Chapter Four

As Armand walked into the building, silence fell over the bustling workplace.

About a month ago, during a company party, that was when Mr. Armstrong had voiced out his desire for Armand to be his heir. However, Armand had said he would accept just so he could give Carla a better life, but Mr. Armstrong had expressed his displeasure over Carla and her family, and Armand had declared that he wanted to be no part of the Armstrong empire if Carla wouldn't be by his side.

“What a fool I had been.” Armand thought to himself.

Ignoring their curious looks, Armand made his way to the CEO's office. However, just as he reached for the doorknob, a voice halted him. "Where do you think you're going?"

Armand turned to find Aaron Armstrong, Mr. Armstrong's nephew who had been appointed CEO when he had turned it down before.

As CEO, Aaron had destroyed the empire and ruined the good name Mr. Armstrong had struggled to build. Also, the empire kept facing multiple attacks from unidentifiable sources. Aaron had publicly disrespected every member of the Armstrong family, knowing they couldn't remove him as CEO. Aaron hated Armand, and he never bothered to hide it.

“Time to prevent that from happening.” Armand said.

Confidently, he replied, "Hello."

"You seem to be lost!" Aaron replied.

Armand scoffed, then nonchalantly shrugged off Aaron's hand from his shoulder.

He looked down at Armand with undisguised disdain and repeated his question, "Where do you think you're going?"

Armand, with a confident smirk, replied, "As you can see, I'm about to enter the CEO's office."

Bewilderment flickered across Aaron's face as he struggled to comprehend Armand's newfound confidence. He questioned, "Have you lost your mind?"

Armand scoffed, attempting once more to open the door. However, Aaron swiftly moved, blocking Armand's path.

Rather than engaging in an argument or physical confrontation, Armand calmly made his way to the centre of the office, Aaron trailing behind.

Once in position, Armand clapped his hands, "Gather around everyone, please. I have an important announcement to make."

The workers looked confused as they abandoned their tasks to gather around him.

As the employees gathered, Armand was now the centre of attention, "I want to express my gratitude for everyone's prompt response, I will be brief." In a clear and authoritative voice, he announced, "We all know that Mr. Armstrong has retired. Now, I am pleased to inform you that I have rightfully assumed my position as his heir, and as such, I am the new CEO of the Armstrong headquarters and all of Mr. Armstrong's empire."

The office buzzed with murmurs and gasps as Armand made the unexpected announcement. A sudden hush fell over the workspace, added by the shocked faces of the workers.

In the midst of the stunned silence, Aaron turned to Armand with a disbelieving look. "Are you joking?" he asked.

Armand, maintaining his composure, stared back at him.

Aaron burst into laughter. "You're being serious right now?" he managed to utter between fits of laughter.

Wearing a confident smirk, Armand dipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved the complimentary card that Mrs. Armstrong had given him. He passed it to the nearest worker, saying, "It seems you all do not believe me. Here, see for yourself."

The worker gasped and passed the card to the person beside him. "It's true," the person affirmed, passing it along. The card circulated among the employees, confirming Armand's proclamation.

Aaron, who had ceased his laughter, strode up to the worker currently holding the card. In disbelief, he snatched it away, demanding, "Give it to me!"

Looking at the card, his voice grew louder, "This can't be. This must be a twisted joke!"

"It's not a joke," Armand calmly told Aaron.

"You're lying," Aaron shot back, refusing to accept the reality before him, "I need to speak to my uncle, I'm convinced that there has been a big misunderstanding somewhere, I need to make a call."

"There will be no need for that," a voice interrupted from behind. All heads turned to see Mr. Armstrong made his way into the room.

He made his way to where Aaron and Armand were standing, and the workers greeted him with respect and enthusiasm as he walked past them.

“Armand wasn't joking," Mr. Armstrong announced to the gathered employees. "He has signed the documents and is now the new CEO of the Armstrong headquarters and the heir to the Armstrong empire."

With these words, Mr. Armstrong instructed the workers to return to their desks, and they did so. Turning to Aaron and Armand, Mr. Armstrong suggested, "We should talk in Armand's office."

Without waiting for a response, he walked off, leaving Armand to turn to Aaron and inquire, "Did you hear that?" Snatching his card from Aaron, Armand followed Mr. Armstrong, but then slowly turned and said, "By Armand's office, he means the CEO's office."

…

"Why?" Aaron questioned once they were all seated in Armand's office.

Mr. Armstrong calmly began to explain, “He deserves it."

Aaron argued, “He’s just the son of a dead maid. I am your blood relative! I deserve to be the heir."

Mr. Armstrong countered, “That may be true, but just like you, Armand has been trained to handle an empire. He's qualified."

"This isn't fair." Aaron protested.

Mr. Armstrong sighed, "I've been taking care of you since you were born. I didn't consider the fact that your mother went against my advice, dated a man who got her pregnant, and abandoned her. I took you under my wings and even gave you a position at the Armstrong headquarters. You should be more grateful."

"I am grateful. But you once said the empire could be mine." Armand replied.

Mr. Armstrong sighed, "I said that because I thought Armand was going to make the mistake of marrying Carla Smith."

Just as Aaron was about to retort, Mr. Armstrong cut him off, "My decision is final. If you can't work under Armand or don't like it, you're free to leave."

"Do you understand?" Mr. Armstrong pressed.

Aaron grumbled, "Yes." He excused himself, muttering that he had work to do, leaving the office with frustration etched across his face.

Mr. Armstrong turned to Armand, asking, "Are you okay?"

Armand nodded, "Yes, I'm fine." He then inquired, "Do you think Aaron will be cooperative?"

Mr. Armstrong sighed, "I'm not sure, Armand. But whatever happens, don't let anyone look down on you ever again."

"Thanks," Armand replied, appreciating the encouragement. "I need to go through the books on my desk."

Mr. Armstrong patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Alright, son, I'll leave you to it then." He exited the office, leaving Armand alone.

Armand rose from his chair, taking a moment to look around his office.

He walked over to the transparent glass wall, offering a breathtaking view of the city. Looking out with newfound confidence, he declared to himself, "I will never be the poor Armand Grey people know again!"

…

Armand let out a yawn, realizing he had been engrossed in reading all the necessary files for his new role. Feeling a bit sleepy, he decided he needed to get a cup of coffee. With no secretary at his disposal yet, he knew he had to get it himself.

He made his way to the office lounge, approaching the door, and he noticed it was slightly open. Cautiously, before going in, he decided to peek inside to see who might already be there since it was already past working hours.

He saw Aaron standing uncomfortably close to Vanessa, an employee of the company. He could hear what they were saying clearly.

"So, have you given any thought to what I asked?" Aaron inquired.

Vanessa, maintaining her composure, replied, "Yes."

Aaron pressed, "And?"

"I don't like you, and I don't want anything to do with you," she said.

Armand observed the change in Aaron's face as he absorbed her words. Aaron moved even closer, prompting Vanessa to step back, fear in her eyes. He urged her to reconsider, but she stood firm, stating that her decision was final.

Aaron, now agitated, threatened, "I'll make your life hell."

Unfazed, Vanessa retorted, "I'm not scared."

He then threatened to get her fired, but she reminded him that he wasn't the CEO and had no authority to terminate anyone. This seemed to annoy Aaron further, and he moved even closer, his intentions unclear.

However, before anything could escalate, Armand walked in, calmly asking, "Is there a problem here?"

Aaron slowly backed off, muttering, "No problem, I'll be seeing you around, Vanessa." With that, he exited the refreshment room, leaving Armand alone with Vanessa.

Concerned, Armand asked, "Are you okay?"

Vanessa nodded, "Yes, I'm fine. Just have some pending work to finish. Also, congratulations on your new role."

"Thanks," he replied, "Feel free to reach out if you need anything."

"I will," Vanessa replied.

Armand poured himself a cup of coffee. As he stepped out, Aaron suddenly appeared in front of him.