Master of the Dark

Duke Staring at the city beneath my feet bustling with life and going about its affairs as though nothing has changed brought a chilling feeling to my bones.I clenched my fist, tightened my jaw, and closed my eyes shut, trying to push down the bile struggling to rise at the back of my throat.I feel like a shell of myself. I can’t believe he is finally gone, just like that, ripped from this earth. To think I worked all my life to live up to a man that didn’t bother to stick around to see me become the man he’s always wanted me to be.I have to admit, even after all these months, I feel betrayed by him. As hard as he was on me, he is my rock—no, he was my rock. I can’t believe I still speak about the man as though he’s not been dead three months already.Standing here in his office, with its high walls, plush cushions, marbled floors, and large dark oak table with limited gadgets, did not help my nerves; rather, all they do is remind me of the man that used to be here and what big shoes I have to fill.Everyone knew him as Mr. Julian, a businessman, a billionaire, a philanthropist, and Vogue magazine’s most handsome billionaire two years in a row. To me, I knew him as just Father or Dad on rare occasions.The city still passes by, ignoring my pain and remorse. To think even the death of a man like my dad couldn’t quiet this chaos of a city, to think the same man once had sway over who became the president of the country; not that I care to admit that to the press. I had thought at the very least something would change, but it never did; everyone carried on with business as usual. It has been a rotating door of lawyers and solicitors and boardroom meetings with business associates and politicians.I started to feel my head spin. I walked over to the couch, took off my tie, and lay down, fighting the urge to pour myself a glass of whisky to take the edge off.My mind circles back to the funeral, like it has been doing for the past three months. True to the Julian family tradition, it was a quiet family affair, yet Nona, my stepmother, found a way to mess things up, using the funeral as a front for her attack.She thinks I can’t see through her charade, fake tears, black-colored clothes, and detached expression.I saw her talking to the board members in hushed tones, whispering to PAs, passing drinks, and rallying people to her cause, raking in sympathy points like bowling pins.I should have known to be more vigilant of her; I should’ve known to shield myself more and prepare for what I should’ve known was coming. Now I’m stuck like a deer in the headlights.I’ve always been able to anticipate my enemies’ motives and intentions from miles away and predict possible actions, but for some reason, though, I failed to see her move and plan accordingly. My fault was seeing her as nothing more than my dad’s wife; now, though, I see clearly that behind all the affection she showered on my father, she is a power-hungry witch ready to sink her tentacles in and take the company up from under me.“Sir, your 3 pm is ready; they are all set up in hall six waiting for you.”Betty, my assistant’s words cut through my thought as she walked into the office without me noticing. I’ve always thought Betty was a nimble and efficient little thing but I must have been so far gone to not have heard her walk in.“Thank you, Bets. I zoned out there for a second. Is Mitch on the floor?”“Yes, sir,” she answered.“Please get him now; I’m not going in without him, and get Jack too.”“Will do that. Sir, I thought you’d like to know Nona is in there as well.”Betty said the last part with caution; I understand why, though, because my jaw clenched as soon as she said it.I thanked you, stood up, and dismissed Betty. We exchanged knowing looks before she left, my eyes conveying appreciation for her looking out for me in her own way. I honestly don’t know why she feels the need to yet I appreciate it nonetheless.I start to get ready for the meeting—nervous, tired, slightly angry, yet ready to go in do what needs to be done. We’ve been at it since my dad’s passing, meeting to determine if I’m suitable enough to run a company I’ve worked my whole life for, sacrificed tears, blood, and sweat for, yet it all boils down to the fact that I’m an untethered male in this day, which my stepmother has convoluted to signal that I’m unreliable to the board members and somehow got my father to consign it and even embed it in his last will and even in company policy.I guess, why don’t we take a big slap to all that talk about how progressive and innovative this company is? Millions of dollars went into several campaigns to make that point, yet I am held back by such archaic traditions. The irony isn’t lost on me.I’m done getting ready when Jack and Mitch walk into the office, and somehow, I feel relieved and energized for the meeting; both men I trust and can count on to have my best interest at heart.I’ve known Jack the longest of the two and is closer to him than even my sister. We started off as merely business associates and developed into comrades; he is a straight shooter, and I like that about him.Over the years he rose up from just managing our shipping to us fully acquiring and fully integrating the business into ours to promoting him to officially handle everything shipping and logistics. Jack moves goods and services into places that aren’t even on the map; he’s like that. My dad never trusted the man yet kept him around, and that’s the exact reason why I trust him outside of our friendship; he will always put the business and company first.Mitch and I met more recently, and it became clear to me that he’s the best lawyer in the city. My dad has always been the man to handle things one-on-one, the old-fashioned way, over drinks, a handshake, and an unspoken rule to never cross him.Yet, the more we evolved, the more I saw the need to have a lawyer on retainer constantly covering our blindside, a sniper of a man willing to roll up his sleeves and get dirty.That man came in the form of Mitch. I met him as a junior associate helping us handle an acquisition that had stalled for months. He somehow found a way to turn the tides; he found out where the CEO raced and bet the fate of the entire deal on winning a drag race. He won the race, streamed the whole thing, and delivered the signed contract on my desk first thing in the following morning.After that, I immediately made him sign permanently to handle our in-house legal offices and also be head of HR and Compliance.As per usual fashion, Jack first said, “Yo, you ready to kick some ass?”I’ve never appreciated how casual his tone is with me in the office, but that’s Jack.I just nodded and continued to walk out of the office, heading towards the meeting hall.“Duke, remember, with these old men, you need to maintain utmost composure; we can’t have this turn into a subject about your character. Remember also our goal is to buy you more time, a reasonable frame to do what you need to do, and to ensure that meanwhile the company remains in your care for the time being.”Mitch explained as we continued walking.As carefree as he can be, he has a way to turn up the heat when he needs to and I firmly agree with his plan to buy time and not get rushed into any marriage.“Thanks, Mitch. Jack, remember to get detailed briefs on each board member after so we can work the personal case this doesn’t go as we hoped.”“Sure thing, Dee.”Again, with the casual tone, Jack is unrepentant, calling me Dee in the office with such nonchalance; I cut his glare, yet he just smiles and raises his hands up in surrender.We reach the boardroom, and I instantly remember why I need to win this fight. Jack and Mitch stand behind me as we stare into the room of men and women, all beautifully dressed.They all stand up as we walk to the head of the table. I make a point to walk slowly, calmly looking at each and every person in the room, exchanging looks and curt nods when needed.I get to my seat and make it a point to stare at my stepmother, who is seated across from me and refuses to sit up. Not that I care, but it sends a wrong message to others, yet I keep calm and politely ask everyone to sit down as I do.The room goes quiet; a pin can be heard drop from the silence, its loud and deafening.I note familiar faces, from Martin, my dad's butler and all-round right-hand man, to Rick, a board member and almost like an uncle. Paulin, a majority shareholder and a friend of my dad, Terry the Viper, a cunning merchant who, rumor has it, used to work for the mafia, double-crossed and somehow managed to go legit. Word on the streets is that he still has those ties for when he needs people to disappear. For some weird reason, seeing Terry sitting far from Nono is comforting. Being a close ally of her, it shows perhaps there is still hope to turn the tide.“Ladies and gentlemen, good day. Shall we begin ?”