Master of the Dark

Chapter2

Sarah

As many times as I’ve been to the Julian Towers, it still strikes me how such a tiny building in comparison to others around can hold such power. Ten billion in revenue and so many subsidiaries, a thousand employees, and somehow this building finds a way to reflect that status.This morning is the same as any morning in the Julian Towers, employees going up and about, clerks shuffling files, assistants getting coffee, and much more; no one will think that beneath all this is a sinister plan, a power struggle that can change the future of the company.I know this, but I don’t think my dad knows this; to him, it’s business as usual, helping the Julians get things done and calling it a day.Yet to her it’s an opportunity to move up, and that’s exactly what she intends to do.As soon as I make sure my dad is at the meeting hall and not anywhere near Duke’s office, I make a beeline to Betty’s desk; as Duke’s assistant, she holds the keys to what I intend to find out.“Good morning, Bets. That lipstick looks good on you.”I gave her a killer smile.She blushed and stood up to give me a hug.“Sarah, you are a ray of sunlight. It's been a while. Did you come with Ned?”“Yes, I did. I can’t wait for this affair to be done and dusted.”“Have you spoken to Duke concerning giving me a permanent role?”As soon as I said that, she tensed and pulled me to a corner and spoke in hushed tones.“I have tried to bring it up with him, but he has not been himself lately; he’s been more caged than usual, but I’ll do my best, I swear, Sarah.”This didn’t come as a surprise to me; I have noticed how Duke barely spoke to anyone lately; he locks himself up and barely engages with anyone.I say my goodbyes to Sarah and head back to meet my dad in the conference room.As soon as I walk in, I notice everyone is already seated and waiting on Duke. I sit next to my dad and take out a notepad.A few moments later, Duke, Jack, and Mitch walk in. Mitch fixes me with a stare, and I glare at him. For some weird reason, my stomach always turns when he is around.He thinks he’s some hotshot lawyer because he managed to get some big deal through.As soon as Duke settles down with Jack and Mitch taking seats behind him, the energy in the room changes to something akin to a cold room; you can tell everyone is on the edge.My heart skipped a beat the moment Duke fixed his gaze on me; I felt butterflies all over my body and goosebumps. How he manages to pierce through my defense with just a simple look.Did I imagine it, or did the corners of his lips tilt up slightly into a smile? I quickly turn my gaze away before I start blushing like a child in front of a candy store.“Ladies and gentlemen. I appreciate your patience with us in these trying times. I’d hate to waste our time any more than is needed; in a short time at the helm of affairs, we have grown our margins significantly and have avoided legal litigations with the help of Mitch as the head of our legal team.”Duke took a pause, stared down the board members, and finally landed on Nona before he continued.“For this reason, ladies and gentlemen, I believe we should stay our course and continue as we have been doing. Your second-quarter returns have risen by 5% and will continue to rise as projected. So I ask you to continue to put your trust in my leadership and your input.”As soon as Duke finished, Kyle, a rotund man of medium height and unpleasant demeanor, headed business development.“Duke, we can’t continue to dance around the issue here; it’s been three months. What headway have you made in regard to finding a wife? We can’t allow your failure as a person to hinder our progress; it sends the wrong signal to investors and other families.”Nona smirked; it was obvious to see that though Kyle spoke the words, Nona designed them. She is good at making other people do her bidding.She took this as her cue to speak.“Duke, darling. I understand your position but let's get something straight: you need to honor Julian; he had hoped you would get married before you take over the company, and that’s what we are here to ensure you do. Don’t make us drag this more than it needs to be.”Mitch immediately fired back.“Mam, we understand your stand, but I’d like to point out that there is no stipulated time on the clause. So there is no need to put pressure on the issue; I believe we should come up with a reasonable time frame and allow the company to grow.”Nona shot him a glare and turned to Duke, expecting him to address the issue.“Ladies and gentlemen, our portfolio has grown with Jack helping us acquire shipping and landing rights in Lagos and Accra, officially opening up our African front. With this, we can expect new investments and higher yields.”He pauses and stands, walks over to where Nona is sitting, stands behind her, and puts his hand over her backrest.The entire room falls quiet.“With this acquisition I believe there is no question of my commitment to this company and my desire to honor my father.”He had her by the neck and clearly knows how to squeeze.“As for me finding a wife. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have come up with a clear deadline to expedite that process. To ease your mind, I have ordered Jack and Sarah to head the search and submit prospective candidates on my table.”I immediately looked up, trying my best to hide my surprise. I turned to look at Jack to see if he was aware of this, but his surprise is as evident as mine.Duke walks to the door, turns, and says.“Thank you for your time, ladies and gentlemen. That will be all. Jack and Sarah meet me immediately in my office.”You can clearly see the anger on some faces and the glee on a few.Nona looks as though she is about to burst, yet she keeps her calm.“Bye Mum, Id see you at home for dinner.”Duke says finally

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