The Mysterious Chairman Keith

Chapter 30

TITANS COLLIDE

Across the city, far from where Manuel was living, information about Manuel's height spread faster than wind itself.

Even Manuel didn't know that, he had spies around him that were that close to get real information about things that were personal to him.

At Nexagen headquarters, informants delivered their reports without embellishment.

Subject: Manuel.

Activity: Accelerated progression.

Indicators: Abnormal stamina. Enhanced cognition and energy output exceeding projected models.

Screens were lighted up with data, training footage, biometric trends, financial movements. The pattern was undeniable.

“He’s moving too fast,” one analyst said.

Another leaned forward. “This wasn’t organic growth.”

The report was compiled, sealed, and forwarded upward.

One of the persons Tommy planted in Nightingale received it late that evening.

He read it one time and continued reading it over and over.

The corner of his mouth twitched, satisfaction spreading all over his face as he tapped on the screen, scrolling and reading it out loud.

“So,” he murmured, tapping the file lightly. “He finally shows his hand.”

He didn’t hesitate.

“Apply pressure to Nightingale’s board,” Tommy ordered. “Quietly. Remind them where their leverage lies.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tommy leaned back, his eyes were a little bit distant. “If he’s growing, we’ll see how he handles resistance.”

Soon, he went inside his secret office, only known to people that were very close to him. 

That was where most of his dirty works and instructions were carried out.

He opened a secure channel.

“Authorize contingency,” he said calmly. “Prepare elimination protocols.”

He paused, staring into distance as though he sensed something, but instead, a smirk spread out across his face and he nodded.

Beep!

A message dropped on his phone and his screen lit up, he picked it up at once and stared at it for a while and he nodded again, taking the glass of alcohol by his side. 

Just then, his phone rang and it was Lucas. 

He picked it up without thinking twice. 

“What are your plans for that boy?!” Lucas’ voice rang out from the other end. “Should I move now?” 

“Not yet,” Tommy said. “Just… be ready.”

The call ended with a smirk on his face, and a glass of alcohol to his lips. 

*****

MANUEL’S VILLA

Manuel woke up early and received a message from the office.

It was a summon that looked like a threat from the board. 

He wondered what they were plotting.

He was reviewing financial projections when his phone vibrated once on the desk. An internal line. Board seal.

He stared at it for a moment longer than necessary, then picked it up.

“Chairman Keith,” the secretary’s voice said, carefully neutral, “the board has requested your presence. Immediately.”

Manuel ended the call without pleasantries.

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly. Boards didn’t request without intent. And intent, in his experience, was rarely clean.

Laura noticed the shift instantly, because she was standing over the counter, watching him the whole time.

“Board?” she asked from across the bar.

“Yes.”

Her fingers stilled over her tablet. “Do you want me there?”

Manuel considered it. Then nodded. “Yes. I do.”

Soon, they got to the office and the office looked a bit tensed.

The boardroom felt colder than usual.

Not physically, no, the temperature was fine. It was the kind of cold that seeped into the spine, sharpened by faces that smiled too easily.

They were already seated when Manuel entered.

All except one.

Tommy Lyden sat near the far end of the table, legs crossed leisurely, hands clasped as if he belonged there.

Manuel’s steps slowed.

So that’s it, he thought. You don’t even bother hiding anymore.

Tommy smiled when their eyes met. It was polite and it looked like everything he was doing was well plotted.

Manuel took his seat at the head of the table anyway.

Laura stood slightly behind him, composed, her posture calm, but there was something in the air around her, something subtle and heavy, like pressure.

One of the older board members cleared his throat.

“Chairman Keith,” he began, “thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Manuel replied coolly. “So let’s skip the formalities.”

A murmur rippled across the table.

Another member leaned forward. “We’ve been discussing the future of Nightingale.”

Manuel’s lips curved faintly. “I wasn’t aware my absence made it a democracy.”

A few chuckles followed. Nervous ones.

Tommy remained silent, watching.

“You see,” the man continued, “with Chairman Dave’s prolonged hospitalization, and the… instability surrounding recent events, the board feels it may be wise to reassess leadership structure.”

Laura’s gaze sharpened when she heard that.

“Reassess?” Manuel repeated softly, stealing a glance at Laura who shifted uncomfortably.

“Yes,” another member chimed in. “Perhaps you need capable hands beside you. Or above you.”

There it was.

Manuel leaned forward slowly, palms flat on the table. “Are you suggesting I step down?”

“No,” the first man said quickly. “Not step down. Just share responsibility. Interim oversight.”

“With whom?” Manuel asked, already knowing the answer.

Tommy finally spoke. “With those who have the company’s best interests at heart.”

Manuel laughed now understanding what he was plotting.

“You’re sitting in my father’s chair,” he said, eyes locked on Tommy. “You don’t get to talk about best interests.”

A board member scoffed. “Your father may not be here much longer.”

The room went silent and that was when Laura moved.

She stepped forward, her heels sounding as she came and stood in front of their tables.

Several members stiffened without knowing why.

“Chairman Dave Keith,” Laura said evenly, “owns the largest share in Nightingale. He is alive. As long as he breathes, this conversation is legally void.”

Someone laughed.

“For how long, though?” another man said, shrugging. “Hospitals don’t stop time.”

That was when Manuel lost control.

The chair scraped violently as he stood. In one swift motion, he crossed the table and seized the man by the collar, lifting him halfway out of his seat.

Their hands flew up immediately and their voices erupted in a loud uproar, fear in their eyes as they looked at the scene before them.

“Chairman Keith….!”

“Manuel!”