Chapter 105
“So when will I be able to meet the chairman of Malakai Group of Companies for a courtesy call? I would like to personally thank him for the appointment.”
Ashton fixed his gaze on Zandrie. His tone was professionally casual, but the earnestness beneath it was unmistakable
“You’ll meet the chairman soon enough, CEO Pierce,” Zandrie replied, his voice smooth yet faintly dismissive.
The boardroom had emptied minutes ago. The echoes of discussion, the scrape of chairs, and the low murmur of departing executives had faded, leaving only the two of them in the vast, polished space.
Ashton did not respond immediately.
Instead, he studied Zandrie’s face–measuring, weighing, searching for what lay beneath the carefully chosen words.
The silence stretched.
“I’ll look forward to that meeting, CEO Wallace,” Ashton finally said, his voice calm but deliberate.
Zandrie held his gaze, this time with a seriousness that replaced his earlier indifference.
“I trust you’ll lead Knowles and Greene with the same intensity you’ve shown at Pierce Corporation,” he said. “Bring it to greater heights. That’s what MGC expects.”
A faint smile touched Ashton’s lips.
“Well, business is business,” he replied, tilting his head slightly in a casual shrug.
“My name is on the line. The success of Knowles and Greene is the success of Ashton Pierce.”
He paused, his eyes sharpening just enough to turn the statement into something more than confidence–something closer to a promise.
“And I don’t attach my name to failure.”
“Well then, you can count on the full support of Malakai Group of Companies–especially its Chairman,” Zandrie said, his tone measured, almost reassuring.
“Good luck with the clean–up, CEO Pierce. You have a massive one ahead of you,”
He tapped his fingers lightly against the polished table, the sound echoing once in the quiet room. Then, as if the matter was already settled, he rose from his seat, straightened his coat, and walked out–leaving Ashton alone with the weight of his new command.
Clean–up.
Ashton leaned back slightly, his eyes drifting to the empty seats around the boardroom.
Yes. That was exactly what this was,
And whoever the Chairman of Malakai Group was, that person knew precisely what they were doing–because they knew exactly what Ashton Pierce was capable of.
They hadn’t hired him to maintain. They had brought him in to dismantle, rebuild, and dominate.
As expected, Ashton wasted no time.
The absence of a formal office did not slow him down. He claimed the boardroom as his temporary command center, spreading reports, financial statements, restructuring plans, and personnel profiles across the long table.
Within hours, he had already identified inefficiencies, questionable contracts, and departments bloated with loyalty rather than
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Chapter 105
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performance.
By mid–afternoon, progress had been made. Then a document arrived.
It bore the seal of the Chairman of Malakai Group.
Ashton paused before opening it, his expression sharpening with interest.
While Ashton buried himself in work, the Knowles family left the boardroom burning with quiet fury.
The final blow came when they reached the executive floor.
Red Knowles‘ office was being emptied.
Staff members moved carefully but efficiently, removing framed certificates, personal awards, files, and memorabilia–placing everything into large storage boxes. The once–commanding space already looked stripped of authority.
“This… this can’t be happening,” Elvira Knowles whispered, shaking her head as she watched the scene unfold, disbelief etched
across her face.
Rima clutched her bag tightly, her composure cracking.
“Red, can’t we do something? We can’t just let them push us out of our own company!” she said anxiously, her voice rising despite the employees within earshot.
“There has to be a way. You can’t just give up your position like this.”
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