"It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry my entrance was so chaotic. It seems that soone placed guards in front of my eting room to stop from getting here. I didn't have the easiest ti, so I had to make do with what I had. Hopefully, you all don't mind. Frieda, please take the body."
Frieda appeared from outside the room, and she walked over to take the unconscious body of Jake with her before she left. Ryan also ca into the room and closed the door behind him as he went to stand behind Mark.
Mark smiled kindly at all the people in the room. The silence from them was intense. Most of them were just staring at Mark with wide eyes as they tried to comprehend the feeling of awe that filled their hearts the mont they saw Mark. Even though this was a board eting, that does not an that Mark did not have any fans in the room.
But the rest of them were too busy glaring at Mark, and they were practically trying to fry Mark into nothing with their eyes alone!
"Mark, what are you doing here? I told you to wait for to handle this, and I'll call you once I'm done."
Hugo imdiately walked up to Mark, and Mark just raised his hand to tell Hugo not to bother. Mark already got the basic gist of everything that was happening from Ryan, and he knew that he could not trust Hugo to go against the board of directors in a situation like this.
Mark did not want to believe Ryan at first, but after listening in on this eting using his enhanced hearing and seeing how things were going, Mark couldn't help but face the fact that Ryan was telling the truth. With the way things have been going, Mark knew that it was only a matter of ti before the board strong-ard Hugo into seeing things their way.
"This is my company, and I don't need soone else to grant permission before I can enter it. If sothing like this ever happens again, I'll dissolve the board and get myself a new board of directors. Hugo, please have a seat."
Mark turned to Hugo, and Hugo saw that Mark was not joking around right now. Mark was dead serious, and Hugo imdiately went towards one of the seats at the side and sat down quietly. Mark put his hands in his pockets and walked to the head of the table opposite where Sinclair was seated, and he calmly sat down while his hard gaze was fixed on Sinclair.
The two n were caught in an intense staredown. Sinclair had a furrow in his brow, and he grit his teeth discreetly as he felt the intense pressure of Mark's natural aura pressing down on him. Mark was staring at Sinclair with a blank face without showing any emotion whatsoever, but just that was enough to make a bead of sweat start moving down Sinclair's forehead.
"Ah-hem!"
After so ti, Sinclair finally cleared his throat, and he stood up as calmly as possible before moving to a seat at the side. Sinclair tried to make sure he didn't show how embarrassed he was by this situation on his face, but everyone knew that Sinclair felt very humiliated by the loss.
But even though they knew, they couldn't hold it against Sinclair since no one in the room would be able to withstand the pressure if he were in Sinclair's position.
If he kept sitting at the head seat, Sinclair knew that he would not be able to think calmly throughout this eting. Mark's aura was just too imposing, and Sinclair had no chance of thinking clearly while soone like Mark was staring him down. Sinclair allowed Mark to win this round, but he swore that he would never forget this humiliation.
Mark leaned back calmly after Sinclair left his seat, and he allowed his gaze to sweep over everyone who was gathered there. Most of them weren't able to et his eyes, and those who were able to et his eyes either looked at him in hatred or with admiration.
"It's been a while since I've been in this office. I'm surprised to see that things are very much the sa as they were four years ago."
"What are you doing here, Mark?"
Mark turned as he heard soone talking, and he saw that it was one of the oldest shareholders on the board that spoke. She was an old woman with white hair and thin glasses hanging on her nose. Her entire deanor released an aura of motherly calmness and gentleness that would make anyone respect her the mont they laid eyes on her.
Mark knew her very well. Her na was Kate Friday, and she had interacted with Mark many tis when he was still just a child. Back then, Kate always smiled at Mark, and she would always have a sweet in her pocket to give him while pinching his cheeks kindly. But that familiarity was no longer there now. Instead, Kate was openly frowning as she gave Mark a hard stare.
Kate was one of the people that managed to et Mark's eyes. Even though Mark's aura was imposing, Kate knew Mark enough to know that he would not harm her.
Mark could see the intense disappointnt in Kate's gaze as he spoke.
"I never thought I would need a reason to co to my own company. You of all people should never be asking sothing like that."
Kate narrowed her eyes.
"You disappeared from the public eye for a long ti, and you stayed under the radar in order to live the life that you wanted. I never said anything about this because I believed you to be a smart boy. I thought you were simply trying to enjoy the pleasures of youth before coming into the world of adults and taking up your father's mantle.
But to think that you not only beca a vigilante but also a murderer in the space of those four years. How can you allow your re-introduction to the world to be ruined by such infamy?"
Mark humd as he heard everything that Kate had to say, and the next word that ca out of his mouth made Kate's eyes widen in shock!
"And?"
Mark's nonchalance was so shocking that most of the people in the room began to shift around in their seats due to the shock that they felt. Even Hugo couldn't believe how unaffected Mark was, and it was only the fact that Hugo knew how strong-willed Mark was that he did not feel as shocked as the others.
Seeing Mark reacting like he had done nothing wrong even after his cris were placed right in front of him shocked them. They were not dealing with that child that they knew from so long ago. This was a man that was rooted deep in his own beliefs.
This was all just pointless to Mark. Mark did what he did because he believed that it was the right thing to do. Even as a child, Mark's parents taught him two things. The first was that he should always do what he believed was right.
Even if the rest of the world was against it, or if there was no one on his side, he should never budge, and the second was that he should always protect those who would stand with him even when the rest of the world was against him.
Mark internalized those teachings, and he has lived by them all his life.
"I did what I did because I believed it was the right thing to do. Love , hate , those things do not matter to . As the future leader of this company, it would be immature of to allow public sentint to sway my resolve. This is sothing that my father lived by, and I shall remain the sa. But that is not what I ca here today to discuss with you all.
You see, I am disappointed in all of you."
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