The unstoppable vengeance of Micheal Krux.

40; the interview

Chapter 40; The Interview

By the time Layla followed Gabriel downstairs, the entire company building already felt chaotic.

Employees stood in clusters whispering nervously across the lobby while reporters pushed against the security barriers outside the glass entrance doors. Phones rang nonstop at the reception desks, and several assistants hurried through the hallways carrying documents with visibly panicked expressions.

Luxter Energy had never looked this disorganized before.

Layla spotted Daniel near the elevators trying unsuccessfully to calm two shareholders who were speaking over each other angrily.

“What exactly is happening?” one of them demanded.

“Our stocks are still dropping!”

“We need an official statement immediately!”

Gabriel walked past them without stopping. “Conference room. Ten minutes.”

The men followed immediately.

Layla remained standing near the lobby television as the business news continued playing across the giant screen mounted against the wall.

And there he was.

Michael Krux.

Calm.

Composed.

Wearing a black suit while seated across from one of the most popular business journalists in the country.

The headline beneath the screen read:

THE MAN SHAKING LUXTER ENERGY SPEAKS OUT

Layla frowned slightly.

This was not accidental.

Michael chose this moment deliberately.

The interviewer smiled professionally at him from across the studio table. “Mr. Krux, the entire business industry woke up shocked this morning after news broke that you acquired nearly ten percent of Luxter Energy.”

Michael gave a calm nod. “Business rewards people who prepare early.”

The woman smiled politely. “Many people are calling this a hostile takeover attempt.”

“That would imply I’m hiding my intentions,” Michael replied smoothly. “I’m not.”

Several employees inside the lobby exchanged nervous looks immediately.

Layla noticed it.

The confidence in his voice was affecting people already.

The interviewer leaned forward slightly. “So what exactly are your intentions?”

Michael adjusted the sleeve of his watch calmly before answering.

“I invested in Luxter Energy because I believe the company can still recover.”

Recover.

The word alone sounded like an insult.

One of the executives standing nearby muttered angrily under his breath, “Arrogant bastard.”

Layla remained quiet.

Michael continued speaking on the screen.

“Right now the company has leadership problems, internal instability, and poor crisis management. Investors can see that clearly.”

Inside the lobby, several employees slowly lowered their eyes.

Because he was not entirely wrong.

The interviewer looked interested now. “Are you blaming the Luxter family directly?”

Michael smiled faintly.

“I’m saying emotions make people dangerous in business.”

Layla folded her arms tightly across her chest.

That answer irritated her because she immediately understood what he was doing.

He was positioning himself as the calm professional while making her family look unstable publicly.

And worst of all, It was working.

The interviewer glanced briefly at her notes before asking the next question carefully.

“Your return to the business world has surprised many people, especially considering what happened five years ago.”

The lobby became quieter immediately.

Even the employees stopped whispering.

Michael’s expression did not change.

“What happened five years ago changed many things,” he replied calmly.

“Do you believe Luxter Energy was involved in your downfall back then?” the interviewer asked directly.

Several people inside the lobby turned toward the television fully now.

Layla felt her heartbeat tighten slightly.

Michael remained silent for a brief moment before answering.

“I believe powerful people make desperate decisions when they feel threatened.”

The interviewer blinked carefully. “That sounds serious.”

“It is serious,” Michael replied.

Upstairs, one of the conference room doors slammed loudly.

Gabriel appeared again looking furious.

“Turn that off immediately,” he ordered the staff.

Nobody moved.

Not because they were refusing, but because everybody wanted to keep watching.

Gabriel noticed that too, and somehow that only made him angrier.

The interview continued.

“Do you personally hate the Luxter family?” the interviewer asked carefully.

Michael gave a soft laugh at the question.

“Hate is emotional,” he replied. “This is business.”

Layla stared at the television quietly.

No matter how calm Michael sounded, she could feel something colder underneath his words.

Not rage.

Not bitterness.

Conviction.

Like somebody who had waited years for this exact moment.

Then the interviewer asked the question that changed the atmosphere completely.

“There are rumors online that your mother’s death may have been connected to the fallout between both families. Would you like to address that?”

The lobby became completely silent.

Layla’s breath caught slightly.

For the first time since the interview began, Michael’s expression changed.

Not dramatically.

But enough.

His jaw tightened briefly before relaxing again.

When he finally spoke, his voice sounded quieter.

“My mother deserved better than what happened to her.”

Layla slowly looked away from the screen.

Something about that sentence unsettled her deeply.

Because he did not sound like a man creating business drama anymore.

He sounded like a son.

And suddenly, for the first time since all this started, Layla genuinely wondered if her family had done something unforgivable.