Chapter Forty-Two
*The Boardroom*
The boardroom of Lax Global Holdings was a cold, silent theater of power. Twenty men and women, the board members, sat around a vast marble table. At the head, Axel Lax sat in the chair that was not yet his, a smug smile playing on his lips. His personal assistant was handing out thick dossiers.
"…and so, the continued association with leadership that attracts this level of… personal scandal and professional doubt," Axel was saying, his voice smooth as oil, "is untenable. We need a reset. A return to stable, unquestionable governance to reassure our partners."
The door at the back of the room opened.
All heads turned.
Xami Lax stood in the doorway, his overcoat draped over his arm. He didn't look rushed or angry. He looked calm. In command. Astor and
