that to him?! HOW DARE HE?!! THIS PIECE OF UNTHANKFUL SHIT!’ She roaring inwardly trying her hardest to hold back from moving through the room and cutting that man to pieces literally.
"If you say so, that means that my father was a blind and idiot leader, that what you want to say, right?"
Hearing this, everybody looked at Mr. Collens with strange expressions making him shake in terror at what he had just said in a fit of anger.
"N—No I didn’t mean it like that, I—I just—" He stuttered.
"Enough of that Mr. Collens, from this day on, your services are not welcomed here in this place. Please leave right now." Arthur gave his final decision.
"B-But—"
"I said leave. Now!"
With this, Mr. Collens hanged his head down and left in defeat.
"The rest of you as well, you are not welcomed here anymore, thanks for yours services till this point. The company needs new blood after all." Finding no way to stay, they all stood up and left. After all, the meeting included the head of the financial department, purchasing department and those who helped them.
Arthur didn’t need people who could stab him in the back any time and cost the company a lot.
Once everyone left, Austin sighed and stood up before leaving the meeting room.
"Let’s go, Ava."
"... Yes sir."
’Hmm? Is there something wrong with her?’ Arthur thought as he noticed how she replied after a brief silence which was unusual of her.
Anyway, he didn’t give it much thought and threw the thought at the back of his mind.
.
.
.
.
.
Later that night.
Today, the sky was filled with clouds that hid the moon along with the stars making it look unappealing to Arthur who liked to look at the dark starry sky.
In one of the dark alleys.
Three men were there.
They were Mr. Collens, the head of the financial department, and Mr. Decker from the purchasing department, the other man didn’t have a clear identity as he was wearing a hoddie that hid his face.
"Did that really happen?" The man with hoddie said. His voice looked quite young as if he was in his late 20s or something.
"Yeah, I don’t know how he had gathered the evidence but they are true. Everything was in detail that I couldn’t find any way to retort and defend myself." Mr. Collens said with deep irritation.
"Then what we have to do now? Everything is over? Just like that?" Mr. Decker said.
"No, not yet. We still got another plan." The man with hoddie said.
"You man that? But who will do it? We can’t kill someone without leaving evidence." Mr. Collens said
"Don’t worry about that, I have a plan."
Then before they could continue, suddenly, a sound interrupted.
Tap—
Tap Tap—
Someone was coming!
"Who are you?!" The man in the hoddie suddenly looked alarmed and tense as he looked ahead deep in the dark alley.
Both Mr. Collens and Mr. Decker looked confused and afraid for some reason.
Tap—
Tap—
The sound continued without any hint of stopping which made the atmosphere more tense before they saw the silhouette of a person, then slowly from the darkness emerged a woman with long black hair and a pair of pink eyes that glowed intensely in the dark making the two middle-aged men tremble in fear while the man in a hoddie looked even more alarmed.
"You really don’t learn, do you?" She said in a slow alluring voice that touched the heart of three men.
But then as if remembering something, Mr. Decker looked at her with wide eyes.
"Wait, aren’t you that secretary?!"
"What do you mean by that Decker?!" Mr. Collens said looked at him.
"She is the one who always accompany the boss through his meetings." Mr. Decker forgetting that Arthur wasn’t his boss anymore.
"Don’t you dare look at me with those filthy eyes of yours, could you just pluck them out for me~?" Ava said with a gentle yet commanding voice.
"What are yo—" Before Mr. Collens could say anything, his hands moved on their own and then—
Pffttt!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The scream was loud as if a pig being slaughtered in the slaughter house.
After all, his eyes were literally plucked out, and he did it himself no one ’forced’ him to do it.
The other two looked at the scene with horror etched on their faces.
Mr. Decker himself was shitting himself from fear as a pungent smell filled the air making Ava wrinkle her face in disgust.
"So disgusting." She said before with a flick of her hand, his body was torn into two as the upper part was separated from the lower one.
Till his last moment, Mr. Decked had a horrific look on his face.
The other man looked at the scene trembling in fear.
"Don’t tell me, those glowing pink eyes, the commanding voice, you are from the Ra—"
Swoosh!
Thud!
"Such unnecessary last words coming from a pathetic slave." Ava said as she looked guy’s head on the ground before looking back at Mr. Collens who was still alive but unconscious.
"As I said, I will cut you pieces and throw you to dogs as their food. Like this, you have a value." As she said so, she flicked his hand again cutting Mr. Collens body into multiple pieces.
"That’s better~" Her voice was gentle like honey a complete contrast to the coldness she showed.
Truly fascinating!
After that, she left leaving a grotesque scene behind filled with blood that formed a pool with body parts in it along with intestines and other innards of the body.
Seconds after she’d left, a group of dogs as if driven by the smell came and looked at the scene before they started eating the fresh cut flesh.
This was really something no human could chew at all, not even their minds would be able to understand the horror that had happened here.