17 Years Ago, August 9, 2008

Explosion

"Protect Miss Christine!"

"Don't let them through!"

"Hold the line until Master Harold escapes with Miss Christine and the young lord!"

"Insolent fools, kill them all!" bellowed Viktor Drakov, a notorious figure in the underworld who had once been defeated mercilessly by Harold and Christine.

It was a long night, filled with bloodshed, death, fear, and despair. But we stood our ground, fighting waves of enemy combatants to protect the master as he fled to safeguard the family.

"Master Harold, quick! Take the young lord and Miss Christine with you. We'll hold them here."

"But I can't just leave you guys. I need to fight!"

"YOUR LIFE, THE YOUNG LORD'S, AND MISS CHRISTINE'S LIVES ARE MORE IMPORTANT. YOU HAVE TO GO, OR ELSE EVERYONE'S SACRIFICE WILL BE FOR NOTHING!"

The master fled as he was told, though it hurt him greatly to leave his allies alone to fight the enemy, knowing he could have beaten the enemy forces. After a long run through the mansion's secret passages, he arrived at another safe mansion in the city by dawn. Though tired from the escape, he trusted his family to his strongest familiar and went back to battle.

"ALDRED, COME FORTH!"

"Yes, master."

"Protect Christine and James at all costs. I'll be back."

He left as fast as he could, so fast that he was gone before his wife and familiar could say a word.

He arrived back at the battlefield just in time to turn the tide of the battle. Harold's return was a beacon of hope for his allies. The butlers and maids, though confused and surprised, were glad to see him. Without hesitation, Harold sprang into action, eliminating a group of fourteen enemy combatants within seconds. His assassination skills were unmatched, and he swiftly slit their throats with his knife.

"Master Harold, you're back!"

"Stay focused. We need to clear the area," Harold replied, his voice cold and determined.

With the immediate threat neutralized, Harold cast a spell, summoning frozen bullets that rained down upon the enemy. The vanguard and support units were decimated, leaving only the rearguards alive but injured.

Spotting Viktor Drakov, Harold charged straight at him. Viktor swung his weapon, aiming to sever Harold's neck, but it was only an afterimage. Harold had already moved behind Viktor, smashing his head into the ground and kicking him into a wall.

"You're persistent, Drakov," Harold said, his eyes narrowing.

"You should have stayed hidden, Harold. This time, you won't escape," Viktor snarled, recovering quickly.

Harold was relentless. He fired an ice spear at Viktor, who blocked it with an iron mound. The mound absorbed the impact but froze and shattered from the force, leaving Viktor exposed.

"Your tricks won't save you," Harold said, casting a boost spell that coated his body in a thin layer of powerful ice and his blades with a freezing coating that nullified regeneration and healing.

Viktor summoned an iron guard, an entity made of iron that fired deadly explosive beams. The beams hit Harold but had no effect.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Impossible!" Viktor shouted, his eyes wide with fear.

Seizing the opportunity, Harold severed Viktor's head, froze it, and crushed it with his hands. The remaining enemy combatants cowered in fear as Harold's allies began eliminating them one by one. The battle ended in a decisive victory for Harold and his allies.

Harold went to his allies, who embraced their master with joy. Despite their victory, Harold did not smile. One of his allies asked, "Sir, we won. How are you not happy?"

"Happy? This is all my fault. You guys aren't just butlers and maids to me; you're part of the family. You are part of the Striders. But many of you died when I fled," Harold replied.

His second-in-command responded, "Sir, we owe you our lives, and we will repay you with them. All of us would have died back then if not for you. We simply did what we must. Plus, we have pledged our lives to you and will die by your orders."

Harold cried, overwhelmed by their loyalty and sacrifice. After he composed himself, he quickly returned to the mansion in the city. Seeing his wife and child safe, sleeping soundly, he finally had a smile on his face.

17 Years Later (Present)

"Wake up, brother! Wake up!"

James woke up to his sister's call, reminding him of his responsibilities for the day.

"You're seriously still sleeping? You have a meeting. Have you forgotten you're the head of this company?"

"I don't want to meet them. The board directors are a pain in the ass, and you know best that I hate conversing with other people."

"You have no choice. You can't just keep dumping our work on John. He's already your butler, and you're one big pain in the ass. Now wake up, wake up, wake up, wake uuuupppppp!"

"Ahhhh, fine, whatever. I'll do it."

James got ready while complaining, ate breakfast, and left in a hurry. Though he was being driven by his butler, he continued to complain about things. After a while, he arrived at the board meeting.

"Everybody, Sir James is here," announced John.

Everyone rose from their seats to greet him cheerfully.

"Let's just get this over with," James exclaimed in an irritated, though low, voice.

"Good morning, Sir James. We wanted to discuss the current state of the company. Our quarterly profits have increased by 10%, but there are concerns about the upcoming product launch."

"Hmm."

"What Sir James means is that while the profit increase is satisfactory, he is aware of the challenges we face with the product launch. He believes we need to ensure all departments are aligned and working efficiently."

"Understood. We've also noticed a slight decline in customer satisfaction in the last month. Any thoughts on addressing this?"

"Fix it."

"Sir James suggests that we conduct a thorough review of our customer service protocols and implement necessary improvements. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining high customer satisfaction."

"Regarding our expansion plans, do you have any specific regions in mind for the next quarter?"

"Asia."

"Sir James has identified Asia as a key region for our expansion. He believes that the market potential there is significant and that we should prioritize our efforts in that area."

"Also, there's the matter of the new marketing strategy. Do you approve the proposed budget?"

"Yes."

"Sir James approves the proposed budget for the new marketing strategy. He trusts that the marketing team will execute it effectively to enhance our brand presence."

"Hmph, are you really the CEO of this company? You're only a young brat. We earned our spots here while you became the CEO just because you're Harold's son."

"Watch your tongue," John threatened.

"Come on, John. I remember when you were still a kid. You weren't like that. I've known you for a long time."

"Oh yeah? Well, pack your things and go. You're FIRED," James casually spoke.

"W-what? You can't just do that," he stammered, flustered.

"If I remember correctly, I'm the owner of this company, am I not?"

All of the board members sat in silence. As Michael tried to resist, he was dragged out of the office and escorted out of the building by security.

The meeting continued smoothly, with John interpreting James's brief and dry responses, ensuring that all points were addressed and understood by the board members. By the end of the meeting, the board felt confident in the company's direction, thanks to John's clarifications and James's decisive, albeit terse, input.

"Ahh, the atmosphere earlier was tough, huh?" one of the assistants said.

"Definitely. They weren't kidding when people called him the coldest prince. Though he's the youngest CEO there's ever been, he can back it up. I thought I was gonna die by that glare," another replied.

Jamie overheard them as she was walking to her brother's office. She approached the assistants with a cheerful demeanor.

"You better not talk like that in the halls if you want to last long in this game. People could hear you," she said, smiling. "After all, my brother can be quite ruthless."

"Oh really? Wait, what did you just call the CEO?" one of the assistants asked, confused.

"I called him brother. My name's Jamie Strider, younger sister of James Strider," Jamie replied with a cheerful yet sarcastic smile on her face as she walked off joyously to her brother's office.

The assistants froze in shock and embarrassment.