PAYBACK Of Johnson Lancaster

Chapter 8: The Unshakable Delusion

The doors of the main conference room remained tightly shut, sealing in a heavy wave of nervous air as the board sat in silence.

At the head of the table sat Haven Tyler. He managed to settle his shaking legs as much as possible so as not to draw unnecessary attention, trying hard to look like he was in full control.

Isabella positioned next to him, her fingers gripping her folder so hard her knuckles tightened. The recent money freezes had shaken her, but sitting here in the center of power, her natural pride quickly rushed back.

"Don't worry, Isabella," Haven whispered smoothly, leaning over so the board could hear his steady tone. "Whoever this new manager is, they are stepping into my house. I built the systems here. A desk worker from headquarters is not going to change a thing."

Isabella forced a tight smile, taking comfort in his words. "You're right, Haven. We've lived through worse. The board is probably just panicking over a small blip."

At the other end of the table, several older board members shared worried looks. They knew better. Bank accounts did not freeze by themselves, and huge supply chains did not vanish overnight over a small blip. A heavy storm was tearing through their foundation.

All eyes snapped to the front as the heavy brass handle slowly turned.

The doors swung wide open.

Mr. McAllister stepped into the room. He was a tall corporate director dressed in a dark suit, his face entirely blank and cold. His mere presence made the room hold its breath.

Haven’s back stiffened. He cleared his throat loudly, sitting up to claim his spot. "Well. It's about time. As the top manager here, I expect full answers about—"

Mr. McAllister bypassed Haven entirely, treating him with the total indifference one gives to a piece of office furniture.

He strode straight to the primary seat of power at the center of the table, opened a leather case, pulled out a thick stack of audit papers, and slid them across the wood.

"Starting right now," Mr. McAllister stated, his voice flat, calm, and filled with heavy power, "all money control, cash flow, and signing powers for Vax Company are placed under direct outside supervision. Mr. Tyler, your signature is canceled on all main accounts."

The room gasped out loud.

Immediately, confusion laced across Haven's face. He stepped back against his chair, his eyes wide as he stared at the papers. "Canceled?! You gotta be kidding, right?! I am the general manager of this company! You can't just take away my signing power! Who approved this?!"

"The majority owner," Mr. McAllister replied coldly, his gaze sweeping past Haven as if addressing an empty chair. "The group holding eighty-five percent of your company debt. You are no longer running things; you are surviving at our will."

Isabella jumped to her feet, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. Panic hit her throat, but her great pride instantly rushed in to push the fear away, twisting her face into an angry snarl.

"This is a mistake! A total fraud!" Isabella protested, pointing a mean finger at Mr. McAllister. "Some rival firm is trying to ruin us! This isn't real!"

Haven grabbed onto her words like a drowning man. The deep shame of battling for his power was too much for his weak ego to handle, so his brain instantly made up a comforting lie to shield him from the truth.

A sharp, arrogant laugh burst from Haven's throat. He straightened his jacket, shaking his head with fake pity as he looked around the room.

"I see what's happening," Haven announced loudly, his voice echoing off the walls as he tried to save face in front of the board. "This is a fake bluff! Some desperate loser is trying to play mind games with us!"

The board members stared at him in shock. "A bluff? The accounts are frozen, Mr. Tyler!"

"It's not real power!" Haven insisted, waving a hand with a sneering grin. "Think about it! Only a total nobody would hide behind secret audit papers and proxy officers! Whoever is pulling these strings is just bluffing around and should not be taken seriously!"

Isabella let out a sharp, relieved breath, nodding fast as the comforting lie washed over her. "You're totally right, Haven! It's just a cheap trick! Probably some broke, jealous nobody from our past trying to act big!"

She crossed her arms, a smug smile returning to her face. She thought briefly of Johnson, the broken, poor ex-husband they had kicked out onto the street, and felt pure disgust.

‘Could a loser like him ever command power like this? No way. He was probably starving in some dirty alley right now, begging for food.’

"Fix this audit by tomorrow, or we'll sue your firm into the dust," Haven spat proudly at Mr. McAllister, turning his back with great pride. He grabbed Isabella’s hand, his chin held high. "Come on, Isabella. Let's leave these clowns to their fake papers. We have an empire to run."

With their heads held high in a fake bubble of victory, Haven and Isabella marched out of the conference room, fully convinced they had won.

Miles away, inside the quiet penthouse, the large screen showed the live security feed of the room.

Johnson sat comfortably in his l chair, watching Haven and Isabella walk out with their fake smug smiles.

A feeling of anger still lived in his chest, but seeing how gladly they wrapped themselves in comforting lies, his eyes turned ice-cold.

He set his glass down on the table. The sharp clink of crystal against wood was the only sound in the silent room.

Johnson mused with a dangerous grin. ‘They could celebrate their imaginary victory all they wanted. Every step they took further into their delusion only brought them closer to the drop.’

He leaned back, crossing his fingers over his chest, waiting patiently for the floorboards to give way under their feet.

But he did not intend to give the June family, Haven Tyler, or anyone who allied with them a quick elimination.

‘Where's the fun in that?’ Johnson giggled out loud.

OUTLINE

Title:

Genre: Urban

Trope: Son-in-law, Heir, Hidden Identity

Theme: Faceslapping, Hidden Identity, Dominance, Strategy

Setting: Lancaster Estate, June Household

Blurb:

Cast aside as a worthless parasite, Johnson staged his own ruin to map the greed of the wife and manager who betrayed him. Now, operating through untouchable proxies and billionaire-tier chess moves, he is slowly locking every financial escape route they possess.

As they celebrate their imaginary victory in arrogant ignorance, they have no idea the dragon they have awakened.

The net is tightening, and the real reckoning has only just begun.