The Boss

Ash's car was packed in the underground basement to not draw any unnecessary attention to himself.

Their footsteps echoed in the empty parking lot as Ash raced to the elevator. He wanted to make sure he arrived just in time before the meeting ended.

"Boss, they'll soon start casting their votes," Dean said worriedly.

"Those old men," Ash murmured.

The elevator ride to the thirtieth floor felt like a three-hour plane ride. Ash could do nothing but stare at his watch numerously, tapping his feet restlessly on the marble floor as he watched the numbers on the wall increase with each floor they passed.

He had to make sure the vultures who were after his position and family legacy did not have their way. 

No one would chase Ash Walter from his seat as the CEO of Lanxter Group unless he said so himself.

Ash heaved a sigh of relief as the number changed to thirty and the elevator dinged bell dinged.

The men could finally breathe once Ash stepped out of the cramped elevator. It felt like his anger was suffocating them in the enclosed space. The aura seeping out of him at that moment scared everyone away.

All heads turned as they saw their CEO walk out of the elevator like a predator after his prey. None of them knew whether he survived the shooting and rumors started circulating in the company that he had died. Their dark thoughts seemed to be confirmed once they had of the stakeholder meeting taking place but seeing him there, alive and well, his gaze as cold as ever- colder than before turned their faces as white as sheet.

None of them could utter a word as they watched him pass. His presence and demeanor silenced them completely.

Ash opened the door to the meeting room and momentarily paused to stare at the faces of the men who dared attend a meeting for his dismissal.

"Ash?! You're-"

"Alive." Ash interrupted as he strutted toward the vacant seat at the head of the table. The seat they were all fighting for. His seat.

Whispers filled the room as the men were shocked to see Ash healthy and at work simply a week after his accident. They all thought he was dead and let their greed take over without thinking of the reputation their actions would have.

Seeing their demon CEO in front of them, at his dismissal meeting made them look down in shame. They were afraid of losing their jobs because of their unreasonable actions.

"Would anyone one of you care to tell me what all this is about?" Ash sarcastically asked, smirking as he crossed his legs with his chin resting on his hands.

The room was silent, none of them dared to look up and answer his question.

"We called this meeting for your dismissal as CEO." Jerold, the man who was after Ash's seat the most managed to say.

"And on what claims were you able to call a meeting for my dismissal?" Ash counter asked.

"Due to the recent events of your accident, we thought-"

"You thought?" Ash's voice came out calm yet raging. "If my memory serves me right, you can only dismiss a person as CEO on five claims; Death, insanity, fraud, criminal involvement, and poor decision-making skills. As you can see I am perfectly sane and clearly alive and as for the other claims, well there isn't much to be said."

The room went silent once more. All the men present knew Ash was right. They had no direct claims to dismiss him from his seat.

Taking their silence as acknowledgment, Ash went on. "You all went behind my back, sent emails of a meeting about my dismissal to all board members except my father and me, and plotted to remove me from my position which I reckon is considered treason so what do you suppose I do to you?" He rested his back on the chair and swayed around, waiting for them to give him an answer.

Dean smirked from behind Ash. He was well aware of the tight position the board members were in. Staying silent meant war while giving him an answer also meant war. They had unknowingly played into Ash's spider web where getting out of was nearly impossible.

Ash now controlled all the moves on the chess board.

"Well since we're already here, let's get to work." As took the voting box and pressed the green button. "I've cast my vote, so you can all cast yours. All in favor of my dismissal press green, all who oppose, press red."

They were all stunned to see him vote yes for his dismissal, all except Dean who knew exactly what his boss was doing.

Sweat beads formed on all their foreheads as they all picked up the voting box with shaky hands. Some even drank a full glass of water to cool the heat emanating from Ash's body. His presence shook their confidence.

By the end of the vote, the results read GREEN: 1 vote, RED: 19 votes.

As expected, none of them dared vote yes to his dismissal. Doing that meant starting a generational war with Ash Walter and they all feared for their lives.

"Oh my, one vote only? I thought we all came here to dismiss me so why the change of hearts, gentlemen?" Ash mockingly asked.

"We- we all saw no point in dismissing you since you're serving the company well as CEO... sir." One of the men replied.

"Yes." They all said in unison.

"Need I remind you all that this company is what it is today because of the blood, sweat, and tears of my father and grandfather, and that hard work was passed on to me. The Walter family carries on the hopes and dreams of Lanxter Group." Ash thundered, giving them all a quick history lesson on the company.

They all remained silent and bowed their heads in shame.

The grip Ash had on everyone in that company was clear that day. No one would dare go against him and even if they thought about it, none of them would ever act on their thoughts, not even Jerold. That much was clear.

"Let this be a warning to you all of what will happen next if you pull such a stunt like this again." Ash stood up. "And don't think you're off the hook. Your behavior today was against company rules and protocols and as board members and shareholders your punishment will be served in due time... Meeting adjourned."

They all wasted no time and scurried out of the room with their tails tucked between their shaky legs.

"Well done, boss." Dean turned to Ash as soon as they were left alone in the room.

"Mmm."

Ash loosened his tie and downed the bottle of water by his side. "Who knew dealing with those vultures would be this time-consuming." He rubbed his forehead.

"It's good you made things clear to them sooner rather than later."

*Ding*

Ash's phone pinged. Once again it was a notification from the officer.

Officer: The footage is out and we have a lead on her location. Come down to the station as soon as possible.

Ash wasted no time and rushed out of the room. "We're heading to the police station." He told Dean.

They both ignored the concrebed and confused stress the employees were giving them as they ran through the halls but Ash couldn't care less.

This time the wait on the elevator as the number solely decreased made Ash even more anxious, he could barely control his emotions.

"Boss, take it easy." Dean reminded him.

"Right." Ash half-mindedly replied.

As soon as the elevator landed on the basement floor, Ash practically flew to the car leaving Dean panting to catch up.