2 The bloodthirsty CEO

Author's note for the chapter: This is from Seraphina's point of view

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~ London, Notte Pharmaceuticals ~

"I understand your suggestion, Miss Mezzanotte, but I believe that your approach is too radical.", Director Basset said like he was talking to a child.

Director Schmidt nodded in agreement. "Notte Pharmaceuticals is steady for so long because we have stable products and loyal customers. There is no need for us to take unnecessary risks."

"If your father is here, he would agree.", Director Basset added, and I could see several heads nodding.

That does it!

Do they really think they can bully me during the board meeting of MY company?

'BAM!'

I slapped the surface of the mahogany conference table and all twenty-something people in the room jolted in their fine leather seats.

Everyone got a fright by my sudden action, except Zoe, my teenage werewolf personal assistant who was waiting for me to blow a fuse because these old geezers were opposing my new product from before I ended the presentation.

I know that this is a professional setting of a company worth billions, but they crossed the line.

The ones who support me are silent, the neutral ones are waiting to see the outcome, and these few who dare to challenge me openly are in for a nasty surprise.

My father taught me that Seraphina Mezzanotte is many things, but weak is not one of them.

He also told me that respect needs to be earned and it has nothing to do with age. The fact that most of the people in this room are double my age, is not important.

"Zoe, take a note and send it to the HR department after this meeting", I said, and Zoe straightened her back with her hands hovering over the keyboard of a laptop, waiting for my next words.

"Starting Monday, no one older than sixty years old can be in the board of directors unless they pass a series of tests designed to ensure their reasoning is intact."

"What?", Director Schmidt asked in disbelief. He is fifty-nine years old currently.

I smiled. "Make that fifty-five."

"How can you make such a rule?", Director Basset was quick to ask. Of course, he is fifty-six, and this puts him in the category of affected employees. Several other people stirred, giving Director Basset the courage to speak further, "Miss Mezzanotte, you can't discriminate based on age. As long as we are fit to fulfill the role…"

"That's the thing!", I interrupted him. "I need to remind you that in my father's absence, I'm the one with the power to decide. Director Basset, you are persistently addressing me as Miss Mezzanotte. I am officially CEO Mezzanotte for more than two months which makes me think that you have memory issues. Don't worry. I will hire experts to determine the right tests. This is all in the best interest of Notte Pharmaceuticals. In case you fail the tests, I give you my word that the company will provide you with a generous severance package."

"But, but…", Director Schmidt stuttered, and I swiftly raised my index finger, indicating that I'm not done.

I stood up from my chair and placed both of my palms on the table, leaning a bit forward as my eyes moved over the people who stared at me while waiting to see what I will say next.

Very slowly I made eye contact with every person in the room (except for Zoe) while speaking, "It seems to me that you don't understand the current situation. I was not asking for permission. I was not asking for your opinions. I was informing you that we are launching a new product. Your job is to make it as successful as possible."

I took the remote for the projector and flipped through the slides until I found the corresponding one. "The new formula provides better results, and it costs us less to make compared to the one we currently have on the market. How is that risky? This is not based on my age or experience, but on data. Now that the final stages of testing are complete, the more we delay, the more money we lose. You should understand that but since you insist on opposing the idea, I must question your sanity. Of course, the other option is to believe that you will put your ego first, at the expense of our company and thousands of employees."

Director Schmidt pressed his lips into a line and broke eye contact, and I smirked.

Eat that, you old bat!

I flipped two more slides and circled with the laser pointer a few keywords that were on the screen.

"I provided every person in this room with documentation which you should have received a week ago. There, it clearly states that we will do a phased rollout where we diminish the supply of the old product and replace it with the new one while we test the pulse of customers."

I returned my gaze to the people in the room.

"If you don't agree with this, you will need to provide me with data to support your claims, and if you have problems with that, I suggest you hand in your resignations. In that way, instead of trying to persuade you to do your jobs, I will spend my time hiring your replacements. Do you understand your current situation now, or should I get my secretary to write that down for you?"

…

"That was cool!", Zoe said with glee while we made our way to my office, her long blonde hair bounced with her every step.

Dressed in a sharp business suit with a dark blue A-line skirt with a matching blazer, Zoe fits the image of a competent assistant she is. She is yet to turn eighteen years old, but I am depending on her for many things.

I looked at her big steel-blue eyes that reflected her excitement and I shook my head at the silly girl. "I hurt their egos. Let's increase surveillance on all directors and make sure they don't do anything stupid. Oh, and find me a list of psychiatrists who do these kinds of tests."

"Yes, boss!"

Once the door of my office closed, I released a long breath and plopped on the sofa.

These things tire me out mentally.

This new product came out of the hands of my father, and I was in charge of overseeing the testing that was done by an independent third party. However, even if I said that in the meeting, it wouldn't change anything because they see me as an inexperienced youngster who stepped into the CEO role too soon.

According to them, unless I have gray hairs, I'm not qualified. Now I understand the motive of my father for making himself look like a middle-aged man instead of his eternal appearance of a guy in his mid-twenties.

Well, I might be young and inexperienced, but I can still fire them.

"How was the meeting?", Luca, my second teenage werewolf assistant, asked when he came out of the side door which connects his and Zoe's office with mine.

Luca is quite a looker. Over the three years he spent with Fynn and a bunch of other werewolves, Luca went through several growth spurs and developed an impressive physique. He is almost a full head taller than Zoe and his neatly trimmed chestnut-colored hair that is a bit longer at the top is revealing his handsome face.

And I absolutely adore how he looks like a young adult in custom-made suits I ordered for him.

After our first outing in London, we realized that Luca is attracting the enamored gazes of numerous girls, and Zoe and I had to tease him a bit.

Luca is a quiet boy, and he didn't like the attention, so he started wearing glasses (without a prescription) with the hope to lower his attractiveness level.

Silly boy. It's not working. Luca is cuter than a button, and if he is just a bit younger, I would pinch his cheeks, but he will be eighteen years old in a few months, and it's not appropriate.

"The meeting was awesome!", Zoe responded enthusiastically. "It was just as Serina predicted. Those humans don't know what's good for them."

"Maybe this helps improve your mood.", Luca said while placing a glass of blood in front of me.

Less than four years ago, I was just a human girl who was eager to finish college, find a job, and start a normal life.

It all changed a few weeks before graduation when I went with my college friends to Venice. I was assaulted after my so-called friends spiked my drink and left me with a thug-for-hire who turned out to be a werewolf.

But that's not the weirdest part.

During that incident, my fingers turned into claws, and before I got a chance to comprehend what was happening, I died. Sanya Bogdan was dead.

I woke up three days later in the lab where I met Aldus Mezzanotte, the man I address as my father.

He revived me, gave me the identity of his daughter and a name: Seraphina Amara Mezzanotte. He said that Seraphina is because of the fire I have in me, Amara stands for eternal, and Mezzanotte is his surname, the surname of the vampire royal family… the ONLY vampire royal family.

Aldus gave me the family I never had.

I grew up with two people I believed are my parents. They neglected me often, and only after becoming Seraphina, I found out that they were not related to me at all and that they pretended to be my parents for money. There was also a grandmother who probably was not my grandmother either, but just a servant who was in charge of keeping me hidden.

Why was I hidden? From whom? I don't know if I will ever get those answers.

Aldus became my father and he provided me with unconditional support, and I don't care to find out who my real parents are because I am happy. Busy, but happy.

Aldus did much more than just bring me back from the dead. The procedure he did was a precursor for unlocking various abilities that get triggered when I experience emotional turmoil. With practice, I can learn to use those abilities at will and fine-tune them.

Since then, I got to know that I have a photographic memory, super healing, I can release pheromones and influence how others feel about me, I can control air and create storms. At some point, I was able to inject my vitality into others and rejuvenate them, but after I overused that ability my father placed a seal on me which resulted in reversing the ability so now instead of giving my vitality, I'm taking from others which brings me to this glass of blood in front of me.

This is more than just an ability, it's a craving that stimulates hunger which can be sated only if I take vitality.

I can siphon the vitality from others by coming close to them, however, I'm unable to exert precise control of how much I'm taking, and I'm at risk of killing my food. Small animals and plants are negligible, and if I end up killing big ones (or people), that will leave an unwanted trail of bodies, and that's why I'm going for the next best thing: I drink blood that is rich in vitality.

"Thanks.", I said to Luca while accepting the glass filled with crimson liquid which I hungrily downed without delay.

The blood slid down my throat smoothly and a second later I felt the energy dancing through my system. The feeling was euphoric.

I smiled at the sight of Zoe who was excitedly telling Luca what happened during the meeting.

The closer Zoe is to her eighteenth birthday, the higher is her energy and I can see that she is nervous. One more month and she will find out who is her mate (assuming that she meets him).

Of course, Zoe hopes that it's her boyfriend, Ash, and I hope that she will not be disappointed if it turns out that he is not… or if it turns out that he is.

Zoe is enamored with Ash for years and has eyes only for him, while Ash is not exactly willing to commit to monogamy. Zoe doesn't seem to be aware of Ash's behavior when she is not around, but if they are mates, she will find out once the mate bond kicks in and they start feeling each other's emotions.

I have no idea how Zoe's upcoming birthday will impact the dynamics between three teen werewolves who are under my care for more than three years, but no matter how I feel about it, it will come, and we will cross that bridge when we get there.

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