THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 57: BATTLE TESTED

Chapter 57: BATTLE TESTED

Celine Atticus stood in front of the stakeholders of Spades, a big smile stretching the skin on her cheeks.

She couldn’t believe how fast she pulled off her latest scheme.

Ace was getting heat from the press. His grandmother was finally opening her eyes to the man she had given all her love and attention to since he was a boy.

And she, oh she was about to add a little more nails to his carefully designed coffin.

"Good morning everyone. I’m glad we could all make it here, despite how early, and impromptu this meeting is."

"Everyone? I don’t see Ace," Lynette scoffed.

"Landon too. Where’s Landon?" Manny asked, Looking around.

"I think the better question is why couldn’t they make it? Perhaps, Ace considers himself too big to honor an invite for an important meeting regarding the future of Spades. It could also be because of his latest image in the media. Maybe he doesn’t want to be seen out and about just yet. If that’s the case, Spades will bear the biggest brunt of his neglect," she broke down sophisticatedly, and with a little condescension.

"You’re right Ms Celine," Tyler agreed with a bob of his head. "His absence has shown a great lack of dedication for a company that is supposed to be a priority."

Lynette snickered. "Never an independent thought with you," she muttered under her breath.

"Would you like to say that to my hearing?" Tyler directed at her.

"Let’s just get on with it," Theresa said, before the back and forth could start.

"Thats a great suggestion. Everyone knows I’m not the kind to stall, or dilly dally. A report of our financial gain was brought to my attention yesterday," she began. Walking over to the projected screen, she typed on her laptop, and some figures appeared on the screen.

"You can clearly see a decline in daily interest. We’ve not had that kind of ridiculously wide margin in a long time. What does this say?" She looked around, waiting for a response.

"That business is not always rosy? Sometimes shit happens?" Lynette answered in a bored tone. She stretched her fingers, wishing there was a stick of cigarette between them. If the meeting wasn’t fixed so darned early, she would have taken a puff or two before coming for the headache-inducing gathering.

"Wrong. It shows that the public is turning against the company, and it’s reflective of its dwindling figures," Tyler chipped in.

Celine’s criticizing gaze left the bored face of Lynette, and smiled when it approached Tyler.

"Thank you for that wonderful insight. Safe to say we still have intelligent people in this company, who can actually see the big picture." She was turning to the screen when a voice stopped her in motion.

"I don’t see it," Dennis randomly jumped in.

"What don’t you see?" She returned to her initial position.

"That the figures are an indictment of Ace’s management. This is the same man that tripled the company’s average interest in just five years of running the company. I don’t think it’s fair to join the media in their unnecessary witch-hunt."

A thick cloud of fury rose in Celine’s throat, but she swallowed it with the bitter saliva that had formed in her mouth after hearing those words.

Expertly, her smile remained fixed as she regarded pudgy Dennis with a scrutinizing gaze. "Mr Dennis, do we run a charity organization?"

"No we don’t."

"Do you know how much an hour’s loss costs us? Perhaps, we should let things continue like this, and see if you won’t be asking to buy out your shares in two months tops."

"That’s not—"

"This is a competitive market Mr Dennis," she cut him short. "It’s kill or be killed. A game of tactics. I didn’t know about you, but the Atticus’ are not losers. We play to win or don’t play at all. If you want to settle for mediocrity then I’ll advise you to take your shares far away. Is that what you want sir?" She added in a patronizing tone.

Lynette watched with disgust as Dennis shrinked into his shell. That pretty much summarized how well Celine turned grown men into puppets that couldn’t think for themselves.

She had seen through the bitch from the very first day they met in college. Same day she started a rumor about her that haunted her for the four years in those four walls.

Things have changed now. If no one was going to stop this impending madness, she would. She was very certain Landon had passed her message across, so where the hell was Ace?

She wondered if she should have just called him herself.

"Before I proceed, are there any other clarifications needed?"

"None at all. Everything you’ve said so far is right."

Lynette hissed in her heart. If his nose dug any deeper into her rectum, he may discover gold.

"Let’s talk about the consequences then. We can agree that if you plummet a company’s interest and can’t even be assed enough to show up to a meeting discussing solutions, then you need to be held accountable?"

"Yep," Tyler and Theresa said in unison.

"We can’t proceed until we have a unanimous decision," she continued, staring directly at Lynette.

"What kind of consequences should be given in this case?"

Everyone’s gaze trailed towards Celine’s mother, who had been quietly observing all along.

Lynette hoped she wouldn’t pay any attention to this bullshit, but that hope burnt to ashes when the woman allowed Celine to spew one slanderous statement after the another, concerning her grandson.

It was why she took it upon herself to stop the madness before it further spread. But she waited now. Waited to see if the grandmother had changed her mind.

"I think that’s for the board to decide."

"I know. But what are these options? If there aren’t any, I’d like to suggest a temporary suspension as president of the company," she said to everyone’s surprise.

Theresa gasped, Tyler smiled, Dennis and Manny’s glances darted back and forth, communicating their shock.

"Isn’t that too far, mum?" Celine asked with faux concern heavy in her voice.

Lynette’s fist squeezed. She couldn’t stand the hypocrisy. She didn’t understand what had happened to the old woman, but she wasn’t acting like the sensible woman she used to know.

"It’s nothing in comparison to the damage done. If he was here to defend himself, we would have listened. But he isn’t. A boy that thinks himself greater than the thing that puts a roof over his head, should be stripped of that power."

"I don’t agree," Lynette said.

"Huh? Do you know who you’re talking to?" Tyler hissed.

"You can’t make this kind of decision without hearing his side. It’s not fair to him," she doubled down.

"Let’s vote now," Celine said, pretending not to have heard a word that came out of Lynette’s mouth.

"Ce—"

"What exactly are we voting for?" Theresa in her usual naivety asked.

"In agreement that Ace Atticus would be suspended as president of Spades, effective, immediately," Celine responded, her chin lifting up haughtily.

"That’s a very strong decision to make in my absence."

The door suddenly opened, and Ace Atticus walked into the boardroom.

A collective gasp echoed round the room, as he proceeded forward. Behind him, Landon appeared, carrying his briefcase.

"Ace," Lynette called, a spark of pride lighting up her eyes.

He threw her a wink, as he came to a halt beside his Aunt.

"Good morning everyone," he began, ignoring her like she didn’t exist. "I’m sorry for the delay. There was an accident on the highway, and every car had to move to the other roads, which caused heavy traffic. It’s okay if a fine is deducted for coming late, but what’s this thing about suspension I hear?" He asked, his eyes resting on his grandmother.

Her heart jumped with excitement, but outwardly, she remained stone cold.

"It is not a wild request, considering what your behavior has cost us in the last two days," she said.

"My behavior?" He chuckled dryly. "I mean I get that the press are having a field day with the lies someone planted against me," he shoved his hands into his pockets, and began to pace. "That has absolutely nothing to do with the figures I’ve seen on that screen."

"What do you mean?"

"Good question. There’s a new company in town. They’re young, and promising. Investors are buying into their ideas and innovations in large numbers. Even some of our shareholders have bought shares in that company," he paused, and threw an amused glance at Celine. Her face grew pale, as he continued pacing. "Naturally, when there’s a new player raking in gains, it tends to affect the interests of other companies. We managed to be hit the least by the decline. Ask anywhere if you may. Do you want to know why?"

He stopped directly in front of his grandmother.

"Why?" Her gaze, unfaltering, rested calmly on him.

"Another good question. The new company is a subsidiary of our company. I made that purchase two years ago, but waited until I saw an opportunity to launch it into the open market. It was a huge risk to take, but I did it. Do you know why?" He asked again.

"Why?" She asked. This time, there was a slight curve of her lips.

"Because my grandfather told me to become the best businessman there is, you must first become the business," he turned so he could see his Aunt from where he stood. "So while others manipulate their ways into eliminating competition, I make the competition, and they buy into it."

He strode forward purposefully, and stopped in front of Aunt Celine. Leaning into her ears, he whispered. "I won’t forget this."

Her legs trembled at the coldness of his voice. For the first time, her eyes opened to see he was nothing like his father. If anything, he was more an extension of her.

And she knew then and there, he was going to be the most difficult battle of her entire life.