Chapter 3

My dad called an emergency meeting at Ashford Group and had me sit quietly in a corner. It wasn't the first time he'd brought me into a meeting. But I could tell at once that the mood was different. The conference room was frighteningly quiet. Everyone wore the same grim, humiliated expression. My dad sat at the head of the table with a dark scowl. Standing across from him was a tall, middle-aged man in a custom-made suit. Behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes were sharp and hawklike. It was John. "Mr. Ashford, is this how Ashford Group treats a guest?" John's voice dripped with mockery as he spoke flawless Valorian. "I came here to discuss an acquisition, and you're trying to appeal to sentiment? That's ridiculous." He laughed openly, the harsh sound echoing through the otherwise solemn conference room. "Mr. Mercer!" Ashford Group's CFO, Caleb Grant, shot to his feet, shaking with anger. "This is an Ashford Group board meeting. You don't get to come in here and insult us!" John gave him a sideways glance full of contempt. "You don't get a say in this meeting. And spare me that sentimental nonsense about the 'human touch' of family businesses. Only the weak hide incompetence behind sentimentality." Caleb's face flushed dark red. He pointed at John and stammered, "You... you..." His breath suddenly caught, and he toppled backward. "Mr. Grant!" The people beside him scrambled to catch him. The conference room erupted into commotion. My dad slammed a palm on the table. "Enough!" John glanced at him, but the contempt on his face didn't fade in the slightest. "Mr. Ashford, I'll stop wasting everyone's time. Our analysts have run the numbers. Ashford Group won't make it through next year. Sell now and you may still get 2 billion dollars for the company. Once we start shorting you, you may be left with less than 100 million dollars." He paused, then continued, "And we want that parcel you own on the south side of Kingwood. It'll be perfect for luxury housing. I've also heard your sales team is excellent. Once the acquisition closes, they'll be ours too..." Before he even finished, the entire room erupted. Is this supposed to be an acquisition offer? This is clearly an attempt to bankrupt Ashford Group! "This is outrageous! If it's a fight you want, we'll give you one!" Several hotheaded shareholders on Uncle Vincent's side of the table finally snapped. John gave a contemptuous laugh. "Fight me? Fine." He looked straight at Uncle Vincent. "I know you. Vincent Ashford, right? You led that restaurant business 3 years ago. How much did you lose, 200 million dollars or 300 million?" Uncle Vincent's face turned scarlet, as if he'd been slapped. His hands curled into fists, veins bulging, but he couldn't get a single word out. John's gaze swept around the room. Everyone who'd been shouting a moment earlier fell silent. The conference room fell back into dead silence. It was the silence of people who had been humiliated and knew they were powerless. I stood in the corner and watched it all. These were supposed to be Ashford Group's elite. Yet one financial vulture from Ravenport had dressed down a roomful of executives so thoroughly that none of them dared raise their heads. I was honestly starting to get sleepy. This was even uglier than I'd expected. It was like watching a roomful of grown men get cornered by a street thug, slapped around one by one, and still be too scared to fight back. My dad's chest heaved. I knew he was close to exploding. But he couldn't. The reason was simple: John wasn't lying. Ashford Group's performance was really declining. That was the bitter reality of being the weaker side. John was clearly pleased with the effect he'd had on the room. He cleared his throat, ready to pile on even more outrageous demands. "No objections? Then I assume everyone agrees. In that case, our company has a few more demands." His voice buzzed in my ears like an irritating fly. I had planned to sit quietly and watch. But he was getting on my last nerve. 'I've had enough.' I was genuinely sick of listening to him. In the deathly quiet conference room, everyone was looking down. No one noticed me standing off to the side. At last, I moved. I took one step forward. Then I slowly opened my mouth and spoke the first words of my new life in Valorian.